Reading: Mark 3
The human body is not perfect and there are many impairments that we may have to cope with during the brief time we inhabit this temporary dwelling. When Jesus walked the earth, he often healed bodily illness and impairments. I believe He did this to show the world that He had the creative and restoring power of God and also to show us the compassion of His heart. When he entered the synagogue and encountered a man with a withered hand, He cared about how that deformity impacted and burdened the man’s life. We don’t know the cause of the impairment but we know he had endured it long enough for the hand to be in a withered condition. Perhaps the man had resigned himself to his condition, but we also know he longed to be made whole.
I have worked with many patients who have suffered strokes that caused paralysis to an arm and/ or hand. I have seen the long term effects of a paralyzed limb. Often the arm draws up and becomes tightly flexed and this can even be painful. The hand can curl tightly, making it hard to keep the nails trimmed and the skin from breaking down. If the whole arm is paralyzed it also becomes heavy and sometimes the weight of the useless arm pulls the bone out of the shoulder socket which can also be painful. Inevitably, the muscles atrophy and shrink, the blood flow is reduced and great care must be taken to prevent further unknown injury, especially if sensation has been altered or lost. And the person dealing with the impaired limb must learn other strategies for performing tasks that are normally performed with both hands. If you want just a glimpse into such a world, try refraining from use of one of your hands and then try to perform simple tasks such as getting dressed, preparing a snack to eat, or folding laundry. Even if you retain use of your dominant arm, you will be amazed how much you depend on the non dominant arm to stabilize and support the functions of the other.
If you saw such a person, and you knew that they could be healed, would your heart not find great joy in witnessing such an event. Would you not have abundant compassion for their situation and long for them to be made whole? If within your heart there was even a tiny sliver of God’s love and compassion then I think the answer to that scenario would be “Yes”. But that was not the case with the Pharisees. They knew that Jesus could end this man’s suffering but they did not care. They had other priorities...”And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.” (v2). Jesus knew that their hearts were cold and void. Their hearts were so hardened by selfish desires that the love of God could not penetrate. “And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart ...(v5).
But Jesus did not let man dictate his actions. Jesus had love and compassion for the man’s suffering and infirmity. Jesus walked this earth to show us his heart....to make us whole. Now, interestingly, Jesus makes a request of this man. He asks this man to reach for Him with that withered hand. ...”Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” (v5) Over and over again, Jesus shows compassion for our suffering and trials. Over and over again, he asks us to take whatever is “ withered” within our hearts and extend that toward Him to be healed.
My prayer is that you will see how compassionate Jesus is. He cares about our earthly infirmities but more than that, He cares about the condition of our heart. Sin paralyzes us, and withers us from the inside. Jesus longs to penetrate our hearts and fill our hearts with His love and grace. But, we have to be responsive to his request. We have to be willing to extend toward Him what needs to be restored. As God penetrates into our hearts with His love, we also will have compassion for others and long to see them touched by Jesus and made whole.