Jesus' Miracles: The man with the withered hand

Introduction
Jesus loved to teach stories using both parables and every day common occurrences. During Jesus' time, there were as many different divisions within Judaism as there are denominations of Christianity today. Some held strictly to the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). Others held the Talmud--an interpretation of the Torah which gives commentary and expands on the teachings given in the Torah--above the Torah. This caused erroneous teachings to spread.

When we read about the "Pharisees", please remember there were about seven different factions of Pharisees. We can see this today if someone wrote about "Lutherans". There are numerous Lutherans--evangelical, Missouri Synod, reformed, orthodox, conservative, etc. So, when Jesus criticizes the Pharisees, he is not criticizing all the Pharisees. Some of Jesus' most devote followers were Pharisees such as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

The Man with the withered hand
When reading any of Jesus' teachings, we need to keep in mind the context. The story of the man with the withered hand occurs in Mathew, Mark and Luke all within the framework of what it means to guard the sabbath. All three narratives have Jesus questioning if His actions are lawful to do on the Shabbat. All three narratives give the story about the disciples going through a field on a shabbat and picking grain to eat. Jesus then proclaims He is the Lord of the sabbath before the story of the man with the withered hand begins.


The Narratives
Matthew 12:8-14
"For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, 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 to normal, like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him."

Key Points
1. Jesus is asked if healing on shabbat follows Torah.

There is no place in Torah which explicitly states if healing on the shabbat is permissible. However, many Rabbis and Jewish scholars have always permitted healing on the shabbat. For example, although we are to remember shabbat, keep it holy and not work, doctors and other people in the medical field are allowed to work. If a person needs emergency medical care, a medical professional can administer care to the individual.

2. Jesus asks what man if he has a sheep would not rescue it from a pit if it fell into it on a shabbat.
Jesus answers the question he was asked in a very simple manner. If an animal was in a life or death situation, it was permissible to rescue the animal even if it was shabbat. Again, this goes back to the basic concepts taught about shabbat which included saving animals if they were in trouble, feeding and watering the animals, etc.

3. Jesus asks the crowd how much value does a man's life have than livestock which is bought and sold as property.

4. Lastly, Jesus asks if it follows Torah to heal on the shabbat.
The crowd would have known this answer. If was indeed permitted to do good on the shabbat, which included healing the sick and injured.


Luke 6:5-11
And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And he got up and came forward. And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?" After looking around to them all, He said to him, "Stretch out your hand!" And he did so; and his hand was restored. But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus."

Key Points
1. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Jesus
We are given a little bit more insight into this story. Not only were the Pharisees present, but also the scribes. Scribes were extremely knowledgeable about Torah. They were the ones who transcribed the Torah. (Remember, they were no printing presses. If a Torah scroll needed to be replaced or if an additional copy needed to be made, it had to written out by a scribe. So, if there was anyone who knew what was written in the Torah, the scribes were the ones who knew.

2. The scribes and the Pharisees are trying to set a trap for Jesus.
They want to catch Jesus violating Torah. If they can find a way in which Jesus violates Torah, they can have Jesus executed based on Deuteronomy 13:

"You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall scourge the evil from among you." (Deuteronomy 13:4-5)

3. Jesus knows what the scribes and Pharisees are thinking.
Jesus acts in such a way to make fools out of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus will show how He is God and how He is not violating Deuteronomy 13.



Mark 2:28-3:6
So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. he said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And He said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him." 

Key Points
1. Jesus asks if Torah permits to do good or do bad on the shabbat. He then asks if it is permissible to save a life or kill a life.
When reading Jesus' questions, we may be baffled. Of course, we see from Matthew's narrative it is permissible to do good on the shabbat. People were allowed to save the lives of their animals as well as other humans on shabbat. But now why is Jesus asking about doing bad, or killing on shabbat? Doesn't Torah say you should not murder? How would murdering on shabbat be permissible?

2. Jesus is grieved by their hardness of hearts.
Why is the term "hardness of heart" used in this narrative? Why you hear this phrase, what other major event in the Bible is it linking us back to?

3. All three narratives tell us Jesus told the man with the withered hand to stretch out his hand.
What major event in the Bible does this again refer us back to? By using this phrasing, what is Jesus demonstrating?

4. In all three narratives we are told this interaction infuriated the Pharisees. The Pharisees began seeking a way to kill Jesus.
What did Jesus do which enraged the Pharisees? Why did his deeds deserve death?


Shabbat
Before we venture too much father, we need to clarify what the word shabbat means.

When the word shabbat is mentioned in the Bible, it can mean several things. Shabbat is the name of the seventh day of the week, which in the USA we call Saturday. So, when the word shabbat is used, it can mean the seventh day of the week.

It is on the shabbat God commanded His people to rest. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." (Exodus 20:8-11)

There are a number of additional days in the Bible which God commands to be days of rest. These days are referred to as shabbat. "These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover. Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread of the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened Bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'" (Leviticus 23:4-8)

According to Luke's account, it states Jesus entered the synagogue on another shabbat. We will assume from the context, this was just a regular shabbat.

