From today’s passage Jesus declares he is the Lord of the Sabbath. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day used the Sabbath to fault find, do evil and to destroy. This of course was not God’s original purpose for the Sabbath. God originally instituted the Sabbath to give man a day of rest from work so they could instead come to God and spend quality time listening to his word, worship him and singing his praises. Over time men turned the Sabbath into an abomination to God and man. Therefore one of the first spiritual issues Jesus deals with in his messianic ministry was to re-define the Sabbath. Some people may say; “Who is Jesus that he has the authority to redefine the Sabbath?” To all people Jesus boldly declares; “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”. Today let us not come to Jesus with our own fault finding preconceived ideas. Instead let us be like his disciples who walked with him in the grain fields. Let us be like the man who had a shriveled hand who did exactly what Jesus asked him to do.
Part 1 The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. (11:1-6)
Look at verse 1: “One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.” First it would be helpful to see in what gravity of tone the Bible first speaks in matters of what to do and what not to do on the Sabbath. Exodus 31:15 reads: “For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.” In our culture it is inconceivable being put to death for not keeping the Sabbath. Among many religious Jews living in Israel during Jesus’ day this had become the focus of their Sabbath. They had become what many Muslims in places like Pakistan are like today. If you don’t serve God their way they would kill you thinking they were doing a service to God.
Again look back at verse 1: “We notice Jesus is leading his disciples through a grain field during the Sabbath. Matthew 12 tells us Jesus led his disciples through this grain field because they were hungry. As they walk through the fields they would pluck off a few grains, rub off the outer shell and eat the kernels. It was a little like eating sunflower seeds or peanuts that are still in their shells. In Jesus’ day there were no McDonalds or 7/11’s to stop by to pick up a quick bite to eat when you were hungry. Nor did they have missionaries or shepherdesses like we have who make a filling lunch after worship service. Therefore Jesus like a good shepherd would lead his disciples through grainfields to give them an opportunity to quench their growling hungry stomachs. As we look at this word picture of Jesus with his disciples eating kernels of grain we see they had what is called humble tongues. They didn’t need to eat a pizza or a filling foot long Jerry’s sub not even a peanut butter sandwiches to quench their appetite. What ever food that was placed in front of them they were thankful. Jesus disciples could be thankful for their humble meals because they didn’t place their focus on food but on Jesus. As long as they were with Jesus even the most humble meal was a feast to them. They were content with simply grabbing a handful of grain, rubbing it with their hands and eating the kernels.
At first glance all looks harmless and very healthy. However, like a poisonous snake hidden in the grass, hidden among the tall heads of grain were some Pharisees. Look at verse 2: “Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” Every movement, every place Jesus went he was in the cross hairs of the corrupted religious police called the Pharisees. Pharisees supposedly had PhD knowledge of the law of God. In Jesus day the Bible shows most of them never struggled to understand and accept the deep meaning of the law.
Let us think for a moment what is at the heart of God’s Holy Law. People who superficially study the Bible think food and when to eat or not to eat is at the heart of God’s law. At the heart of God’s laws to those who really search it out for its real meaning is found love. Love God with all our being and love our neighbor as we would be loved. When a person learns this love found hidden throughout the Bible then they can practice what Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Around the world people who claim they love God are hating, hurting and killing people all in the name of God. When we study about the God of the Bible, above all he teaches we should love each other with a love that covers a multitude of sins. A group of Protestant missionaries in the mid 1950 lived out this teaching. In an effort to bring Jesus Christ to this South American tribe of people called the Waoranis five of the men missionaries were speared to death. The wives of these men missionaries did not respond to the murder of their husbands by asking the government to raze the Waorani village. Instead they went back into the hostel jungles to live with them and teach them of Jesus Christ and God’s forgiveness through him. Before these missionary women taught these people the Bible the word forgiveness did not even exist in the vocabulary of this tribe people or even a similar word. They only knew about revenge and kill. The following is a brief life testimony of one of the Waoranis whose life was changed by the love of those Christian women who loved them with a love that covers a multitude of sins: “Before the missionaries came and taught us about God, we lived spearing. Back and forth back and forth, we speared, they died. We tried to stop killing. We would say ‘that’s enough, leave off spearing.’ Then someone would kill and we would return to killing back and forth. After hearing and believing in God, I told them not to spear on our behalf, no matter how we die. And we ceased killing others back and forth. Just a few years ago, when some young Waorani men killed my sister, I refused to spear on her behalf. Had I not believed they would all be dead now.” I read another Waorani who was convert to Christ testify if his tribe did not come to believe in Jesus all his people would have become extinct through the endless cycle of revenge killing.
