Jesus seemed to do a lot of His miracles on the Sabbath, and it often caused controversy. This time there was a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue.
Some people, presumably religious leaders, were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus. When someone is doing the work of God there will always be those who oppose it and look for reasons to accuse the man or woman of God.
See how Jesus dealt with the situation. He confronted the issue head on. Now this does not mean we should always tackle every controversy head-on, but there are times when we should. Today in the debates about sexuality and the Bible there is a distinct lack of clarity in much of what the church says.
Here the overriding factor was that there was a man with a shriveled hand. Then Jesus asked His would-be accusers what the purpose of the Sabbath was. As far as God was concerned the purpose was to do good, to bring life. When we become legalistic we quickly forget the true purpose of God.
So Jesus brought the man to the front and healed him in front of them all.
The reaction of the Pharisees was to plot with the Herodians about how to kill Jesus, rather than rejoicing in the miracle and wondering how this salvation might help them.
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