And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.
Luke 6:11 belongs to the synagogue healing on the Sabbath of the man whose right hand was withered, which stands as part of the larger account that also includes going through the cornfield and plucking ears of corn. The scribes and Pharisees had watched Him to find an accusation about healing on the Sabbath, and knowing their thoughts He had the man stand forth, asked whether it is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or evil, to save life or to destroy it, and then restored the hand whole as the other. His question exposed how unreasonable their enraged plotting was, for they could not answer that if a man would lift his sheep fallen into a pit on the Sabbath, how much better a man is than a sheep, and therefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.
Their rage arose because He did this good work and deed of mercy on the Sabbath, the Lord's day. Although they claimed to enjoy God's favor and special favor, they opposed His good work. Filled with madness, intense malice, and fury, they communed together what they might do to Jesus, with murderous intent to kill Him and seeking grounds to accuse and condemn Him. Their plotting to kill on the Sabbath, after He exposed their murderous purpose by asking whether it was lawful to save life or to kill, revealed the evil in their hearts in contrast with His merciful healing.
The Sabbath-breaking charge against Him as Lord of the Sabbath could not be sustained, so His accusers resorted to false witnesses, showing how unreasonably and blindly people can act in opposition. Their hostility drove Him and His disciples to withdraw to another field of labor. The healing was done to correct false Jewish teaching about the Sabbath and to impress that deeds of mercy are lawful on that day, breaking down Jewish custom while leaving the fourth commandment standing as God gave it to the world, exalting the Sabbath by sweeping away senseless restrictions that encumbered it and doing honor to the day, while those who complained dishonor the Sabbath themselves by their many useless rites and ceremonies. He upheld the binding claims of the Sabbath as the institution He Himself had given and kept it according to the law of God with reverence, yet in His day the Sabbath had been so perverted by false teaching that its observance reflected the character of selfish and arbitrary men rather than the character of God, misrepresenting God by those who claimed to know Him, and the merciless hostility in the verse came because He set aside their false teaching and went straight forward in true Sabbathkeeping without even appearing to conform to their requirements.
Luke 6:11 belongs to the synagogue healing on the Sabbath of the man whose right hand was withered, which stands as part of the larger account that also includes going through the cornfield and plucking ears of corn. The scribes and Pharisees had watched Him to find an accusation about healing on the Sabbath, and knowing their thoughts He had the man stand forth, asked whether it is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or evil, to save life or to destroy it, and then restored the hand whole as the other. His question exposed how unreasonable their enraged plotting was, for they could not answer that if a man would lift his sheep fallen into a pit on the Sabbath, how much better a man is than a sheep, and therefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.
Their rage arose because He did this good work and deed of mercy on the Sabbath, the Lord's day. Although they claimed to enjoy God's favor and special favor, they opposed His good work. Filled with madness, intense malice, and fury, they communed together what they might do to Jesus, with murderous intent to kill Him and seeking grounds to accuse and condemn Him. Their plotting to kill on the Sabbath, after He exposed their murderous purpose by asking whether it was lawful to save life or to kill, revealed the evil in their hearts in contrast with His merciful healing.
The Sabbath-breaking charge against Him as Lord of the Sabbath could not be sustained, so His accusers resorted to false witnesses, showing how unreasonably and blindly people can act in opposition. Their hostility drove Him and His disciples to withdraw to another field of labor. The healing was done to correct false Jewish teaching about the Sabbath and to impress that deeds of mercy are lawful on that day, breaking down Jewish custom while leaving the fourth commandment standing as God gave it to the world, exalting the Sabbath by sweeping away senseless restrictions that encumbered it and doing honor to the day, while those who complained dishonor the Sabbath themselves by their many useless rites and ceremonies. He upheld the binding claims of the Sabbath as the institution He Himself had given and kept it according to the law of God with reverence, yet in His day the Sabbath had been so perverted by false teaching that its observance reflected the character of selfish and arbitrary men rather than the character of God, misrepresenting God by those who claimed to know Him, and the merciless hostility in the verse came because He set aside their false teaching and went straight forward in true Sabbathkeeping without even appearing to conform to their requirements.