Matthew 12:9-14: A Withered Hand
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Matthew 12:9-14
It seems obvious that a primary concern of the narrative in the context of Matthew's Gospel is to contrast the Pharisee's attitude with Jesus' attitude. That said, there are some observations we can make that relate directly to the topic of healing.
Withered
The Greek word used here is ξηρός (xeros), the most basic meaning of which isdry. In fact, the same word is used for land in Matthew 23:15 where Jesus accuses the religious leaders of travelling "over land and sea to win a single convert" (and then making them "twice as much a child of hell" as they themselves were). It's also the word used in Hebrews 11:29 to describe the condition of the Red Sea as the Israelites passed through it, which I love because it's using of the words double meaning of both land and dry (highlighting the fact that the land was only there because the sea had been dried up). Anyway, applied to the man's hand, it can be understood to mean the hand appeared to have dried up. Give Jesus' instruction to stretch it out, it seems most likely the hand had curled up somehow.
Healing is a Good Thing
In verse 12, Jesus asserts that, "Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath" (NLT). It may seem obvious to say that healing is a good thing, but that is often not how we approach it. I was talking to a lady the other day who was scheduled to have brain surgery to address a neurological condition. Although she was happy to be prayed for1, she observed that if God wanted to teach her something through this, it is his prerogative to choose this methodology and she would, therefore, bear it gladly. In other words, she was open to the idea that healing would not be "good" as God might have some other plan. Jesus appears to have no such misgivings. He equates healing directly with doing good.
This mindset seems to have been carried forward by his disciples. Consider Acts 10:38, where Peter is summarizing Jesus' earthly ministry and says, "he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." Clearly, Peter considered healing people to be something good that Jesus did and further concluded that God saw it that way too. In fact, he seems to equate sickness with being "under the power of the devil." This is a very different mindset from one that encourages us to welcome illness as if it were somehow good.
People Matter
This may also seem like an obvious statement, but I think we frequently think healing is good only because it glorifies God. But focusing on God being deserving of praise or on healing functioning to add to his fame can obscure the equally valid Biblical truth that God wants to be involved in our lives because he loves us! In fact, it may be true to say that the primary reason healing is good is exactly because God loves us.
Activating Faith
Something I frequently come across is the idea that Jesus asked people to do something as a way of "activating their faith." For example, referring to the man with the withered hand, one Pentecostal pastor says that Jesus wanted the man to "participate in his healing".2 As I read the New Testament narratives, however, I find it very hard to justify that conclusion. To me, it seems more of a presupposition than a conclusion. This, however, is not evident in the majority of Jesus' healing miracles. For example, the paralytic whom Jesus told to "Get up, take your mat, and go home" (Matthew 9) had to be healed prior to getting up. The healing had already happened when he stood, so arguing that healing was the result of the action of standing seems nonsensical. The same is true in the case of the man with the withered hand: he could only stretch it out because it had been healed. In fact, it seems to me that the inclusion of the healing of Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15) in Matthew's first collection of miracle accounts serves to guard against the suggestion that God requires our faith in order to enact healing.
Does this mean I think faith is unimportant in relation to healing? No, absolutely not. Buy I don't believe that there is a categorical requirement demanding active faith before healing can be imparted, and that frequently seems to be what is taught in regard to "activating your faith."
FOOTNOTES:
1. I'm at a point in my convictions and theology where I have concluded that God does still heal today, so it behooves us to pray for healing. The lady was happy to have me pray for her when I asked, so I placed my hand on the back of her head and asked God to heal her. Nothing notable happened, so I prayed a second time, still with no obvious effect. As far as she or I could tell, no healing had taken place. Even so, I will continue to pray for God to heal people when I have the opportunity.
2. Dr. Stuart Pattico, "How to Heal the Sick in Jesus' Name- Dr. Stuart Pattico @ Church of God of Prophecy UK." Posted on Aug 1, 2013. Accessed on March 11, 2020. Please note that, in this video, although Dr. Pattico does say (here) that "God wants people to participate in their miracle," he does not make any claim that God requires this, nor does he suggest any tit-for-tat kind of relationship whereby healing is earned which is an attitude that frequently seems to be a principle in Word of Faith teaching. Dr. Pattico, as far as I can tell from this video, is more aligned with traditional Pentecostal teachings than with Word of Faith.
