Withered Hand

The Gospel of Matthew tells us that on the same Sabbath day, Jesus and His disciples moved out of the grain fields and into "their" synagogue. And "their" presumes that the synagogue was frequented by the Pharisees who were just speaking with Jesus about the disciples doing work on the Sabbath by picking and eating the heads of grain.

Jesus began teaching in the synagogue. And also present was a man whose right hand was withered.

Some scribes and Pharisees were also there in the synagogue. And they were watching Jesus closely in order to accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath. They motioned to the man and asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 

But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So the man got up and stood there. Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 

Jesus continued: “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of the sheep and lift it out of the pit? How much more valuable is a human than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 

But the scribes and Pharisees were silent. Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at the hardness of their hearts. Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So, the man stretched out his withered hand, and it was restored to full use, just like his other hand. 

At this, the scribes and Pharisees were filled with rage. And they began plotting with the Herodians on how they might kill Jesus.

(See Matthew 12:9‭-‬14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11)

(Editor's note: Herodians were members of a group of Jews that supported the Herodian dynasty.)

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