Luke 6:7 Study Bible: The scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against him.

◄ Luke 6:7 ►

Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

Study Bible

Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus,

The scribes and Pharisees were religious leaders who often opposed Jesus. Their intent to find fault with Him highlights their resistance to His teachings and authority. This reflects a broader theme in the Gospels where religious leaders are depicted as antagonists to Jesus' ministry. Their desire to accuse Him is rooted in their fear of losing power and influence over the people. This behavior fulfills the prophecy of opposition to the Messiah, as seen in Psalm 2:2, where rulers take counsel against the Lord and His Anointed.

Jhn 8:6 They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis…
Mat 26:59-60 Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin…
Jhn 11:53 So from that day on they plotted to kill Him.

the scribes and Pharisees

The scribes were experts in the Law of Moses, responsible for teaching and interpreting it. The Pharisees were a religious sect known for their strict adherence to the Law and oral traditions. Both groups held significant influence in Jewish society. Their collaboration in this context underscores their shared interest in maintaining religious control and their mutual opposition to Jesus, who challenged their interpretations and authority.

Mat 23:2 “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
Mat 15:1 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus…
Mrk 7:1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come…

were watching Him closely

This phrase indicates a deliberate and intense scrutiny of Jesus' actions. The religious leaders were not merely observing out of curiosity but with the intent to find fault. This vigilance is indicative of their hardened hearts and unwillingness to accept Jesus' message. It also reflects the broader theme of spiritual blindness, as they fail to recognize the divine authority and compassion of Jesus.

Luk 14:1 One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat in the home…
Luk 20:20 So they watched Him closely and sent spies…
Mrk 12:13 Later, they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians…

to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

The Sabbath was a day of rest, as commanded in Exodus 20:8-11. Over time, numerous additional regulations were added by religious leaders, making Sabbath observance burdensome. Healing on the Sabbath was considered work, thus violating these man-made rules. Jesus' actions on the Sabbath often challenged these interpretations, emphasizing the spirit of the Law over the letter. His willingness to heal on the Sabbath demonstrates His authority over the Law and His compassion for human need, as seen in Mark 2:27, where He states, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

Mrk 3:2 In order to accuse Jesus, they were watching…
Mat 12:10-14 and a man with a withered hand was there.…
Jhn 5:16-18 Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath…

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jesus
Central figure in the New Testament, the Son of God, who is being observed by the religious leaders.

2. Scribes
Jewish legal experts and scholars of the Law of Moses, often seen as opponents of Jesus in the Gospels.

3. Pharisees
A religious sect known for strict adherence to the Law and traditions, often in conflict with Jesus over interpretations of the Law.

4. Sabbath
The seventh day of the week, a day of rest and worship in Jewish tradition, central to the conflict in this passage.

5. Healing
The act of Jesus performing miracles, which often led to confrontations with religious leaders over the appropriateness of such acts on the Sabbath.

Teaching Points

Understanding the Sabbath
The Sabbath was intended as a day of rest and worship, not a burden. Jesus demonstrates that doing good and showing mercy align with the Sabbath's true purpose.

Legalism vs. Compassion
The Pharisees' focus on legalistic interpretations of the Law blinded them to the needs of people. Christians are called to prioritize compassion and mercy over rigid adherence to rules.

Jesus' Authority
Jesus asserts His authority over the Sabbath, indicating His divine nature and the fulfillment of the Law through Him.

Heart Attitude
The Pharisees' intent to accuse Jesus reveals a heart issue. Believers should examine their motives and ensure they align with God's love and truth.

Witnessing Opportunities
Jesus' actions on the Sabbath provide a model for using every opportunity to demonstrate God's love and power, even in the face of opposition.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does Jesus' healing on the Sabbath challenge the traditional understanding of the Law, and what does this teach us about the nature of God's commandments?

2. In what ways can we fall into the trap of legalism in our own lives, and how can we ensure our focus remains on compassion and mercy?

3. How does Jesus' authority over the Sabbath inform our understanding of His identity and mission?

4. What are some practical ways we can demonstrate God's love and compassion in our daily lives, especially when faced with opposition or criticism?

5. How can we guard our hearts against the attitudes of the Pharisees, ensuring our motives align with God's will and purpose?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Matthew 12:9-14
This passage parallels Luke 6:7, where Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, highlighting the tension between Jesus and the Pharisees.

Mark 3:1-6
Another account of the same event, emphasizing the hardness of the Pharisees' hearts and Jesus' authority over the Sabbath.

Exodus 20:8-11
The commandment to keep the Sabbath holy, providing background to the Pharisees' concerns.

Isaiah 58:13-14
Discusses the true spirit of the Sabbath, which is relevant to understanding Jesus' actions and teachings.

