Verse 9 says, “And departing from there, He came into their synagogue.” After winning the case with the Pharisees, the Lord Jesus came into their synagogue. This took place on another Sabbath day (Luke 6:6). The Lord Jesus certainly was a troublemaker. After causing trouble in the grain fields, defeating the “Sabbath Patrol,” according to Matthew’s record He went with His disciples to the synagogue to cause even more trouble.
In the synagogue was a man with a withered hand. When the Pharisees inquired of the Lord whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, He said to them, “What man shall there be of you who shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbaths, will he not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbaths” (vv. 11-12). Here we see the Lord’s wisdom. This time He did not quote a verse, but He referred to their practice. In other words, in the first case the Lord quoted from the Bible, and in the second He appealed to history. Once again their mouths were shut.
Verse 13 says, “Then He says to the man, Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out, and it was restored sound as the other.” The Lord gave the man the word, “Stretch out your hand.” In the Lord’s word was the enlivening life. By stretching out his hand, the man took the Lord’s life-giving word, and his withered hand was restored by the life in this word.
Leading the disciples into the grain fields indicates that the Lord cares for Himself as the Head of the Body. As the Head, He is everything—the real David, the greater temple, and the Lord of the Sabbath. Restoring the withered hand signifies that He cares for His members. He healed a man’s withered hand, likening this man to a sheep. The hand is a member of the body, and the sheep is a member of the flock. The Lord would do anything for the healing of His members, for the rescue of His fallen sheep. Sabbath or no Sabbath, the Lord is interested in healing the dead members of His Body. Regulations do not matter, but the rescue of His fallen sheep means everything to Him.
Instead of reading Matthew as a book of stories or merely as a book of doctrine, we must get into the depths of this book. By putting these two cases together, we see that in the first case Christ took care of Himself as the Head and in the second He took care of the members of His Body. The hand is a member of the body, and the sheep is part of a flock, which also refers to the Body. In the first case the Lord Jesus took care of His lordship, of His headship. In the second case He took care of one of His weak, sickly members. He does not care for the Sabbath. He cares only for His headship and for the members of His Body, Therefore, we must conclude that the Lord cares only for Christ and the church. The Lord could say, “The Sabbath means nothing. I don’t care for that. I care for My headship and for the members of My Body. Because I am the Head, the Lord, whatever I say is right. I care for My headship. And I also care for My members. I want to make My members living. I want to rescue them, uplift them, and heal them. I don’t care for all these doctrinal, religious practices. I care only that My members are strong and living.” On the heart of this heavenly King was not the Sabbath, not any kind of doctrine, and not any regulation. Rather, on His heart was His lordship. We must see that He is Lord and that He is above the Sabbath. The Sabbath is merely an instrument used by Him, but He Himself is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Lord also cares for His members, including any member of His Body who is sick, weak, or in a difficult situation. He will do something for that member to rescue him, to heal him, and to make him living. I look to the Lord that we all would see this.
The principle is the same today. As long as we are for Christ and for the church with all the members, everything is all right. There is no burden or regulation. On the Sabbath the twelve apostles were satisfied and at rest, and on the Sabbath the man with the withered hand was also at rest. Thus, these were genuine Sabbaths to the disciples and to the man with the withered hand because they received either the nourishment from Christ or the healing from Christ. Whatever they needed they received from Him. It is the same today.