Luke 6:6-11
The Man With a Withered Hand
(Matt. 12:9- 14; Mark 3:1- 6)
“And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man — whose right hand was withered.
And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.
But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? To save life, or to destroy it?
‘And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. (Matt.12:11-12)’
And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
‘And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.’ (Matthew 12:14)
Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.”
The personality type that we will study for the next couple of devotionals was the one that angered Christ the most. It was not any other type more than the self righteous, or the legalist. Legalism allows one to become self righteous because you are fulfilling all the requirements, crossing your “T’s” and dotting your “I’s.” It engenders pride even if the rules you follow are your own. You’re doing it right by your standards. I was this personality type early on. Initially my motives were very good, so I thought. As a new believer I frequently heard criticism of other Christians, and unfortunately much of it was true. So I asked The Lord to make me real. Make me an example that others could see and be encouraged. However over time and without realizing I developed a self righteous spirit, and found myself at odds with God’s mercy for others. It’s a long story, but God definitely corrected me.
In studying this personality type I am so grateful for the work of Grace God has done and is doing in me. There is nothing more I value than just a quiet life of faith. Where daily I walk and learn of Him as a son with his Father. In understanding this story, and knowing that the legalist and self righteous are the personality types that crucified the “Son of Grace,” it is a trap that we do not want to fall into. Fall into any of the other personality types we have studied, but avoid this one at all cost! Unfortunately though it is not that easy. For you see we all have this spirit in us only in different degrees. When we judge ourselves to be better than someone else that is a self righteous spirit. When we count how many times someone has offended us (keeping score) that is a self righteous spirit. When people have to “earn” our approval, or meet us halfway that is a self righteous spirit. I can go on, but these examples suffice. This attitude and its root problem can be summed up with these three words: pride, sin and I.
Wherever we go we bring the problem with us- ourselves. Until we learn to exchange kindness for criticism, patience for impatience and forgiveness for judgement the “I” remains. Next question- can we truly live like this from the heart? I could not. I had to receive kindness, patience and forgiveness from The Lord first before I could give kindness, patience and forgiveness. In myself I have a very limited supply of any given thing. To go beyond me I must first receive “Life” from God. I can give “life” only because God’s Life is working in me and through me. I cannot give what I have not first received. Therefore it is a Christian’s “spiritual life blood” to be in communion with The Lord. Otherwise we just dry up, run out and are miserable to live with. Show me a grumpy Christian and I will show you a son or daughter that has lost his/her connection to their Life Source.
In our story Jesus tried to open their eyes by asking them simple questions. “Is it right to do good on the Sabbath or evil? Which one of you would not save a lamb that had fallen into a pit, and how much better is a man than a sheep?” Why didn’t they get it? By the time Jesus had arrived “on the scene of history” the Pharisees had added many more rules to the Bible. They adhered to those rules rather than the scriptures. One Biblical rule was that there was to be no work on the Sabbath. The work that scripture spoke of was that of earning a living. They were to trust God for provision. That if they honored God by keeping the Sabbath God would provide enough extra resources from the other 6 days to meet the Sabbath day’s need. However, the Pharisees missing the whole point of the law went about defining what it meant to “work.” What work was allowed and what work was not allowed on the Sabbath. It became so stringent and legalistic that not even Jesus was not “allowed” to heal on the Sabbath. It came to the point of becoming absurd. The whole purpose of the Sabbath was to rest. To reflect on God’s kindness/provision and to show that kindness and share those provisions with others.
Type A personalities are the ones that are most apt to become the legalist and the rule keepers. These are the doers. “Give me a mountain and I will climb it, a task and I will do it, a list and I will complete it.” That’s how we get our “brownie points.” It is the way we are wired. This behavior for other personality types drives them nuts. They want nothing to do with it, but A’s love the challenge. These are the leaders, CEOs, the people who join committees, and people wanting to make their “mark” on life. We will continue this study as we look at another example next week.
Father God,
Thank you for this study and how I can be instructed on not only how to be, but also how not to be. Help me to heed the warning without having to learn the lesson. To do good, to heal, be it soul or body should never be hindered. Let me become a conduit of healing through words of kindness, wisdom, patience, love and forgiveness. May I receive from You and from You give to others. Freely have I received, freely may I give with no strings attached. Thank you and Amen.
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur (Happy New Year)