Notes & Outline
for "Withered Hand"
Written by Tim Estes
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Robertson’s Word Pictures
Watched him (paretērounto auton). Imperfect middle, were watching for themselves on the side (para). Mar_3:2 has the imperfect active paretēroun. Common verb, but the proposition para gave an extra touch, watching either assiduously like the physician at the bedside or insidiously with evil intent as here.
That they might find out how to accuse him (hina heurōsin katēgorein autou). Second aorist active subjunctive of heuriskō and the infinitive with it means to find out how to do a thing. They were determined to make a case against Jesus. They felt sure that their presence would prevent any spurious work on the part of Jesus.
But he knew their thoughts (autos de ēidei tous dialogismous autōn). In Luke alone. Imperfect in sense, second past perfect in form ēidei from oida. Jesus, in contrast to these spies (Plummer), read their intellectual processes like an open book.
Stand forth (stēthi). Luke alone has this verb, second aorist active imperative. Mar_3:3 has Arise into the midst (egeire eis to meson). Luke has Arise and step forth into the midst (egeire kai stēthi eis to meson). Christ worked right out in the open where all could see. It was a moment of excitement when the man stepped forth (estē) there before them all.
I ask you (eperōtō humās). They had questions in their hearts about Jesus. He now asks in addition (ep’) an open question that brings the whole issue into the open.
He looked round about on them all (periblepsamenos). First aorist middle participle as in Mar_3:5, the middle voice giving a personal touch to it all. Mark adds “with anger” which Luke here does not put in.
Stretch out, clean out, full length. All three Gospels also have the first aorist passive indicative apekatestathē with the double augment of the double compound verb apokathistēmi. As in Greek writers, so here the double compound means complete restoration to the former state.
They were filled with madness (eplēsthēsan anoias) First aorist passive (effective) with genitive: In Luk_5:26 we saw the people filled with fear. Here is rage that is kin to insanity, for anoias is lack of sense (a privative and nous, mind). An old word, but only here and 2Ti_3:9 in the N.T.
Communed (dielaloun), imperfect active, picturing their excited counsellings with one another. Mar_3:6 notes that they bolted out of the synagogue and outside plotted even with the Herodians how to destroy Jesus, strange co-conspirators these against the common enemy.
What they might do to Jesus (ti an poiēsaien Iēsou). Luke puts it in a less damaging way than Mar_3:6; Mat_12:14. This aorist optative with an is the deliberative question like that in Act_17:18 retained in the indirect form here. Perhaps Luke means, not that they were undecided about killing Jesus, but only as to the best way of doing it. Already nearly two years before the end we see the set determination to destroy Jesus. We see it here in Galilee. We have already seen it at the feast in Jerusalem (Joh_5:18) where “the Jews sought the more to kill him.” John and the Synoptics are in perfect agreement as to the Pharisaic attitude toward Jesus.
Vincent’s Word Studies
They watched (παρετηροῦντο)
Imperfect. They kept watching. See on Mar_3:2.
Find
Peculiar to Luke, and emphasizing the eagerness of the Pharisees to discover a ground of accusation.
He knew (ἤδει)
Imperfect. He was all along aware.
They were filled with madness
Peculiar to Luke. Ἄνοια, madness, is, properly, want of understanding. The word thus implies senseless rage, as distinguished from intelligent indignation.
Jamieson- Faucet - Brown
filled with madness — The word denotes senseless rage at the confusion to which our Lord had put them, both by word and deed.
F.B. Meyer
- It was a brave and bold step for Jesus to set Himself against the ritualistic proscriptions of the ruling religious party of His age.
- But there was no hope of the holy thoughts of God ever emerging from the mass of hide-bound rules and regulations with which the Pharisees had covered them, unless the frost of literalism was broken up with a strong hand. Christ was not destroying religion, but freeing it from the formalist.
Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Christ was neither ashamed nor afraid to own the purposes of his grace. He healed the poor man, though he knew that his enemies would take advantage against him for it. Let us not be drawn either from our duty or from our usefulness by any opposition. We may well be amazed, that the sons of men should be so wicked.
