Verse 9. - Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? The sum and substance of the Master's teaching here is - works of love done for the bodies and souls of men never mar or in any way interfere with the holiness of a day of rest. St. Matthew in his account of the plucking the ears of corn on the sabbath day (Matthew 12:5), tells us, on that occasion Jesus asked how it was that the priests on the sabbath days profaned the sabbath and were blameless? The Jews in later days used to declare, perhaps in answer to Jesus Christ's famous question here, "that in the temple was there no sabbatism." Now, the Lord pressed home to those who listened to his voice the great truth that in all labours of love, of pity, and of kindness, done anywhere, there was no sabbatism.

6:6-11 Christ was neither ashamed nor afraid to own the purposes of his grace. He healed the poor man, though he knew that his enemies would take advantage against him for it. Let us not be drawn either from our duty or from our usefulness by any opposition. We may well be amazed, that the sons of men should be so wicked.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.