And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. Matthew 12:10-13

There will always be questions to come against who Jesus is and what He stands for. The ways of the world and the spirit of religion will try to put limitations on the power of God. Man’s reasons stand to contradict the simplicity of faith.

When we are faced with opposition, we must lean on the Lord’s reasoning. Here was a man in great need and men came along trying to delay this man’s healing all because of trying to trap Jesus. Often a spirit of religion or ways of the word want us to operate within their own confinements. Here we see the Shepherd heart of God displayed and a man’s health restored.

What I find beautiful here is that Jesus addresses the religious men with an explanation of His heart of compassion verses theirs oflegalism. He doesn’t only heal the man and leave the questions unanswered. He clarifies before the healing that indeed He cares more about the wholeness of a man verses the legalism of the law.

“Is it lawful to heal?…” Of course it is—this is who Jesus is and what he embodies. We must know that Jesus is for us in the midst of every pain that we are suffering. He doesn’t operate by the kingdom of this world. He operates by the kingdom of God and the love of God. Stretch out your hand in faith today in the midst of your adversaries. There is nothing standing between you and your full healing. Jesus is in your midst and desires you to see Him being for you.