In another account in the gospels, Jesus healed a man with a whithered hand, after which he endured a severe sanctioning from the religious leaders again:
"And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
"And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
"And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
"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.
"And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
"And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him." ( Mark 3: 1-6)
In this passage, there is the one time that Jesus looked with "anger", so grieved was he by the hardness -- which speaks to the legalistic and works-righteousness mentality -- of the Pharisees.
From these passages, it is evident that the Law Giver in the flesh (cf John 1:1), never intended for the Sabbath day to be a burden in which men would jealously and obsessively guard their daily activities.
For religious zealots like the Pharisees, the Sabbath day demand a concerted break from any work -- six days for taking care of business, but on the Sabbath, nothing.
Yet deep in their religious traditions, the religious leaders had neglected to realize that the whole purpose of the Sabbath is to rest and recuperate! Religious traditions demand from a person. God never meant for the Sabbath day to be a demand on his creation, but a rejuvenating gift!
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