Luke: A Gentile’s Chronicle of Christ 16

Following Luke's sharing of the call of Levi and the growing tension among the Pharisees, another layer of Jesus' authority and power is revealed. The issue in both narrrative accounts focus on the Sabbath; what is lawful in the eyes of the Jewish religious leaders compared to the freedom Christ excersises within the broad context of the Law. First the disciples are called out for picking and eating grain on the Sabbath, which Jesus contests. Next, a man with a withered hand is encountered in a synagogue on the Sabbath. The conflict arises over healing on the Sabbath, should good or evil be the rule of the day.