1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Another time Jesus went to the synagogue. This time there was a man with a withered hand and the leaders of the Jews had gathered to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath so that they could accuse him. Jesus stands the man up in front of the crowed and asks them whether it is right to do good or ham, save a life or kill on the Sabbath. They remain silent, they were not prepared to discuss the issue. They had already made up their minds. Jesus looks at them with grief because their hearts are so hard. Then Jesus said to the man, “stretch out your hand,” and it was immediately healed. Jesus didn’t do anything physical that might be construed as work. But the Pharisees immediately went and plotted how to kill Jesus (their hard hearts drove them to “kill” and “do harm” on the Sabbath).
Is your heart so hard set on something that it is completely closed off to hearing truth? We should hold our own ideas lightly with the expectation that they can always be corrected in light of the Bible’s teaching.
From there, Jesus was again overwhelmed by crowds who were drawn to his healing ministry. He asked the disciples to have a boat ready so he had a way of escape from the crushing crowds who all desired to touch him and be healed.