The Holy Martyr Leontius (69-79)
Apostles’ Fast.
Read
Romans 12:4-5, 15-21; Matthew 12:9-13
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Make no mistake about it, Jesus knows that by healing the man with the withered hand, He will feel the wrath and scorn of the Pharisees for “working” on the Sabbath. Their blind acceptance and following of the law create spiritual blinders that do not allow them to distinguish between work and good deeds.
It is no surprise that Jesus uses an example that is very familiar to them because no shepherd, Sabbath or not, would allow a lamb to remain in a pit to suffer. Just as the lamb would be lifted out of the pit to spare it from suffering, so too Jesus desires that this man with the withered hand be spared suffering and be healed for the healing afforded to him is not work but rather a good deed from God.
We must not allow our spiritual blinders to neglect those good deeds that we should do every day. We have a law but the law is there to guide us towards holiness, not restrict us from helping our fellow brother and sister in Christ.