"The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him" (Lk. 6:6-11).
In the Gospel of Saint Luke, the Pharisees and Scribes debate after Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath day. Their angry discussion about accusing Christ starkly contrasts His act of mercy and the teachings we seek to emulate in our Spiritual walk.
As a Knight of Peter Claver, I quote the Saint’s most famous saying, “We must speak to them with our hands before we speak to them with our lips.” Luke's gospel shows us Christ’s merciful healing is far more meaningful than the Pharisees’ plotting. Jesus also spoke words here, challenging the scribes, inquiring if it were lawful to heal, to “save life rather than destroy it,” on the Sabbath, when work of all kinds is forbidden under Mosaic law. But Christ knew the importance of restoring the body of a man who needed healing. This act resulted not only in the testimony of the healed man or the demonstration of Jesus’s divinity and mercy but also in the ignorance of the scribes in adhering so strictly to the letter of the law.
The example Jesus displays here not only foretells His greater mission of Salvation but also gives us the directive to do good, even when it is arguable in the face of a precedent or law. Saint Peter Claver likewise defied convention when he ministered and comforted the newly arriving slaves in the New World. The legal authorities similarly scoffed at Saint Peter Claver’s evangelization, but it was through his efforts that many souls were saved. The Saint was emulating Christ’s precedent. The experts of the law could not see the humanity of the injured man or the slaves nor the miracles directly revealed to them. The scribes only wanted to use this act to accuse Jesus of breaking the law, of which the law(s) were not even defined or agreed upon by scribes or Pharisees.
Jesus saw the man before him in need and acted for his salvation and restoration, interpretations of the text to be set aside until the need was met; even as He was aware of the ill intent of the Pharisees, He demonstrated that what is lawful is not always good, and what is good may not be prescribed within the law directly. Saint Peter Claver embodied similar righteous courage in his ministering and aid to slaves arriving in Colombia who had no knowledge of the New World and no hope of returning home. The colonial overlords were none-too-pleased with a priest bathing and feeding what they considered their legal property, but Peter Claver pressed on and converted and baptized hundreds of thousands; even if he could not secure their legal freedom, he was able to impart Spiritual hope to the souls he touched and did his best to heal their broken hearts in a strange land.
May we be similarly mindful to act for the good and dignity of life before us, regardless of written precepts that may appear to limit us. Let us also be doers of good - where the law is cloudy, our morals should always be clear!
Author: J. Derek Howell, Deputy Grand Knight of Barrett-Newell Council #279, Norfolk, VA. At the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, I am an Altar Server and video technician for 9 AM. Mass live stream. I also assist the Social Justice, Homeless Outreach, and RCIA ministries. I am also the current KPC Northern States District Emerging Leaders liaison and co-chair of the Social Justice Initiatives Committee at the national level for the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary.
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