EXPLORE THE TEXT
We must seek to make our priorities and practices
consistent with what God values most.
9 Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue.
10 There he saw a man who had a shriveled hand,
and in order to accuse him they asked him,
“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11 He replied to them,
“Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath,
wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?
12 A person is worth far more than a sheep;
so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other.
14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him,
how they might kill him.
Discuss the content for verses 9-10 on pages 113-114 of the PSG.
The Pharisees who confronted Jesus in the fields were probably leaders in this synagogue.
Some scholars believe they used the man as a “set up”
in order to accuse Jesus of breaking the Mosaic law.
Jesus turned the tables on the religious leaders.
Use this content from page 114 of the PSG
to show how Jesus revealed the Pharisees’ legalistic and hypocritical hearts:
Through this illustration, Jesus contrasted the man-made rules
of the Pharisees that permitted rescuing an animal on the Sabbath
with the prohibition to heal a person on the Sabbath.
In so doing, He exposed the inconsistency of the Pharisees. . . .
In theory, every Pharisee would agree with that statement.
In the reality of this situation, though,
the Pharisees were so filled with hatred for Jesus
that they would be more inclined to help the sheep and ignore the man who needed healing.
Instead of accepting the truth, the Pharisees rejected Jesus’s message.
Note the irony of condemning Jesus for doing good on the Sabbath,
yet plotting evil against Him on the same day.
Legalism and hypocrisy can lead to devastating
and dehumanizing attitudes and actions.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 116 of the Personal Study Guide:
Encourage a few volunteers to paraphrase these statements and to identify ways they can put them into practice each day.
Distribute copies of Pack Item 14 (Handout: Legalism Worksheet). Allow adults to works in teams of three or four to reflect on how legalism shows up in our world and how the Bible responds to those efforts. Allow each team to report on their work. Remind adults that legalism is rooted in hypocrisy and inevitably erodes our compassion for others.
Direct attention to the first set of questions on page 116 of the PSG. Encourage adults to be sensitive to the needs of others and to seek opportunities to show mercy instead of criticism.
Remind the group of Matthew 12:7-8 and Pack Item 9 (Handout: Praying Scripture in Matthew’s Gospel). Urge them to continue praying these verses back to God during the week. Close the session in prayer.
Send the group a text or an email encouraging them to continue thinking through the content on Pack Item 14 (Handout: Legalism Worksheet). Suggest they read and reflect on the second set of questions from page 116 of the PSG as they seek God’s help in rooting out their own legalistic and hypocritical tendencies. Assure them that you are praying for them as they work through these issues in their lives.
Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (See Mark 2:27-28; John 4:21-24.)
Use other Scripture to help understand a Bible passage.
Compare Mark 3:1-5 and Luke 6:6-10 to Matthew’s account of the man with the shriveled hand in 12:9-14. Record any additional details you find in the parallel passages. How do the parallel passages help you get a broader picture of this scene?