Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath — the watchers are looking for grounds for a legal accusation, not evidence of divine activity. The same miracle that would move an open-hearted observer to praise God becomes, for the hostile observer, potential evidence for prosecution. The watching closely (paratēreō) is the word for surveillance — deliberate, sustained observation with a predetermined conclusion. The theological irony is complete: people are in the synagogue on the Sabbath watching for grounds to accuse the one who is about to demonstrate that the Sabbath's purpose is restoration, not restriction.

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