I often divide Bible passages into smaller sections for the purpose of presenting daily devotional thoughts. It is unfortunate that I separated this incident from the preceding one in Matthew 12, as they happened on the same day with the same crowd.
Jesus has just declared to the religious leaders that His authority goes beyond King David, the temple, and their Sabbath regulations. Now they are in the synagogue, and without a doubt, the Pharisees are steaming mad. Clearly, they are not finished trying to make Jesus look bad.
He left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?” so that they might accuse him (Matthew 12:9-10).
One of the tricks used by people in authority is exploiting marginalized people to win victories over their opponents. The Pharisees were no different. In the first century, physical illness and limitations were presumed to be a punishment for sin. Not only was this man unable to use his hand, but he was also seen as “less than” by the people of Capernaum.
The Pharisees had no genuine concern for the man’s condition. To them, he was nothing more than a tool they could use against Jesus.
As political advertisements dominate the nightly news, I can’t help but think of how people are used as objects to get votes for candidates. Have you noticed how often marginalized people are featured in attack messages against political opponents? This behavior is not new; it easily could have been learned from those who fought against Jesus.
The Logic of Grace
The 39 traditional rules concerning the Sabbath included specific requirements for the treatment of animals. For example, if your donkey was trapped in a ditch on the Sabbath, the rule stated you could feed and water it, but not pull it out. In practice, however, the actual behavior was to get the donkey out and bring it home.
Jesus took this common knowledge and mingled its logic with grace.
He said to them, “Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other (Matthew 12:11-13).
One of my friends is an Episcopal priest with a healing ministry. He is the Chaplain Emeritus of St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City and has often traveled throughout the United States and abroad to conduct healing services. It is his belief that Sunday is a perfect day for healing. Apparently, Jesus thought the Sabbath was a great day for healing, too.
The grace of God healed the man with the withered hand, but the same grace withered the hearts of men who purported to represent God.
But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him (Matthew 12:14).
Responses to Jesus
This account took place in Capernaum, a fairly well-populated trading city. It is possible that many people heard Jesus was nearby but didn’t bother to go out to see Him. Whether that was the case then or not, it is certainly true of people today.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was deeply distressed by the apathy of Americans toward Jesus. He used a poem by an Anglican priest nicknamed “Woodbine Willie” to reflect the pain Jesus must feel toward the many people who remain indifferent to His death on the cross for their sins.
When Jesus came to Golgotha, they hanged Him on a tree,
They drove great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary;
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns, red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham, they simply passed Him by.
They would not hurt a hair of Him, they only let Him die;
For men had grown more tender, and they would not give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street, and left Him in the rain.
Still Jesus cried, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do,”
And still it rained the winter rain that drenched Him through and through;
The crowds went home and left the streets without a soul to see,
And Jesus crouched against a wall, and cried for Calvary.
Even though the Pharisees sought to put Jesus to death, they were closer to salvation than the apathetic and indifferent populace. Anger is closer to knowing someone than apathy and indifference. Paul is a perfect example of how Jesus turns His enemies into friends through forgiving grace.
The man with the withered hand demonstrates a response that I hope we all determine to make. He followed Jesus’ directions and trusted the power of God to transform his life.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 