The Miracle of Healing the Withered hand on the Sabbath
Matthew 12:9-14 Mark 3:1-6
Miracles of Jesus
Miracles # 10
In this these two texts we see several things. Before I give you the observations that I have seen, let me try to explain what was going on here. Jesus and His Apostles have just walked through a field of grain. It was the Sabbath and as they walked through this field the Apostles reached down and grabbed some of the grains in their hands and ate it. Now this made the Pharisees mad. They had made up a long set of rules that determined what was and was not determined as work. In the Ten Commandments the fourth one is about keeping the Sabbath as a holy day and a day of rest. So they got their heads together and made a list of rules about what work and rest were. On the Sabbath you were only allowed to walk a certain distance if you walked over that distance then it was work. If you were carrying a load it had to be less then a certain weight. And if you were carrying something then you could not walk as far. If a person was sick you could keep him from getting sicker but if he got better it was work. However if you animal feel into a pit even though it was not in danger of dying you could get it out and it was not work. But picking grain and popping it in there mouths and healing a person that was work and by there traditions it was forbidden to do on the Sabbath. In these two accounts of the same event Jesus is trying to make a point. The point is He is Lord over the Sabbath.
I. This text is not some much about the miracle but about Jesus’ authority over their tradition.
NOTE: the tradition was how they interpreted the law that was given to Moses. They would take each of the Ten Commandments and then determine what was met by each one. The one that was being interpreted here was remember the Sabbath day and keep t Holy.
Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
II. This situation was a set up. It was planed in order to get Jesus in trouble.
NOTE: There are people who will purposely try to put you in situations in order for you to fail. They were interested more in getting Jesus in trouble then they were worshipping God.
III. Jesus makes it plain that it is always right to do good works, no matter what day it is on.
IV. Jesus got angry because of the hardness of the leaders hearts and the there wrong interpretation and application of the Word of God.
V. When the traditions of man are stepped on people get mad. They wanted to kill Jesus.
