Doing Well on the Sabbath

As we think about our own Sabbath Day observance and those things which we should do and not do on the Lord’s day, I think it is instructive to consider how the Savior spent His Sabbath days as recorded in the New Testament.  I believe there is one simple, common theme among the stories that we have of the Savior’s experiences.  He summed it up this way, “It is lawful to do well on the sabbath days” (Matt. 12:12).  Jesus, as far as our record shows, spent His time on the Sabbath healing others.  Many of the Jews around Him were focused on the don’ts of the Sabbath and were constantly hung up on their perception that Christ was breaking the Sabbath.  But Christ wasn’t concerned by their quibbling over the Sabbath rules—what He cared about was honoring His Father by serving others on that most sacred day. 

                We see numerous accounts particularly in the book of Luke of the Savior healing the people of numerous infirmities on the Sabbath.  One of those was the story of the man with the withered hand: “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….  And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other” (Luke 6:6-10).  Another was the healing of a woman who had been afflicted for eighteen years: “And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.  And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.  And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.  And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” (Luke 13:10-13).  A man with dropsy was brought to him on another Sabbath: “And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.  And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.  And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?  And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go” (Luke 14:1-4).  On a different Sabbath day recorded in Luke 4 Christ participated in numerous healings: “And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil….  And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.  And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not” (Luke 4:33-37).  On that same day “he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.  And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them” (Luke 4:38-39).  Later as the “sun was setting” on that Sabbath, “all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them” (Luke 4:40).  Again and again and again He spent His time healing people on the Sabbath day. 

The book of John records two other important Sabbath day healings.  The first was the man who had been impotent for 38 years waiting at the pool of Bethesda: “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.  When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?  The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.  Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.  And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath” (John 5:5-9).  Perhaps the most well-known story of healing on the Sabbath was the story of the man born blind.  We read in John’s account: “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth….  [Jesus] spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.  And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes” (John 9:1-7, 14).  The rulers of the Jews tried to use this experience and others to rail against Jesus for His supposed Sabbath day breaking, but Christ understood the true spirit of how we should spend our time on the Sabbath: by doing well.