Jesus appeals to a valid rule. In the original Greek the wording he chooses is very precise, as it speaks of taking hold of the animal and raising it up (egeiro), rather than of pulling it out (exhelkein) as the ESV translates this passage (see Genesis 37:28 and Jeremiah 38:13 in the Septuagint). Jesus further specifies: Which one of you who has a sheep…
If it is your only sheep, would you not do everything allowed to gain rest for it on the Sabbath, even if it has fallen into a pit? To let your only sheep spend the Sabbath in distress would be to deprive your entire flock of Sabbath peace. This is reason enough to help the animal back onto its feet. Even a single sheep is worth doing work for on the Sabbath. Note the comparison. Just as a farmer looks after the Sabbath joy of the only sheep he owns, so too Jesus cares for the one man with the withered hand. This raises the question of whether Jesus in some sense owns
this man. Since owners care for their livestock, how much more should an owner care for human beings? While the man with the withered hand seems to be a stranger to Jesus, Jesus assumes the role of Lord and Owner of this man. That is why Jesus—God come to earth—will do him good, tending to what is his: the one sheep caught in the pit, the one man whose crippled hand bars him from Sabbath joy.
Jesus is appealing to a valid rule to make a point. In the original Greek the wording he chooses is also very precise, as it speaks of taking hold of the animal and raising it up (egeiro), rather than of pulling it out (exhelkein) as the ESV translates this passage (see Genesis 37:28 and Jeremiah 38:13 in the Septuagint). Jesus further specifies: Which one of you who has a sheep…
If it is your only sheep, your only one, would you not do everything permitted to secure rest and comfort for it on the Sabbath—even if it has fallen into a pit? To allow your only sheep to spend the Sabbath in distress would be to deprive your entire flock of Sabbath peace. This alone is a sufficient reason, at the very least, to help the animal back onto its feet.1
Jesus is not appealing to an actual event here but to a general principle based in common sense: even a single sheep is worth doing work for on the Sabbath.2
For a proper understanding of why Jesus employs this example, we must note the point of comparison. Just as the poor farmer looks after the Sabbath joy of the only sheep he owns, so too Jesus shows care for the one man with the withered hand. This raises the deeper question: whether Jesus in some sense owns
this man. By asking that question, we touch upon the presupposition of the striking image. Owners care for their livestock; how much more should an owner care for human beings?
Yet the man with the withered hand appears to be a stranger to Jesus. What claim does he have over this handicapped person? On the surface, none. And yet Jesus here implicitly assumes the role of Lord and Owner of this man. That is why he will do him good. Jesus is God come to earth. He tends to what is his. He does good to his own—to the one sheep caught in the pit on the Sabbath, and to the one man whose crippled hand bars him from the joy of the Sabbath.3
11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?