Note 1 at Mt 12:10: Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? The Old Testament made no prohibition, but the rabbis regarded it as work (Lu 13:14). Therefore, the rabbis prohibited healing on the Sabbath unless a victim's life was in immediate danger. But even then, it was clearly laid down that steps could be taken to keep a man from getting worse but not to make him better. So, for example, a plain bandage could be put on a wound but not a medicated bandage, and so on (William Barclay, Comm. on Mt.-Vol. 2, page 129; R.V.G. Tasker, Tyndale N.T. Commentary-Vol. 1, Mt., page 126). What angered Jesus (Mr 3:5) was the wrong scale of values, of which the religious leaders were guilty.

According to Matthew's version of the story, they would not hesitate to rescue a sheep on the Sabbath (Mt 12:11-12) but would argue whether a man was sufficiently ill to be healed or aided on the Sabbath. In God's sight, man is worth more than sheep, so Christ did not hesitate to do good by healing on the Sabbath day.