Yesterday we looked at who Jesus is as a doctor, and today we confirm Jesus is a trustworthy and perfect doctor through another healing story. In Luke 6, Jesus heals a man with a deformed right hand on the Sabbath. The description of the man’s ailment on the right hand demonstrates that this ailment not only caused him pain and discomfort, but also greatly disrupted his life since the right hand was most likely his dominant hand. It is likely that his deformity kept him from work and hindered his social life.
Jesus asks a rhetorical question as he knows what the Pharisees and those of the religious laws are thinking about his healing. He asks, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save a life or destroy it?” (Luke 6:9)
Jesus is showing those who were there with him that if you have the power to do good, why not use that power? Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, so there is no law or set of rules that can keep him, the perfect doctor, from healing and doing good. On the cross, Jesus freed us from the things that keep us from doing good. If we want to help a brother or sister or walk alongside Jesus in his ministry on Earth, we are free from the inconveniences, Sabbath laws, and religious laws to do so.
Reflection:
- What keeps you from helping others? Does today’s devotional challenge this?