Stretch Forth Your Hand - Mark 3:5

Mark wrote how Jesus, “entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he said unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he said unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.”, and in chapter three and verse five of his book, Mark shares how Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “stretch forth your hand” where we read:

And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he said unto the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

The verse reads, “And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, ...” Mark began with the words, “and when he had looked round about on them” or “and at the time and moment Jesus gazed with His eyes at the Pharisees” “with anger” which means “with violent emotion, movement and agitation of the soul”, “being grieved” or “with sorrow and affliction” “for the hardness” which means “because of the callus, obtrusive and dulled mental discernment and perception” “of their hearts” which means “belonging to the Pharisees' souls and minds as they pertain to the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites and affections”? Mark shared how Jesus “looked at” the “Pharisees” with “agitation, sorrow and grief” because they had “callus and obtrusive” “souls”.

The verse goes on to say, “he said unto the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.” Mark added the words, “he said unto the man” which means “Jesus uttered, declared and proclaimed unto the man with the withered hand”, “Stretch forth your hand” which means “ the withered man was to extend and put forth his hand. “And he stretched it out” or “and the man extended and put forth his hand”: “and his hand was restored whole” which means “and the man's hand was cured and healed” “as the other” or “like his other hand”. Mark shared how Jesus directed the “man with the withered hand” to “extend” it, and when the man obeyed, he was healed.

When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we see another wonderful miracle performed by Jesus. No one else in the “synagogue”, including the religious leaders, were able to “restore” this man's hand, and Jesus did it simply by giving an instruction to him. Though the “Pharisees” thought no one should “heal” or “give any healing aid” to anyone on the “sacred” “sabbath day”, Jesus did it anyway, and the man was restored. God gave His law to man for their benefit, and He provided the “sabbath day” as a means of restoration and health. Those who seek to understand this will realize God sent His Son Jesus to the earth to “save” mankind from their “sinful state” so they might live with Him forever. Those who are wise will yield and comply with Jesus' offer to “extend” your life to Him.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus “the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".