While I thought on these things there came to the door of the house Jonathan the son of Ezra; for he knew that I was coming to Capernaum, and he had appointed to meet me there. When he had greeted me in loving terms, he said that he desired to speak with me touching Jesus of Nazareth; “For,” said he, “I hear that he turneth from him the minds of many, in that he observeth not the Sabbath.” I could not deny this; for indeed Jesus had oftentimes, during our journey in Galilee, broken the Sabbath. Sometimes he had healed the sick on the Sabbath; and but lately on the Sabbath before the Feast of the Harvest, he had healed one that had an impediment in his speech; and when certain of the Pharisees had blamed it, he had said aloud, before all the people, that it was right to do good on the Sabbath, but not to do evil. Moreover, he had not rebuked them that carried the sick to him on the Sabbath, though the bearing of burdens be forbidden. Once, indeed, he had even commanded a sick man to carry with him the bed whereon he lay. I therefore held my peace, but Jonathan added, “Even though he cure the sick on the Sabbath, yet why need he offend the learned and the pious by bidding the sick bear burdens on the day of rest? Moreover, if he desire to go more than a Sabbath day’s journey on some errand of mercy, why doth he not use the device of meat, so that he may keep the letter of the Law? Therefore, speak thou unto him, as one that loveth him; and warn him that the Pharisees are wroth.”
Then there came into my mind how, on the last Sabbath day, Jesus had passed by a house in a certain village, which was the house of a poor widow; and a great storm of wind and rain, which had arisen in the night, had washed away some part of the wall thereof, so that the rest was in danger to fall. And behold, a man, a mason by trade, was working diligently to repair the breach. When we saw it we were ready to take up stones for to stone him; but Jesus forbade us, and said to the man, “Man, if thou knowest what thou doest, blessed art thou; but if thou knowest not what thou doest, cursed art thou.”(6) Thereat we all marvelled, and there was much questioning among us. But when we had considered the matter, we perceived no more but this; that Jesus would not have us to observe the Sabbath as the Scribes observed it.