He
departed there, and went into their synagogue. And behold there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” that they might accuse him.
Matthew 12:9-10
Matthew 12 [3.] But he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him; how he entered into God’s house, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12 [9.] He departed there, and went into their synagogue. And behold there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” that they might accuse him.
Matthew 12 [11.] He said to them, “What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won’t he grab on to it, and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.” Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other. But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him. Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Great multitudes followed him; and he healed them all, and commanded them that they should not make him known: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
Meaning:
The dispute in the grain fields had ended with Jesus’ claim, “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8). Now, on the same theme, Matthew takes us into a synagogue, where a second Sabbath conflict begins. This time the question is not about hungry disciples but about a suffering man.
- “He departed there, and went into their synagogue”
The synagogue was the local meeting place where Jews gathered on the Sabbath to pray and hear the Scriptures read and explained. Jesus regularly taught there: “Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues” (Matthew 4:23). Matthew calls it “their” synagogue, connecting it with the Pharisees who had just challenged him. Jesus did not avoid his critics.
- “Behold there was a man with a withered hand”
A withered hand was shrunken and useless, perhaps through paralysis or injury. For a working man it could mean the loss of his livelihood and dependence on others. Luke’s account adds that it was his right hand, the hand most needed for work. The man’s need was real, but it was not urgent. He had lived with his condition for a long time and could have waited one more day.
- “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?”
The religious teachers of the time generally allowed help on the Sabbath only when a life was in danger. Treating a long-term condition was considered work that should wait until the next day. The Sabbath commandment itself says nothing about healing; it forbids ordinary work so that people may rest and honor God (Exodus 20:8-10).
- “that they might accuse him”
The question was not sincere. Mark says, “They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him” (Mark 3:2). The man was being used as bait. His opponents expected Jesus to show compassion, and they intended to turn that compassion into a legal charge. Jesus answers with a question about a sheep in a pit (Matthew 12:11-12), and the leaders respond by plotting to destroy him (Matthew 12:14).
The Significance of Matthew 12:9-10
- People matter more than rules
The Pharisees saw a test case; Jesus saw a man. When religious practice makes us blind to people in need, we have misunderstood God’s commands.
- Beware of hidden motives
Questions can be asked to trap rather than to learn. God sees the heart behind our words, and he calls us to seek the truth honestly.
Cross-References:
Mark 3:2: "They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him." Mark’s account of the same scene.
Matthew 12:12: "Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day." Jesus’ answer to the question.
John 5:17: "My Father is still working, so I am working, too." Jesus defends another Sabbath healing.
Conclusion: Jesus went into the synagogue, where a man with a withered hand was present. His opponents asked whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, not to learn but to find a charge against him. The scene sets up Jesus’ teaching that it is right to do good on the Sabbath, and it shows a heart that cares more for people than for winning arguments.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible