46. Jesus heals a man’s hand on the Sabbath
– Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11
Matthew 12:10 “Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
The Pharisees had petty rules for what people should not do on the Sabbath. They believed that people could only be helped on the Sabbath if their lives were in danger; they placed laws above human needs. On the other hand, Jesus places human needs above all else. Jesus says that love is the greatest of all commandments. If Jesus waited another day to heal the man, then he would be submitting to the Pharisees authority showing that their petty rules were equal to God’s law. God is a God of people, not rules. Do not wait to help someone who is in need. The best time to reach out to someone is when he or she needs help. God has given you the ability to help others. Therefore, be a good steward and don’t sit back when you can do something. Seek out those who need help and be urgent to act.
Matthew 12:11-12 “He said to them, ‘If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Many times in the Bible, Jesus refers to himself as a good shepherd and us as the sheep. God will do anything to protect you and provide for you. If he can do absolutely anything to help you, no matter how small it is, he will do it. God isn’t going to wait until it is an option of life or death for you. Just like a shepherd wouldn’t wait until it is too late, neither does God. He will act now. He will pull you out of danger and into safety. Isn’t it wonderful that God doesn’t pause helping you on the Sabbath? The Sabbath is a day of rest from the world. It isn’t a day of rest from God and advancing his kingdom.
Mark 3:2 “Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.”
The Pharisees valued their status in the community and their opportunity for personal gain. Therefore, they were jealous of Jesus’ authority and popularity. They sought ways for them to turn people away from Jesus. In this case, they used a manmade law to try to turn the crowd. According to their laws, healing was not allowed on the Sabbath because it involved someone practicing medicine, a profession. The Pharisees were caught up on what rules should not be broken, rather than what actions should be done. Are you more concerned about what people shouldn’t be doing than you are about advancing God’s kingdom? Stop focusing on others. Or, at least stop focusing on the bad in others. Look for the good in those around you and change your mindset to what you can do.
Mark 3:4-6 “Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent… Then the Pharisees went out to plot with Herodians how they might kill Jesus.”
The Pharisees were angered because Jesus overruled their authority and exposed their evil attitudes in front of the crowd. All the Pharisees cared about was their image. But, Jesus exposed them and so they began to plot Jesus’ death. As a result, they broke not only God’s law but also their own because they plotted murder on the Sabbath. Wishing death upon someone is just as bad as killing. On the inside, the Pharisees were a very immoral people. While on the outside, they pretended to be holy and put together. God doesn’t care about your image. He cares about what is on the inside; he cares about your heart. Stop caring about your reputation and start caring about what actually matters.
