Luke 6 verses 6 – 11
The man with the withered hand. The hand was no use to him. The first thing to notice is – here’s a man who has come under the ministry of the word of God. He comes into the synagogue and takes his place with the rest of the people. The Lord takes up the word of God and teaches. Is he here out of habit? This was the day of the Sabbath when the synagogue would be open. The rabbi would open up the Old Testament scriptures and read them. Was it out of habit that he was here? Not a bad habit to be in on a Sunday. Maybe like Lydia in Acts of the Apostles who worked in the chief city of Macedonia, Philippi. She sold her wares at a market stall but on the Sabbath day she was drawn to the prayer meeting by the riverside. Maybe the Holy Spirit was drawing her there. Maybe that is what has happened to you today. Somehow the Spirit of the living God has whispered for you to come into God’s house to hear his word? Maybe the eunuch in Acts 8 had a longing in his heart. He was on his way down from Jerusalem to worship God. Maybe this man knew the Lord would be there in the house of God on this particular day. This man got to hear about Jesus and realised here was his opportunity. He knew that the Lord could touch him and heal him and do something for him he could never do for himself. Maybe it is possible the enemies of Christ were going to use this man him against Christ. Maybe asked him to come into the synagogue on that particular day. Perhaps wanted to use it to criticise Christ. Here was a man under the ministry of God’s word. Whatever the reason that brought this man in he was in the synagogue on this particular day. In a place where something could be done for him. Not only for him but for eternity. Here in this place there is a work that can be done in your heart that will stand the test of time and eternity. The Bible says “for by grace are you saved through faith.”(Ephesians 2 verse 5) Grace means something unmerited. That is how you are saved. Not because you start to go to church or become a minister. It was grace bestowed to me but it was by faith that I received Christ as Saviour and Lord. The Bible says “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10 verse 17). Here was a man under the ministry of the word of God.
This man realises now that he mattered to God. Here he is in the house of God (verse 8) sitting listening. Jesus spoke to him and said “rise up and stand forth in the midst.” After finishing his teaching the Lord spoke. As the meeting came to a close Jesus starts to speak to this man. Here’s a man and he realised that he was important to the Lord. He mattered. Didn’t matter why he was there but that he was there in the first place. A lot of people feel they don’t matter to anyone. They have no-one in this world they can turn to but the Lord Jesus loves you so much that he left heaven’s glory just to die on Calvary’s cross. We are important to God. We have a soul that is important. “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”(Mark 8 verse 36) When God created man he was different. God breathed into him and he became a living soul. One day that soul must leave your body and make its way into 1 of 2 places – the glorious presence of Christ or the fathomless pit of hell. Remember how Jesus looked over Jerusalem. He wept “how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not.”(Matthew 23 verse 37) You can almost see the tremor when he preached in the streets, the passion in the voice when pleaded with men and women in the market place. How many times Jesus looks over this meeting and sheds tears over your soul. How often I would have saved you but you would not. You matter to him. Old Bartimaeus mattered to him. He was just a blind begging man. People didn’t give him a second thought but when the Lord came to him he called and said “come here what would you have me to do for you?” He became the servant of the beggar man in that moment. When he took his place on Calvary he took his place as servant for you and I. He died that I might be in heaven one day. We matter to him. Make no mistake about it. We matter that he would step aside his Father’s glory. That is how much you matter to God. This man realised that. As they nailed Jesus to the cross, as he looked at those who cursed him, beat him and tortured him, he said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” The God of heaven loved this world and wanted to reach the world for himself.
This man experienced a miracle from Jesus. He was going to leave this house a different man all because of a meeting with Christ. We can come and go but if we don’t have a meeting with Christ we will go away the same. If we do have a meeting with Christ we will be changed. This man had a hand that was no use to him, couldn’t lift a glass with, couldn’t cut his dinner with, no use whatsoever. Until he had a meeting with Christ, found as he come under the ministry of the word that God would do a mighty miracle in his life. Restore unto him all those years that his hand was withered. Verse 8 as the man stood up the attention went from the Pharisees but then in verse 9 Jesus spoke to the religious leaders. This man was taking his stand while Jesus spoke to the Pharisees. Then the Lord turned again and said “stretch forth thy hand” and within a second it was changed. Every time a person gets saved it is a miracle of grace just like the miracles in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit points us to the Lord, to the blood shed by Christ for us. He makes us realise that we are sinners on our way to a lost eternity.
He realised the malice in the madness of the people around him. People were mad at what Jesus had done to this man. There will always be those who will mock you, ridicule you but thank God you will be covered by that blood. You will be in the palm of his hand. Will you come to Christ and trust him? The man obeyed as Jesus asked him to. Will you obey his voice?
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