Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

514.4 The Character of Discipleship
Matt. 12.9-14 Mark 3.1-6 Luke 6.6-11
9 He left that place and
entered their synagogue;
10 a man
was there with a withered
hand,
and they asked him, 'Is it lawful
to cure on the sabbath?' in order
that they might accuse him. 11
He said to them, 'Suppose one
of you has only one sheep and it
falls into a pit on the sabbath;
will you not lay hold of it and
lift it out? 12 How much more
valuable is a human being than a
sheep!
So it is lawful
on the sabbath to do good'.
13 Then he said
to the man, 'Stretch out your
hand'. He stretched it out, and it
was restored, as sound as the
other. 14 But the Pharisees went
out and conspired
against him,
how to destroy him.
1 Again he
entered the synagogue,
and a man
was there who had a withered
hand. 2 They
watched him to see
whether he would cure him on
the sabbath, in order that they
might accuse him.
3 And he said to the man who
had the withered hand, 'Come
here'.
4 Then he said
to them, 'Is it lawful
on the sabbath to do good or to
do harm, to save life or to kill?'
But they were silent.
5 He looked around at them
with anger; he was grieved at
their hardness of heart and said
to the man, 'Stretch out your
hand'. He stretched it out, and
his hand was restored.
6 The Pharisees went
out and immediately conspired
with the Herodians against him,
how to destroy him.
6 On another sabbath he
entered the synagogue and
taught, and there was a man
there whose right hand was
withered. 7 The scribes and the
Pharisees watched him to see
whether he would cure on the
sabbath, in order that they might
find an accusation against him.
8 Even though he knew what
they were thinking,
he said to the man who
had the withered hand, 'Come
and stand here'. He got up and
stood there. 9 Then Jesus said
to them, 'I ask you, is it lawful
on the sabbath to do good or to
do harm, to save life or to
destroy it?'
10 After looking around at all
of them,
he said
to him, 'Stretch out your
hand'. He did so, and
his hand was restored.
11 But they were
filled with fury and discussed
with one another what they
might do to Jesus.
The signs of stories retold to improve the telling are clear enough, particularly
the transition from a generic 'son of man' to the titular 'Son of Man' (Mark
2.28 pars.), 106 Matthew's addition of pertinent precedents to strengthen the case
(Matt. 12.5-7,11-12), and both Matthew's and Luke's omission of Mark's misleading
reference to Abiathar (Mark 2.26). But it is equally clear that the same two episodes
are in view in each retelling, probably linked together at an early stage in a
teaching sequence of controversy stories, on which Mark was able to draw (Mark
2.1—3.6). 107 Of course it is likely that the early groups and communities of Jesus'
disciples used the stories to explain and defend their own attitude to the Sabbath.
But the claim of the stories is that Jesus himself defended and validated actions on
the Sabbath which others regarded as unlawful. And the likelihood must be re-
106. See further below, §16.4b(2).
107. See further my 'Mark 2.1-3.6: A Bridge between Jesus and Paul on the Question of
the Law', NTS 30 (1984) 395-415, reprinted in my Jesus, Paul and the Law 10-31; see also
above, chapter 8 at n. 300.
567