Right or Righteous?

 

On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 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. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. (Luke 6:6-11 ESV).

 

This picture was taken in Inglewood, California, on October 20, 2020. It could have been taken in any of the cities and counties across our nation. For me the real question is how we got here. Without entering into a discussion of the responsibility of those who find themselves in such a situation, I must assert that some of the responsibility must be found in the truth that some of our churches care more about being “right” instead of practicing righteousness. This is a part of the context of our reading today.

 

The opposition against Jesus is mounting. Two new enemies join the fray. The scribes have spent centuries copying Old Testament scrolls, which teach God's Law to show us why we need His promised Savior. But they have distorted that word: teaching that heaven can be earned with strict adherence to the Law. Sitting with the scribes are their disciples the Pharisees, who dedicate themselves to live by these teachings and traditions. In the synagogue sits a man whose right hand is withered and useless. Scribal traditions forbid any work on the Sabbath, even healing a man's withered hand. So the scribes and Pharisees silently watch to see if Jesus will break their Sabbath rules.

Jesus calls the man to stand, dramatically drawing everyone's attention. Then He turns to the scribes and asks, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" He exposes the hypocrisy of their tradition that would forbid Him to use His powers to end someone's suffering just because it is the Sabbath. Looking around at them, He lets His point sink in. Jesus then tells the man, "Stretch out your hand," and his hand is completely restored. The scribes and Pharisees are furious. Jesus clearly broke the spirit of their Sabbath tradition, but by the letter of their law they have no charge to bring against Him. Nobody thought to write a law forbidding a man to stretch out his hand. This is a good time to reexamine what’s more important in our lives – the rule of religion or the righteousness of faith.