Healing

The Withered Hand

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

The Withered Hand

“And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.” Matthew 12:9-14 (KJV).

Jesus went to their synagogue. Notice “their synagogue“. There may be no signigicance to that phrase, but it struck with me that Jesus was not associated with it. It could only be that it was the synagogue of those in the area. Yet, shouldn’t He have His part in the synagogue of His own people (“He came unto His own…”)? At any rate it somewhat reminds me of the Letter to the Church of Laodicea, and Him standing outside the door knocking on the door of His Church.

John Calvin writing on verse nine says,

“We see also, that it is usual with hypocrites to pursue what is nothing more than a shadow of the righteousness of the Law, and as the common saying is, to stickle more about the form than about the substance. First, then, let us learn from this passage to keep our minds pure, and free from every wicked disposition, when we are about to form a decision on any question; for if hatred, or pride, or any thing of that description, reign within us, we will not only do injury to men, but will insult God Himself, and turn light into darkness. No man, who is free from malice, would have refused to acknowledge that it was a Divine work, which those good teachers do not scruple to condemn. Whence comes such fury, but because all their senses are affected by a wicked hatred of Christ, so that they are blind amidst the full brightness of the sun? We learn also, that we ought to beware lest, by attaching undue importance to cermonial observances, we allow other things to be neglected, which are of far higher value in the sight of God, and which Christ in another passage calls the more important matters of the Law, (Matth.xxiii.23.)” CALVIN’S COMMENTARIES, Volume XVI, pp. 52 & 53.

The man with the “withered hand” was in the right place. The synagogue should have been a place for healing, or seeking healing at least. This “withered hand” could have been a hand that had been greatly injured in an accident at some time. It could have been a birth defect. It could have been the result of arthritis pulling the ligaments of the hand tightly forming a closed, un-opening hand. It could have even been the man’s right hand, the hand most common for use.

Jesus is still addressing the sabbath, and the teachings of the religious leaders. “What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?” With this question of Jesus it seems that all is quiet from the rabble. I would like to know one thing; Something to ask those who get hung up on observing certain days, and making the day more important than people. Is it ever wrong to do the right thing? To me, the obvious answer for that question is a very profound NO! Some have did what they considered the right thing, at the wrong time, and lost because of it. However, if it was not the right time it was the wrong thing to do. When I say that I am thinking of an incident in the Scriptures where they were moving the Ark of the Covenant, with the wrong method, and one man – Uzzah – thought it right to protect the Ark from falling to the ground, reached out and touched it, and God took his life (2 Samuel 6:1-11). If it is not done in the right time, in the right method, it cannot be the right thing. The right time for David to move the Ark would have been after he had read the writings of Moses, learned how it was to be moved, then proceeded to move it with the right method; on the shoulders of the priests, and not on an oxcart.

When you know the Law of God and do not recognize the Law in Person, then, you act out of hatred when you see Him doing the God things; and you condemn the One who deserves no condemnation. Their hands have been withered, are withered by callous hearts, and hands that will not labor for the King.

The hand is a powerfully important part of a man or a woman. It is with the hand a man can work, and make a living. Whether it is as a carpenter, bricklayer, stonemason, farmer, field laborer, factory laborer, the hands are a vital part of getting work accomplished. A withered, drawn hand could not get much done. He was in the synagogue on the sabbath. He was in worship. He was in prayer. It was at the synagogue where he met the Master/King of all kings. Think of this: The hand that cannot open cannot receive. The hand that cannot open cannot give. The hand of God is always open to receive the prayers and praises of those who give that to Him. His hands are always open to give to all who will receive Him. Too many times the hands of men are clenched tight in defiance toward God, asking nothing from Him; and giving nothing to Him. Are our hands clenched by disease of selfishness, sin, greed, and hard heartedness? There is healing in the place of Christ. He is waiting there, where you are right now.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

The King, and a Mute

/ Tim A. / 2 Comments

The King Meets the Need of a Speechless Man

“As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.” Matthew 9:32-34 (KJV).

The blind men who have received their sight do the obvious thing. They go and bring a demon possessed, mute man to the Lord. They had gone and told this mute of a man who could heal him, and brought him to Jesus. We are told to go and tell, but we won’t. Have we forgotten, or did we ever know the greatness of our Lord and Savior and King?

When Jesus cast out the demon the man was able to speak. It seems probable that the man was deaf and mute caused by demonic possession. Very often deaf people – especially those born deaf – are unable to speak. They have no means to learn to speak if they cannot hear. When Jesus casts out the demon the man now can speak, so if we assume that this man was deaf as well as mute he is now completely healed, no more oppressed by the demon; he can now hear and he can speak.

There is a man in this scene who is even worse off than the demon possessed. The man is controlled, not by a single demon or a number of demons, but controlled by hatred, fear, and the holding of tradition of his religion over truth. He attributes the works of Jesus to the works of satan. He is blind to the truth of who Jesus is, and those who condemn Jesus, thus condemn themselves. They are sentenced to the same destiny as the devil and his demons. To blaspheme the name of Jesus puts one in great peril, but to equate the work of Christ to the devil is to blaspheme the Spirit of Christ, and there is no repentance for that.

A Scorned Woman

/ T. A. Blankenship / Leave a comment

The King Meets the Need of a Scorned Woman

“And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Matthew 9:20-22 (KJV).

This woman was an unclean woman. It was not due to anything she could prevent. If you will think about it sin is something you or I cannot prevent, but it keeps us from our holy God. The woman could not worship at the synagogue because she was defiled. This woman was in a crowd of people as Jesus was going to the home of Jairus where his daughter was dead.

Something that is not noticed in Matthew’s Gospel alone, but is revealed in Mark’s gospel is that the girl that Jesus raised to life was twelve years of age, and this woman had had this infirmity for twelve years (Mark 5:42). The significance of this “Twelve years” I am not sure. If I remember the numerology correctly the number twelve represents a completed government. Maybe, it represents that in the King’s kingdom there will be no uncleanness, or death.

This woman had spent all the wealth she may have had on physicians who did her no good; she has come to this place for this very moment. To touch the Master, the King, the Healer, the Great Physician; and she doesn’t care who sees her or knows. She does know that she is considered unclean, so as not to bring any supposed shame to the Master she “secretly” touches Him, though He immediately knows. I have this suspicion that He may have known she was going to touch Him for that very purpose. One thing we can be assured of is, that there are no surprises with God.

With this event happening as they are on the way to Jairus’s home this even surely strengthened the faith of Jairus. Seeing her touch only the hem of His garment and her health being restored. You can be sure that this healing was a legit healing, which lasted for her lifetime. This defiled woman touching the One whom Jairus had asked to come and heal his dead daughter. This woman probably touched a tassel on His garment. These tassels represented faithfulness and loyalty to the Word of God and holiness to the Lord – every Jewish male wore them. It was the practice of the Pharisees of the day to lengthen them to show their supposed piety. Jesus did not mind being touched by the ceremonially unclean. This woman’s healing gave the ruler further evidence of Jesus’s power. The woman was not only delivered from her physical uncleanness, but her spiritual uncleanness as well. Jesus’s pronouncement, “Thy faith hath made thee whole” is stating such as this healing and cleansing. One can be physically well and not be “Whole”.

Be whole by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, and the power of His resurrection.