June 3: Enjoying His Peace.
HIS RENEWAL.
He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.--Matthew 12:13
The day that I had the emergency meniscectomy on my right knee, I didn't realize that it would take a while before I could walk again. The doctors were not able to extract the meniscus arthroscopically; the incision was large, and I was in need of physical therapy to regain the use of my leg. I remember distinctively how my right leg became very thin compared with the other. It took two months for me to regain enough muscle to be able to stand on the injured leg. Maybe this is why I noticed that the report of Jesus' healing of a man's withered hand (Matthew 12:13) is followed by a description of the extent of the healing: "and it was restored to normal [healthy], like the other" (verse 13).
The Pharisees who had challenged Jesus in the grain fields (Matthew 12:1-8) followed Him into the synagogue (12:9-14). There Jesus encountered a man with a withered hand (verse 10). "And they questioned Jesus asking, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'--so that they might accuse Him." (verse 10). With the exception of the plucking of grain, all the other Sabbath controversies between Jesus and the Pharisees in the Gospels relate to healings and the result of the healings (see Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 5:1-6; 9). From the very beginning of the world, the Sabbath was supposed to point to, and celebrate, the work of Jesus in creating, redeeming, and restoring the human race. Jesus chose the Sabbath day for many of His healing miracles to highlight the redeeming freedom and rest in Him, portrayed in this special day. Jesus responded in the rabbinical style of lesser to greater arguments (qal wahomer). followed by a pronouncement: any man would help their sheep if it fell on the Sabbath, "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:12). Jesus went on to restore the man's hand, to the extent that it was healthy like the other. The Sabbath reminds us of the core of the redemption plan: rest and renewal are available for each one of us through the salvific work of Jesus.
My Response:____________________________________________________________
HIS RENEWAL.
He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.--Matthew 12:13
The day that I had the emergency meniscectomy on my right knee, I didn't realize that it would take a while before I could walk again. The doctors were not able to extract the meniscus arthroscopically; the incision was large, and I was in need of physical therapy to regain the use of my leg. I remember distinctively how my right leg became very thin compared with the other. It took two months for me to regain enough muscle to be able to stand on the injured leg. Maybe this is why I noticed that the report of Jesus' healing of a man's withered hand (Matthew 12:13) is followed by a description of the extent of the healing: "and it was restored to normal [healthy], like the other" (verse 13).
The Pharisees who had challenged Jesus in the grain fields (Matthew 12:1-8) followed Him into the synagogue (12:9-14). There Jesus encountered a man with a withered hand (verse 10). "And they questioned Jesus asking, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?'--so that they might accuse Him." (verse 10). With the exception of the plucking of grain, all the other Sabbath controversies between Jesus and the Pharisees in the Gospels relate to healings and the result of the healings (see Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 5:1-6; 9). From the very beginning of the world, the Sabbath was supposed to point to, and celebrate, the work of Jesus in creating, redeeming, and restoring the human race. Jesus chose the Sabbath day for many of His healing miracles to highlight the redeeming freedom and rest in Him, portrayed in this special day. Jesus responded in the rabbinical style of lesser to greater arguments (qal wahomer). followed by a pronouncement: any man would help their sheep if it fell on the Sabbath, "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:12). Jesus went on to restore the man's hand, to the extent that it was healthy like the other. The Sabbath reminds us of the core of the redemption plan: rest and renewal are available for each one of us through the salvific work of Jesus.
My Response:____________________________________________________________
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