Day 143: Luke 6:1–11

The scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely, to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against Him (v. 7).

Back in Luke 5:17, the Pharisees and doctors of the law were seen “sitting by” while Jesus was teaching (kjv). Matthew Henry wrote, “How many are there in the midst of our assemblies, where the gospel is preached, that do not sit under the Word, but sit by! It is to them as a tale that is told them, not as a message that is sent them; they are willing that we should preach before them, but not that we should preach to them.”35

Can you recall a time when you attended a Bible study or church service that profoundly affected a few of the people you were with, while others in attendance were completely unmoved? Like the Pharisees and teachers of the law, sometimes the unaffected can be the most “religious” people in the room. Could the difference be that they were sitting by rather than sitting under God’s Word?

One of the stories in today’s passage is proof positive of this.

On the Sabbath day, Jesus encountered a man with a withered right hand. Think of all the jobs that would have been difficult if not impossible for this man. A shepherd had to be adept at using a rod and a staff. A farmer needed both hands to plow. A carpenter had to hold a hammer in one hand and a nail in the other. A merchant would have had a difficult time securing and displaying goods with only one hand. Even a tax collector needed his right hand! So in the context of this event from Jesus’ life, in which He would give a discourse on the issue of rest versus work, I don’t think it was a coincidence that the man involved had lived a humiliating life of unwelcome “rest” from effective labor. Christ granted him rest on this day from his incapacity and futility. The One who created the Sabbath used it to bring restoration to a man weary of uselessness.

Meanwhile, however, the Pharisees and teachers of the law were “sitting by,” watching Jesus, just looking for some basis to condemn Him. Their primary reason for attending was to see if Jesus would heal.

(By the way, I love the fact that they were convinced Christ would heal if He encountered someone in need—even on the Sabbath. What a healer He is! No amount of laws could keep Him from being Himself! The Pharisees and teachers of the law caught Christ in the act of being God. Hallelujah!)

But by coming with the expressed intent of finding fault with Jesus, they proved that the most merciful people are those who have been sitting under the faucet of God’s mercy instead of sitting by with a critical eye. Please note this sad fact, which was emphasized by the events following the Pharisees’ and teachers’ speculations: those who look for reasons to accuse will undoubtedly find some. They quickly found basis to accuse Jesus.

In my own life and ministry, I’ve accepted the fact that anyone looking hard enough to condemn will sooner or later be accommodated. I really do believe that more people in the body of Christ are generally accepting than accusing, but one mean-spirited person is practically enough to ruin anyone’s day. Francis Frangipane wrote something so powerful on this subject, I immediately committed it to memory. He said of the Lord:

To inoculate me from the praise of man, He baptized me in the criticism of man, until I died to the control of man.36

Beloved, one thing I know for sure on this subject: nothing will squelch our efforts to seek the approval of others like not receiving it! Furthermore, those who approve of us one day can be the same ones who accuse us the next. I encourage you to break free from the traps set by approval and accusation. We are called to live our lives above reproach but to expect reproach anyway. Christ was blameless yet was blamed continually. I think you can trust me on this one: blameless people are rarely those who cast blame.

When the man with the shriveled hand stood before Him on the Sabbath, Jesus knew the Pharisees and teachers of the law were looking to accuse Him. But He did not allow Himself to be controlled by potential accusations nor even by the law that He Himself instituted. He was indeed the Lord of the Sabbath.

His public question to His accusers made them look terribly foolish: “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” (v. 9). Picture the scene described in verse 10 as Jesus “looked around at them all.” Eye to eye. Just waiting for someone to give Him an answer. They were struck dumb. Or maybe dumber. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did. Right there in front of all those perfect and pious-looking people, the man who all his life had probably hidden his handicap under the sleeve of his garment stretched forth his humiliating infirmity—and was healed. It was enough to make those who were sitting by to be “filled with rage,” off to their own little corners to discuss “what they might do to Jesus” (v. 11).

It’s a question we must answer every time we hear or read a message from His Word. What will we do with Jesus? Will we sit under His teaching? Or just sit by?