(Study Outline sourced from “The System Bible Study” – “The Book of Life” {Zondervan])
(19) A Third Sabbath Controversy With The Pharisees As Jesus Heals A Man’s Shrivelled Hand
“On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled….But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there…..He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.”
Matthew’s account states that this incident occurred immediately after the previous confrontation when the disciples picked corn; however, both Mark and Luke indicate that it was another Sabbath. In the account of Mark and Luke, Jesus raises the question “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?While Matthew states that the Pharisees were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, and they asked Jesus “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”. Luke writes that Jesus “knew what they were thinking” and Mark adds that He looked at them in anger “deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts”, at which point He asks the man to stand in front of the assembly.
Jesus then uses the illustration of a sheep falling into a pit on the Sabbath (in Matthew’s account) and questions if they would not rescue the sheep. Comparing the sheep to a man, Jesus asks “How much more valuable is a man than a sheep” and concludes that “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” . Jesus then instructs the man to stretch out his shrivelled hand, which he did, and his hand was “completely restored”. Jesus performed this miracle even though He knew the thoughts and the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees, for they immediately plotted “how they might kill Jesus”
“But Jesus knew what they were thinking”.
(20) Jesus Teaches The People By The Sea Of Galilee
“Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.” .
“When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him….” – as Jesus’ ministry continued, His popularity with the people increased, and here we see to some extent the impact He had on the surrounding regions (compare v. 8 with a Map of the region-Samaria-Judea-Idumea): although there is no record of Jesus entering the region of Idumea, His entry to the other regions are recorded . Here Jesus again healed many of illnesses and demonic possession; Mark records that the evil spirits saw and recognized Him as the “Son of God”, but Jesus instructed them not to reveal His identity, as that time had not yet come. Matthew’s account states that this was to fulfill the predictions of Isaiah the prophet , and one day – “In his name the nations will put their hope” will be a reality as not only individuals but whole nations will recognize and bow the knee in worship to Jesus Christ, God’s chosen Servant .
(21) Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles
From the number of followers that He had, Jesus selects twelve men, appointing them as apostles that “they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach….” , these were separate to the other disciples and were Jesus’ authorized representatives (apostle – “one who is sent”) in the same way that Jesus is “the apostle and high priest whom we confess” , sent into the world by His Father. These men were part of a much larger group of disciples which numbered approximately seventy two and later grew to approximately one hundred and twenty . The apostles were “unschooled, ordinary men” :
Simon (whom he named Peter),
Andrew
James
John
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James son of Alphaeus
Simon who was called the Zealot
Judas (or Thaddaeus) son of James
Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
(Continued…..)