STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND
Reference: Matthew 12: 1 – 13 (NKJV)
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath! But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even[ of the Sabbath.”9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.
In this scripture, the religious crowd publicly adhered to the letter of the law and openly condemned those who did not. They deemed themselves more righteous than those who infringed on the law of Moses. In so doing, they did not realize that Jesus came to transform the unrighteous.
It was not by chance that Jesus demonstrated merciful acts on a ‘religious day’ – the Sabbath. Here we see a contrast between mercy (v.7) and a ritual. Jesus gave examples of several times when the Sabbath, (The Title), was broken in the performance of meeting human needs.
At times, traditions serve their purpose, however, if we neglect humanitarian needs, we become guilty of not honoring the New Commandment, John 13:3-4”A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Also, in Mathew 5:7 we are reminded that, mercy is reciprocal. So, the stage had been set for Jesus to give a tangible example of mercy.
On the Sabbath, Jesus went to the place of worship where obviously the religious rituals were being observed, with no regard to the needy person who was also in attendance. The controversy arose, not about the man’s well-being, but about observing a tradition. Unless we minister to the whole man, our worship will be deficient. There was no concern about the man’s limitations. His hand was withered. That’s the hand he was dealt by life.
Obviously, he was not ambidextrous. He would require assistance with simple daily activities. If it were today, he would need help to button his shirt, tie shoelaces, pull up zippers and he might as well forget about clapping his hands. Before Jesus even addressed the man, the underpinnings of a trap were set in motion, but Jesus was ten steps ahead of them. We are not ignorant of Satan’s’ devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).
The crowd watched feverishly, because it was well-known that Jesus did not leave anyone in a needy condition, even if it meant infringing on customs. His message was that He controls everything, including religious beliefs. Whereas, religion often emphasizes “do nots”, a relationship with Jesus focuses on the “do’s”. Most importantly, He demonstrated that a relationship with Him, far surpassed being in good graces with the crowd, if we are His ambassadors. Jesus was about to create a relationship with this man, via controversial healing. Surely, the man would share with others what Jesus did for him. Isn’t that a notable example of evangelism in action? We should neither be silent, nor secret agents.
The assembly was unconcerned about the man’s situation. To them, Jesus’ sanctioning of their custom, in keeping with the culture, was more important than addressing a need. One could argue that Jesus could have healed him on any other day. True, but Jesus drew the line. Someone had a need that if it were attended to, that action would draw him closer to the Healer. Should that not be our heart’s cry when we gather to worship? A display of mercy is a great representation of exalting Christ.
For far too long we have overlooked those who are incapacitated in some form or other. Many of the Pharisees were shepherds and would go the extra mile for their sheep. So, they could relate to the comparison of sheep, a valuable resource, dear to their heart and well-protected at all cost. What is the value of a soul? Instead of alienating any given population, Jesus demonstrated inclusion as is also seen in Ephesians 2: 10-13.
Imagine the man’s expectations when he saw Jesus. What thoughts he might have wrestled with: Would Jesus see my hand? Would He touch me? Will I be overlooked? How will Jesus respond? We do know that the duration of the time that he was incapacitated, was long enough to cause him concern. Today, some situations have withered a hand and rendered it disabled. May we obey the commandment in Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.”
It seemed the opportune time for the group to realize that Jesus is in the meeting-needs-business. On the contrary, to maintain their religious status was more essential than the quality of human life. Tender hearts were in demand. In exhibiting dedication to serving the Lord, our peripheral view must be widened to remove from our blind spot, the physically as well as the spiritually-needy person. It is God-honoring to do good at any time. After Jesus gave them food for thought, and refocused their attention, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
Circumstances may interrupt our seemingly flawless plans, but if we are to fulfill our mission to reach others for the Kingdom, our strategies must be relevant to the deficiencies. It becomes necessary to enlarge, strengthen, reinforce and stretch our borders as is referenced in Isaiah 54:2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare: Lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.” These may require some discomfort, BUT it is time to stretch out our hands.
If we are determined to be fruitful, it may take some extra effort and perseverance, but the reward will be phenomenal. When we stretch our finances, mind, body or efforts, we are guiding someone toward a relationship with Christ, the Savior, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit and the Coming King. This speaks to obeying the commission in Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Television stations provide closed captions for the hearing-impaired. Jesus spoke in parables for the heart-impaired. Revelation 3:22 admonishes the spirit-impaired to read and hear with the spirit. Coordination of the senses is hereby required to discern the message to the Church, the body of Christ.
If our listening ears are dysfunctional then atrophy of the spirit sets in and is comparable to a withered hand that needs to be stretched out and restored to mobility. It is time out for: “You in your small corner and I in mine; Me, myself and I; Me and my wife, my son, John and his wife, we four and no more”. When the man stretched out his hand, it was restored to wholeness. What joy and appreciation he must have expressed. We are also commissioned to stretch out our hand and demolish the denominational and other walls that confine us, thus, fulfilling the law of Christ. May we cause restoration and be ministers of reconciliation today. Stretch out your hand.
Dr. O. A. James
REFLECTION
What can we do to facilitate destroying walls that restrict the expansion of the Kingdom?