Preachers Homiletical
- —Not only paralysed, but dried up.
- Luk_6:7. Watched Him.—The question as to whether it was lawful to heal or attend to the sick on the Sabbath was one on which the Jews were divided: the Pharisees held strict views of the Sabbath, and their opinions had great weight with the people, so that Jesus ran the risk of losing popularity as a religious teacher if He differed from them.
- “He was intending to work a miracle for good: they were secretly plotting to do harm—their object being, if possible, to put Him to death” (Farrar).
- Looking round about upon them all.—St. Mark adds the very vivid touch, “with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts”
- —Lit. “senselessness, wicked folly.”
- One with another.—St. Mark says and with the Herodians also (Luk_3:6). They were willing even to ally themselves with their enemies to attain their end of destroying Christ.
Pulpit
- The Master was perfectly aware of their presence, and well knew the spirit in which they listened to his words and marked his acts, and on this sabbath day he was evidently determined to let them see clearly what was in his mind respecting the present state of Jewish religious training.
- When he perceived or was informed of the presence of the afflicted sufferer in the synagogue, who no doubt had come there with a view of seeing Jesus and asking his help as a physician, Jesus publicly bade the sufferer to stand out in a prominent place in the assembly, and then in the hush that followed proceeded with his public instruction, the poor man with the withered hand standing before him
- The sum and substance of the Master’s teaching here is—works of love done for the bodies and souls of men never mar or in any way interfere with the holiness of a day of rest.
- Now, the Lord pressed home to those who listened to his voice the great truth that in all labours of love, of pity, and of kindness, done anywhere, there was no sabbatism.
- It must have sounded a strange command to the people in the synagogue. How could he stretch out that withered, powerless limb? But with the command went forth the power. In other words, “Stretch forth that poor hand of thine; thou canst now, for, lo! the disease is gone.” And we read that he did so, and as he stretched out the limb, so long powerless, the man discovered and the people saw that the cure was already performed.
Biblical Illustrator
- THE BEST ENERGIES OF THE SOUL ARE IN A WITHERED CONDITION.
- Man’s intellectual nature withered, and cannot attain to the inner meaning of Divine truth.
- Man’s moral nature withered, and cannot attain to the rich blessings of the gospel.
- Man’s compassionate sympathy withered, and not deeply sensitive to the woe occasioned by moral evil.
- Hence, seeing that the best energies of man are withered, he cannot render to God the service due to Him.
- THE WITHERED ENERGIES OF THE HUMAN SOUL ARE CAPABLE OF EFFECTIVE RESTORATION BY CHRIST.
- We see from this narrative that Christ beholds the withered energies of the human soul with tender compassion.
- That there is an intimate connection between the word of Christ and the restoration of the withered energies of the soul.
- That the restoration of the withered energies of the soul is immediate, visible, and complete.
- That the restoring of the withered energies of the soul can only be accomplished by Christ.
- THERE ARE MANY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BUT LITTLE SYMPATHY WITH CHRIST IN HIS WORK OF SOUL-RESTORATION.
- The Pharisees were cunning in their watching of Christ.
- They were refuted in their contempt of Christ.
- They were regarded by Christ with mingled feelings of pity and anger.
- WHY DID THESE PHARISEES OPPOSE THE BENEFICENT ACT OF CHRIST?
- Because He did not fall in with their views as to the manner and time of the cure.
- Because they were too proud in spirit to rejoice at the cure thus wrought
- Because they saw not the full meaning and blessing of the cure. (J. S.Exell, M. A.)
- Had he been a physicist, had he in particular been an anatomist, he could hardly have been healed. He would have thought too much. He would instantly have fallen into reasoning upon the utter anatomical and physiological impossibility of a withered hand stretching itself out; and such thinking would have been ruinous.
