9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 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 bring charges against Him. 11 But 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? 12 How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Matthew 12:9-14 (NASB)

Later that day

Jesus has just encountered the Pharisees who are harassing Him about the Sabbath. He not only corrected their thinking, He also boldly declared He is Lord of the Sabbath, directly implying He is God. From there He goes to their synagogue (like their church) and the Pharisees set Him up for a test: would Jesus teach, even in the synagogue, to break the Sabbath? They are reaching an inflection point where they need to decide if they will “take Him out” or not. How He performs on this test would help them decide.

Do good on the Sabbath

In response to their trap, Jesus first teaches that, “the Sabbath is created for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). He again uses a practical example that all listening would understand and agree with. There are exceptional situations that require breaking the Sabbath. The Sabbath law exists to make sure God’s people get rest and recognize and worship their Creator who gives all things. The Sabbath is actually a very wonderful celebration, full of meaning and purpose. A friend of ours likes to observe it as a Christian and talk about the various components. “Shabbat Shalom!”

Then He follows up His teaching with a demonstration of the teaching. He heals the man’s hand. Though the Pharisees were probably using this man as a pawn in their game, Jesus sees the man as a child of God, worthy of the needed healing. He simply tells the guy to stretch out his arm. 

Overlook the miracle

The man stretches out his arm. This, itself, is a demonstration of faith. If he didn’t believe Jesus could heal him, he would have scoffed and gone on with his business. But he is a real person, in need of help. He trusts Jesus can help him and is rewarded for his faith.

Let’s not be like the Pharisees who not only were hypocrites and misinterpreted and misapplied God’s laws but overlooked the miracle performed before their very eyes! And, they overlooked the One who performed it! God in the flesh was standing before them. Do they respond in humble worship? No, they focus on the tree and miss the forest. Not only that, they made up their mind to “snuff Jesus out”.

RЯeflection

• I wonder how you celebrate the Sabbath. Is it any different than every other day of the week? Most of you probably attend a church service. Does it stop there? Are we in jeopardy of becoming like the Pharisees – missing the blessing of a sabbath rest? 
• How about seeing Jesus in every situation in life? Do we notice Him working?