Luke 6:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Pharisees were observing Him closely to determine whether He would perform healing on the Sabbath. This reveals the character of the envious person, who turns the accolades received by others into a source of distress, allowing their own bitterness to consume them.

Through His miraculous healings, Christ corrected the Jewish leaders who misrepresented the law with skewed interpretations, believing that the Sabbath should be observed to avoid even beneficial actions (see Luke 6:7). In truth, the law envisioned a time when there would be a cessation from wrongful acts, but not from righteous ones: worldly tasks would come to an end, yet it would be a virtuous act to find solace in worshiping God.

It is mentioned in the twenty-first chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew.

(Note: See Matthew 12:10.)

Over the next two Sabbaths, the significance of this day and the sanctity of its rest were elaborated upon, further clarified due to the ongoing disputes with the Pharisees. The first occasion involved the Lord's disciples, who, while traveling from Jerusalem and feeling hungry, plucked heads of grain from a field and ate them after rubbing them in their hands. A subsequent event occurred when a man with a withered arm was completely restored in the synagogue, solely by the Lord’s command. This last incident took place in Galilee. In defending His disciples and the healing of the man with the withered hand, the Lord pointed out examples known to the Pharisees of how revered figures had permitted certain acts in times of necessity.

On a different Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, where a man with a paralyzed right hand was present. The scribes and Pharisees were keenly observing Him, eager to see if He would violate the Sabbath by healing the afflicted man. Their scrutiny was not only passive; as Matthew recounts, they presented Him with a challenge. After calling the man with the withered hand to come forward, Jesus posed a question to the Pharisees: "Which of you, having one sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? To save a life, or to destroy it?" (Matthew; Mark; Luke).

Everyone was aware of its existence and likely its intention, resulting in the leading places being filled by the scribes and Pharisees, whose furious gaze was fixed on Jesus, eager to observe His actions for the purpose of accusing Him. The Sabbath, recognized as a day of rest, made it unacceptable to seek any form of medical assistance. Although it was permissible to take a bit of vinegar for a toothache, it was required to be swallowed rather than expelled. Likewise, when dealing with a sore throat, one could gargle with oil, but it too had to be ingested. Rubbing spices on the lips for healing was also deemed unacceptable, yet the rabbis permitted this action if its intent was to freshen the breath.