Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest, September 9, 2024

Gospel

Lk 6:6-11

On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,

and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely

to see if he would cure on the sabbath

so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.

But he realized their intentions

and said to the man with the withered hand,

"Come up and stand before us."

And he rose and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them,

"I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath

rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?"

Looking around at them all, he then said to him,

"Stretch out your hand."

He did so and his hand was restored.

But they became enraged

and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Reflection

In the Gospel passage, Jesus faces the scrutiny of the scribes and Pharisees. They use a man with a withered hand as a test, hoping to catch Jesus in a transgression of the Sabbath law. However, Jesus takes this in stride and poses this question... "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath 
rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?", essentially turning the problem back on them and healing the man with the injured hand. According to their laws it was unlawful to perform work on a sabbath day and they used the man with a withered hand to try and get Jesus to perform a miracle, thus violating the law in their eyes. However, Jesus exposes the Pharisees' hypocrisy and challenges their rigid interpretation of the law, by highlighting the true spirit of the law.

The scribes and Pharisees were so focused on finding fault with Jesus that they missed the opportunity to witness a genuine act of compassion. They were waiting for Jesus to make a mistake so they could attack Him . This reminded me of today and how many times we might do the same…looking for reasons to be annoyed with people and point out their wrong doings or faults. Just as the Pharisees sought to catch Jesus in a mistake, I think we too may find ourselves quick to judge or criticize others, often missing the opportunity to act with kindness and understanding.