Healing the man with the withered hand

St Luke Chapter VI : Verses 6-11

Contents

• Luke vi. 6-11.  Douay-Rheims (Challoner) text & Latin text (Vulgate).
• Annotations (from the Catena Aurea)
• Douay-Rheims 1582 text

Luke vi. 6-11.

There was a man, whose right hand was withered.
J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And there was a man, whose right hand was withered.

Factum est autem in alio sabbato, ut intraret in synagogam, et doceret. Et erat ibi homo, et manus ejus dextra erat arida.

7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched if he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find an accusation against him.

Observabant autem scribæ et pharisæi si in sabbato curaret, ut invenirent unde accusarent eum.

8 But he knew their thoughts; and said to the man who had the withered hand: Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And rising he stood forth.

Ipse vero sciebat cogitationes eorum : et ait homini qui habebat manum aridam : Surge, et sta in medium. Et surgens stetit.

9 Then Jesus said to them: I ask you, if it be lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy?

Ait autem ad illos Jesus : Interrogo vos si licet sabbatis benefacere, an male : animam salvam facere, an perdere?

10 And looking round about on them all, he said to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth: and his hand was restored.

Et circumspectis omnibus dixit homini : Extende manum tuam. Et extendit : et restituta est manus ejus.

11 And they were filled with madness; and they talked one with another, what they might do to Jesus.

Ipsi autem repleti sunt insipientia, et colloquebantur ad invicem, quidnam facerent Jesu.

Annotations

[The following Notes are taken from the Catena Aurea of St Thomas Aquinas, with acknowledgement to the New Advent website.]

    6. And it came to pass also on another sabbath.   He chiefly heals and teaches on the sabbaths, not only to convey the meaning of a spiritual sabbath, but because of the more numerous assembly of the people. BEDE.

    he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And there was a man, whose right hand was withered. But He taught things far beyond their comprehension, and opened to his hearers the way to future salvation by Him; and then after having first taught them, He suddenly shewed His divine power, as it follows, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.  CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA.

    7.  And the scribes and Pharisees watched if he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find an accusation against him.  But since the Master had excused by an undeniable example the breach of the sabbath, with which they charged His disciples, their object is now by watching to bring a false accusation against the Master Himself. As it follows, And the Scribes and Pharisees watched him, if he would heal on the sabbath, that if He did not, they might accuse Him of cruelty or impotence; if He did, of violation of the sabbath. Hence it follows, that they might find an accusation against him. BEDE.

    8. But he knew their thoughts; and said to the man who had the withered hand: Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And rising he stood forth.   For this is the way of the envious man, he feeds in himself his pang of grief with the praises of others. But the Lord knew all things, and searches the hearts; as it follows, But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand. And he arose, and stood forth, that perchance he might stir up the cruel Pharisees to pity, and allay the flames of their passion. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA.

    9.  Then Jesus said to them: I ask you, if it be lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy?

 But the Lord anticipating the false charge which they were preparing against Him, reproves those who by wrongly interpreting the law thought that they must rest on the sabbath-day even from good works; whereas the law commands us to abstain from servile works, i.e. from evil, on the sabbath. BEDE.

    This is a very useful question, for if it is lawful to do good on the sabbath, and there is no reason why those who work should not obtain mercy from God, cease to gather up accusation against Christ. But if it be not lawful to do good on the sabbath, and the law prohibits the safety of life, thou art become the accuser of the law. For if we examine the very institution of the sabbath, we shall find it was introduced for an object of mercy, for God commanded to keep holy the sabbath, But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work on it, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy beast, nor the stranger that is within thy gates. (Exod. xx. 10.) But he who has mercy on his ox, and the rest of his cattle, how much rather will he not have mercy on man troubled with a severe disease? CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA.

    10. And looking round about on them all, he said to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth: and his hand was restored. TITUS BOSTRENSIS. When the eyes of all were, as it were, riveted together, and their minds also fixed upon the consideration of the matter, he said to the man, Stretch forth thy hand; I command thee, I Who created man. But he who had the withered hand hears, and is made whole, as it follows, And he stretched it, and it was restored. But they who should have been astonished at the miracle, increased in malice; as it follows, But they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they should do to Jesus.

    11.  And they were filled with madness; and they talked one with another, what they might do to Jesus. (Hom. in Matt. 40.) And as Matthew relates, they go out to take counsel, that they should kill him.  CHRYSOSTOM.

 Thou perceivest, O Pharisee, a divine Worker, and Him Who delivers the sick by His heavenly power, and out of envy thou breathest forth death. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA.

    The man represents the human race, withered by the unfruitfulness of good works, because of the hand in our first parent stretched forth to take the apple, which was healed by the innocent hand stretched forth on the cross. And rightly was the withered hand in the synagogue, because where there is the greater gift of knowledge, there the transgressor lies under the greater blame. BEDE. 

     You have heard then the words of Him who says, Stretch forth thy hand. That is a frequent and common cure, and thou that thinkest thy hand is whole, beware lest it be contracted by avarice or sacrilege. Stretch it forth oftener to help thy neighbour, to protect the widow, to save from injury him whom you see the victim of unjust attack; stretch it forth to the poor man who beseeches thee; stretch it forth to the Lord, to ask pardon of thy sins; as the hand is stretched forth so is it healed. (1 Kings xiii. 5, 6.) AMBROSE.

    11. And they were filled with madness. ἀνοίας, deprived of understanding, they could not answer Him a word; they were filled with anger because they could not gainsay the reasoning of Christ, and with envy, as the Syriac renders it, which was the cause of their madness. Their eyes were blinded so that they could not see the truth! Hence Francis Lucas adds, they communed one with another what they might do with Jesus, i.e. how they might make away with Him.

Douay-Rheims : 1582 text

6. And it came to paſſe on another Sabboth also, that he entred into the Synagogue, and taught. And there was a man, and his right hand was withered.

7. And the Scribes and Phariſees watched if he would cure on the Sabboth; that they might find how to accuſe him.

8. But he knew their cogitations; and he ſaid to the man that had the withered hand: Ariſe, and ſtand forth into the middes. And riſing he stood.

9. And IESVS ſaid to them: I aſke you, if it be lawful on the Sabboths to doe wel or il; to ſaue a ſoule or to deſtroy?

10. And looking about vpon them al, he ſaid to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he ſtretched it forth; & his hand was reſtored.

11. And they were repleniſhed with madnes; & they communed one with another what they might doe to IESVS.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.