Healing a man with a withered hand

Healing a man with a withered hand

 

Mark 3:1-5『And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he said unto the man which had the withered hand, stand forth. 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. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.』

The Greek word for “the man which had the withered hand” is “ἐξηραμμένην ἔχων τὴν χεῖρα”. In Revelation 14:15, “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; “Exerande” is the same word as “Exerammenen” (ἐξηραμμένην) in Mark 3:1. The basic form is exeraino, which means dry, dry, land.

It is an expression that means “a sickle wielded to reap the grain of the earth.” Land means Israel (Jews). Jerusalem was destroyed around A.D. 70. The harvesters are the Jews who harvest from the land (old temple). These are old people.

The harvest is in Mark 4:26-29, “And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And he should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.』

In addition to the harvest (end) for the temple in Jerusalem, there is also a personal end. Each individual also has an old temple (old person). “The collapse of the old temple and the creation of a new heaven and new earth” is the concept of harvest. So the apocalypse does not occur at the end of history.

Ultimately, “the man who had the withered hand” is the one who must be harvested. Those who are not being harvested are “those with withered hands.” Jesus asked the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? 』He asked. The Lord of the Sabbath is Jesus Christ. Those who do good on the Sabbath have accepted Jesus Christ and are bearing fruit. This becomes “a person with a withered hand who realizes the meaning of the death and resurrection of the cross and accepts it with faith.”

『Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole』(ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρα.

“Stretch, ekteinon (ἔκτεινον)” is a combination of ek (from) and teino (stretch out). Ek is a way of expressing one’s ideology or idea. Those who agree with this raise their hands. It means to stretch out. So it has the same meaning as “those who agree with Jesus, stretch out their hands.”

Regarding Ek (ἔκ), in Colossians 4:11, “And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision (Ek Peritomemes ἐκ περιτομῆς). These only are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.』

In the circumcision sect, ek (ἔκ) corresponds to a faction (class). The circumcisionists are legalists. Among the legalists, there was one who understood the gospel and kept the faith, and it was Jesus called Justus. 『Stretch forth thine hand. In And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole, the ulterior meaning of this is, “I (Jesus) am the master of rest, and if you agree with what the “Lord of rest” does, you also can rest. Now that we have arrived, we have escaped from the law. Then the question is, “Will you agree with what I do?” So, the one with the withered hand stretched out his hand.

All who are under the law have withered hands. They are the ones who should be harvested, but they were not able to do so. That is why Jesus came to harvest as the Lord of Sabbath. Therefore, all who are in Christ are those who have reached out to Jesus.

『when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts』The expression “the hardness of their hearts” appears in Romans 11:6-7. Τί οὖν; ὃ ἐπιζητεῖ Ἰσραήλ, τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν, ἡ δὲ ἐκλογὴ ἐπέτυχεν· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἐπωρώθησαν,

『And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; But the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. The Greek word for “were blinded.” is Ephorodesan (ἐπωρώθησαν), which means stubborn.

However, Israel is actively seeking him (God). Israel is currently actively seeking God through the Old Testament.

This is what Israel is trying to gain through the law. They try to find God through the law, but the Bible tells us that they do not find God that way, but that they discover Him momentarily and by chance.

We can see that meeting God is not achieved through human will, but through God's sovereignty. The reason Israel became stubborn was because they adhered to the law and did not receive the Holy Spirit.