and now, there was a man there with a withered hand. In order to accuse Jesus, they questioned him and said, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
In this passage they deliberately ask Jesus whether it is permitted to heal on the Sabbath, something that could be regarded as a violation of the law. The Pharisees, who were seeking to find reasons to accuse Jesus, were especially interested in how He would treat the Sabbath. The man with the withered hand was at the center of their attention, because Jesus’ healing of him would be considered a violation of the law if it were done on the Sabbath. Jesus, however, is preparing to explain that in reality care and compassion are the true purpose of the law, and that God’s good will prevails over the blind application of the law.