The Withered Hand

Εγένετο δὲ καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ Σαββάτῳ εἰσελθεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Συναγωγὴν καὶ διδάσκειν. Καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ἡ δεξιὰ ἦν ξηρά. Παρετήρουν δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ Γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι, εἰ ἐν τῷ Σαββάτῳ θεραπεύσει, ἵνα εὕρωσι κατηγορίαν κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Αὐτὸς δὲ ᾔδει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν. Καὶ εἶπε τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ ξηρὰν ἔχοντι τὴν χεῖρα · Ἔγειραι , καὶ στῆθι εἰς τὸ μέσον. Ὁ δὲ ἀναστὰς ἔστη. Εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς αὐτοὺς· Επερωτήσω ὑμᾶς τι· ἔξεστι τοῖς Σάββασιν ἀγαθοποιῆσαι, ἢ κακοποιῆσαι; ψυχὴν σῶσαι, ἢ ἀπολέται; Καὶ περιβλεψάμενος πάντας αὐτοὺς, εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρά σου. Ὁ δὲ ἐποίησε, καὶ ἀποκατεστάθη ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὑγιὴς ὡς ἡ ἄλλη. Αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐπλήσθησαν ἀνοίας, καὶ διελάλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, τὶ ἂν ποιήσειαν τῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ὅσα μὲν εἴπομεν ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ματθαῖον, δῆλα· νῦν δὲ τόδε λέγομεν, ὅτι ξηρὰν ἔχει τὴν χεῖρα, ὃς οὐ πράττει τι τῶν τῆς ἀρε- τῆς ἔργων. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ χεὶρ ἐνεργείας ὄργανον, ὃς δὲ ἐξήρανται ταύτην, ἀργεῖ πάντως. Ὅστις οὖν θέλει ὑγιασθῆναι τὴν χεῖρα, ἐν τῷ Σαββάτῳ ταύτην ὑγιασθήσεται. Οἷον τί λέγω· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνεργῆσαί τι τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργων, ἐὰν μὴ παυθῇ τις ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας. Ἔκκλινον γὰρ πρῶτον ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ, καὶ τότε ποίησον τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ὅταν οὖν σαββατίσῃς, τουτέστιν , ἀργήσῃς ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς κακίας ἔργων, τότε ἐκτενεῖς σου τὴν χεῖρα ἐπὶ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς, καὶ ἀποκαταστήσεταί σοι αὕτη. Εἰκότως δὲ εἶπε τὸ, ᾿Αποκατεστάθη. Ἧν γὰρ ὅτε ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις εἶχε τὴν ἐργασίαν τοῦ καλοῦ, καὶ τὴν χεῖρα, τουτέστι τὴν ἐνεργητικὴν δύναμιν, ὑγιᾶ . Εἶτα ἀπολέσασα, χάριτι Χριστοῦ ἀπέλαβε ταύτην, καὶ ἀποκατέστη εἰς τὸ πρώην ἀγαθόν. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λουκαν, Κεφαλὴ Ϛ' Source: Migne PG 123.769b-d

On another Sabbath He went into a synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. And the Scribes and the Pharisees watched Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might have something with which to accuse Him. He knew their thoughts and to the man with the withered hand, 'Rise up and stand in the midst of us.' And he rose up and stood. Then Jesus said to them, 'I ask you, is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to evil, to save a soul or to destroy it?' And looking around at them all, He said to the man, 'Hold out your hand.' He did so and the hand was restored to health just like the other one. And they were utterly astonished and they spoke among themselves about what had been done by Jesus. 1 What we have said in Matthew is clear, but now we will say that the man had a withered hand that could do not work of virtue. For the hand is the instrument of working, which if it has withered, is completely useless for that. If someone, then, wishes to heal the hand, he sanctifies it on the Sabbath. For it cannot perform any work of virtue unless it previously stops doing evil. Decline from evil, it is said, and then do good. 2 Thus when you observe the Sabbath, that is, when you rest from all evil works, then you may extend your hand to the works of virtue and it may be restored. And rightly it says that it was restored, for when human nature has the power of doing good, the hand, that is, the instrument of working is healthy, but since it withered it received the grace of Christ again and was restored to its former health. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Luke, Chapter 6 1 Lk 6.6-11 2 Ps 36.27