Day 9 – Forty Days in the Word

Mark 3:1-6

“And He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there with a withered hand.” (verse 1)

I am picturing a synagogue – the gathering place of faithful Jews who are apart from the temple in Jerusalem. It is a local expression of the Hebrew faith, with readings from the Torah, Sabbath worship, teaching and social interaction. The local church in the New Testament era resembled the synagogue in many ways. So Jesus enters again – returns to this weekly gathering. A man is present with a disability. He has a hand that is “withered.”

“And they were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, in order that they might accuse Him.”  (Verse 2) Jesus is clearly facing a crowd of people in which several are hostile to him, just waiting to accuse him. What a difficult place to be, where those gathered are not seeking a closer walk with God, nor listening for a word of hope, but are ready to pounce on the one who brings (and is) the Word of God.

“And He said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Rise and come forward!’” (Verse 3) Jesus calls upon the man with the disability. Did he like being singled out? Jesus is clearly heading down a path that will lead to conflict. Whether he does or does not heal this man, he has proceeded right to the center of the issue at hand.

“And He said to them, ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?”  (Verse 4) Jesus always asked good questions. As a disciple of His, I need to be framing good questions to ask the community, including those are hostile, those who are neutral, and those who are supportive. When facing hostility, the normal reaction is to build one’s own case, and to become defensive. Jesus provides an example here of being confident in who He is and what he does. This question is the turning point.

“And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” (Verse 5) I am picturing what it would have been like to be present and to witness Jesus expressing anger in the way he looked at people. He is typically not portrayed with anger in His eyes. I can just imagine what this was like!

“And the Pharisees went out and immediately began taking counsel with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” This points to the beginning of the religious leaders’ intentional plot to eliminate Jesus. They were stuck in the past, upholding the law. They could not see what God was doing in the present.

May I always be open to what God is doing now, and carefully guard against any internal resistance to what God is beginning to do through someone else, even if they do not have the proper credentials!!!!

Guide me today, most holy Lord in all I say, do, think, plan and with all the people with whom I come into contact.