At one point in his wanderings, Jesus came upon a man with a shriveled hand. The ever-present Pharisees were looking for a reason to charge Jesus with a religious crime, so they asked him a specific question intended to tie him down, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?

Jesus sat with a man desperately hoping for a miracle, yearning for a hand that would allow him to work and earn a living and stand up for himself. The Pharisees failed to see the man at all, but merely hoped to criminalize Jesus’s behavior.

Jesus answered, It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then ordered the man to stretch out his hand, which healed before their eyes. The Pharisees stomped off, while the man flexed his strong fresh hand.

Jesus replied expansively to a narrow question designed to force him into a corner. No matter what strictures were drawn around the Sabbath, it was always appropriate, indeed lawful, to do good on that day. Perhaps Jesus throwing the word lawful back on those who manipulated the law angered the Pharisees the most.

Jesus uncomplicates situations. It’s always lawful to do good. When I see some good that needs doing, then I ought to step in and help. It sounds too simple, but as we go through our day, let’s keep our eyes open and do some good.

Matthew 12 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Rémi Walle