- My sister got her arm put out of joint. The neighbours of the country place came in, and they tried to put that arm in its place, and they laid hold and pulled mightily; they pulled until she was in anguish, but the bone did not go back to its place. After a while the surgeon came, and with one touch everything was adjusted. So we go out for Christian work, and for the lack of a sympathetic nature, or the lack of this gentleness of Christ, we make the wounds of the world worse, when some kind and gentle spirit comes along after us, and by one touch heals the torn ligaments, and the disturbing bones are rejoined.
Adam Clarke
- Watched him – Παρετηρουν αυτον, They maliciously watched him. This is the import of the word, Luk_14:1; Luk_20:20,
- Luke 14:1 NIV One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
- Luke 20:20 NIV Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.
Anger. disappointment. Frustration.
Jesus felt all this at the same time. And what He did with those feelings is a lesson for us.
Transcript
Jesus walked into the synagogue.
He was teaching as usual.
Many people were there.
The kind of people you would expect at a synagogue.
- Some people were there because they felt an obligation, a duty to be there.
- Some folk were genuine about learning and obeying.
- And there was a man with a right hand that was shriveled, withered.
- Some were curious about this man from Nazareth. He was always amazing to be near.
- Others were vicious. They were not interested in anything but watching for Jesus to make a mistake.
What these people with evil-intent did not realize was that Jesus could know what they were thinking.
- Luke 6:8 NIV But Jesus knew what they were thinking …
- And how did Jesus feel when he knew their hearts?
- Mark 3:5 NIV He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, …
- Jesus was angry
- Jesus was distressed at the condition of their hearts
- Hardened: like hardened callus feet or hands
- With little/no feeling
- Nothing tender.
- Hardened / Set in their attitudes.
We have experienced people with hardened, stubborn hearts.
- They will not listen to your reasonings
- They think they are more intelligent/reasonable/unwavering
- “That is the way it has always been, and that is the way it will be.”
- It causes anger, and frustration.
- It causes distress in the person trying to change their minds
- Because they care
- And we want things better for the one with frozen attitudes.
- We may do the wrong thing — even lash out
- Call them stupid for not listening / thinking.
- We might tell them of how arrogant they are.
- We may liken them to an big dumb rock.
- But how did Jesus handle this?
He had already told them man with the withered hand to stand in front of him and all the others.
- He wanted to make sure these hard-hearted people could easily see this man’s problem.
- He wanted them to have some compassion, some caring, some pity/ interest in the man plight.
- So he asked them the key question:
- Luke 6:9 NIV 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?”
- He was asking them to decide if doing good on the Sabbath was allowed.
- Then he re-stated the question asking if it was ok to save life on the Sabbath or to kill / destroy?
- I wish I had his grit to do what he did next.
- Luke 6:10 NIV He looked around at them all, ….
- Jesus looked directly at each of these evil religious people.
- He made each of them consider his question.
- It was not a group decision. Each person had to answer Jesus.
Now I want you to see the nerves of steel that Jesus had.
He knew what they would do even if he healed this man on the sabbath.
- Even if he did good on the Sabbath
- Jesus did not like it, but he did what was best for all those there, especially the man with the shriveled hand.
After the man obeyed Jesus, after he stretched out his hand, after his plight had been changed by a miracle, these men did exactly what Jesus knew they would do.
They went crazy.
The original language says they were filled with rage to the point of insanity.
- One man called it “senseless rage”.
- They were so crazed with anger
- Have you ever seen someone with glazed-over eyes?
- It is like they bolted from the room, went out side, talked among themselves (almost like a mob).
- Then they found their religious enemies, the Heriodians, and began working with them to find a way to kill Jesus.
Jesus did not work a miracle on the evil, hard-hearted people to stop them.
- Instead he allowed them to continue
- “and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 NIV
- He allowed them to become extremist because they did not love truth, Jesus or God.
People will choose not to listen to God, or his son Jesus,
- will do whatever it takes to shut him up.
- Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
- We try to give them God’s good news.
- We show them God’s kindness, and lov9e, and patience, and grace.
- How God can change their lives for the good.
- But when they reject it, we must not stop them. Jesus didn’t.
- When they don’t love the truth, we must let them believe their own lie, and become extremist.
- We must let them choose.