Luke 6:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.

NIV: On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.

NASB: On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught; and a man was there whose right hand was withered.

CSB: On another Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was shriveled.

NLT: On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching.

KJV: And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

NKJV: Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered.

Luke records a second altercation Jesus has with the Pharisees about what is allowed on the Sabbath. They first clashed over the appropriateness of picking grain and eating the kernels (Luke 6:1–5). This second is similar in that it also deals with a human need on a day that Jews are supposed to refrain from work.

The Mosaic law is clear that Israelites/Jews were not to do work on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:12–17). The law was so serious that a man was executed for picking up sticks in defiance of this rule (Numbers 15:32–36). Ignoring the Sabbath was a primary reason God judged and disciplined the Israelites (Ezekiel 20:13). God lists it on par with shedding blood, abusing refugees, and adultery, and gives it as a reason for the Babylonian captivity (Ezekiel 22:6–15).

After the Jews returned from Babylon, the scribes feared the people's sin would cause God to exile them again, so they made extra-biblical regulations to provide specific parameters. The Pharisees feel it is their responsibility to make sure everyone follows those regulations. They have extra incentive now: if they can catch Jesus breaking the regulations, they may have an opportunity to get rid of Him (Luke 6:7, 11).

"Withered" means to be shrunken and immobile. It's possible the man's arm is paralyzed, leading to muscle atrophy.

Luke 6:6–11 includes the last of six controversial actions which put Jesus at odds with the religious leaders. This passage on healing and the previous on eating (Luke 6:1–5) focus on the true purpose of the Sabbath. It is not to worship God with strict, suffocating rules but to rest and restore—even to heal. Next, Jesus will select twelve men out of a group who have decided to follow Him instead of the Pharisees. This story is also recorded in Matthew 12:9–14 and Mark 3:1–6. Luke 13:10–17 tells the story of Jesus healing a woman on the Sabbath, and Luke 14:1–6 gives an account of Jesus healing another man on the sabbath, at the house of a Pharisee.

Luke 6 contains two main sections of teaching and calls to discipleship. Luke 6:1–16 continues the pattern of Luke 5. The two ways in which Jesus sets aside tradition—this time by taking authority over the Sabbath—are paired with His call for the Twelve disciples. Luke 6:17–49 records Jesus' teaching on the ''level place,'' or His ''Sermon on the Plain,'' and a call to a crowd for general discipleship. Much of this material has parallels in Matthew 5 through 7, but it's not clear if the two accounts are of the same event. As a travelling teacher, Christ likely gave the same general message multiple times.

Luke 6 completes Jesus' call for disciples and followers that started in Luke 5. Luke 5:1—6:16 consists of three calls for disciples, each paired with two revolutionary teachings about Jesus' authority that increasingly infuriate the religious leaders. Luke 6:17–49 continues the theme with a general call for followers and a description of their responsibilities. In Luke 7:1—8:3, Jesus interacts with the other: Gentiles, women, and even the dead. This is followed by another general call (Luke 8:4–21), a series of miracles (Luke 8:22—9:17), and a final call for the Twelve to follow Him even more deeply (Luke 9:18–50).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.