Miracles of Jesus - Part 9

Healing a Man with a Withered Hand
Matthew 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-5; Luke 6:6-10

Here, as before, we have Jesus busy at work in the synagogue. In the synagogue Jesus improved the opportunity of doing good, and having, no doubt, preached a sermon there, He wrought a miracle for the confirmation of it, or at least for the confirmation of this truth, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

There is an important point in the miracle of the healing of the man with the withered hand. The man did not seek out Jesus. He did not request Jesus to heal his hand. This man was unable to work. Those in the synagogue, including the Pharisees, instead of interceding for a poor neighbor, they did what they could to hinder his cure: for they intimated that if Jesus cured him now on the Sabbath day, they would accuse Him as a Sabbath breaker.

In Matthew’s account of the healing of the man with the withered hand the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” (Matthew 12:10). The Pharisees were not asking Jesus to explain to them what was lawful or unlawful. If Jesus answered it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath day, the Pharisees would accuse Him of contradicting the fourth commandment. If Jesus said it was unlawful, they would accuse Him of partiality, having justified His disciples in plucking the ears of corn on that day (Matthew 12:1-8).

Before answering the Pharisees question Jesus asked them two questions, first, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?” (Matthew 12:11). There was not a man in the synagogue when Jesus asked the question would not hesitate to lift his sheep from the pit on the Sabbath and this was permitted under the law. The second question, “How much more valuable then is this man than a sheep?” (Matthew 12:12).

Though the Pharisees did not answer Jesus’ questions, they were determined to persist in their prejudice and enmity; however, Jesus went on with His work. Doing good on the Sabbath should not be neglected for fear of offending. There are many ways of doing good on the Sabbath, such as worship, attending the sick, relieving the poor, helping those who are fallen into sudden distress, and call for speedy relief. Doing good on the Sabbath must be done from a principle of love and charity, with humility and self-denial.

In Mark’s account of the healing of the man with the withered hand we are told, Jesus told the man to “Get up and come forward” (Mark 3:3). Why did Jesus tell this man to come forward, where everyone in the synagogue could see him? While we are not told why, He probably did it so that the sight of him might move them with compassion toward him. Then Jesus asks the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4).

When the Pharisees did not answer Jesus’ question we are told Jesus was grieved by the hardness of the Pharisees heart (Mark 3:5).

We hear what is said wrongly and what is done wrongly; however, Jesus looks at the heart, the source of bitterness, blindness and hardness. Jesus was provoked by the hardness of the heart of the Pharisees. Mark tells us Jesus looked around at them with anger” (Mark 3:5). His anger probable, appeared in His countenance. The sin of sinners is very displeasing to Jesus Christ. Let hard-hearted sinners tremble to think of the anger with which He will look upon them when the great day of wrath comes. Yet He pitied them, He was grieved for the hardness of their heart, just as God was grieved forty years for the hardness of the hearts of their fathers in the wilderness. It is a great grief to our Lord Jesus, to see sinners bent upon their own ruin, and obstinately set against the methods of their conviction and recovery, for He would not that any should perish. This is a good reason why the hardness of our own hearts and of the hearts of others, should be a grief to us.

Jesus told the man to “stretch out your hand” (Mark 3:5). Now this man could not stretch forth his withered hand of himself, any more than the impotent man could arise and carry his bed, or Lazarus come forth out of his grave; yet Christ bid him do it. God's commands to us to do that which of ourselves we are not able to do are no more absurd or unjust, than this command to the man with the withered hand, for with the command, there is a promise of grace that is given by the word, “his hand was restored” (Mark 3:5).

Those who perish are as inexcusable as this man would have been, if he had not attempted to stretch forth his hand. However, those who are saved have no more to boast of than this man had of contributing to his own cure, by stretching forth his hand, but are as much indebted to the power and grace of Christ as he was.

The lesson taught in this miracle is, we must not deny ourselves the satisfaction of serving God, and doing good, though offence may unjustly be taken at it. We must follow Jesus’ example, rather than send this poor man away uncured, He exposed Himself to the wrath of the scribes and Pharisees.

This miracle, as other miracles of Jesus has a spiritual significance. By nature our hands are withered, we are unable of ourselves to do any thing that is good. It is only, by the power of God’s grace, that cures us; He heals the withered hand by putting life into the dead soul, works in us both to will and to do. He commands us to “stretch forth our hands.” We stretch them out in prayer to God. We stretch them out to lay hold on Christ by faith. We stretch them out in holy endeavors.

The gospel command is as the command recorded here, and the command is rational and just. Though our hands are withered, and we cannot of ourselves stretch them out, we must attempt it. We must lift them up to God in prayer, lay hold on Christ and eternal life, and employ them in good works. Though our hands be withered, if we will not stretch them out it is our own fault that we are not healed; but if we do, and are healed, Christ and His power and grace must have all the glory.

Note, they that suffer for doing good, suffer as their Master did.