The Hand of Man(Mark 3:1-12)

Now there are times in our lives when we will come to a crossroads and come to a choice in which we know will come with a consequence. There are many times where we will suffer for doing good when standing up for what we believe in.

I remember in the midst of covid, people were getting sick. Hospitals and nursing home were full. There was a risk if we went anywhere that we could get it too.

To me, that risk was worth it. To still see people in the hospitals, nursing homes and visiting them at their house was worth the risk. I ended up getting covid a couple years ago.. I was hospitalized for almost a week, put on oxygen at home for several months.

But that was the consequence I was willing to endure.

I think about how Doctors, nurses, and staff faced that risk every single day and had to suffer for what is right.

I think about the courage of our law enforcement. They deal with the risk of something happening to them every time they put on their uniform.

They also have to deal with the images of crime scenes that follow them home and haunt them at night.

I think about our fire department.. how they risk their lives by going through the fire so they may save someone.

I think about our military who accept the call of duty and spend months away from there loved ones with the risk of never seeing them again. They suffer for the good of our country.

You don’t have to be a Pastor, the police, the fire department, the military, or medic to suffer for doing good though.

The common person suffers for doing good and standing up for what is right.

I think about the woman who has an unplanned pregnancy who chooses life over death because she’d rather suffer for doing what is good than allow a child to die because of a wrong choice.

I think about the couple that waits until they are married to have sex and live with each other.

I think about the one who has to work in the world but gets passed up for a promotion because they refuse to lie

We are becoming a culture where it’s becoming increasingly common to suffer for what is good, right, and Holy.

Time and time again we see Jesus suffer for doing what is good. In our scripture today, we will see another example of this.. Let’s go ahead and read it.

Mark 3:1–12 (ESV)

1Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand.

2And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.

3And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.”

4And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

5And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

6The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea

8and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him.

9And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him,

10for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.

11And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

12And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.

Now we see Jesus entering the synagogue again on the Sabbath.

The Jewish place of worship. Jesus had just violated their rules and rituals by working on the sabbath by allowing the disciples to pick some grain.

The Pharisees considered this a horrible offense against the law of God.

Jesus just seems to be making the religious leaders upset time after time. They have tried telling him several times.

Dont claim to forgive sins

Don’t hangout with sinners

Don’t neglect fasting

Don’t work in order to eat on the Sabbath.

Obviously it has reached a point where even Jesus was getting frustrated! Most of us would of backed down at this point.

But not Jesus! He see’s a man who is struggling and needs help. Jesus is at a crossroads here.

Does he choose to make people happy and bow down to the rituals and laws of the religious elite or does He take a stand on what is right.

1. THE SAVIOR’S COMPASSION—vv. 1–4

a. We see that Jesus came to the synagogue and approached a man with a withered hand.

Withered meant that his hand was dried up, stiff and paralyzed.

Now this man didn’t get a withered hand because it was something he inherited or that he was born with but, it was the result of an accident or disease.

Only the Luke account of the man’s withered hand mentions which hand it was.

It mentions that it is the right hand. Now this is of crucial importance to know because back then the right hand symbolized authority, power and honor.

It was the right hand that people used to work with, to eat with and to shake someones hand.

They had a very practical reason for this. It was because they used the left hand to let’s say…wash and clean sensitive areas of the body.

So for sanitary purposes they used the right hand for everything else, even though they washed both hands often as it was the oral tradition of the elders.

b. We see that Jesus had people watching him so that they could accuse him.

Sometimes we can have enemies who follow us too, who are just hoping that we slip up and make a mistake.

People are watching us. Especially unbelievers to see how we act, what we say and how we conduct ourselves.

How are we being witnesses to the power of God in our lives?

They are looking for ammunition to use against us.

Today we find people saying Christians aren’t tolerant but the same people who say that, are intolerant when Christians stand up for what we believe in.

c. We see Jesus still told the man with the withered hand to come to him.

He calls us to come to him too. Maybe it’s not our hand that is withered that feels dry, stiff and handicapped but maybe we feel that spiritually.

We all go threw dry seasons in our lives where we don’t feel like God is there, where we don’t feel those goosebumps for God.

But it’s never that God let’s go of us but, it’s that we let go of God.

d. We see Jesus ask the pharisees around him two questions

Is it lawful to do good or do harm on the Sabbath?

To save a life or to kill it ?

Unlike the man with the withered hand, The Pharisee’s had a hardened heart toward Jesus.

A. W. Tozer used to tell the story of the governor of a mid-western state who disguised himself and went into prison for a day to learn of the conditions.

While speaking with a likable young convict, he felt a strong desire to pardon him.

