Healing Special 02 - Withered No More.

Sabbath day. Would you like to take a guess at where I was or what I was doing?

On that day, I was in a synagogue, teaching the people there.

A man, who had a withered right hand, was in the synagogue. So were the scribes and Pharisees. Their eyes were watching Me closely. Have you ever had people watching your every move? Their eyes glued to you, to your every step? I knew the intent of their thoughts and hearts, “Will this Jesus heal this man on a Sabbath? Hopefully He would, then we would have a reason to accuse Him of breaking the tradition of Sabbath!” What interesting line of thoughts that they have.

They then proceeded to ask Me, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” So I said to them, “What man is there among you who, if one of your sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

I said to the man with the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” The man arose and stood. Then I said to the scribes and Pharisees, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” But they kept silent. I looked around at them in anger, “Oh, how their hardness of heart grieves Me!” This should have been an easy question for them to answer, and yet…

I said to the man that had stood, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. You know, I didn’t say, “Stretch out your right hand.” But merely, “Stretch out your hand.” This man had the faith to stretch out his right hand!

But there was no rejoicing amongst the scribes and Pharisees over the restoration of a fellow brethren. Rage filled them instead, and they went out of the synagogue. Imagine that… And immediately, they plotted with the Herodians against Me, on how they might destroy Me at that time.

Notwithstanding, let us rejoice, for the withered hand was withered no more! 🙂

Reference: Matthew 12, Mark 3, Luke 6.