Jesus asks them a question in verse 3: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” The Bible says that in response to this question “they remained silent.” In response to their silence, Jesus takes the man with the disease, heals him and sends him on his way. This obviously is indicative to the Pharisees and the experts in the law about what Jesus thought regarding the law that concerned the healing on the Sabbath. As if he were explaining His actions, he goes on to ask them another question: “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” The Bible says that in response to this question “they had nothing to say.” In other words, even if they wanted to respond, they could not. If experts in the law came to a point “where they had nothing to say” it obviously means that there was nothing in the entire law that they could quote to either add or subtract to what Jesus had said.
The exposition to why Jesus healed that man is summed up in this one question: “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” There are several truths about God that is imbibed in that one question. I would like to extract and expand on just three of out of the many:
Truth # 1
Imagine your son falls into a well. Now what could have been the cause behind his fall into the well? It could have been his mistake. It could have been a mishap. It could have been the result of an evil ploy by someone. You could perhaps think of several other reasons as well. However, there is one reason that can NEVER be true: You as the parent would have never purposefully done anything to make the boy fall into the well. In other words, Christ implies that the disease did not originate in God. O what a blessed assurance of His goodness! That God’s thoughts towards us are for our “welfare and not for harm.” (Jeremiah 29:11) God’s plans and thoughts for your life are to bless you and not to harm you.
Truth # 2
Imagine your son falls into a well. You will resort to every available means to rescue him out of it as soon as possible. Why? Because if you don’t, the loss is yours. The son’s hurt, is your hurt. The son’s struggle is your struggle. What Jesus was implying was that the disease bothered God as much as it bothered the man. O what a blessed assurance of His compassion! “When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved….Jesus wept” (John 11: 33, 35). Let me paraphrase something I once heard Ravi Zacharias saying: “What touches me about Jesus is not that he wept. It is the fact that He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead in a few minutes, yet still He wept.” The compassion of the Lord for you is never ending.
Truth # 3
Imagine your son falls into a well. Jesus asks the question “…will you not immediately pull him out” Only a person that is near the well, yet has not fallen into the well can pull him out. The Adamic nature in me caused me to fall. Christ was born into this world as the Last Adam, yet He did not fall. If He had fallen into the well also, He would have never been able to pull me out. O what a blessed assurance of His power! “Therefore he had to become like his brothers in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2: 17) The Gospel has the power to lift you from the well no matter how many times you’ve fallen.
A parent will pull his son out from the well because of his LOVE for him. A parent will consider the JOY when the son is eventually out of the well. A parent will exhibit PATIENCE in pulling the son out, even if it is a tedious process. A parent will abound in GENEROSITY to use whatever resources possible for the son’s rescue. A parent will stand by the son in FAITHFULNESS throughout the rescue and after the rescue. A parent will certainly treat the son with GENTLENESS if something like this were to occur. A parent will resolve to SELF CONTROL of any manner in order to help the son. Jesus’ initial question was “Is it LAWFUL to heal on Sabbath or not?”
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. There is NO LAW against such things” (Galatians 5:22, 23)
May the goodness, compassion and power of God fill your life (regardless of your falls) till every other tongue around you has “nothing to say.”
