“Jésus enseigne dans les synagogues”/”Jesus Teaches in the Synagogues”
This passage sheds important light on how the Sabbath ought to be observed.
The woman in the story hadn’t been injured recently; she’d been suffering for eighteen years. Surely another day or two wouldn’t have made much difference.
But Jesus healed her on the Sabbath.
Doing so wasn’t a necessary evil. There’s no indication that he viewed his act of healing as an evil at all.
The Sabbath isn’t simply a day of rest. It’s a day of rest from worldly labors and concerns, yes. But it’s not a day of vacation from doing good, from helping, from being kind, from (in the wonderful rabbinic phrase) tikkun olam.
Sound judgment is important, of course. Some things, even good things, can be deferred to the other six days of the week. But hospital visits, blessings, teaching children, strengthening family ties — these and many other such good activities are entirely appropriate for the Sabbath.
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