Healing and killing on shabbat
There are no verses in the Torah which specifically deal with healing a person. There are verses which mention helping a neighbor's animal.  "You shall not see your countryman's ox or his sheep straying away, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly bring them back to your countryman. If your countryman is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall remain with you until your countryman looks for it; then you shall restore it to him. Thus you shall do with his donkey, and you shall do the same with his garment, and you shall do likewise with anything lost by your countryman, which he has lost, and you have found. You are not allowed to neglect them. You shall not see your countryman's donkey or his ox fallen down on the way, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly him him to raise them up." (Deuteronomy 22:1-4)


All these could be done on shabbat. It would be sin for a person to not help his neighbor rescue an animal or help an animal find its way back to its owner.

The Rabbis also say practicing medicine is allowed on shabbat. If a person is sick, a doctor may treat the patient. Also, a pharmacist may administer medicine. A midwife may deliver a baby, etc. Today, this continues with emergency departments and hospitals still being open and operating on shabbat. If something happens in which a life is endangered, help is permissible on shabbat.

The Pharisees in this story seem to have twisted what was permissible. They believed if Jesus healed on shabbat, he would be breaking shabbat, although this was entirely allowed.

Jesus asks the Pharisees if it is permissible to heal or kill on shabbat. As we already discussed, it is allowed to heal on shabbat. Now the next puzzle is why did Jesus mention killing on shabbat. Isn't killing against God's Commands? (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17) To answer this question, we must know the Bible and must know when God killed people on shabbat.

Israel's Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 11-14)
On the 14th day of the month of Nisan, the Israelites were commanded to kill a lamb, roast it and place the blood of the lamb on the doorposts. When the sun sets (and it is now the 15th day of Nisan), the Israelites are to eat the lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. It is on the 15th of Nisan in which the angel passes through Egypt. If blood is on the doorposts, the angel passes through. If there is no blood on the doorposts, the angel kills the firstborn in the house. 

Remember from our discussion about what shabbat was, the 15th day of Nisan was also called the first day of unleavened bread. The 15th day of Nisan is a day which is a holy convocation, a shabbat in which no work was to be done. So on the 15th of Nisan, God saved everyone who placed the blood on the doorposts of his house. God killed all the firstborns who did not place the lamb's blood on the doorposts. So, on shabbat, God both killed and saved people. God did both harm and good on the shabbat.

The Pharisees were extremely well versed in Scripture. When Jesus said if God could kill or save on the shabbat, they would have immediately thought about the Exodus story. They would have been reminded of Passover.

Moreover, it is tradition, the Israelites passed through the Red Sea on the 21st of Nisan. Remember, it was night when the Israelites passed through the sea. Early in the morning, the Egyptians followed. Once the Israelites safely reached the other side of the Red Sea, God allowed the Red Sea to swallow up the Egyptians. If you remember, the 21st day of Nisan would be the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. If you remember from Leviticus 23, the seventh day of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 21) is a holy convocation, a shabbat on which no work was to be done. So, this is another example of a shabbat in which God saved His people, by allowing them to pass safely through the Red Sea and also killed people when He caused the Red Sea to swallow up the Egyptians. Again, the Pharisees would have known this. They would have been reminded about the Red Sea crossing when Jesus mentioned killing and saving on shabbat.

Their hardness of heart
We are told Jesus is grieved by the hardness of the Pharisees heart when they do not answer if God can kill or save on shabbat. Although the people at the synagogue would not have known Jesus' thoughts, Mark when writing this story would have again been conveying more insight into this story.

Harness of heart is a term only used to describe Pharaoh's heart regarding allowing Israel to go and sacrifice to God.

The word we translate as "hardened" when describing Pharaoh's heart is the Hebrew word kavad. It literally translates as to make heavy, to be weighty, to be burdensome. So when God "hardened" Pharaoh's heart, it actually means Pharaoh's heart became heavy. Kavad is used five times to describe Pharaoh's heart.

When Mark uses this phrase "hardening of hearts", he is making the connection that the Pharisees are playing the part of Pharaoh in this story.

Stretch out your hand
Of all the phrases Jesus could have used, he uses this very phrase "Stretch out your hand" which again is used in God's plagues upon Egypt and Israel's Exodus from Egypt. The Hebrew word is natah. It is used 17 times from Exodus 6 through Exodus 14. (Yes, if someone used the word natah, all those well versed in Scripture would IMMEDIATELY think about Moses and the Exodus!)

"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? tell the sons of Israel to go forward. As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land" (Exodus 14:15-16).

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided" (Exodus 14:21).


"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen." So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal states at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing  right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea" (Exodus 14:26-27).

Why were the Pharisees enraged?
Taking the Exodus story into account, notice who is commanding Moses to stretch out his hand? The answer is God. So, when Jesus commands the man with the withered hand to stretch out his hand, Jesus is saying He is God. Now you may understand why the Pharisees are very angry. They believe Jesus is not God. They believe Jesus should be put to death. Jesus is claiming He is God! Jesus is telling the Pharisees He is not in violation of Deuteronomy 13 because HE IS GOD!

 "You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall scourge the evil from among you." (Deuteronomy 13:4-5)

In Summary
The Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus. They are trying to make Jesus violate the Torah which would make Him sinful. It would negate Jesus' claim of being the Messiah. Instead, Jesus uses Deuteronomy 13 as a launching board to prove He is Messiah. Using the Exodus story, He makes the Pharisees Pharaoh/the Egyptians. The man with the withered hand is Moses. Jesus is God. Jesus humiliates the Pharisees. The Pharisees continue their plan to kill Jesus and find ways to trap him.