Let us now go back to the passage. In our eyes the Pharisees look like a lost cause. Jesus on the other hand is the God of the Bible who never gives up on his people. Even among these fault finding Pharisees Jesus hoped through Bible study they could teach them what God really desires. Let us read verses 3, 4: “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for the priests” Jesus asked them “have you not read”. The passage Jesus speaks of is found in1Sam21. David was a fugitive from the entire army of King Saul. David was Saul’s #1 wanted fugitive. He had a kill on site bounty on his head. Once David and the men with him became exceedingly hungry as they fled for their lives. David had an idea to go into the house of God to find food to eat. The priest Ahimelech trembled at the site of David. He knew Saul would kill anyone who aided and abetted David. When David asked for food, Ahimelech gave him bread that had been placed in God’s presence and that was only lawful for priests to eat. From a legalistic person’s point of view it would seem David would now not only be in trouble with Saul, but also with God for eating bread that was lawful for only priests to eat. This was not the case however. God held no ill will for David. Why not? Turning back to Matthew 12 Jesus shows it’s because God desires mercy not sacrifice. God was happy to show mercy to hungry David and his men. Men have a natural tendency to fault find, criticize and condemn. God is much different. He desires mercy. God was happy he could show mercy to David and his companions. Jesus had mercy on his disciples who were hungry on the Sabbath. He led them to a grain field to eat some grain to feed their hungry stomachs. Certainly he could have forced them to sacrifice food the whole day. But Jesus is God. Jesus more than anyone knows what God desires. It is not sacrifice but mercy. Jesus hoped these Pharisee’s would be moved to repentance of their fault finding mentality according to God’s word and learn to apply the mercy of God.
A number of years ago when Missionary Elijah Ku was alive one of his bible students accompanied him to an international bible conference. At the end of the conference we were supposed to turn in our sheets and pillow cases. If any of them were missing we were to pay twenty dollars for each piece that was missing. Missionary Elijah and his bible student were in front of me. As they turned their sheets and blankets in, it was discovered the bible student had lost his pillow case. The person collecting the bedding demanded 20 dollars. I watched carefully what Missionary Elijah Ku would do. With a little troubling look on his face without waiting even a moment he took out his own wallet. Though he was a poor missionary without hesitant he paid the twenty dollars for the pillow case his bible student lost. The incident totally amazed me. He never brought up the subject again. Only God would have remembered it if I had not been privileged to be an eye witness to it. If I hadn’t witness it no one would ever have known what he did. Missionary Elijah knew the deep desire of God. He knew it wasn’t to make his bible student sacrifice but to show mercy to God’s sheep.
Jesus concludes this run in with the Pharisees with a revolutionary statement concerning the Sabbath. Look at verse 5: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’” By saying he is the Lord of the Sabbath Jesus is stating he is the one the Sabbath was made for. He should be what we focus on as we try to keep the Sabbath. When we look back at the disciples in those grainfields we see it was they not the Pharisees who were the ones who were really keeping the Sabbath. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath was their focus. Wherever Jesus went they followed. Whatever Jesus said they listened to it, believed it and obeyed it. Our bible center is located near the main entrance to the University of Maryland sporting events entrance. During those times the police take over the traffic light duties. If anyone continues to focus on the traffic light and not the police during these times they will either hit another car, be ticketed or be arrested. One could say those police are lord of the traffic signals. Their authority overrides all other traffic laws. Likewise Jesus overrides all other Sabbath laws. The Sabbath was God’s way to give men real rest by giving them rest from work so they could come and find rest in him. On this Sabbath in the grainfields who was really finding rest? Wasn’t it the disciples who were following Jesus in the grainfields eating heads of grain as they walked along with him? Today as we keep our own Sabbath let us find our own rest by focusing on Jesus, listening to his words and obeying them.
