Here’s what Jesus said about healing on the Sabbath, along with relevant Bible verses and three main takeaways with their titles bolded:
Jesus performed several healings on the Sabbath, which caused controversy with the religious leaders who considered it a violation of the Sabbath law. Here are some relevant verses:
“Then he asked them, ‘If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?’ ” (Luke 14:5)
“The Lord then answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?’ ” (Luke 13:15)
“So he said to them, ‘Which one of you, having a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would not take hold of it and lift it out?’ ” (Matthew 12:11)
Three Main Takeaways:
- Compassion over Legalism: Jesus prioritized showing compassion and doing good over rigid adherence to legal interpretations of the Sabbath law.
- Healing is Permissible: Jesus defended His actions, arguing that acts of mercy and healing should be permissible on the Sabbath.
- Hypocrisy Called Out: Jesus called out the hypocrisy of those who would help their animals on the Sabbath but condemned Him for healing people on that day.
The key takeaway is that, according to Jesus, healing and doing good should take precedence over narrow interpretations of religious laws, especially when those interpretations lack compassion and mercy.
