Matthew 12:9-13 Mark 3:1-6 Luke 6:6-11
Reactions are very hard to anticipate and even harder to
control. Usually, when we set out on a
certain course of action; we have in our minds the way that we think people
will react. Most of the time, we end
being surprised by people’s responses.
As we read through the Scriptures, it is clear in the Old Testament that
Messiah would come. His arrival is the
most anticipated event in the history of the world. Our expectation is that He will be well
received, but that simply did not happen.
Clearly, the reason for this cold reception was the fact that the
religious leaders of the day rejected Jesus as Messiah. He did not meet their expectations of what
they thought Messiah would be like. When
we trust Christ to rescue us from sin; we usually anticipate certain things
will happen in our lives. Most of the
time we imagine good things taking place in our homes and hearts. In reality, the path through which freedom
from sin passes is often marked by suffering.
Today’s passage tells us about another healing that is received with a
surprising response.
THE CONTEXT OF THE MIRACLE: Christ’s superiority over the
Sabbath is clearly the theme of this section of the Gospels. Jesus attends the local Synagogue and
participates in teaching those that are present. At some point in time a man comes into the
Synagogue with a withered hand.
Immediately, the scribes and Pharisees go on high alert to see if Jesus
will heal people on the Sabbath. They
are almost hoping He will so they can have more ammunition to use against
Him. Jesus knows their hearts and
exposes their thinking by reminding them that it was permitted to rescue
animals who were in danger on the Sabbath.
Obviously, the well-being of a man ought to be considered more important
than that of an animal. These men were
plotting against Jesus and constantly thinking evil against Him. Jesus asks a simple but penetrating
question. Is it better to do good (heal)
or do evil (plot) on the Sabbath? The
answer to the question is obvious but that does nothing to change the hearts
and minds of these men. This context of
conflict is the setting in which Jesus performs this miracle. Conflict commonly marks the lives of those
who seek to serve the Lord. The advance
of the Gospel is often called spiritual warfare. Conflict is always present in warfare.
THE CONTENT OF THE MIRACLE: Jesus simply calls the man to
come forward. He tells the man with a
withered hand to stretch out his hand.
As he does so, his hand is made whole and he is healed. The heart of Jesus is filled with a wide
variety of emotions as He performs this miracle. He obviously feels compassion for the man
with the withered hand. He is also full
of grief as He sees the hardness of the heart of the religious leaders and the
influence they are having on the people who are attending the Synagogue that
day. This leads to a very acute sense of
anger. Jesus was on a mission to reconcile
men to the Father through faith in His death on the cross and
resurrection. The miracles He performed
were meant to prove His identity and inspire men to believe on Him so they
might be save. But because of the
hardness of these men’s hearts, they rejected Him and refused to recognize His
identity as Messiah. To make matters
worse, the scribes and Pharisees were having a negative influence on the hearts
of the people surrounding them.
THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE MIRACLE: When the man’s hand become
normal, the only reaction that is recorded was that the scribes and Pharisees
when out and began to plot against Jesus in order to destroy Him. We would expect rejoicing and amazement to be
the response of the people. Certainly,
the man whose hand was healed must have celebrated being made whole. There were probably other people who
responded in positive ways but they were completely overshadowed by this
radical reaction of the religious leaders.
Influence is a powerful tool that can be used for both good and
evil. The entire scene is influenced by
the hatred of these self-righteous, judgmental men. The go outside and begin to form an alliance with
the Herodians for the sole purpose of destroying Jesus. Normally these two groups would have been in
conflict with one another but because of their common hatred of Jesus they
unite. As we seek to engage in God’s mission
in the world, we can expect to face negative reactions and even suffering as a
result. However, God is working behind
the scenes to accomplish His will and we can rest assured that He will richly
reward those who are faithfully engaged in His mission.
APPLICATION: Guard our hearts from evil thoughts when He
allows the unexpected into our lives. Don’t
allow our disappointment with some extinguish the love and compassion we must
have with others. Be courageous to
engage in God’s mission in the world no matter how people respond to us or how
much suffering this commitment brings into our lives.
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