Luke 6:6-11 - WITHERED HAND MADE WHOLE

WITHERED HAND MADE WHOLE

Luke 6:6-11

Luke 6:6-7 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

Susie: Jesus taught in synagogues on a regular basis, so there was nothing unusual about that. But in this congregation, there was a man whose hand was contracted and possibly atrophied due to an injury.

Susan: Those who know me well, realize I can relate to this man, although it is my left hand that is contracted due to Cerebral Palsy. The spiritual elite in attendance were glaring at Jesus, critiquing His every move. They were poised to pounce on any infraction of the Law concerning the Sabbath. They defined healing on the Sabbath wrongly as performing work which was prohibited on the Sabbath.

Luke 6:8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

Susie: Jesus, being God and having the power of omniscience (being all-knowing), knew exactly what the Scribes and Pharisees were thinking. However, this did not prevent Him from taking care of the man, nor did He do so quietly. He told the injured man to stand up near Him where he could be seen by everyone in attendance that Sabbath.

Luke 6:9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

Susie: Jesus turned to the Scribes and Pharisees and posed a rhetorical question.

Susan: The Scribes and the Pharisees interpretation of the Sabbath Law had become so drilled down to the microscopic detail that they had forgotten that the reason for the Sabbath was for man to rest and not worry about the minutia (fine points) of their traditions concerning the day.

MacArthur Study Bible note:

6:9 to do good. The Sabbath laws forbade labor for profit, frivolous diversions, and things extraneous to worship. Activity per se was not unlawful. Good works were especially appropriate on the Sabbath—particularly deeds of charity, mercy, and worship. Works necessary for the preservation of life were also permitted. To corrupt the Sabbath to forbid such works was a perversion of God’s design. to do evil. Refusal to do good is tantamount to doing evil (James 4:17).

Susie: These religious leaders who had the responsibility of apply the Law for the people had strayed from God’s intent for the Sabbath to be a day of rest and worship, and had made it a day that prohibited even doing good works as a form of worship and source of joy.

Susan: The Scribes and Pharisees had taken a day designed for freedom and celebration and focused only on prohibition and restraint.

Luke 6:10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Susie: The Voice translation of this verse says, “He turned His gaze to each of them, one at a time.”

Susan: He gave them the look of authority as the One who is the Law fulfilled.

Susie: After looking them all in the eye, Jesus instructed the man to stretch out his “shriveled” hand. The man obeyed, and was probably pleasantly surprised to find that he could do just that. His hand was returned to its normal, healthy state.

Susan: “Pleasantly surprised” doesn’t even begin to express the exuberant joy and genuine gratitude that he felt in that moment.

Susie: You would think everyone present would shout praises to God for the man’s restoration to wholeness. However, that was not the case with the Scribes and Pharisees.

Luke 6:11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

Susan: The Scribes and Pharisees were fearful that Jesus would oust them from their seat of importance. They were not as beloved of the people as Jesus was. Many of them were feared but not admired. They Scribes and Pharisees were angry because Jesus unmasked them for the hypocrites they were. There were those among them such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who turned to Jesus, recognizing that He was the Son of God; but they were few.

Susie: We constantly find the religious leaders, the very ones who should have recognized that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies concerning the Messiah, were plotting His death rather than praising Him as Lord.

Ponder this and apply it: Let us bring this into our own time and traditions. Suppose one Sunday morning as you are getting ready to leave for church, you see that your neighbor is struggling to remove a tree that has fallen across her driveway. Do wave and wish her luck, get in your car and head off to worship. Or do you get out, tell her you will be right back, change into work clothes and help her remove the tree that is blocking her in. Is it permissible to do good instead of going to church? Could this be an opportunity to share the Gospel? What do you think Jesus would have you do?