Luke 6:9 (KJV)

Passage

Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

Nearby Context

Luke 6:7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

Luke 6:8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

Luke 6:9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

Luke 6:10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Luke 6:11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "jesus", "lawful", "sabbath", "days", "good", "evil", and "save". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "jesus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "But he knew their thoughts and said..." into verse 10's "And looking round about upon them all...", so "said" and "jesus" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "said" and "jesus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.