And 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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus doesn't just ask if healing is allowed; he frames it as a stark choice between active good and active harm, revealing that inaction on the Sabbath is considered by Him to be on the side of evil. Their silence shows they're trapped by their own rigid interpretations, unable to argue against the obvious ethical implications of His question.
And 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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is in a synagogue on the Sabbath, and his opponents are watching him closely, hoping to find fault with his actions. When he heals a man with a withered hand, they confront him about violating the Sabbath laws. Jesus responds by posing a pointed question about the nature of the Sabbath, challenging them to consider whether it's more important to adhere strictly to the law or to do good and save a life.
The religious leaders were watching Jesus, ready to pounce on any perceived Sabbath violation. But Jesus flips the script, forcing them to confront a devastating truth about their own hearts.
Jesus poses a direct, cutting question to the Pharisees and scribes: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?
The Heart of the Law
The Sabbath was given by God for rest and restoration, a sign of His covenant with His people. But for many religious leaders, it had become a list of rigid prohibitions, detached from its purpose. Jesus highlights the absurdity of their focus on technicalities over true righteousness.
Moral Obligation
Jesus implies that not doing good, especially when a life is at stake, is itself a form of doing harm. It's a moral obligation to act compassionately and save when we can. Their silence reveals they had no answer because their hearts were hardened, choosing rigid observance over divine compassion.
Jesus' question was unanswerable, not because the law was unclear, but because their hearts were stubbornly closed. Their silence speaks volumes.
The response of the religious leaders is telling: 'But they were silent.' This wasn't just a pause for thought; it was a strategic, guilty silence.
Cornered by Truth
Jesus knew their hearts and their malicious intentions. By framing the issue as 'doing good' versus 'doing harm,' or 'saving life' versus 'killing,' He exposed their hypocrisy. They were watching Him, hoping He would break their strict interpretation of the Sabbath law so they could accuse Him. Yet, their own interpretations would have dictated that letting the man suffer needlessly was, in effect, doing harm.
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Acknowledging the Divine
Their silence showed they were unable to justify their condemnation of Jesus’ compassionate act. Healing a withered hand on the Sabbath, in their own logic, should have been seen as doing good and potentially saving the man from a lifetime of disability. Their inability to answer proved they were more interested in trapping Jesus than upholding the true spirit of God's law.
Understand the original words
exestin · Greek Adjective/Adverbial concept
Relating to the requirements of the Law of Moses or the traditional interpretations of it. In this context, it refers to the legalistic debate over whether miraculous healing constitutes 'work' prohibited on the Sabbath.
agathos · Greek Adjective
A divinely ordained state of being in harmony with God's will; often signifies the moral obligation to act in accordance with God's character of love and righteousness, surpassing merely ritualistic adherence.
c. 28 AD
Jesus begins public ministry
Jesus starts teaching, healing, and gathering disciples across Galilee, challenging the religious establishment.
c. 28 AD— this verse
Jesus heals on the Sabbath
Jesus performs various acts of healing on the Sabbath, directly confronting the Pharisees' strict interpretations of the Law.
c. 28 AD
Pharisees plot against Jesus
Following repeated clashes over Sabbath observance and Jesus' authority, the Pharisees and Herodians begin to conspire against him.
This passage presents a similar scenario where Jesus is questioned about healing on the Sabbath and uses the analogy of saving an animal from a pit to highlight the hypocrisy of the objectors.
Matthew 12:11-12Here, Jesus directly uses the same logic as in Mark 3:4, asking if it's lawful to save a sheep on the Sabbath, thereby showing that a person is far more valuable than an animal and thus healing is permitted.
Exodus 20:13While not directly about the Sabbath, this commandment against killing underscores the moral imperative to preserve life, which Jesus leverages in his argument about doing good on the Sabbath.
Deuteronomy 5:12-14This passage reiterates the command to keep the Sabbath holy by resting, but Jesus' teaching here emphasizes that 'doing good' and 'saving life' are consistent with the spirit of Sabbath observance.
Matthew 25:35-40Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats highlights that acts of compassion and saving others are acts done for Him, providing a broader theological basis for the principle that doing good, even on the Sabbath, is aligned with God's will.
pooleMark 3:4: "And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace."
See Poole on "Mark 3:1"
barnesMark 3:4: "And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace."
Or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? - It seems to have been a maxim with the Jews that not to do good when we have an opportunity is to do evil; not to save life is to kill or to be guilty of murder. If a man has an opportunity of saving a man's life when he is in danger, and does not do it, he is evidently guilty of his death. On this princip…
Jesus doesn't just ask if healing is allowed; he frames it as a stark choice between active good and active harm, revealing that inaction on the Sabbath is considered by Him to be on the side of evil. Their silence shows they're trapped by their own rigid interpretations, unable to argue against the obvious ethical implications of His question.
Jesus is in a synagogue on the Sabbath, and his opponents are watching him closely, hoping to find fault with his actions. When he heals a man with a withered hand, they confront him about violating the Sabbath laws. Jesus responds by posing a pointed question about the nature of the Sabbath, challenging them to consider whether it's more important to adhere strictly to the law or to do good and save a life.
Jesus is in a synagogue on the Sabbath, and his opponents are watching him closely, hoping to find fault with his actions. When he heals a man with a withered hand, they confront him about violating the Sabbath laws. Jesus responds by posing a pointed question about the nature of the Sabbath, challenging them to consider whether it's more important to adhere strictly to the law or to do good and save a life.
"And 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." — Jesus doesn't just ask if healing is allowed; he frames it as a stark choice between active good and active harm, revealing that inaction on the Sabbath is considered by Him to be on the side of ev…
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Last reviewed October 2026