The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. Jesus was the victim of a perennial tension between those who insist on following the rules and the need to reach out in compassion to the those who are suffering. (The current manifestation in the US concerns how we deal with our border.) When I was a young seminarian (in the rebellious 60s) one of the older confreres confronted me: “Brother John, I don’t know if you are a good religious but you are a good Christian.” That is, perhaps, the key we can use as we think of how to act in the world today. Are we being good Christians? Are we showing the kind of love and compassion for the lost sheep that Jesus demonstrated in his public ministry?
