Luke 6:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.

NIV: The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.

NASB: Now the scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him.

CSB: 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.

NLT: The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

KJV: And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

NKJV: So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.

Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. A man with a withered hand is listening (Luke 6:6). Pharisees and scribes are also there, watching to see if Jesus will heal the man. They aren't merely observing, they are spying on Him.

Pharisees were a sect of Jews who claimed to follow the Mosaic law but also followed and enforced the extra-biblical oral law. Scribes were lawyers; the scribes of the Pharisees specialized in the oral law. According to the oral law, it is allowed—required, even—to save a life. Likewise, medical attention was allowed for childbirth and circumcision if the eighth day fell on the Sabbath. But it is not allowed to take deliberate steps to heal someone else or oneself. Ironically, a person can ask a Gentile to take those steps. The laws regarding the Sabbath are based on the construction and maintenance of the tabernacle. For instance, when the Pharisees criticized Jesus' disciples for picking grain and separating the kernel from the chaff, they broke the specific rules related to baking the bread of the Presence (Luke 6:1–5).

"Withered" means being immobile and atrophied due to disease. This may correspond to conditions such as polio, which causes nerve damage and paralysis. This man's condition is chronic, but not fatal. To heal a withered arm on the Sabbath is against the Pharisees' traditional laws, such as Mishnah Shabbat 22:6 which says that no one may straighten the limbs of a child unless the baby has just been born. If someone breaks a bone on the Sabbath, no one may set it—although this interpretation is not universally accepted. And steps may not be deliberately taken to reset a dislocated arm or leg. The reason is that straightening a limb is too much like construction, as the tabernacle was constructed.

To break the Sabbath is a capital offense according to the Mosaic law (Exodus 31:14) although there is only one record of the punishment being used (Numbers 15:32–36). Maybe, the Pharisees think, Jesus will break the Sabbath and they'll have justification for executing Him.

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.