Daily Word Of God
Luke 6:6-11
On the Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was present, and his right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure somebody on the Sabbath, hoping to find something to charge him with. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Get up and stand out in the middle!’ And he came forward and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them, ‘I put it to you: is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?’ Then he looked round at them all and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were furious and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.
Today's Pointers on God's Word
As you read the passage what words, phases or meanings caught your attention?
- In today’s Gospel of St Luke our attention is drawn to Jesus’ healing ministry. Jesus teaches us that showing compassion to someone who is suffering and in pain is more important than observing the Sabbath rituals.
- If we are insensitive to the sufferings of others and dissociate our religious practices from them, then our rituals of making offerings to God are empty and meaningless.
- The blindness and rigidity of the Scribes and Pharisees in the practice of their religious rituals have made them heartless hypocrites. Let us pray that we become more compassionate to suffering people in our world.