Sermons

The Wily Watchers of the Good	J. S. Exell, M. A.	Luke 6:7
Unsabbatical	F. D. Maurice.	Luke 6:7
The Lord of the Sabbath, and His Work	R.M. Edgar	Luke 6:1-19
Christ Heals Without Causing Suffering	Dr. Talmage.	Luke 6:6-11
Christ Knew Their Thoughts		Luke 6:6-11
Language of the Hand		Luke 6:6-11
Not to Save Life is to Destroy	C. H. Spurgeon.	Luke 6:6-11
Promptitude of Faith	G. H. Parkhurst, D. D.	Luke 6:6-11
Saving a Limb	G. T. Coster.	Luke 6:6-11
Sin Disabling, Christ Restoring	W. Clarkson	Luke 6:6-11
The Ability of Christ to Heal the Withered Energies of the Human Soul	J. S. Exell, M. A.	Luke 6:6-11
The Construction of the Hand	Hours of Exercise in the Alps.	Luke 6:6-11
The Power of Faith in the Saviour's Word	Theodore Monod.	Luke 6:6-11
The Withered Hand	Dean Goulburn.	Luke 6:6-11

People

Alphaeus, Andrew, Bartholomew, David, James, Jesus, John, Judas, Matthew, Peter, Philip, Simon, Thomas, Zelotes

Places

Galilee, Jerusalem, Judea, Sidon, Tyre

Topics

Able, Accusation, Accuse, Bring, Closely, Cure, Heal, Healed, Law, Pharisees, Reason, Sabbath, Scribes, Teachers, Watch, Watched, Watching, Whether

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Luke 6:7

2545 Christ, opposition to
6163 faults

Luke 6:1-11

5381 law, letter and spirit

Luke 6:5-7

5379 law, Christ's attitude

Luke 6:5-11

7430 Sabbath, in NT

Luke 6:6-11

7552 Pharisees, attitudes to Christ
8442 good works

Luke 6:7-8

2045 Christ, knowledge of

Luke 6:7-11

7464 teachers of the law

Library

Laws of the Kingdom
'And He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God, 21. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy; for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Three Condensed Parables
'And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceiveth not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42. Either, how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. 43. For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Our Deserts
LUKE vi. 36-38. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again. One often hears complaints against this world, and against mankind; one hears it said …
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity
(From the Gospel for the day) This sermon telleth us of four measures that shall be rendered unto man, and of two grades of a godly life, and how we ought to love our neighbour. Luke vi. 36-42. WE read in the Gospel for this day that our Lord Jesus Christ said: "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven; give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, …
Susannah Winkworth—The History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler

The Blessing of Mercy,
(Fourth Sunday after Trinity.) S. LUKE vi. 36. "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." "Mercy" is the one great cry of human nature. We dare not ask for justice, we can only plead for mercy. David, after his great sins, could utter nothing but the mournful cry, the model for all penitent sinners, "Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness." The publican standing afar off, and looking at his faults, and not at his virtues, offers the pattern prayer for all men, "Lord, …
H. J. Wilmot-Buxton—The Life of Duty, a Year's Plain Sermons, v. 2

Rash Decisions.
4th Sunday after Trinity. S. Luke vi. 37. "Judge not--condemn not--forgive." INTRODUCTION.--Our Lord here condemns all rash judgments. We know not the motives of other men's actions, and therefore have no right to pass a sweeping condemnation upon them. From our ignorance, we ought to be cautious and merciful in our judgments, and from our own weakness, we should be forgiving to those who have trespassed against us. Rash judgments arise from pride. It is because we are puffed up with a high opinion …
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

The Reward of Obedience.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.' 'Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.'--Matthew, v. 7, 10 11, 12. Mercy cannot get in where mercy goes not out. The outgoing …
George MacDonald—Hope of the Gospel

"Be Doers of the Word. "
I want to remind you again that the mission of this little volume is to teach you how to live. The life beyond depends on the life here. Let me emphasize what I have repeatedly said before: to live as we should, we must live by every word of God. To live by every word of God is not only to hear it but also to do it. We have learned that, in order to enter the city of God and eat of the tree of life, we must do his commandments, and also that it is not "every one that sayeth, Lord, Lord, that shall …
C. E. Orr—How to Live a Holy Life

The Golden Rule of Life.
"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them like wise." Luke 6:31. This is a good rule for every-day living. It is known throughout the Christian world as "The Golden Rule." It has great depths. It contains more no doubt than any of us comprehend. But let us study it for a moment. We might divide it into two rules: First, Do good to all; second, Do harm to none. We would that all men should do us good, and we would that none should do us harm. But if we would see the greater depths …
C. E. Orr—How to Live a Holy Life

That all Hope and Trust is to be Fixed in God Alone
O Lord, what is my trust which I have in this life, or what is my greatest comfort of all the things which are seen under Heaven? Is it not Thou, O Lord my God, whose mercies are without number? Where hath it been well with me without Thee? Or when could it be evil whilst Thou wert near? I had rather be poor for Thy sake, than rich without Thee. I choose rather to be a pilgrim upon the earth with Thee than without Thee to possess heaven. Where Thou art, there is heaven; and where Thou are not, …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Judged by Fruit
A good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.' (Luke vi. 43, 44.) Jesus Christ, in the few sentences quoted, indicates the true secret or principle of holy living. They show that holy living works from the heart of things--beginning within--to the outside. Many judge their religion the other way about. They take up religious …
T. H. Howard—Standards of Life and Service

