(Mat 12:13 CEV) Then Jesus told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one.
This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Faith and Patience VOL III – Never Give Up!” Let’s close out the week with a great story of both God’s power and compassion. In Matthew 12 Jesus and His disciples are traveling through grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry so they picked heads of grain and ate them. A group of Pharisees saw this and accused them of working on the Sabbath. Religious people can be so legalistic. Jesus did not see a problem with it at all and He actually went on to tell the Pharisees that He was the Lord of the Sabbath (v.8). That statement, of course, did not sit well with the faultfinding Pharisees. The group then traveled from the fields to a synagogue and there they encountered a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees had followed Jesus and they could tell what was going to happen next. So before Jesus healed the man they were quick to ask the question, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” It’s amazing to me how difficult religious people can be. Jesus replied, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” It’s unfortunate, but the man caught up in this religious debate still had a withered hand. So Jesus diverted His focus from the Pharisees to the man with a true need and said, “Hold out your hand.” As soon as the man did it became as healthy as the other one. He received his breakthrough. Sadly, the Pharisees left the synagogue and began to plot how they might kill Jesus.
So what does this mean to you today? I could say a great deal about the Pharisees and the danger of religious legalism, but I will focus only on the man with the withered hand. Let’s seek to glean a few golden nuggets from his dilemma:
1. God is a God of compassion. Jesus was being drawn down a rabbit trail of religious rhetoric, but His compassion for a real man with a real need would not let Him ignore the man’s issue. It is this same compassion that motivates God to meet us in our time of need. So no matter what you are facing this morning, never forget the fact that God loves you and He wants to bless you. Keep your faith up and your expectations high.
2. God is moved by faith. Although I believe Jesus was full of compassion towards the man, He still required the man to operate in faith. The man was watching this religious debate unfold and I am sure that he did not want to get involved. Out of the blue, Jesus asked him to hold out his hand. Other translations literally say, “Stretch forth you hand.” If his hand was withered or shriveled, then Jesus was asking him to do something that he could not do and it would require faith to even try. The man somehow mustered the faith to attempt it. When he did his withered hand became as healthy as his other hand. God will often stretch us to the point where what He asks us to do requires faith, because it is something that we simply cannot do without Him. I call it “Crossing the faith line.” What’s on the other side of the faith line is something that can only be done if God gets involved. Sometimes God requires us to cross the faith line before He manifests His glory. If He asks you to cross the faith line today, are you ready to do it?
3. You must be willing to Expose your issue to Jesus. Think about this for a moment. What if the man was so self-conscious about his withered hand that he kept it hidden? Remember, Jesus asked him to hold out his hand, but He did not say which one. He could have easily held out the good hand, but if he had, he would have never received his breakthrough. If we fail to expose our issue – whatever it might be – to God, then we will fail to receive our breakthrough. We like to show our ‘good hand’ to people, but we must be willing to expose our ‘withered hand’ to God!
Closing Confession: Father, You are a God of compassion. You love me and care for me. It is because of Your love for me that I can continually come to You and believe You will move in my life. You are moved by faith and I shall operate in faith today. I believe You can and will empower me and my family to accomplish everything we must get done, for Your glory. I am also willing to expose myself, completely, to You. I open up every issue, every hurt, every pain, and every sin, and I ask You to cleanse and renew me this morning. I have the courage to expose my failures and flaws and You have the power to use me for Your glory. You are in the business of making holy garments from flawed material and I am thank that You are both able and willing to use me! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
