The Good Shepherd Gives His Life for the Sheep
And, behold, there was a man which had a withered hand.
And the Pharisees asked him:
'Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days?'
And he said to them:
'What man is there be among you, if having one sheep that falls into a pit on the sabbath day, will not lay hold on it, and lift it out? Then how much is a man better than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.'
(Matthew 12:10-12)
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Hidden Lessons
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This passage contains a hidden lesson about the Sabbath and how it is eternally important and meaningful for all lost sheep seeking their Shepherd of Salvation.
| 'one sheep' |
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. |
| 'falls into a pit' |
the world of the dead, including its accessories and inmates: grave, hell, or pit. |
| For you will not leave my soul in *hell*;
neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption.
(Psalms 16:10)
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| 'lay hold' |
to use strength, that is, seize or retain *(literally or figuratively)* |
| That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have consolation, who have fled for refuge to *lay hold* upon the hope set before us:
(Hebrews 6:18)
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'lift it out' |
is the same as: to raise up *literally or figuratively* |
| Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall *lift* you up.
(James 4:10)
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Jesus *didn't break the law* by healing the man on the Sabbath;
*neither did he nullify the law...*
But he did give us the reason the Sabbath is so important:
It is the day of our rescue out of the pit!
