Mark Photos - 3:1-6 - Hand

Mark 3:1-6 - The Man with a Withered Hand Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. ---- When I was a kid, my buddies and I used to recreate the scene in Empire a Strikes Back where Luke loses his hand and then receives a robotic one. One of the things that was part of this was that we acted like we had to learn how to use the hand all over again. This man whom Jesus heals in this story (who interestingly doesn't seem to ask to be healed)...I wonder if he had to learn how to use his hand all over again or if it was just like going back to what he once remembered. When we are touched by the power of Christ, do we try to go back to old ways or learn new ones? Jesus calls us to turn to a new way...new hand and all.

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