Part 2 Jesus Heals a Man with a Shriveled Hand (11:6-11)
Look at verse 6: “On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.” Luke now takes us from the grainfields to the synagogue on another Sabbath. This time Jesus is teaching. Luke doesn’t specify what he was teaching. He does however describe a number of people who were listening to him teach. This is important information to know because through learning about them we can then learn about ourselves. The first person that is described is a man whose right hand was shriveled. We are told specifically the man’s right hand was shriveled. This means he had something that looked a little like a hand yet had no muscular and skeletal form or strength to it. For the sake of having empathy for this man let us think a moment what life might be like with a right hand that was shriveled. With two healthy hands there is no limit to what a man can do. On the other hand with a right hand shriveled there seems to be no limit on his limitations and weaknesses. With a shriveled right hand he would not be eligible to be a soldier. Soldiers used their left hand to hold a shield and their right hand a sword. Even all modern day weapons are made for right hand use. Let us think about his shriveled right hand from a more non-violent artistic point of view. In my opinion I really don’t think he would be able to participate in our orcrastra. He could not play the violin, cello, flute or the drums. How do you think he would feel as he read the help wanted adds? Certainly he would quickly be overwhelmed with pessimism and doubt. This poor guy would never get a chance for a second interview because his shriveled right hand immediately would turn off the person interviewing him. Most women in the back of their mind are looking for strong handsome good looking prince riding on white horse to be the kind of man they would want to marry. In their eyes this man was only a weak poor man who had a very unattractive shriveled right hand dangling from his torso.
Now that we have thoroughly taken into account all his weaknesses let us think about his strength. As we look at these verses we see he must have had faith and hope in God this is why he can be found in the synagogue. Some people in his condition complain to God and say: “God why did you give two healthy hands to everyone else but give me only one?” This man did not complain to God. I believe he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath to pray to God and deep within him was hoping for a miracle from God. The fact he happens to be in this synagogue when Jesus Christ is teaching shows he probably had faith in Jesus to heal him. From this spiritual strength he shows here we can learn where we should go to in our own time of weaknesses and failure. Each of us has a kind of shriveled right hand now or will have one in the future that will completely fail us. Nowhere on this earth can we find strength or a solution to our problem. On the other hand we can always find hope for healing and restoration when we go to Jesus Christ in prayer and faith. Missionary Paul Oh shared with me his madisdisk in his knee had completely torn loose. The Dr. told him he had to get immediate surgery. Instead Missionary Paul Oh prayed to Jesus: “Jesus, please heal my knee by your power so I can testify about your power to heal.” Now many months later he tells me without any operations but by prayer and by proper exercise his knee is completely healed.
Yes this man went to Jesus and his presence caught Jesus’ attention. His presence also caught the attention of many men who hated Jesus. Look at verse 7: “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.” In contrast to this man with the shriveled right hand were these Pharisees and teachers of the law. They were the cream of the crop among Israelites. These men thought they had no weaknesses, rather they used all their God given abilities to try to bring down, discredit and eventually destroy God’s one and only Son Jesus Christ. Long ago God had said to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: “Through your off spring I will bless all nations.” Now this awesome and wonderful promise is standing incarnate before them. They should count themselves among some of the most blessed men who ever lived on the earth. Instead their minds are filled with the evilest of thoughts.
Jesus is the Almighty God; he knew what these men were thinking. Verse 8 reads: “But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, ‘Get up and stand in front of everyone.’” Jesus could have easily stepped over this trap and told this man: “Come back tomorrow and I will heal you.” When you study the life of Jesus you will find tomorrow was not a word Jesus liked to use. He said in John 9: “Today we must do the work of him who sent me; night is coming when no one can work.” Tomorrow this man might not be around for the work of God to be displayed in him. Probably the religious leaders might arrange to have him permanently go on a vacation. Moreover to do the work of God demands risk. Jesus was willing to risk his whole ministry right here to heal this poor, unemployed man with his shriveled right hand. Missionary Elijah Park and James Park have this spirit of Jesus in them. They were told not to invite students to bible study in the Stamp Union. How did they respond? Not only did they go back to the Stamp Union the very next day they even continued to invite students to bible study in front of the very person who told them to stop inviting people to bible study.
Turning our attention back to the passage we can by now see this man with the shriveled hand, realizes he is at the epicenter of a great spiritual drama. He is standing between good and evil. If he chooses not to stand up he will have caved in to evil. On the other hand by obeying Jesus words to stand up he will have join the ranks of all that is good and right. Most of all he will allow himself become someone Jesus Christ can use to glorify himself through. What did this man do?” “So he got up and stood there.” As for me one of my weaknesses for many years was my inability to graduate college. Being part of a college ministry I witnessed the graduation of many people, but the problem was I never had the faith to do it myself. Then one day God’s servant rebuked me in front of many people. Loudly in front of everyone he told me: “I want you to quit your job and go to school fulltime.” His rebuke in front of many people embarrassed me. Nevertheless by God’s grace I accepted his rebuke. Later he changed his direction and told me to take one class a semester while I worked fulltime. I received his rebuke in the summer of 1996. Six years later in the winter of 2002 by the grace of Jesus I was finally receiving my own Bachelor of Science degree at the Comcast Center. Looking back I realized when I was rebuked in front of everyone I could have complained against God’s servant. Instead I thank the Lord Jesus who helped me to humble myself and listen to him.
