Luke 6 9

Luke 6:9 kjv

Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

Luke 6:9 nkjv

Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"

Luke 6:9 niv

Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"

Luke 6:9 esv

And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?"

Luke 6:9 nlt

Then Jesus said to his critics, "I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?"

Luke 6 9 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Mt 12:9-13And departing from there, he went into their synagogue... "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"Parallel account of the withered hand healing on the Sabbath, with similar question.
Mk 3:1-5Again he entered the synagogue... And he asked them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?"Parallel account, almost identical question, immediate context.
Lk 13:10-17Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath... "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman... be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?"Jesus heals a bent woman on the Sabbath, showing consistency in prioritizing healing over ritual.
Lk 14:1-6One Sabbath, when he went to eat bread in the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him... "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"Jesus heals a man with dropsy on the Sabbath, reinforcing His consistent practice.
Exod 23:12Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest...Establishes the Sabbath as a day of rest for man and beast, intended for their welfare.
Deut 5:14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You shall not do any work... so that your male and female servants may rest as well as you.Emphasizes the Sabbath as a day of rest and liberation, extending compassion to all.
Mk 2:27-28And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."Direct declaration of the Sabbath's purpose and Jesus' authority over it.
Hos 6:6For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.Old Testament prophetic statement, often quoted by Jesus, valuing mercy above ritual.
Mt 9:13Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.Jesus' own quoting of Hos 6:6 to explain his actions, showing his alignment with divine mercy.
Mt 12:7And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.Jesus applies Hos 6:6 to His disciples' actions on the Sabbath, directly linking it to His present challenge.
Isa 58:13-14"If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day... then you shall take delight in the Lord."Prophet's vision of true Sabbath keeping, not about burdens, but delight in God's ways which involve compassion.
Deut 30:19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.The fundamental choice presented by God: life over death. Jesus applies this moral framework to the Sabbath.
Prov 11:19Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die.General wisdom principle of good leading to life, evil leading to death.
Rom 13:10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.New Testament emphasis on love as the summary of all commands, which implies active good.
Gal 5:14For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."Echoes the priority of love, directly countering legalism that hinders neighborly good.
Jas 4:17So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.Connects inaction (not doing good) with sin, reinforcing Jesus' implied critique.
1 Jn 3:17-18But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.Christian exhortation to active love, showing "good" is not merely passive.
Jn 5:17But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working."Jesus' justification for healing on the Sabbath – God does not cease His work of sustaining life, and neither does He.
Jn 10:10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.Jesus contrasts His mission of life with the forces of destruction, aligning healing on Sabbath with His ultimate purpose.
3 Jn 1:11Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.Moral imperative to do good, reinforcing Jesus' core question.

Luke 6 verses

Luke 6 9 Meaning

Luke 6:9 captures Jesus' direct challenge to the religious leaders concerning the true nature and purpose of the Sabbath. He presents a profound moral dilemma: is it permissible on the Sabbath to perform good, specifically to save a life, or is it permissible to do evil, which implies destroying life or allowing it to perish through inaction? Jesus emphasizes compassion and human welfare over strict, burdensome interpretations of the law, highlighting God's original intent for the Sabbath as a day of blessing and not constraint against benevolent acts.

Luke 6 9 Context

Luke 6:9 immediately follows Jesus' teaching on the Sabbath after His disciples plucked grain (Lk 6:1-5) and His declaration that the "Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath." The setting then shifts to a synagogue where a man with a withered right hand is present. The scribes and Pharisees were intently watching Jesus, looking for an accusation against Him, hoping He would heal on the Sabbath (Lk 6:6-8). Knowing their thoughts, Jesus deliberately puts them on the spot with this rhetorical question. The broader context of Luke's Gospel reveals Jesus consistently clashing with religious leaders over interpretations of the Mosaic Law, often asserting His authority as He prioritizes God's compassion and human well-being over rigid, man-made rules. This confrontation serves to highlight their hypocrisy and spiritual blindness.

