Gospel in Art: The Pharisees were hoping to find something to use against him

Jesus Heals the Man with a Withered Hand by Scribe Ilyas Basim Khuri Bazzi Rahib © The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 9 September 2024
Luke 6:6-11

On the sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure a man on the sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man with the withered hand, 'Stand up! Come out into the middle.' And he came out and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, 'I put it to you: is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?' Then he looked round at them all and said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious, and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.

Reflection on the illuminated manuscript

In today's Gospel reading, the scribes and Pharisees were "hoping to find something to use against" Jesus. They were waiting for him to make a mistake, to act in a way that would go against the Law. This is a very negative way of viewing someone, where you observe them closely just to catch them out and expose their faults. It was completely contrary to the way that Jesus treated others. He never looked for opportunities to criticise or condemn; he didn't watch people, waiting for them to slip up. Instead, his mission was to uplift and restore people, to enhance rather than diminish them.

In the Gospel, Jesus heals on the Sabbath a man with a disability, fully aware that it would provoke hostility from those who accused him of breaking the Sabbath rest. However, Jesus was not deterred from his work of renewing and restoring people in body, mind, and spirit. This remains his mission today-to "do good" and "save life," as the Gospel says. He has entrusted this same mission to us. We are called not to be on the lookout for others to fail, but to allow the Lord to work through us to build others!

In Islamic tradition, the story of Jesus (known as Isa in Arabic) healing the man with a withered hand is not specifically mentioned in the Qur'an. However, Islam acknowledges Jesus as a prophet and a healer who performed miracles by the permission of God (Allah). Our illuminated manuscript page by an Egyptian scribe in the late 17th century, is a fascinating document. It is emphasized in Islam that all miracles performed by Jesus were done by the will and permission of God. While the specific story of healing a man with a withered hand is not detailed in Islamic texts, the general belief in Jesus' healing powers covers a broad spectrum of miracles, and it's possible that such a miracle could be included in the broader understanding of his miraculous abilities, and thus included in this Egyptian manuscript.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-6-6-11-2024/