Matthew 12:9-14
It seems obvious that a primary concern of the narrative in the context of Matthew's Gospel is to contrast the Pharisee's attitude with Jesus' attitude. That said, there are some observations we can make that relate directly to the topic of healing.
Withered
The Greek word used here is ξηρός (xeros), the most basic meaning of which isdry. In fact, the same word is used for land in Matthew 23:15 where Jesus accuses the religious leaders of travelling "over land and sea to win a single convert" (and then making them "twice as much a child of hell" as they themselves were). It's also the word used in Hebrews 11:29 to describe the condition of the Red Sea as the Israelites passed through it, which I love because it's using of the words double meaning of both land and dry (highlighting the fact that the land was only there because the sea had been dried up). Anyway, applied to the man's hand, it can be understood to mean the hand appeared to have dried up. Give Jesus' instruction to stretch it out, it seems most likely the hand had curled up somehow.
Healing is a Good Thing
In verse 12, Jesus asserts that, "Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath" (NLT). It may seem obvious to say that healing is a good thing, but that is often not how we approach it. I was talking to a lady the other day who was scheduled to have brain surgery to address a neurological condition. Although she was happy to be prayed for1, she observed that if God wanted to teach her something through this, it is his prerogative to choose this methodology and she would, therefore, bear it gladly. In other words, she was open to the idea that healing would not be "good" as God might have some other plan. Jesus appears to have no such misgivings. He equates healing directly with doing good.
This mindset seems to have been carried forward by his disciples. Consider Acts 10:38, where Peter is summarizing Jesus' earthly ministry and says, "he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." Clearly, Peter considered healing people to be something good that Jesus did and further concluded that God saw it that way too. In fact, he seems to equate sickness with being "under the power of the devil." This is a very different mindset from one that encourages us to welcome illness as if it were somehow good.
People Matter
This may also seem like an obvious statement, but I think we frequently think healing is good only because it glorifies God. But focusing on God being deserving of praise or on healing functioning to add to his fame can obscure the equally valid Biblical truth that God wants to be involved in our lives because he loves us! In fact, it may be true to say that the primary reason healing is good is exactly because God loves us.
Activating Faith
Something I frequently come across is the idea that Jesus asked people to do something as a way of "activating their faith." For example, referring to the man with the withered hand, one Pentecostal pastor says that Jesus wanted the man to "participate in his healing".2 As I read the New Testament narratives, however, I find it very hard to justify that conclusion. To me, it seems more of a presupposition than a conclusion. This, however, is not evident in the majority of Jesus' healing miracles. For example, the paralytic whom Jesus told to "Get up, take your mat, and go home" (Matthew 9) had to be healed prior to getting up. The healing had already happened when he stood, so arguing that healing was the result of the action of standing seems nonsensical. The same is true in the case of the man with the withered hand: he could only stretch it out because it had been healed. In fact, it seems to me that the inclusion of the healing of Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15) in Matthew's first collection of miracle accounts serves to guard against the suggestion that God requires our faith in order to enact healing.
Does this mean I think faith is unimportant in relation to healing? No, absolutely not. Buy I don't believe that there is a categorical requirement demanding active faith before healing can be imparted, and that frequently seems to be what is taught in regard to "activating your faith."
FOOTNOTES:
1. I'm at a point in my convictions and theology where I have concluded that God does still heal today, so it behooves us to pray for healing. The lady was happy to have me pray for her when I asked, so I placed my hand on the back of her head and asked God to heal her. Nothing notable happened, so I prayed a second time, still with no obvious effect. As far as she or I could tell, no healing had taken place. Even so, I will continue to pray for God to heal people when I have the opportunity.
2. Dr. Stuart Pattico, "How to Heal the Sick in Jesus' Name- Dr. Stuart Pattico @ Church of God of Prophecy UK." Posted on Aug 1, 2013. Accessed on March 11, 2020. Please note that, in this video, although Dr. Pattico does say (here) that "God wants people to participate in their miracle," he does not make any claim that God requires this, nor does he suggest any tit-for-tat kind of relationship whereby healing is earned which is an attitude that frequently seems to be a principle in Word of Faith teaching. Dr. Pattico, as far as I can tell from this video, is more aligned with traditional Pentecostal teachings than with Word of Faith.
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