Healing a Withered Hand
Life of Jesus · Draft · BSB
Content revision: d880b7e0e5c13e3a · No editorial review date recorded
Date: Ministry in Galilee. A guided comparison of Gospel accounts, not a measured calendar or a claim that every parallel follows the same sequence.
In a synagogue Jesus restores a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath. He challenges his watchers to consider whether the day is for doing good and saving life, and opponents begin plotting against him.
Luke identifies this as another Sabbath; the location is unnamed. The conflict contrasts restoration with the opponents’ destructive planning, and does not portray every Pharisee or synagogue attendee as sharing one response.
Primary Scripture
12:9 Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue,
12:10 and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
12:11 He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
12:12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
12:13 Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other.
12:14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
3:1 Once again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man with a withered hand was there.
3:2 In order to accuse Jesus, they were watching to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.
3:3 Then Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up among us.”
3:4 And He asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” But they were silent.
3:5 Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored.
3:6 At this, the Pharisees went out and began plotting with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
6:6 On another Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.
6:7 Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.
6:8 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So he got up and stood there.
6:9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
6:10 And after looking around at all of them, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and it was restored.
6:11 But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with rage and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Related Scripture
Deuteronomy 5:12–15 · teaching
Deuteronomy connects Sabbath rest with freedom from slavery and rest for the whole household.
Location evidence
The synagogue is unnamed in these readings. Galilee is an approximate contextual region, replacing the unsupported exact Capernaum pin.
Event map marker: Approximate region; [longitude, latitude] = [35.35, 32.85]. This is a teaching marker, not an exact event venue.
Galilee: Approximate region. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [35.35, 32.85]. Classification source: editorial.
Illustrative regional extent: [[35.1,32.55],[35.68,33.15]]; not a measured confidence interval.
Gospel setting; extent is an editorial illustration, not a boundary
Gospel setting; extent is an editorial illustration, not a boundary
For the class
What contrast do the healing and the ensuing plot create?
Interpretation and reuse
Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review.
Record source: theographic (293)
Record source: editorial
Events and places adapted from Theographic Bible Metadata (github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata), CC BY-SA 4.0. This adapted data is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Place coordinates from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0.
Teaching stops, summaries and regional extents are original editorial content of this atlas.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm