Did Jesus break Biblical law by working on the Sabbath?/en

⮜ Answered Questions

Quick answer: no.

Here is the passage which might cause this question to arise:

17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.” 18 For this cause therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God. John 5:17-18WEB

Jesus was "under the law" (Gal. 4:4), and he never broke the law (Matt. 5:17-20). Otherwise, he could not have been described as being "without sin" (1 Pet. 2:22), because "sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). Therefore we can understand this "breaking" of the Sabbath either as:

1. a "breaking" of the Pharisaic "fence" traditions with regard to the Sabbath (traditions which were not part of Biblical law), and/or
2. a prioritization of "doing good" over "not doing work" (Exod. 31:13-14) which was (according to Jesus himself) implicitly lawful under Biblical law:

10 And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won’t he grab on to it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.” Matthew 12:10-12WEB