Christ's Miracles on the Sabbath Day
by VP
Posted on Sunday September 01, 2024 at 12:00AM in Sermons
James Tissot, 1886–1896.
"There was a very special motive in our Blessed Lord's acting contrary to the Jewish law, in working cures on the Sabbath day. It was a rebuke to that spirit of keeping the letter of the law in such a hard and uncharitable way. Moreover, it was to show for all time the love and mercy that mankind could hope to receive on Sabbath days in the Church that He was to establish.
There are no less than seven occasions recorded in the gospel on which our Savior worked miracles on the Sabbath. The first occurred in the synagogue at Capharnaum. "There was a man, who had an unclean devil, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone, what have we to do with Thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee, Who Thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace and go out of him; and he went out of him and hurt him not at all" (Luke iv. 33). And immediately Jesus went from the synagogue to Simon's house. "And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever, and they besought Him for her. And standing over her, He commanded the fever and it left her. And immediately rising, she ministered to them" (ibid. 38). And at sunset-that is, when the Sabbath was over-all that had any sick brought them to Him and He healed them.
The third event is thus recorded. "And there was a man, whose right hand was withered. And the Scribes and Pharisees watched Him if He would heal on the Sabbath day, that they might find an accusation against Him. But He knew their thoughts; and said to the man who had the withered hand: Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And rising he stood forth. And Jesus said to them: I ask you, if it be lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy? And looking round about on them all, He said to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth, and his hand was restored. And they were filled with madness, and they talked one to another, what they might do to Jesus" (Luke vi. 6). This miracle is also recorded by St. Matthew (xii. 10) and St. Mark (iii. 1).
The fourth cure is thus related by St. Luke. "And He was teaching in their synagogue on the Sabbath. And behold there was a woman, who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, neither could she look upwards at all. Whom, when Jesus saw, He called her unto Him, and said to her: Woman, thou art delivered from thy infirmity. And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue being angry that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, answering said to the multitude, Six days there are wherein you ought to work; on them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath.
And the Lord answering him said: Ye hypocrites, doth not every one of you, on the Sabbath day, loose his ox or his ass from the manger and lead them to water? And ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? And when He had said these things all His adversaries were ashamed; and all the people rejoiced for all the things that were gloriously done by Him" (Luke xiii. 11-18).
The very next chapter of St. Luke's is chosen for this day's gospel. You remember we are told that Jesus went into the house of a certain Pharisee; and they watched Him. What an invitation, full of guile and deceit ! And behold there was a certain man before Him, who had the dropsy." Jesus asked them in the words of the text, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? But they held their peace. But He, taking him, healed him and sent him away" (Luke xiv. 1). And then our Lord rebuked them.
The six and seventh miracles are recorded by St. John. The scene is at the pool of Bethsaida, "where lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered, waiting for the moving of the water. And an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond, and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond, after the motion of the water, was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under. And there was a certain man there, who had been eight and thirty years under his infirmity. Him when Jesus had seen lying, and knew that he had been there a long time, He saith to him, Wilt thou be made whole ? The infirm man answered, Sir, I have no man to put me into the pond, and whilst I am coming, another goeth down before me. And Jesus said to him: Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. And it was the Sabbath that day. Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus (John v. 2).
The seventh and last miracle took place immediately after the Jews had taken up stones to cast at Jesus. "But Jesus hid himself, and went out of the Temple." And passing by He saw a man blind from his birth. Persecuted, His life sought after, yet the Sacred Heart was heedful of the miseries of others. You remember our Lord said to him, "Go wash in the pool of Siloe." He went, he washed, he came back seeing! Now it was the Sabbath when Jesus opened his eyes. The Pharisees cross-questioned the man; rebuked him and cast him out of the synagogue because he spoke in defense of Jesus. Our Lord meeting him afterwards, revealed Himself to him as the Son of God," and falling down he adored Him " (John ix. 1).
In all this manifold revelation of the tender love of Christ is there no lesson for ourselves? Yes, indeed: Sunday after Sunday are we not here present before Him? His merciful eyes are looking down upon our souls; ah! if we saw the state of our souls as He sees them, should we not recognize ourselves amongst those sad cases whom He cured on the Sabbath day? What He mercifully did then, He is willing and longing to do now during Holy Mass. Let us humbly own our infirmities, and beg of Him to make us whole, strong to re-enter His service, strong to persevere."
16th Sunday after Pentecost. Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year by Dom Francis Paulinus Hickey, O.S.B. 1922