Luke 6 9 Word analysis

  • Then Jesus said to them: Marks a direct address and confrontation. Jesus actively initiates this challenge, deliberately bringing the issue to a head with the religious authorities who were observing Him.
  • I ask you: This phrase (eperōta humas in Greek) emphasizes a direct, challenging question to the audience, the Pharisees. It's not a general statement but a specific demand for their intellectual and moral engagement, placing the burden of an answer squarely upon them.
  • is it lawful (ἔξεστιν, exestin): The core of the legalistic dispute. This Greek term denotes what is permissible or proper, usually within the bounds of civil or religious law. Jesus challenges their definition of "lawful," not according to the letter of human tradition, but the spirit of God's original law and divine intent for the Sabbath. It’s a probe into their moral compass, not just their halakhic ruling.
  • on the Sabbath (σαββάτῳ, sabbatō): The specific day and point of contention. The Sabbath was intended for rest, worship, and spiritual refreshing, not as a day for arbitrary legal burdens that prohibited acts of mercy or kindness. The Pharisees, through their oral tradition, had greatly expanded the definition of prohibited work.
  • to do good (ἀγαθοποιῆσαι, agathopoiēsai): To act beneficently; to perform deeds that benefit others. This goes beyond mere non-violation of a rule; it implies proactive kindness and aid. Jesus frames "doing good" as an inherent divine principle that should not be constrained by day or time, especially the Sabbath which was meant for good.
  • or to do evil (ἢ κακοποιῆσαι, ē kakopoiēsai): To act malevolently or to do harm. Jesus presents a stark moral contrast. By denying permission to do good on the Sabbath, especially healing, one is effectively allowing evil to continue or even contributing to suffering, which in God's eyes is a form of "doing evil."
  • to save life (ψυχὴν σῶσαι, psychēn sōsai): To preserve a soul or human existence; to rescue from perishing. This clarifies what Jesus means by "doing good." It connects His actions of healing directly to the sacredness of human life, which holds supreme value in God's sight. The immediate application is healing the withered hand, but it extends to any act that preserves well-being.
  • or to destroy it (ἢ ἀπολέσαι, ē apolesai): To cause to perish or allow to be ruined. This contrasts "saving life" and makes the implication even more dire. By withholding help or condemning healing on the Sabbath, the Pharisees would implicitly choose "destruction" (or allow destruction to continue), emphasizing their distorted priorities. Jesus forces them to acknowledge that neglecting to save is equivalent to allowing destruction.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil": This phrase introduces the fundamental ethical choice. Jesus takes the "lawful" question (a legalistic concern) and re-frames it as a stark moral decision between doing good and doing evil, thereby critiquing the Pharisees' legalism that blinds them to basic human kindness. It pushes them beyond their technical interpretations into a realm of moral accountability.
  • "to save life or to destroy it": This second contrasting pair redefines "good" and "evil" in the most critical terms: life and death. This is the heart of the dilemma. Jesus presents the scenario not as a choice between observing a rule or not, but between cherishing life or condemning it. He elevates the stakes from mere Sabbath rules to the ultimate value of human life. The implied answer to this rhetorical question is clear to anyone with a compassionate heart.

Luke 6 9 Bonus section

This rhetorical question by Jesus functions as an accusation against the silent judgment of the Pharisees who intended to condemn Him. He places them in a position where their strict Sabbath observance, by prohibiting healing, directly opposes God's overarching purpose of life and goodness. The silence that follows this question (as seen in parallel accounts) underscores their inability to respond without condemning themselves. It also foreshadows their ultimate choice to seek Jesus' destruction, implicitly choosing to "destroy" (him) rather than embrace the "life" He offered and represented. The passage illustrates that true righteousness is not about adherence to external rules, but about an inward disposition that prioritizes love and mercy in alignment with God's character.

Luke 6 9 Commentary

Luke 6:9 serves as a pivotal point in Jesus' confrontations with the religious authorities, unveiling His divine understanding of God's Law. Through this sharp, rhetorical question, Jesus exposes the superficiality and spiritual barrenness of their legalism. They were so consumed by their meticulous, human-made interpretations of the Sabbath rest (prohibiting work like healing) that they lost sight of its original purpose: to bring rest, relief, and blessing to humanity, and to foster compassionate action.

Jesus forces them to choose between two undeniable poles: is their Sabbath observance aligned with "doing good" by preserving life, or does it, by forbidding help, effectively lead to "doing evil" by allowing suffering or death? By presenting "destroy it" as the alternative to "save life," Jesus implies that passive inaction, or prohibition of help, in the face of suffering is morally culpable and contrary to God's heart. He calls into question whether their strict adherence to rules, even well-intentioned ones, could ever supersede the divine mandate for mercy and the sanctity of human life. This teaching consistently reinforces the truth that genuine piety flows from love for God and neighbor, embodying the essence of the Law, not its mere outward observance.

Examples of Practical Usage:

  • A person refusing to aid a neighbor in distress because they feel it inconveniences their personal "rest" for a particular day.
  • Prioritizing a religious ritual over extending help to someone in genuine crisis.
  • Allowing strict interpretation of any rule or tradition to override basic compassion and human welfare.