Matthew 12:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Once again, Christ performs healing on the Sabbath, thereby affirming the actions of His disciples. The other Gospel writers recount that He summoned a man to stand in their midst and posed a question to the Jewish leaders about the legality of doing good on the Sabbath (Mark 3:4; Luke 6:9). Observe the compassion of the Lord. He brought the man forward, hoping that witnessing him might soften their hearts; that they, moved by this encounter, might abandon their hostility and, feeling shame for their harshness, would relent. Yet those who are unyielding and cruel would prefer to tarnish the honor of Christ rather than witness the restoration of the afflicted.

The other gospel writers indicate that Jesus posed a question to the Pharisees. It can be inferred that the Pharisees, motivated by jealousy, cautioned and questioned Him, in line with Moses' teachings. In response, Christ directed questions back at them, seemingly to expose and deride their lack of understanding, as noted by the other gospel writers. The Pharisees' inquiries were aimed at finding grounds to defame Him.

This individual represents the third healing that took place in the synagogue. It is important to observe that the withered hand was restored, not in transit or outside, but right within the assembly of the Jews. Having previously set a compelling precedent to defend the breaking of the Sabbath, which the Pharisees condemned His followers for, they now seek to entrap Him. They pose the question, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days?’ intending to accuse Him of either callousness or inability should He choose not to heal the afflicted man, or of violating the Sabbath command if He did proceed to heal him.

In the Gospel of Luke (Luke 6:6), it is noted which hand was affected, stating, "And his right hand was withered." Anticipating that He might once more perform a healing on the Sabbath, they questioned Him, hoping that if He affirmed His ability to heal, they could use this as a justification to label Him a violator of the Sabbath. Their intent was to prevent Him from performing miracles and to discourage others from placing their faith in Him due to the healings He enacted. They preferred that their fellow humans remain afflicted by ailments rather than allow Christ to receive the honor He deserved.

There was a man present who had a withered hand, specifically his right hand. The scribes and Pharisees were observing the Lord closely to determine whether He would heal this man, hoping to find grounds to accuse Him of violating the Sabbath commandment. Their reasoning went as follows: a doctor, in order to restore health, must prepare remedies and care for the afflicted, which involves exertion and thus constitutes work. According to their interpretation, any work on the Sabbath was sinful, leading them to conclude that healing was prohibited on that holy day. They conveniently overlooked the fact that the Law does not forbid saving a life on the Sabbath; therefore, it is not sinful for a healer to assist the sick during this time.

During the next two Sabbaths, the significance of the Sabbath and the sanctity of its rest, which had not been fully addressed previously due to the Pharisees' new controversies, were clarified in greater detail. The first instance occurred when the Lord's disciples, traveling from Jerusalem and having no food, plucked some grain from a field as they passed through and ate it after rubbing it in their hands. The second instance took place during the complete healing of a man with a withered hand in the synagogue, accomplished solely through the Lord's word. This specific event occurred in Galilee.

On a different Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue. Present there was a man whose right hand was paralyzed. The scribes and Pharisees closely observed Him, hoping to see if He would violate the Sabbath by healing the afflicted man. Not only did they watch in silence, but as Matthew notes, they also directed a question at Him with the intention of provoking a response. The Lord then called the man with the withered hand to stand in the center (as recorded in Mark and Luke) and posed a question to the Pharisees, asking, "Which of you, having one sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?" (Matthew). He further asked, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? To save a life or to destroy it?" (Mark and Luke).

Jesus had previously restored the health of a paralytic beside the pool on the Sabbath, leading to a discussion with the scribes and Pharisees regarding this event. Thus, when these religious leaders confronted Jesus upon seeing the man with the withered hand awaiting healing, questioning whether it was permissible to heal on the Sabbath, it is clear they were not the same scribes and Pharisees Jesus had addressed in Jerusalem. The scribes and Pharisees were prevalent throughout the Jewish communities; wherever Christ went, they pursued Him, though often not in unified groups. The emergence of John the Baptist with his message of repentance, followed by Jesus Christ, likely galvanized this faction of Jews opposed to Christ.

To illustrate the baselessness of the Pharisees’ animosity towards those they accused of violating the Sabbath, the Savior seized upon a fresh opportunity that arose in the synagogue of the nearby town. There, a man believed to be a bricklayer, who had suffered an accidental injury causing his hand to wither, implored Christ for healing, longing to be freed from the desperate need to solicit alms. His presence, along with his heartfelt plea, was widely recognized, leading the scribes and Pharisees to occupy the prominent places, their malicious gazes fixed upon Christ as they awaited His actions to use against Him later.

"Having a withered hand" likely refers to a form of local paralysis. It is noteworthy that this affliction is not connected to the presence of an unclean spirit in this individual, unlike the case of the deaf-mute mentioned later. Clearly, Christ and the Gospel writers made a careful distinction between ordinary physical ailments and those caused by the immediate influence of unclean spirits. They also recognized different methods of healing: ordinary miraculous cures versus the miraculous expulsion of demons. The question of whether healing could occur on the Sabbath reflects the elders' tradition, which, as illustrated in the Gospel of Luke, prohibited even acts of compassion like healing the sick on that day. The intent to "accuse Him" refers to bringing charges against Him in a local court, similar to the judicial assemblies mentioned in the scriptures, where He would be accused of violating Sabbath laws.

After providing an explanation to the scribes and Pharisees regarding the significance of the Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue on another Sabbath day to teach. There was a man present whose right hand had become shriveled. The scribes and Pharisees, eager to find grounds to accuse the Teacher who raised suspicions among the guardians of the law and the traditions of their elders, closely observed Him to see if He would again perform a healing on the Sabbath. Understanding their deceitful intentions, which they were quick to articulate in their insidious inquiry, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Jesus knew that a negative response could be used to charge Him with lack of compassion, while an affirmative reply could be interpreted as a violation of the Sabbath.