Chapter 20
The Healing Stretch
The Reading: Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11
The Problem:
This is a story about a man with a serious health issue. Tradition tells us that the man had previously been a stonemason. That means that he made his living by laying bricks and stones and working in the construction business. Scripture doesn’t say what caused his limb to start withering and dying away. Maybe there was nerve damage in the hand due to an injury on the job. Perhaps he had contracted a disease such as polio, which causes that kind of withering. It could have been a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis. All we know is that the man with a withered hand was there in the synagogue that day, at the same time as Jesus.
Scripture also doesn’t tell us how the man came to catch Jesus’ attention. It could be that Jesus and the man made eye contact, and Jesus could see his faith. If tradition is correct and the man was a former stonemason that lived around the Galilee area, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that he and Jesus knew each another from the time when Jesus was still a carpenter. They may have even worked on a job together, along with Jesus’ father, Joseph.
Most commentaries view this man as a prop, setting the scene to point out Jesus’ ongoing arguments with the Pharisees and other religious authorities. They see the main issue as being about what Jews could or could not do on the Sabbath. They also point out the fact that, after Jesus healed the man, the Jews began to plot how they could destroy Jesus, laying the groundwork for the trial that would eventually lead to the Cross.
But the man with a withered hand was a real flesh and bone man, dealing with a very serious health issue, and was probably at the Synagogue that day hoping for a touch from the Lord. This was a man willing to do whatever Jesus asked him to do, in order to be healed. And the man was important enough to Jesus, that He stopped whatever He was doing to address this disability.
The Turning Point:
Jesus only asked the man to do one thing - stretch out his hand and arm the best that he could. And he asked the man to do this BEFORE he was healed. I wonder if the man was confused – the hand was the problem and Jesus wanted him to perform an action with his hand. I can just see him looking at his hand and looking up at Jesus, looking back at his hand again, and looking back at Jesus. But his faith was stretched, and he finally, slowly, carefully stretched it out.
The Miracle That Followed:
The man obeyed Jesus to the best of his ability, and immediately, his arm became healthy and whole. What was withered came alive! What was dry and unless became vibrant and energetic! Jesus had told the man to do something he couldn’t do, but the man obeyed anyway and his healing was immediate.
The Bottom Line:
It may be that some of us are experiencing "withering" - some drying out and loss of energy and power in a few areas.
- Our hands lifted up in intercessory prayer may have gotten a little withered and dry.
We use our hands for work and some of our best work is the time we spend interceding for one another. However, with all of life's interruptions and busyness our prayer lives can become a little withered and dried out. We can find ourselves mumbling a few words of prayer in a hurry without spending time to really focus. We may need to ask the Lord to help us stretch out hands a little more in prayer for our family, friends, others and ourselves.
- Our hands of service may have gotten a little withered and dry.
Just like with prayer, because of the busyness of life, we can find ourselves becoming takers rather than givers and servers. We get used to paying people for services, or just expect people (like our employees) to do things for us automatically, and we forget, as disciples of Jesus, we are called to be servers and givers as well.
- Our hands of fellowship may have gotten a little withered and dry.
You might be able to think of a relationship that over the past few weeks, months or years has become a little dry and withered. We didn't mean for it to happen but we have drifted apart. Maybe it’s time to reach out to see how they are doing, offer a hand of fellowship again, and begin to bring some new life back to those relationships.
- Our relationship with God may have gotten a little withered and dry.
Sometimes life deals us some rather harsh and difficult blows that make us feel like we are drying out and our lives are withering away. Maybe we have made some bad choices, our lives are a little bit of a mess, and we feel like our relationship with our family and with God is becoming a little dry and withering. But this can be healed. Try starting your day by spending quiet time with the Lord every morning.
