And He said to them, “Which of you will be the man who, if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, will not take hold of it and pull it out?”
With that question Jesus brings out how they would act on the Sabbath toward their own sheep if it were in danger. Even if it required work, they would try to save the animal, because human compassion and kindness outweigh the law’s strict limitations. Jesus uses this example to show that if the application of the law ignores compassion, it loses its true meaning. He explains that God’s will includes helping people, especially when they are in trouble or in need, and that this kind of compassion is greater than a mechanical application of the law.