Luke 6:10 On another Sabbath HE went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisee and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse JESUS, so they watched HIM closely to see if HE would heal on the Sabbath. But JESUS knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. 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 destroy it?” HE looked around at them all, then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. [New International Bible Translation]
Summary
In the Old Testament, there are a number of verses where GOD commanded someone to stretch. In Exodus 7:19 GOD instructed Moses to tell Aaron: “Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt…and they will turn to blood.” In Exodus 8:5, the LORD told Moses to tell Aaron to “Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and channels and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.” In Exodus 14:15, the LORD tells Moses to “Quit praying” and “get the people moving”---“Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
In each of these situations, something miraculous occurred then Moses and Aaron obeyed GOD’s command to stretch.
In Luke 6:10 we have another situation where GOD wanted someone to stretch. The Pharisee and the teachers of the law were known for their rigidness and “set in their ways” attitudes and ways. GOD often referred to such people as “stiff necked” “heart hardened” people. See, Exodus 32:9; Acts 7:51. They were so bent on “getting what they wanted” that they often did not
notice the suffering of others. Even, when JESUS asked the man, “who needed a hand,” to stand up in front of everyone---so that they couldn’t “miss him”, no one made a move to help him. Not a single person extended himself. Even when the MASTER PREACHER/TEACHER reminded those around HIM of the WORD of GOD, and looked around at them, no one helped. Their focus was on something entirely different.
They were too narrow-minded. They were too short-sighted. Their hearts were too hardened to care about the man or JESUS. Instead of extending themselves to JESUS and the man, they missed out. Only the man, who the religious leaders ignored, stretched and was healed.
Stretching Out
Stretching helps to improve flexibility and your range of motion. As a result, stretching tends to improve a person’s physical performance and decreases a person’s risk for injury. There are stretching exercises that kids and adults can perform. For example, the following upper body stretches can be performed by both:
If you are a wheelchair user, consider some of the stretches and suggestions at the following website: http://kdsmartchair.com/blogs/news/43656067-stretching-exercises-for-wheelchair-users-infographic.
As always, if you have a medical condition or you have concerns about your own safety performing any stretch or exercise, consult your personal physician first before beginning any new exercise program or activity.
Extending Yourself
There are people in need all around us. We don’t even have the “luxury” of “feigning ignorance.” People in need are visible on the street, they are within blocks of our churches and sometimes within our own families. There are men and women in prisons and in mental facilities in every state. In some countries people are going without food and medicine. Youth are still dropping out of schools. Those caught up in the evils of this world are still looking for someone to “extend themselves” and help.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel said “The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference.” If we say we love GOD, we cannot be indifferent to the suffering of others. To paraphrase Edward Burke, “All it takes for evil to flourish and triumph is for good men and women to sit around or stand around and do nothing.”
If we become stiff, accusatory, short-sighted or we forget the teaching and preaching of JESUS, we too will miss the miracle.
Stretch, extend yourself, get moving---and BE BLESSED!