The Christian Assisted in Examining into his Growth in Grace.
1. The examination important.--2. False marks of growth to be avoided.--3. True marks proposed; such as--increasing love to God.--4. Benevolence to men.--5. Candor of disposition.--6. Meekness under injuries.--7. Serenity amidst the uncertainties of life.--8, 9. Humility,--especially as expressed in evangelical exercises of mind toward Christ end the Holy Spirit.--10. Zeal for the divine honor.--11. Habitual and cheerful willingness to exchange worlds when ever God shall appoint.--12. Conclusion. …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

We Shall not be Curious in the Ranking of the Duties in which Christian Love...
We shall not be curious in the ranking of the duties in which Christian love should exercise itself. All the commandments of the second table are but branches of it: they might be reduced all to the works of righteousness and of mercy. But truly these are interwoven through other. Though mercy uses to be restricted to the showing of compassion upon men in misery, yet there is a righteousness in that mercy, and there is mercy in the most part of the acts of righteousness, as in not judging rashly, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Whether Poverty of Spirit is the Beatitude which Corresponds to the Gift of Fear
Whether Poverty of Spirit is the Beatitude which Corresponds to the Gift of Fear We proceed to the twelfth article thus: 1. It seems that poverty of spirit is not the beatitude which corresponds to the gift of fear. For it was explained in Art. 7 that fear is the beginning of the spiritual life, whereas poverty of spirit pertains to the perfection of the spiritual life, according to Matt. 19:21: "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor." Hence poverty of spirit does …
Aquinas—Nature and Grace

Whether the Beatitudes Differ from the virtues and Gifts?
Objection 1: It would seem that the beatitudes do not differ from the virtues and gifts. For Augustine (De Serm. Dom. in Monte i, 4) assigns the beatitudes recited by Matthew (v 3, seqq.) to the gifts of the Holy Ghost; and Ambrose in his commentary on Luke 6:20, seqq., ascribes the beatitudes mentioned there, to the four cardinal virtues. Therefore the beatitudes do not differ from the virtues and gifts. Objection 2: Further, there are but two rules of the human will: the reason and the eternal …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Epistle xxxii. To Anastasius, Presbyter .
To Anastasius, Presbyter [1714] . Gregory to Anastasius, &c. That a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things (Matth. xii. 35; Luke vi. 45), this thy Charity has shewn, both in thy habitual life and lately also in thy epistle; wherein I find two persons at issue with regard to virtues; that is to say, thyself contending for charity, and another for fear and humility. And, though occupied with many things, though ignorant of the Greek language, I have nevertheless sat …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Of Christian Liberty.
1. Connection of this chapter with the previous one on Justification. A true knowledge of Christian liberty useful and necessary. 1. It purifies the conscience. 2. It checks licentiousness. 3. It maintains the merits of Christ, the truth of the Gospel, and the peace of the soul. 2. This liberty consists of three parts. First, Believers renouncing the righteousness of the law, look only to Christ. Objection. Answer, distinguishing between Legal and Evangelical righteousness. 3. This first part clearly …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

How the Joyful and the Sad are to be Admonished.
Admonition4. Differently to be admonished are the joyful and the sad. That is, before the joyful are to be set the sad things that follow upon punishment; but before the sad the promised glad things of the kingdom. Let the joyful learn by the asperity of threatenings what to be afraid of: let the sad bear what joys of reward they may look forward to. For to the former it is said, Woe unto you that laugh now! For ye shall weep (Luke vi. 25); but the latter hear from the teaching of the same Master, …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Present Life as Related to the Future.
LUKE xvi. 25.--"And Abraham said, Son remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented." The parable of Dives and Lazarus is one of the most solemn passages in the whole Revelation of God. In it, our Lord gives very definite statements concerning the condition of those who have departed this life. It makes no practical difference, whether we assume that this was a real occurrence, or only an imaginary …
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

In the Name of Christ
"Whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do. If ye shall ask anything in My Name, I will do it. I have appointed you, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name, He may give it you. Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. At that day ye shall ask in My Name."--JOHN xiv. 13, 14, xv. 16, xvi. 23, 24, 26. In my name--repeated …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

"For as Many as are Led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God. For Ye have not Received the Spirit of Bondage
Rom. viii. s 14, 15.--"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear,", &c. Children do commonly resemble their parents, not only in the outward proportion and feature of their countenances, but also in the disposition and temper of their spirits, and generally they are inclined to imitate the customs and carriage of their parents, so that they sometimes may be accounted the very living images of such persons; …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

In the Bitter Cold of Winter the Trees Stand Bare of Leaves...
1. In the bitter cold of winter the trees stand bare of leaves, and it seems as if their life, too, had departed for ever, yet in the spring time they put forth new leaves and beautiful flowers, and the fruit begins to show itself. So was it with Me in My crucifixion and resurrection, and so it is with my faithful cross-bearers (2 Cor. iv.8-11; vi.4-10). Though they seem to be crushed and dead beneath their cross they still put forth the beautiful flowers and glorious fruits of eternal life which …
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

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