03/01/11

Stretch forth thy hand

Mark 5: 5 - - And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their heart, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and his hand was restored.


In 2010 the Lord did one thing good, He taught me how little I know of the Bible.

With the kind of direct teaching that the Lord was doing to me I thought I did know something about the Bible (knowing I did not know everything). But then the Lord bought Dr. Ron Charles into my life and after meeting him I who thought was in 7th standard of Bible school realized I was really in the 3rd standard. The Lord showed me that it is very important to learn by sharing as part of a body in Christ.

There is so much depth in the scriptures that has been hidden to us because we really do not understand the language in which they are written and the history behind it. For example people do not realize that there are nearly 4 generations of Hebrew in which the Old Testament was written.

Just one word of the scripture changes the whole depth of what Jesus did and the shows the attitude of the people around Him, especially of the Pharisees and Sadducees, how stone hearted and conspiring they were.

We have many a times heard of this miracle wherein Jesus healed this man's hand on a Sabbath day. This healing was not just an ordinary healing but by this healing Jesus has nearly waged a war with the Jewish Church clergy. Jesus had defined them head on not by healing the man on a Sabbath but more by the person whom He had healed.

The Greek word translated as 'withered hand' was not sick hand but the word used is 'a stone mason's hand'. Dr. Ron then took us into the history of the Jewish (Solomon's) temple which was rebuilt by Herold. I will not be able to go in depth in this mail but in short Jesus challenged the Jewish authority head on by healing the hand of this man because his hand was squashed by the Pharisees about 25 to 30 years back as a punishment for working on a Sabbath day even though the permission to do so was given by them itself under pressure of the Romans.

People who worked on the Sabbath on the temple portion which was used for worship were forgiven and rewarded, but those who worked on the tower which was a part of the temple project but used by the Roman soldiers were punished like this man. Not only their hand was squashed with a stone but he was made to beg for rest of his life at the doors of the synagogue (temple). He and his family were considered cursed. They too were punished brutally (i.e. the right eye of the wife was gauche out) because this man worked on a Sabbath. He was not allowed to even put his head up, nor talk or see into the eyes of any person directly. Any person who spoke to him face to face was told by the High Priest that the curse would come on to them. And on that day Jesus not only spoke to him directly 3 times, but also healed him. This healing showed a direct fight between Jesus' God and the god of the Pharisees. The High Priest had squashed his hand saying it was the will of God and Jesus healed him showing it was God's will so it was a matter of representative authority.

The Pharisees did not know God but had made Sabbath the most important issue. Their book on Sabbath was fatter than their Holy book (Torah or any other book). They were void of God and His nature but loved to debate on things like Sabbath. They had made Sabbath a god for themselves.

Sharing our understanding is very important as a united body. But when a being continuously does only one action non-stop it causes Repetitive Motion sickness and hampers the functioning of the rest of the body. So when we find no light coming in our discussion it is time to put it aside and get back to the Master Teacher (the Lord - the Holy Spirit) to enlighten and guide us.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord Jesus, You showed us in You our God whom we did not know. By You and the your works You bought us closer to our Father in Heaven. Help us Lord to know You better and come closer to being a true Christian walking in Spirit and in Truth. You are the Spirit of Truth and You reveal the Truth unto us. You give according to our faith and our walk in You. Help us Lord to increase our faith and to walk your path so that we may know You and your Kingdom better...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripture ]
Mark 3:1-6
1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

Matthew 12:1-1
1 At that season Jesus went on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck ears and to eat.
2 But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do upon the sabbath.
3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him;
4 how he entered into the house of God, and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them that were with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless?
6 But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here.
7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath.
9 And he departed thence, and went into their synagogue:
10 and behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? that they might accuse him.
11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12 How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day.
13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, as the other.
14 But the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)