The Man with the Withered Hand 

In September 28 CE, before the second preaching tour of Galilee, Jesus spoke in the Capernaum synagogue on the "Joys of Righteous Living." When Jesus finished, a large group of those seeking healing crowded around. The leader of the six spies from Jerusalem made a man with a withered hand ask Jesus if it would be lawful for him to heal on the Sabbath. Knowing this was a serious infraction, the Pharisees hoped to catch Jesus disobeying a law derived from Moses. Jesus immediately discerned the request was from the scheming Pharisees.

When Jesus saw the man, heard his words, and realized he had been sent by the Pharisees, he said, "Come forward and I will ask you a question. If you had a sheep and it fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would you reach down, grab it, and lift it out? Is it lawful to do such things on the Sabbath?" And the man replied, "Yes, Master, it would be lawful to do well on the Sabbath." Then, speaking to everyone, Jesus said, "I understand why you sent this man into my presence. You would find it offensive if you could persuade me to show mercy on the Sabbath. In silence, you all agreed that it was lawful to lift the unfortunate sheep out of the pit, even on the Sabbath, and I call you to witness that it is lawful to show loving-kindness to both animals and men on the Sabbath. How much more valuable is a man than a sheep? I proclaim that it is permissible to do good to men on the Sabbath. And as they all stood before him in silence, Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, "Stand up here by my side so that everyone can see you. And now that you understand that it is my Father's will that you do good on the Sabbath, if you have the faith to be healed, I bid you extend your hand."

And as this man stretched out his withered hand, it was healed. The people were about to turn on the Pharisees, but Jesus told them to remain calm, saying, "I have just told you that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, to save life, but I did not instruct you to do harm and give way to the desire to kill." The enraged Pharisees fled, and despite the fact that it was the Sabbath, they went straight to Tiberias and met with Herod, doing everything they could to incite his prejudice to secure the Herodians as allies against Jesus. But Herod refused to take action against Jesus, advising them to take their complaints to Jerusalem.

This was the first miracle Jesus performed in response to his enemies' challenge. He executed it not to showcase his ability to heal but rather as a potent act of opposition against transforming the religious observance of the Sabbath into a burdensome and senseless set of limitations imposed on humanity. This man returned to his work as a stone mason, living the rest of his life in thanksgiving and righteousness, deeply affected by the cure that Jesus granted him.