Lovers of God

Jesus heals a man's withered hand on the sabbath

Mt 12:9-14 9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" – so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 13 Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. 15 But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, 16 and warned them not to tell who He was. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 18 "BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. 19 "HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. 20 "A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. 21 "AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE."

Mk 3:1-12 1 He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" 4 And He said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent. 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. 7 Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 9 And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10 for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, "You are the Son of God!" 12 And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.

Lk 6:6-11 6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. 8 But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And he got up and came forward. 9 And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?" 10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, "Stretch out your hand!" And he did so; and his hand was restored. 11 But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

If you were the man with the withered hand, who would move you more – the compassionate man who healed you, or the heartless men who found fault with him for doing so?

The Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath so that they might find reason to accuse Him. Watching people closely to find fault with them is not how God operates, but how the devil operates. If there is anyone we are seeking to find fault with, then our heart is just not right.

On the surface, the account in Matthew doesn’t quite agree with the accounts in Mark and Luke. Matthew says that the Pharisees questioned Jesus, but Mark says that they were silent. Looks like the Pharisees questioned Jesus, and after Jesus answered, they had no reply.

Note how Jesus wasn’t afraid to do what was right (such as healing on the Sabbath) even when the religious leaders mistakenly thought that He was doing wrong.

Note how Jesus didn’t ignore the questions of the Pharisees. Yet, He did not quarrel. He was able to walk that fine line. Some people just don’t want to answer any tough questions you put to them. Some just want to quarrel.

Note how Jesus used logic to debate with the Pharisees. Some people don’t like to use logic when discussing spiritual things, but Jesus used logic many times when debating with the Pharisees. Using logic is different from using reason – logic is based on mathematics whereas reason is self-justification based on our perception of what is right and wrong.

The problem with the Pharisees’ position was that they didn’t understand God’s intent behind the law concerning the Sabbath. They were just concerned about the letter of the Law instead of the spirit of the Law. We can make the same mistake too if we are not careful. When you read the Bible, try to understand the spirit behind what God says, and don’t merely go by the words therein.

The unclean spirits recognized Jesus as He cast them out, but He warned them to not disclose who He was. Jesus didn’t want to disclose His true identity just yet.

God was well-pleased with Jesus. As a result, it didn’t matter whether the Pharisees were upset with Him. When you are in conflict with someone, it is important to ensure that God is on your side.

Scripture says: a battered reed He will not break off; a smoldering wick He will not put out. The ministry that God gives us is one of restoration. Many people are like battered reeds – the trials of life have given them all kinds of scars. We should not cause more affliction to them; rather, we should help them heal, showering them with love, yet without compromising the truth.

Our ministry should lead justice to victory. That is, righteousness and truth should prevail. Sin must be confronted and dealt with, and no evil must be allowed to go unpunished. Justice triumphs when evil men get away with their evil.

In Him the Gentiles will hope. Without Jesus to pay for our sins, we would be doomed to eternal separation from God. Only because Jesus paid for our sins are we saved.

A man with a withered hand is symbolic of someone who is of limited use to God. He has two hands, but he can only use one. If you are addicted to television or sports or anything, you are like a person with a withered hand. You can only use half of the available time to serve God. I’m not saying that you should never watch television or play sports; I’m just saying that such things should never control you, and never hinder you when God has given you a job to do.

The Pharisees are symbolic of the evil one who doesn’t want to see the withered hand healed and be fruitful to God. Some such people are ignorant (like some parents who shield their sons and daughters from hard work and tough lessons in life). Some others are just plain evil. Being like a Pharisee in this situation is worse than having a withered hand.