He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!
MARK 3:5
It was another Sabbath day and Jesus was teaching. The man looked down at his withered right hand, trying for the hundredth time to move it, to feel something. But there was nothing. No feeling and no movement. The lifeless hand had rendered him helpless. His right forearm was a clumsy substitute for a hand. It was difficult to grasp, hold, and manipulate the basic objects necessary for daily living, let alone to practice his trade. He thought about his former life as a bricklayer and the satisfaction he had felt in his work. Now he was forced to beg just to meet his basic needs.
His former life was gone for good, unless everything they said about Jesus was true. Unless He really was the Messiah, the Redeemer of Israel, and He really could heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, cleanse the lepers, make the deaf hear, cause the lame to walk, and raise the dead. He looked up from his thoughts and realized Jesus was staring directly at him. For a moment his heart started to race. Jesus can heal me. And then he remembered. It was the Sabbath. The laws forbade working on the Sabbath, unless lives were in danger. And healing was like medicine, and practicing medicine was working. He sighed. His life was not in danger. It was just rendered useless by this worthless hand.
None of this escaped the notice of the Pharisees and teachers of religious law. They saw what was going on and were watching Jesus very closely, preparing to pounce on His next move. Jesus seemed to know exactly what they were thinking.
Finally, one of them asked Him, “Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?” Jesus answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”
The crippled man barely had time to process Jesus’ answer when he heard Him say, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Without hesitation or any concern for the law or the religious leaders, he came to the front and stood. He saw both anger and grief in Jesus’ face as He looked around the room at the teachers and Pharisees. Then Jesus said to him, “Hold out your hand.” Again, he immediately obeyed. Holding out his hand, he looked down in amazement. It was normal! He wiggled his fingers and clenched his fist. Praise Jesus, my hand is healed! (Matthew 12:9–14; Mark 3:1–6).
By healing on the Sabbath, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, who then became wild with rage and began plotting to kill Him. Their plan all along was to get Him to break their laws so they could arrest Him on charges that His power was not from God. Jesus was outraged at them for putting their laws above human needs. He could have waited for another day to heal the man’s hand, but in doing so, He would have been submitting to their authority and agreeing that their rules were equal to God’s law. He made it clear that God put people over petty rules.
The man who was healed took immediate action. He obeyed when Jesus told him to come and stand. Instead of holding back out of concern for breaking the law and unleashing the Pharisees’ wrath, he stood with the only One who could heal him. He didn’t believe God wanted him to live this way. God’s nature didn’t line up with the Pharisees’ rules. So he stretched out his hand in faith, beyond man’s rules and limitations, and received His healing.
You, too, are worth more to God than petty rules. He might be waiting for you to obey Him before you receive, to step out of your comfort zone, to do something counterintuitive, to stretch beyond what seems possible, without worrying about the opinions of others. He might be waiting for you to hold out your hand.
Lord, please show me if there are any areas in my healing journey where I have submitted to worldly rules, paradigms, norms, and limitations instead of Your mighty power. Forgive me if I have failed to take action out of fear, the opinions of others, or my own discomfort. Lord, please give me the boldness to step out in obedience when I know in my spirit what You want me to do. Help me to trust Your wisdom and understanding, and not my own (Proverbs 3:5–8).
Lord, I need Your courage to stretch beyond limitation, beyond what seems possible, beyond what feels comfortable. Holy Spirit, take me to higher places in my understanding of You and Your power. Help me to obey You, even when obedience feels counterintuitive. Help me to stand with You, the only One who can heal me. Lord, I hold out my hand.