Matthew 12 recounts the story of Jesus' encounter with a man who had a shriveled hand. The Pharisees saw the man as a theological object lesson. Knowing how people are, I suspect that this man had been the object of many cruel comments and jokes. I can imagine kids taunting him or asking him to hand them something to highlight his limitations.
I suspect that the man was not really looking forward to these religious types having a discussion about him while standing near him. It must have been incredibly de-humanizing to have healthy people debate the theological theory of proper Sabbath activities using his handicap as the focal point.
It struck me recently that Jesus' request for the man to stretch out his hand would have been incredibly cruel and mean spirited if uttered by anyone else. Jesus asked him to do what he was incapable of doing. But since it was Jesus doing the asking, the man was able to do what was impossible to do; he stretched out his hand. If he hadn't attempted the stretch, I don't think the healing would have occurred.
Sometimes Jesus will ask us to do what we are incapable of doing. But since it is Jesus doing the asking, we have to stretch and allow Him to enable us to do what we are incapable of doing.
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