Introduction
In this study, “Did Jesus Break the Law by Healing on the Sabbath? “, we will explore a much-debated topic: the healings performed by Jesus on the Sabbath and their relationship to God’s Law. Many people question whether these actions represent a transgression of the fourth commandment, which orders the sanctification of this day. Throughout this text, we will analyze the relevant biblical passages, Jesus’ interpretation of Sabbath observance, and how He responded to the Pharisees’ accusations. Was Jesus disrespecting God’s Law by performing miracles on this day, or was He teaching something profound about the true meaning of the Sabbath?
Jesus Healed on the Sabbath
On several occasions in the gospels, we find accounts of Jesus performing healings and miracles on the Sabbath. According to the instructions that God had given to His people, on that day people should stop doing their work and following their own desires (Exodus 20:8-11; Isaiah 58:13). Despite these instructions, Jesus performed healings and miracles on that day. Did He, on such occasions, break the Law, the fourth commandment of His Father’s Law, which ordered the sanctification of the Seventh day of the week? Although there are several texts that mention the performance of healings by Christ on the Sabbath, let us analyze a very enlightening text on this issue.
Matthew 12:9-10 – “And he departed from there, and came into their synagogue. And there was a man there which had a withered hand: and they asked him, to accuse him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?”
In Matthew 12:9-10, the evangelist reports that some people questioned Jesus about whether or not it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. It is normal to have doubts about some aspects of God’s commandments, after all, many details were not well clarified within the law. But in this situation, the people who were questioning Jesus did not intend to actually clarify a doubt with Him, but, as the text presents, their objective was to accuse Him.
They accused Jesus for the cures He performed.
In verse 2 of the same chapter, Matthew mentions that these accusers were not just any people, but some of the Pharisees. They were looking for some issue in Christ’s life where they could place Him as a false teacher. Even so, Jesus answers their question with the following words:
Matthew 12:11-12 – “And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? For of how much more value is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day.“
Jesus’ answer was very clear. He himself stated that it is “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath“Did Jesus break the Law by healing on the Sabbath? In the eyes of those who accused him, yes! But not according to the principles of the Law itself!
What Does It Mean for Something to be “Lawful“?
According to the Michaelis dictionary, the word “licit” means:
adj (lat. licitu) 1 In accordance with the law. 2 Permitted by law. sm That which is permitted, that which is just.
The word “lawful” used by Christ shows that the law allows miracles and healings to be performed on the Sabbath. In other words, by doing such works, Jesus was at no time transgressing the fourth commandment of God’s law, which prohibited the performance of work on that day.
I have seen some people quoting this text to justify Jesus doing things that were forbidden on the Sabbath, wanting to show that Sabbath observance was about to end. The problem with this thinking is that it is only partially true. In fact, Jesus did things that were forbidden on the Sabbath, but such prohibitions did not come from God’s orders, but from commandments and customs created by men themselves. On one occasion, Christ quoted a text from Isaiah that said the following:
Matthew 15:9 – “But in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men“
Certainly such prohibitions of the works that Jesus performed on the Sabbath could be categorized as being “precepts of men“.
What Did Jesus Mean by the Example of the Sheep?
Christ gives the example of the sheep that fell into a pit, but we should not use this as a justification for doing secular work during the Sabbath hours. This is not what Christ was explaining in this text. The work that Jesus describes in the example is that of helping those in need, even if this work needs to be done on the Sabbath. This thought is the fulfillment of the second greatest commandment of the Law, which is to love one’s neighbor, and in this we find why it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath.
Did Jesus really break the law by healing on the Sabbath? It is contradictory to use the text of Matthew 12:8-12 to justify that Jesus was teaching that the observance of the Sabbath was being revoked, since He Himself warned that whoever did this would be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:19 – “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.“
Conclusion
Therefore, the healings and miracles that Jesus performed on the Sabbath were not in disharmony with His Father’s Law. On the contrary, He was leaving a precious lesson of what is right to do on that day. Exercising works of love toward our neighbor on the seventh day of the week is permitted by the Law.
May God bless the reader.