Now look at verse 9: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?’” Before Jesus healed this man he wanted at least someone in this synagogue answer these two very important questions. “Which is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” First let us re-ask this question here among us. Many people never answer these questions therefore they stay confused how to practically practice the Sabbath. They have all these questions such as is the Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday? Still others say you shouldn’t do anything but go to worship service. Others believe they can do whatever they want on the Sabbath. From Jesus’ question we learn exactly what we should and should not do on the Sabbath. First it means we must do something good. Some people think the Sabbath is a time to sleep and rest all day. A dead person can do this. Jesus said: “to do good”. Second repentance is the only certain good thing we can do. Some people week after week go to church with unrepented sins. If we really want to do what Jesus wants on the Sabbath we must repent of our sins. Repentance in the sight of God is the only certain good we can do. Third we must make sure whatever we do on the Sabbath is really good. Missionary James Park had a strong opinion about this. He said some people were discussing if playing tennis on Sunday is right or not. Personally I think it is good if it doesn’t take the place of Sunday worship service. I remember one of my own extra curricular activities fell on Sunday the time of worship service. I told the people, “Why are you always having these things during the times I go to church? I was amazed at their response. They realize I had a legitimate point. They changed the meeting time in order that those who wanted to could first attend church. Lastly Jesus said; “we must save life not destroy it.” Many of our missionaries are nurses and doctors. Often they find they must work on Sunday. According to Jesus’ words they are doing what they should be doing on the Sabbath. Saving life not destroying it.
Amazingly no one in that whole synagogue Jesus was teaching in would answer his question. To answer the question would mean they would either side with good or with evil. They would either be for Jesus or against Jesus. They thought by being silent they could remain neutral. In Jesus’ judgment there is no one who is neutral. We are either for Jesus or against Jesus. When we keep silent when we are witness to evil we are not neutral we are accomplices to evil. Therefore we must never be silent when we see evil. We must speak up in Jesus’ name for what is good.
After giving a chance to the people to answer his question Jesus turns his attention back to the man with the shriveled right hand. He had been standing up in front of everyone. It was a kind of awkward place for a man with a shriveled right hand to be standing the whole time. Now Jesus tests his faith one more time. He tells him: “Stretch out your hand.” Never before had this man stretched out his hand in front of a crowd of people. He had always kept it hidden in his sleeve, cloak or pocket. Not withstanding Jesus tells him: “Stretch out your hand in front of everyone.” Once I invited a student to Sunday worship. At the end of the Sunday worship he was asked to come up and introduce himself. I’ll never forget his name. His name was McArthur. His father had actually work for General Macarthur and named his son after him. Unfortunately that was the last time Macarthur ever came to Sunday worship. Later I ran into him and asked him why he never came back to Sunday worship. He told me he didn’t like how he had been asked to come up and introduce himself. After that I made sure I never encouraged anyone I brought to Sunday worship to introduce themselves. Now I see I shouldn’t worry about whether they will be turned off or not. Jesus himself asked this man in front of everyone: “Stretch out your hand.” This man did not take offense to what Jesus asked him to do. He complied with Jesus’ words. What was the result? Was he more humiliated? Not at all. Instead before his eyes and all who looked upon him, his hand was completely restored.
Praise Jesus Christ who noticed this man who had a shriveled hand. Praise Jesus Christ who stood up for what is good in the midst of those who were standing for evil. Today let us worship this Jesus Christ who figuratively gave up his ministry and even his life to save one helpless, useless man with a shriveled hand. Look at verse 11: “But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.” This event in one sense foreshadows the work of Christ when he would die for our sins on the cross. Like this man our lives were completely powerless and useless to God. All our righteousness was nothing more than useless and contaminated dirty rages. In this helpless condition Jesus took notice of us. He gave his life on the cross for our sins so we would not have to die in our sins and be destroyed by God’s judgment. Today let us find our rest by focusing our faith on Jesus who is the Lord of the Sabbath. Let us make a decision to stand on Jesus’ side by choosing to do what is good for the glory of Jesus Christ.