Scripture
Jesus was frequently criticized during his ministry.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day criticized him because he did not conform to their understanding of God’s law. Things got so bad that they eventually looked for ways to catch Jesus doing something contrary to their understanding of how to please God. Little did they know that they were in fact dealing with God in human form!
In today’s text, in Luke 6:6-11, Luke wrote about the incident of Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath.
In the immediately preceding text, in verses 1-5, Luke wrote about another Sabbath day controversy. Jesus’ disciples were accused of breaking the Fourth Commandment by working on the Sabbath when they plucked and ate some heads of grain. The disciples did not in fact violate the Fourth Commandment of God’s Law, although they did violate the manmade regulations of the Pharisees. Jesus explained to the Pharisees that they misinterpreted God’s Law, and then declared that he is lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5).
By declaring that he is lord of the Sabbath, Jesus affirmed the abiding continuation of the Fourth Commandment. God said in Exodus 20:8-11:
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and 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.”
The Westminster Shorter Catechism states: “The Fourth Commandment requires the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself.” The basic requirement for obeying the Fourth Commandment is to keep the day holy. Biblical use of the term “holy” has to do primarily with God’s separating from the world that which he chooses to devote to himself. So, God has set aside one entire day in seven to be devoted to him. That is what it means to keep the day holy.
How exactly is the Sabbath to be sanctified, that is, to be kept holy? The Westminster Shorter Catechism states: “The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’ s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.” So, the Sabbath is to be a day of rest from our ordinary work. It is to be a day spent worshipping God. And it is to be a day doing works of necessity and mercy.
Historically, the Sabbath was a day of delight for the people of God. It was the highlight of the week when God’s people could rest from their regular labor and worship their God.
However, in Jesus’ day the religious leaders had placed so many burdensome manmade regulations on the people that it had become a burden and was no longer a delight.
In the two Sabbath controversies at the start of Luke 6, Luke intends for his readers to understand that Jesus is God. This is especially seen in today’s text in which he healed a man’s withered hand. However, in today’s text we also learn that works of mercy are appropriate on a Sabbath day.
So, let’s read about Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath in Luke 6:6-11:
6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. (Luke 6:6-11)
Introduction
Fiddler on the Roof is the 1971 musical drama film set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. The story centers on Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman living in Anatevka who has five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters – each one’s choice of a husband moves further away from the customs of his faith – and eventually with the edict of the Tsar of Russia that evicts the Jews from their homes and village.
The first half hour of the movie shows everyone preparing for the Sabbath meal. Chores need to be completed and the milk needs to be delivered. Tevye finishes his milk delivery at the town square giving milk and cheese to a group of men. They discuss the news about pogroms and expulsions. A stranger named Perchik hears their conversation and scolds them for doing nothing more than talk. The men dismiss Perchik as a radical, but in typical Jewish fashion, Tevye invites him home for the Sabbath meal. Not only do viewers of Fiddler on the Roof see the anticipation and delight surrounding the Sabbath, but also kindness and mercy extended to a stranger.
During his life and ministry Jesus always kept the Sabbath. It was for him a holy day of anticipation and delight, but it was also day for extending mercy to those in need.
In today’s lesson we learn about Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath.
Lesson
The analysis of Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath as set forth in Luke 6:6-11 will show us that works of mercy are appropriate on the Lord’s Day.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. The Setting (6:6-8)
2. The Question (6:9)
3. The Healing (6:10)
4. The Reaction (6:11)
I. The Setting (6:6-8)
First, let’s begin by looking at the setting.
Luke said in verse 6a that on another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching. Even though opposition to Jesus was growing, he was still a very popular teacher.
Luke then said that a man was there whose right hand was withered (6:6b). Matthew and Mark also mention this incident in their Gospels (see Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6), but, interestingly, Luke alone – with a physician’s precision – is the only one who mentioned that it was the man’s right hand that was withered.
Luke did not say why the man’s right hand was withered. In the non-canonical Gospel to the Nazareans, “the man is a stonemason whose hand has been injured so that his livelihood is destroyed, but there is no way to confirm the origin of this detail.”
The religious leaders were now no longer merely opposed to Jesus but were actively seeking ways to find fault with him. Luke said that the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him (6:7).
What fault were the religious leaders trying to find in Jesus? The religious leaders had heard that Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, and they wanted to see if he would do it again. You see, they believed that healing was a form of working and was therefore a violation of the Fourth Commandment.
According to the religious leaders, the Sabbath was not a day for routine medical care. Unless the person was in danger of dying, medical care would have to wait until the next day. As one commentator put it, “To heal on the Sabbath is permitted in the case of imminent danger of life; but where there is no danger in delay healing is unconditionally forbidden.”
Clearly, the man whose right hand was withered was “not in peril of his life, but still, the withered hand was a great handicap in his life—it impeded his way to full joy of living and full usefulness.”
In bringing the clash between Jesus and the religious leaders to heightened tension, Luke said that Jesus knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there (6:8).
All eyes in the synagogue were now on Jesus. What was he going to do?
II. The Question (6:9)
Second, notice the question.
And Jesus said to the religious leaders, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” (6:9).
What a question! As you read the Gospels, pay attention to the questions that Jesus asked. His questions were powerful and penetrating.
God had given the Sabbath to be a holy day of delight for his people. It was a day to rest from ordinary work and to worship God. However, in their fear of violating God’s Law the religious leaders had set up so many manmade rules and regulations regarding the Sabbath that it had become a massive burden to the people of God. It was so bad that they would not even lift a finger to help a person in need.
