Mark 3: 1-6 (NLT)
Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. Would he heal the man’s hand on the Sabbath? If he did, they planned to condemn him. Jesus said to the man, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Is it legal to do good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing harm? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him. He looked around at them angrily, because he was deeply disturbed by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Reach out your hand.” The man reached out his hand, and it became normal again! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to discuss plans for killing Jesus.
Have you ever felt like God is embarrassing you? Like he has dragged you out in front of a large crowd as he did this man, to show the world your “withered hand,” your hideous disfigurement of sin? Like your deepest secrets and feelings and emotions splayed before the world at one inglorious moment. Its humbling to say the least. But when we start to see the things the way Jesus envisions things, we come to a greater understanding of his methods.
Everything Jesus does is out of love. Those people not stuck in the rigorous standards of religion can see that. The man with the withered hand understood Jesus’ love. Despite being the example, he trusted Jesus not to embarrass or humiliate him in front of the crowd. His willingness to obey, his faith, helped lead him to healing. Had he not accepted Jesus’ demand, had he walked away for fear of embarrassment, he would have missed out on his healing and we would have been stripped of his story. Jesus used the man to show both his glory and his compassion. And the story continues to do both.
So now we come back to us. Has your sin, weakness, or inadequacy been put on display in front of the church? Your family? Your job? Your community? Instead of hiding in the shadows or trying to dive for cover amongst the crowd (which has similar struggles), why don’t we start seeing the ordeal through Jesus eyes. Perhaps you have been placed in front of the crowd to reflect both the glory and compassion of Christ, much like the man in the Gospel. No, it may not be wonderful thing to go through at the time. But in the end, you will be completely healed and able to share with the world your story.
Jesus loves us more than we can ever imagine. Stand up and show it.
