It seems strange that there are people who think that the sabbath or the Lord’s Day is the day where nothing can be done, not even charitable deeds and deeds of mercy is allowed. Such people would frown upon others who do good on such a day, since in their mind, doing good is work. But what these people fail to realise is that work refers to labour, which is basically to make a living. But is doing good labour, to make a living; or is doing good a form of charity or works of mercy?
In today’s Gospel, the synagogue official obviosuly took a radical or extreme stand in what it means to keep the sabbath. To him, as well as to the scribes and Pharisees, any form of work, even if it is for charity or for works of mercy, is work and must be avoided at all cost on the sabbath. This caused Jesus to exclaim: “‘Hypocrites!’ he said ‘Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the sabbath day?'”
When we are to stuck up with avoiding any form of work on the sabbath or on the Lord’s Day, we may be missing the point. We keep the Lord’s Day holy not by becoming lazy, complacent or indifferent towards others, but by showing our faith through our participation in church, as well as by our words and good deeds. May we come to realise the difference between unnecessary work, and work which shows our faith and helps others come to know us as Christians.