The Flashpoints — Sabbath, Purity, and Authority | The Journey of Isa

One Sabbath Isa was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain.

The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

He answered, “Have you never read what Dawud did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?

In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of Allah and ate the bread of the Presence, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

Then 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.”

Another time Isa went into the synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there.

Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Isa, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.

Isa said to the man with the shrivelled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

Then Isa asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Isa.

The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Isa and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.

The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the 'tradition of the elders'.

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Isa, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

He replied, “Ish‘ayā’ was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’

You have let go of the commands of Allah and are holding on to human traditions.”

When Isa saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but Allah alone?”

Immediately Isa knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?

Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?

But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised Allah, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”