Matthew: Healing in His PresenceSample

Healing a Man’s Hand

Jesus is in a synagogue on the Sabbath, the Jewish holy day, and He's being challenged by religious leaders. They ask him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"

I love Jesus' answer because he talks about sheep and makes it understandable for anyone in the room. "He says to them, `If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?'" (v. 11). The crowd knew the answer right away, of course they would pull a struggling sheep to safety, even on the Sabbath. What a picture of God’s care for us! If He values a sheep, how much more does He treasure and tend to you?

There is a man in the room with a shriveled hand. Jesus says to him, "Stretch out your hand." Jesus didn’t say, “Show me your hand.” That would have made sense, but He said, “Stretch out your hand.” This command requires the guy to obey and do what did not seem possible. But as he starts moving his arm and hand towards Jesus, he activates his faith. The result is that Jesus restores his hand, just as good as the other one.

This story is a great example of obedience when it may not make sense. There are times in our lives when God may instruct us to do something that is unconventional or doesn't make sense. On your healing journey, you may be using a non-traditional form of treatment. It may seem odd to your friends or even conventional doctors, but trust that however the Lord leads you in your treatment plan - just follow His leading and obey!

Questions:

1. Have you ever been asked to do something that didn’t make sense to others, or even to yourself, but you sensed God’s leading to obey anyway? How did that turn out?

2. Do you think the man would have been healed if he simply showed his hand? Why or why not?

3. How can you cultivate trust in God’s guidance, especially when your path to healing looks unconventional or uncertain?