Jesus wanted the religious leaders to see that by refusing to do good on the Sabbath, they were actually causing harm. Not only was it not wrong to help the man with a withered right hand, but it was wrong not to help him. Jesus wanted the religious leaders see that their view of the Sabbath was not only incorrect, but that it was immoral. In this case, because the man’s withered right hand was a serious impediment to a joyful and useful life, failing to act was morally equivalent to destroying someone’s life. Therefore, instead of keeping God’s Law, these religious leaders were actually breaking it. Furthermore, their attitude was loveless, merciless, and cruel.
Let us not make the mistake of thinking that God is pleased with us because we have a list of rules that make us good enough for God, while actually missing the things that are most important to God. The religious leaders had their manmade list of regulations that they thought pleased God, but they missed the importance of doing works of necessity and mercy on the Sabbath. To put it simply: God wants us to have a heart for people in need.
III. The Healing (6:10)
Third, observe the healing.
Not one of the religious leaders answered Jesus’ question. The answer to Jesus’ question was self-evident. Clearly, it was appropriate to do a work of mercy on the Sabbath.
After looking around at them all Jesus said to the man with the withered right hand, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored (6:10).
Picture the scene in the synagogue. All eyes were on Jesus. The man with the withered right hand stood in front of everyone. His hand was dangling uselessly at his side. His joy was gone as he was not able to do anything with his right hand.
Then Jesus told him, “Stretch out your hand.” Amazingly, he was able to do the very thing that a moment before he was unable to do: stretch out his hand! The man acted in faith, and when he did, he experienced the healing power of God.
One commentator rightly says, “This is a picture of what happens in the salvation of a sinner.” The Word of God is proclaimed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the unbeliever hears the good news of God’s salvation: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and by his death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, you will be saved.” Up until that point, the unbeliever has been unable to believe the gospel – the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. But God says, “Believe,” and when he does, the unbeliever believes! By his amazing grace, God enables us to do what we cannot do for ourselves, which is to trust in Jesus Christ alone for the gift of salvation.
By healing the man with a withered right hand Jesus demonstrated once again that he is God in human form.
But, in addition, by healing the man with a withered right hand on a Sabbath Jesus demonstrated one of the true purposes of the Sabbath, which is to do works of mercy.
In the previous narrative, in Luke 6:1-5, Jesus told a story about David to show that there are certain things we may do on the Sabbath. These are called works of necessity.
And in this current narrative, in Luke 6:6-11, Jesus healed a man to show that there are certain things we must do on the Sabbath. These are called works of mercy.
IV. The Reaction (6:11)
Finally, notice the reaction.
Luke said that the religious leaders were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus (6:11). Interestingly, “both Matthew and Mark explicitly say that they wanted to kill Jesus, so their discussion was about what they could do to kill him” (see Matthew 12:14; Mark 3:6).
The Greek word for fury (anoias) refers to “rage.” “Ironically,” says one commentator, “in their fanatical hatred the Pharisees were really the ones who were breaking the Sabbath, because they were committing murder in their hearts.”
What made the religious leaders so furious that they wanted to kill Jesus? Why should they care if Jesus healed someone? Why should they care if Jesus even healed someone on the Sabbath? After all, if doing so were really a violation of God’s Law, then God would punish Jesus for that violation.
The reason the religious leaders were so furious with Jesus was because he gave the correct interpretation of God’s Law, which was contrary to their own interpretation. But, more importantly, the religious leaders were so furious with Jesus because he exposed their lack of love for people in need. The religious leaders said that they loved God and people, but they had become so obsessed with their own rules about how to please God that they misinterpreted what God had said was important about loving him and people – especially people in need. The religious leaders fretted about jots and tittles, instead of showing mercy to people in need.
Conclusion
Therefore, having analyzed Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath as set forth in Luke 6:6-11, we should practice works of mercy on the Lord’s Day.
The incident of Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on a Sabbath forces us to examine our own response to Jesus.
Let us not respond to Jesus as the religious leaders did. Let us not look for ways to avoid getting involved with people in need. Let us not say, as some do, that people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, struggle with pornography, get an abortion, end up in prison, come out of the closet as being gay, or contract AIDS are getting what they deserve, and therefore we are off the hook as far as getting involved personally is concerned.
Jesus demonstrated compassion to the man with a withered hand. He was merciful to the man with a withered hand and healed him on the Sabbath. Now he calls us to have a heart of compassion, and as lord of the Sabbath, he has given us the Lord’s Day to do works of mercy.
Sunday is now the Christian Sabbath. It is a holy day of rest and worship, “but it is not just a day to take things easy.” It is a day for helping people in need. Commentator Norval Geldenhuys is right when he says:
Jesus’ words and actions teach us quite plainly that we should every Lord’s Day place ourselves wholly at his disposal to perform works of love and mercy wherever and in whatever way it may be possible. We may not consecrate the day of rest in a merely passive manner, but must be active in his service and thus through him be of use to those who suffer and need help, spiritually as well as physically.
Let us spend Sunday – the Lord’s Day – resting from our ordinary labors. Let us worship God on the Lord’s Day. And, in addition, let us also do works of necessity and mercy on the Lord’s Day.
Let us spend the Lord’s Day visiting the sick. Let us welcome strangers – especially internationals – into our homes. Let us help people worship God in nursing homes. Let us host the homeless for dinner. Let us give comfort to widows and orphans. Let us visit with discouraged friends and affirm our love for them. Let us give all the service to God that we cannot on other days of the week. And let us share the good news of Jesus with those who do not yet know him as Savior and Lord.
Look around you! There are all kinds of people in great need. Jesus demonstrated for us that God has given us one day in seven to practice works of mercy to people in need. Amen.
