God, our neighbour and ourselves
A man was there whose right hand was withered. (Luke 6: 6)
On another Sabbath, Jesus 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)
The Sabbath is a gift from God so that His chosen people can rest. When not distracted by daily work, we can deepen our understanding of God's Law. We need to use our hands in two ways: to work and earn our daily bread and, then, on the Sabbath to raise them up to praise of God. When Jesus healed the man with a paralysed hand, he not only helped him, but us as well to better understand how the Law of God is fulfilled. This is done by loving Him above all things and, thus, our neighbour and ourselves.
