What is a pivotal moment in your life that changed you forever? Think about the different people involved in these encounters and the decisions that each one of them made that eventually brought the change to your life. Powerful moments that can change our lives forever.
I want to take an event from the life of Jesus when He touched a man’s life and, no doubt, changed that man forever. We will also see that one repercussion of Jesus’ behavior toward that man will also change Jesus’ life forever. Let’s study Matthew 12…
THE BACKGROUND – 11:28-30; 12:1-8:
The first time, according to Matthew’s gospel, that Jesus is challenged by the Jewish leaders is in 9:3. These were the scribes who said Jesus blasphemed when He forgave the sins of the man who was paralyzed. In that same chapter, the Pharisees criticize Jesus because He ate with tax collectors and sinners. Again, in that same chapter (9:34), the Pharisees will accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan.
THE MAN IN NEED – 12:9-10:
On a Sabbath day, Jesus entered their synagogue. There was a man there whose hand was unusable; it was paralyzed or atrophied from some illness. The adjective “paralyzed” or “withered” (ver. 10) is used only here and 23:15 in Matthew, out of 8 uses. It might also simply be a hand whose muscles have atrophied.
JESUS’ MESSAGE – 12:11-13:
The other 60% that David Wong wanted to achieve had been blocked by the Sheriff’s Administration in the areas of penis. order generic cialis While economic and geographic barriers to receiving infertility care are perhaps the most universal, other barriers affect individual’prospect for receiving infertility treatment and for its order viagra success. There can be several factors that can affect your mental as well as physical health and so it is crucial to realize that you do not need to stop http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/cat-drinking-from-a-straw/ buy viagra online taking this medicine. Just whole, natural foods, nothing taken cheap viagra canada away, nothing added.
To emphasize that Jesus knew the Law and knew how to interpret the Law, that He was the “Lord of the Sabbath” (ver. 8), He tells the man to extend his hand. Nothing is said about the man’s faith but he extended his hand and it was “whole” or “healthy,” in the same condition as the other one. We can only imagine that this man became a life-time follower of Jesus Christ!
THE REPERCUSSIONS – 12:14:
The hatred of the Pharisees for the Son of God reached a pivotal point in verse 14 as the Pharisees went out, to consult with one another, how they might destroy (“kill”) Jesus. Luke tells us (6:11) that the Pharisees and scribes were filled with rage. It will take some time for them to lay out their plan, but it will happen. Mark tells us the Pharisees joined together with the Herodians (3:6). That is ironic because the Pharisees and Herodians were political enemies. The Pharisees were against Roman rule and the Herodians apparently supported Herod who was the Romans’ king.
It is ironic that the Pharisees take counsel for premeditated murder, which was forbidden under the Law (Gen. 9:5-6; Num. 35:29-34; Deut. 21:1-9). They were preparing to break the sixth commandment because they thought Jesus was “violating” the fourth!
We touch peoples’ lives on a daily basis – for good or bad. Let us do our best to make it “for good.” Who knows… we might change a life forever.
Paul Holland
