The battle over the Sabbath continued. Rather than trying to learn from what Jesus has told them, the Pharisees just tried all the harder to find fault with Him. What they did not appreciate is that they were actually playing right into Jesus' hands and that it is they who would end up being shown to be more guilty. When under attack we should remain calm, and continue to do the will of God.
They brought a man with a shrivelled hand to Jesus asking if it was legal to heal the man on the Sabbath. Under the rabbis teaching it was lawful to take action if a man's life was in danger, which was not the case with the man here. Jesus again uses the Law to point out the error of their ways. Under the Law it was allowed to rescue a sheep on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees would have no hesitation in doing this. Jesus then asked them who was worth more a sheep or a man?
Legalism inevitably ends up with us disregarding human life, and becomes a travesty of the very thing we may start out claiming to protect or promote. Jesus saw the Sabbath as a day on which to set people free. So He healed the man.
Rather than learning their lesson, or rejoicing in the blessing that the man had just received, the Pharisees went off to plot how they might kill Jesus.
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