9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Matthew 12: 9-14 ESV
Matthew 12: 9-14 Jesus Rules the Sabbath
Below are two links to more on the Sabbath with supporting Scriptures:
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2: 16-23
He went on from there and entered their synagogue - The synagogue is not the temple, that was in Jerusalem, but these were local places of worship where there were public readings of God's word and teaching. This is where the disciples and Jesus were headed on the Sabbath, and it is interesting that He still goes here even after the verbal attack prior. This is where most people would back down, offer a different approach, compromise, but instead He goes to where they are all meeting. He doesn't avoid the confrontation that He knows His gospel will cause, and He never slips away until they try to kill Him before the appointed time, but how can anyone ever hear or know the truth if the ones that have it are too scared to speak? Jesus is already laying down His life, setting aside comfort.
“Jesus set the example of attending public worship. The synagogues had no divine appointment to authorize them, but in the nature of things it must be right and good to meet for the worship of God on his own day, and therefore Jesus was there. He had nothing to learn, yet he went up to the assembly on the day which the Lord God had hallowed.” (Spurgeon)
A man was there with a withered hand - How sick, for them, being traditionalist, holding to laws that were the inventions of men, they see this man's pain, his deformity, as a chance to snare Jesus. They are foolish enough to think this will put Him in violation of His Father's laws, but that is not the case, only theirs, and He is about to give them yet another lesson, yet they don't learn. They never question whether He can do this, which means they have seen enough to be convinced of His power, but they always attribute the good He does to the devil, even though God is sovereign and these are things they have never seen. Believe me, if the devil's people could do miracles like this, well, they would, because look at how many of them claim to do so now when they actually can't. Jesus isn't a Benny Hinn, a Todd White, Oral Roberts, Joyce Meyer etc.. insert your favorite prosperity teacher here, all of them would love to do this because it represents power and money. These Pharisees are just as gross, they want Jesus to do good so they can call it evil, Benny Hinn wants you to believe he can do good because his motivations are evil. Jesus is not doing false signs and wonders.
Which one of you - Now He hits them personally, where it affects their home economics, their livestock. What's funny is that they will have to expend much more energy getting their sheep, donkey or cow out of a ditch then Jesus will use commanding the muscles, bones and tissues that He created to do as He commands. He is God, so He doesn't disrespect His Father or work outside of the Holy Spirit, but they see the sheep as an act of necessity, and this should tell you how they see this man, as less than the sheep.
…18Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. 19So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.… John 5: 18-20
Of how much more value is a man than a sheep - Now He is speaking in terms they cannot understand, to them the sheep is far more valuable, does a man grow wool that can be sheared and spun into thread? This is mutton, business, and this man's problems are not mine. Now the PITA organization and many vegans I know would put an equal value on man and sheep, but God has given man dominion, putting his value above the earth and it's creatures.
…25God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.… Genesis 1: 25-27
1And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2The fear and dread of you will fall on every living creature on the earth, every bird of the air, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are delivered into your hand. 3Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things.… Genesis 9: 1-3
…30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven.… Matthew 10: 30-32
So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath - According to their additions to the laws of God, their traditions, they would have to answer, no, but they are corrupting God's law, and Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. According to their Rabbinical teachings, this man's life is not in jeopardy so if Jesus heals him it will be a crime. Sometimes Christians commit crimes against earthly rulers because they are unjust. For instance, many earthly rulers tell us not to share the gospel, and some tell us we can, but we must share another gospel, which many Reformers went to the stake in defiance of.
“The withered hand was literally ‘dry’, i.e. lifeless, perhaps paralysed; the man was thus not in imminent danger of death, which alone justified treatment on the sabbath according to Mishnah Yoma 8:6. He could just as well be healed the next day.” (France)
…28“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.” 29But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree.… Acts 5: 28-30
Stretch out your hand - See, He just spoke, which they were already doing.
How to destroy Him - How dare He go against them and do an act of kindness on a day that God gave men as a kindness, a rest, not to forbid acts of mercy.
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