It
also happened on another Sabbath that he entered into the synagogue and taught. There was a man there, and his right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise up, and stand in the middle.” He arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you something: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” He looked around at them all, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand was restored as sound as the other. But they were filled with rage, and talked with one another about what they might do to Jesus.
Luke 6:6-11
Luke 6 [3.] Jesus, answering them, said, “Haven’t you read what David did when he was hungry, he, and those who were with him; how he entered into God’s house, and took and ate the show bread, and gave also to those who were with him, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests alone?” He said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Luke 6 [6.] It also happened on another Sabbath that he entered into the synagogue and taught. There was a man there, and his right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise up, and stand in the middle.” He arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you something: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” He looked around at them all, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand was restored as sound as the other. But they were filled with rage, and talked with one another about what they might do to Jesus.
Luke 6 [12.] In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God. When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he also named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Simon, who was called the Zealot; Judas the son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor. He came down with them, and stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; as well as those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and they were being healed. All the multitude sought to touch him, for power came out of him and healed them all.
Meaning:
Jesus has just declared, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5). On another Sabbath he shows what that lordship looks like. In a synagogue, in front of watching critics, he restores a man’s withered hand and asks a question that cuts to the heart of the Sabbath debate.
- “He entered into the synagogue and taught”
The synagogue was where Scripture was read and explained on the Sabbath. In Nazareth “he entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day” (Luke 4:16).
- “His right hand was withered”
Luke, whom Paul called “the beloved physician”, is the only Gospel writer to tell us it was the man’s right hand. For most people that was the working hand. A withered right hand meant a man could hardly earn a living as a farmer, fisherman or craftsman. His illness was not life threatening, and the teachers of the law allowed healing on the Sabbath only when life was in danger. They expected Jesus to break their rule.
- “That they might find an accusation against him”
The scribes and Pharisees were not in the synagogue to worship or to learn. They watched Jesus closely, hoping to catch him. “But he knew their thoughts.” Jesus does not hide what he is about to do. He calls the man to “stand in the middle”, where everyone can see. The healing will not be done in a corner.
- “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm?”
Jesus turns the question back on his accusers. The Sabbath is not a neutral day when good may be left undone. To refuse to help when you are able to is to choose harm. Matthew records that Jesus also asked who among them would not lift a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath, and concluded, “Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day” (Matthew 12:12).
There is a sharp irony in the words “to save a life, or to kill”. Jesus was about to restore a life on the Sabbath; his critics would leave plotting against his life on the same day.
- “Stretch out your hand”
Jesus does not touch the man or perform any act that could be called work. He simply speaks, and the man obeys. As he stretches out his hand it is “restored as sound as the other”. The healing is complete and immediate.
- “They were filled with rage”
The response of the leaders is startling. A man has been healed in front of them, yet they are filled with fury. Mark says Jesus looked at them “with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts”, and that the Pharisees “conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him” (Mark 3:6). The path to the cross has begun.
The Significance of Luke 6:6-11
- Mercy is the heart of the law
God gave the Sabbath to bless his people. Using it as a reason to deny help to someone in need misreads God completely. Jesus shows that doing good is always in keeping with God’s will.
- Jesus sees the hidden heart
Jesus knew the thoughts of his critics. Nothing in us is hidden from him, neither our needs nor our motives. That is a warning to those who oppose him and a comfort to those who come to him for help.
- Obedience opens the way to healing
The man obeyed Jesus’ word, and in obeying he was healed. Faith often begins with doing what Jesus says.
Cross-References:
Mark 3:4-5: "Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?" Mark’s account of the same healing.
Matthew 12:12: "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day." Matthew’s account.
Luke 6:5: "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." The claim this healing illustrates.
Mark 3:6: "The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him." The plot that followed.
Conclusion: On another Sabbath Jesus healed a man’s withered right hand in the synagogue while the scribes and Pharisees watched for a reason to accuse him. He asked whether it is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill, and then restored the hand with a word. The leaders answered with rage, but Jesus had shown that the Lord of the Sabbath uses the day for mercy and healing.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible