They knew Jesus well enough by now to know he would heal the man with a withered arm.
They knew him as a healer. Even in their refusal to believe he was the Messiah. Even as the rejected his truth.
He asked them a question simple question that if answered with love in the heart, would have been easy to answer, but their hearts were hardened and set against him, against the truth, and therefore against God.
They could not answer for the did not seek the good for this man and Jesus but they sought evil. And knowing their own duplicity of heart they were quiet.
The lesson here for us is to always ask what is our own motivation. Do we seek the best for others and always turn to love as our fundamental motive and guide?
We may not be Pharisees but we too can sometimes be swayed by jealousy or envy or thinking the worse for others. Seeing other’s defects and judging their performance or even presence as inadequate.
But how many times has God watched patiently for us to turn to him. How many times have we not done what we know is right?
We must always protect the good that has been planted in our hearts and nurture it, invoke it, trust in it, and seek nothing but the best for all men. Just as our Father seeks only the best for us.
Gospel
On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.
But he realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up and stand before us.”
And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
“Stretch out your hand.”
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
Leave a Reply