Luke 6:9

9 Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?"

Luke 6:9 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 6:9

Then said Jesus unto them
The Scribes and Pharisees, who were watching him, and whose thoughts, and the reasonings of their minds, purposes, and intentions, he full well knew:

I will ask you one thing;
or question, as they had asked him one before; ( Matthew 12:10 )

is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to
save life, or to destroy it?
(See Gill on Mark 3:4) to which may be added, that to save life on the sabbath day was agreeable to their own canons: there were many things which they allowed might be done on the sabbath day, when life was in danger, which otherwise were not lawful; (See Gill on Matthew 12:8).

Luke 6:9 In-Context

7 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were watching closely to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath day so they could accuse him.

8 But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to the man with the crippled hand, "Stand up here in the middle of everyone." The man got up and stood there.

9 Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?"

10 Jesus looked around at all of them and said to the man, "Hold out your hand." The man held out his hand, and it was healed.

11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very angry and discussed with each other what they could do to Jesus.