Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
“Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”
The fact that he often healed on the sabbath was a common critique of the ministry of Jesus. His opponents implied that this reflected a lack of concern for the law of God and a lack of faithfulness to God's covenant. For them, love of God and love of neighbor were unrelated to the point that they could contradict. What Jesus wanted to show them was that they were excessively attached to an incorrect interpretation of the sabbath. But the scholars of the law and the Pharisees did not hold these beliefs without reason. They no doubt knew about the promises of the prophets for the people if they would hold the sabbath in honor
If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (see Isaiah 58:13-14).
They were probably even aware that the promises regarding the sabbath were tinged with messianic hope.
If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (see Jeremiah 17:24-27).
Jesus's apparent disregard for rigorous regulations regarding the sabbath probably seemed to count against him as a potential messiah. If he were really the one sent by God, wouldn't he be leading the charge of enforcing these rules to the maximal degree? But this was in the end little more than a willful misunderstanding on the part of his opponents. On the one hand, their observance of the sabbath had become more of an excuse for omissions of necessary acts of love and mercy. It was a do not disturb sign on the door of their lives lest they be bothered by the concerns of others, about which they could care less. And on the other hand, it was a convenient critique to level at one whom many were beginning to suspect might be the messiah.
“Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?”
But they were unable to answer his question.
Before they could reiterate their criticism of Jesus's typical sabbath behavior he unveiled the flaw in their logic. The sabbath was meant to ensure that all servile work was set aside in favor of enjoying relationship with God. But there was a difference between avoiding servile work and failing to help those creatures, made in the image of God, who were in need. The sabbath, after all, could not merely be celebrated by one individual. It was meant to be the expression of the full people of God thriving in communion with him. It was not what it was meant to be without including everyone who desired to participate. This meant that removing obstacles to such participation, including curing the sick, was not only acceptable, but necessary. There was in fact no better day than the sabbath for Jesus to unleash healing and freedom.
Jesus wanted the Pharisees to learn the skill about which Paul also wrote to the Philippians.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
And this is what we need as well. Our darkened minds are more than able to twist the word of God into excuses that justify our preferences and prejudices rather, than allowing ourselves to be accountable to the word, and allowing it transform us. Jesus, through his Spirit, teaches us what has value, and empowers us to bear fruit. May we too learn to live "for the glory and praise of God".
Songs In His Presence - The House Of God
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