Saturday, April 10, 2021
“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” (Luke 6:6 KJV).
What can this account of the withered right hand teach us?
Having looked at Luke’s version and Matthew’s description, we read Mark’s report in chapter 3: “[1] And he [Christ Jesus] entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. [2] And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. [3] And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. [4] And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. [5] And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”
Whether in Matthew, Mark, or Luke, the Lord Jesus heals a man who has a withered right hand. Let us deal with it being “withered” first. “Xeran” is the Greek word in Matthew and Luke; “exerammenen” is Mark’s preferred term. Of course, we can all guess that the man’s hand is dried up or shriveled. In Mark 11:20, the same idea is conveyed when Jesus cursed the fig tree and it “dried up from the roots.” Also, in Revelation 16:12, the Euphrates River is “dried up.” Hebrews 11:29 speaks of the Red Sea drying up for Israel to escape Egyptian bondage in Moses’ day. Taking all these similar ideas and lumping them together, we can define the man’s hand as without any water or other biological “juices.” Water in Scripture, as you might have supposed, symbolizes life. His hand is unable to work properly because it is functionally dead. The hand, of course, pictures ability or power. Moreover, the man himself is a portrait of the nation Israel. God’s nation in the Earth is unable to work His will as intended….
Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is ‘the matrix’ in the King James Bible?”
333 Words of Grace 