Silence Not Golden

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him.  He said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up here before us. "Then he said to the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" But they remained silent. 

Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

Silence is not golden, as many of us have been led to believe by this popular expression.  Jesus certainly didn’t believe silence was golden on the Sabbath because through silence (inaction) he would not do good.  He felt anytime was the right time to help someone, such as the man with the withered hand.

How many of us are silent and not just on Sunday when we’re faced with someone in need of help – someone who stretches out to us – reaches with their withered hand caused by poverty or disease?

Jesus says to us, “Come up here before me.  Do good rather than evil.  Save lives; don’t destroy them, especially through inaction or ambivalence.”   Hardness of heart has a withering effect on our souls.  Let’s stretch out our hands to others; otherwise, they will wither.

Deacon David Pierce