Luke 6:6-11 “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. 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. 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? 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. And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.”
Today we find a man in the congregation, on the Sabbath, in the synagogue. He has a withered hand that many commentators believed, prevented him from being able to make a living for his family. The Pharisees and scribes were watching closely. They wanted to trap Jesus in what they considered the breaking of the Mosaic law. They hated Jesus and they were very angry at his response to what they were thinking.
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?”
They may have been very knowledgeable men, but they were missing the point. Scribes and Pharisees knew the Old Testament scriptures. I’m sure they had read Hosea 6:6 many times. It says I desire mercy not sacrifice. They had no mercy or love for those that were less fortunate than they were. They were self-righteous individuals that sought power and prestige at the cost of the well-being of others. They didn’t listen to Jesus when he had taught them to love their neighbor and love God. Their religion was all about them. They are the opposite of what we should be.
What I want to focus on today is the man and Jesus. I see so much of the mercy and grace of our God in this setting.
We do not know for sure what this man’s full situation was, but we do know that he was a religious man seeking to hear Jesus. Jesus was being followed by multitudes that wanted to be healed, or that just wanted to see the show. There was something different about this man. He had a need. He had a withered hand that was not useful for anything. It probably prohibited providing for his family. Yet, he never approached Jesus and ask for healing. He never asks for anything! He was not there for his own desires he was there to focus on Jesus.
The next thing I see in this story is his obedience. Jesus calls him, and he obeys. This is a picture of what happens when we respond the right way. In John 6:44, Jesus makes it clear we can’t come to him unless he draws us.
John 6:44a “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:”
Jesus still calls today. When we feel that tugging at our heart, or feel guilty for not doing what we are supposed to do, that is conviction, a drawing of us to him. However, unless we obey and respond we will not gain spiritual healing. He calls the saved to repent of things that stand between us and him. He calls us to change so that we will draw closer to him. He calls the unsaved to repentance and faith in him.
We need to learn from this man to keep our focus on Jesus. We need to seek him for who he is and to worship him with no reservations. We need to obey when he calls, to bring whatever is in our hands, physical needs or spiritual needs. We are not to hesitate and deliberate on what we should do, just obey.
