Church Fathers Commentary Luke 6:6-11

"And it came to pass on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man there, and his right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find how to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man that had his hand withered, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. And Jesus said unto them, I ask you, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do harm? to save a life, or to destroy it? And he looked round about on them all, and said unto him, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did [so]: and his hand was restored. But they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus." — Luke 6:6-11 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: The Lord now proceeds to another work. For he who had determined to make the whole person well was able to heal every part of the body. Therefore, the scripture says, And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught.

The Venerable Bede: He chiefly heals and teaches on the sabbaths, not only to convey the meaning of a spiritual sabbath, but also because of the larger gathering of the people.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But he taught things far beyond their comprehension and opened to his hearers the way to future salvation through him. Then, after first teaching them, he suddenly showed his divine power, as the text continues, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

The Venerable Bede: But since the Master had excused with an undeniable example the breach of the sabbath with which they charged his disciples, their goal now was to watch him in order to bring a false accusation against the Master himself. As the text continues, And the Scribes and Pharisees watched him, if he would heal on the sabbath; they did this so that if he did not, they might accuse him of cruelty or impotence, and if he did, of violating the sabbath. Therefore, the text adds, that they might find an accusation against him.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For this is the way of the envious person: he feeds his own pangs of grief with the praises of others. But the Lord knew all things and searches the heart.

As the text continues, But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand. And he arose, and stood forth. He did this so that perhaps he might stir the cruel Pharisees to pity and calm the flames of their passion.

The Venerable Bede: But the Lord, anticipating the false charge they were preparing against him, reproves those who, by wrongly interpreting the law, thought that they must rest on the sabbath even from good works. The law commands us to abstain from servile work—that is, from evil—on the sabbath, not from good. Therefore, Jesus says to them, I ask you, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath? and so on.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: This is a very useful question. If it is lawful to do good on the sabbath, and there is no reason why those who do good should not obtain mercy from God, then stop gathering accusations against Christ. But if it is not lawful to do good on the sabbath, and the law prohibits saving a life, then you have become the accuser of the law itself.

For if we examine the institution of the sabbath, we will find it was introduced for the purpose of mercy. God commanded the sabbath to be kept holy so that your man-servant and your maid-servant may rest, and all your cattle. But if God has mercy on an ox and other livestock, how much more will he have mercy on a person troubled with a severe disease?

St. Ambrose of Milan: But the law, through present realities, prefigured the form of future things. Among these, the coming days of rest are surely to be a rest from evil works, not from good ones. For although we may cease from secular work, it is a good work, and not idleness, to rest in the praise of God.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Although our Lord was healing the body, he asked this question: “Is it lawful to save a soul or to lose it?” He did this either because he performed his miracles on account of faith, in which lies the salvation of the soul, or because the healing of the right hand signified that salvation.

A soul that ceases to do good works seems, in a way, to have a withered right hand. In this sense, he used the word “soul” to mean the whole person, just as people are accustomed to say, “So many souls were there.”

But it may be questioned how Matthew could say that they asked the Lord whether it was lawful to heal on the sabbath, when Luke states here that, on the contrary, they were the ones asked by the Lord.

We must therefore believe that they first asked the Lord. Then he, understanding from their thoughts that they were seeking an opportunity to accuse him, placed the man he was about to heal in the middle of the group and asked the question that Mark and Luke record him asking. The text continues, And looking round about upon them all.

Titus of Bostra: When the eyes of all were, so to speak, riveted on him, and their minds were also fixed on the matter, he said to the man, “Stretch forth your hand.” I, who created man, command you. The man with the withered hand heard and was made whole, as the text continues, And he stretched it, and it was restored.

But those who should have been astonished by the miracle only increased in their malice, as it says next: But they were filled with madness, and communed one with another what they should do to Jesus.

St. John Chrysostom: And as Matthew relates, they go out to take counsel, that they should kill him.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: You see, O Pharisee, a divine Worker, and him who delivers the sick by his heavenly power, yet out of envy you breathe forth death.

The Venerable Bede: The man represents the human race, withered by the unfruitfulness of good works because of the hand of our first parent stretched out to take the apple. This hand was healed by the innocent hand stretched out on the cross. And the withered hand was rightly in the synagogue, because where the gift of knowledge is greater, the transgressor bears the greater blame.

St. Ambrose of Milan: You have heard, then, the words of him who says, “Stretch forth your hand.” This is a frequent and common healing. You who think your hand is whole, beware that it is not contracted by greed or sacrilege.

Stretch it out more often to help your neighbor, to protect the widow, and to save from injury someone you see being unjustly attacked. Stretch it out to the poor person who begs from you. Stretch it out to the Lord to ask for pardon for your sins. For as the hand is stretched out, so it is healed.