“What would you do”, he asked casually, “if the governor were to offer you a pardon?”

The convict said, “The first thing I’d do is cut the throat of the judge who sent me here.”

The governor was saddened as he broke off the conversation and left. That convict stayed in his cell.

What was his problem? He had been convicted, but he had allowed his heart to become hard.

He could not be helped because of a hard heart.

2. THE MANS WITHERED HAND STRETCHING

v. 5

a. The man with the withered hand had a heart that was tender

b. The man with the withered hand trusted Jesus by stretching out his hand even though it was difficult.

c. The man with the withered hand was healed and restored by placing his faith in Jesus.

d. The man with the withered hand displayed a risky faith because of those that were watching.

3. THE ENEMIES SCHEMING—vv. 6–8

a. The Pharisees then decided to team up with an enemy to try and defeat Jesus. They started to scheme with the Herodians

b. The Herodians were.... a political group from Rome.

So we have here the religious group of the pharisees teaming up with the political group of the Herodians

c. The Pharisees and Herodians did not like each other at all but they both found a common enemy in Jesus who was threatening their power.

It’s almost like the democrats and the republicans uniting to get rid of a independant.

d. The Pharisees and Herodians didn’t want to just strip Jesus of his influence, or stop him but they wanted to destroy him.

e. The Herodians had cause to destroy Jesus due to their family ancestry.

Herod the Great was a ruler of Rome and in order to protect his power when he heard that Jesus, the Messiah was born he ordered all males two years or younger to be slaughtered.

Then later on we see His father Herod antipas, who ordered the head of John the Baptist. Who was a close friend of Jesus.

f. We also have an enemy. Satan is out there to steal, kill and destroy us.

e. We must be aware of the devils schemes.

4. THE GOOD NEWS SPREADING—vv. 9–12

a. Next we Jesus getting away and he went to the sea with his disciples and a large crowd followed him from the surrounding cities.

b. People have heard what Jesus has been doing. That he was performing miracles, healings, and casting out demons.

c. He was preaching with authority and saying that the kingdom of God is near.

d. He was upsetting the status quo and preaching freedom from the bondage of the legalism of the religious leaders.

We see three different crowds of people flock to Jesus.

a. We see the committed

This include his Disciples

such as Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew and others.

They answered the call to be followers of Jesus and not just fans

They offered their service to Jesus in any way He asked such a preparing a boat and later on going out to preach.

The committed today

This would include those who make up God’s Church.

Those who answer the call to discipleship beyond Sunday morning.

b. We see the curious

Those that are following Jesus

because they heard of all the miracles and healings

They are seeking Jesus but not because of what he’s done for them but for what they can get out of him.

Those that are curious today

This would include those who visit different churches but never become committed

It would include those who just come for Christmas and Easter

It can even include those who come every week but for some reason or another never takes that step to really follow Christ.

c. We see the condemned

Like the unclean spirits who were demons.

They knew who Jesus is and the authority and power He has

Yet they showed no remorse or sorrow of what they do.

There are many who are condemned today

This includes those who persist in sin and refuse to repent

Those that Mock God and show no shame for their ways.

Who think lightly of their sin

5. APPLICATION

Are we willing to suffer for Christ? Are we willing to submit our desires, goals, achievements to the larger purpose of Christ transforming us?

PRAYER

I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, exalted for you, or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing: I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

HOLY COMMUNION

READ Luke 22:14–20 (NIV)

14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” 17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

The Lord himself ordained this holy sacrament. He commanded His disciples to partake of the bread and wine, emblems of His broken body and shed blood.

This is His table. The feast is for His disciples. Let all those who have with true repentance forsaken their sins, and have believed in Christ unto salvation, draw near and take these emblems, and, by faith, partake of the life of Jesus Christ, to your soul’s comfort and joy.

Let us remember that it is the memorial of the death and passion of our Lord; also a token of His coming again. Let us not forget that we are one, at one table with the Lord.

The minister may offer a prayer of confession and supplication, concluding with the following prayer of consecration:

Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who out of Your tender mercy gave Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer death upon the Cross for our redemption: hear us, we most humbly beseech You.

Grant that, as we receive these Your creatures of bread and wine according to the holy institution of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, in remembrance of His passion and death, we may be made partakers of the benefits of His atoning sacrifice.

We are reminded that in the same night that our Lord was betrayed, He took bread and, when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise, after supper, He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

May we come before You in true humility and faith as we partake of this holy sacrament. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Call for the assemble and Pass out the elements of the bread and the cup

after everyone is seated......

Then may the minister, partaking first, take the bread. let the minister say:

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was broken for you, preserve you blameless, unto everlasting life. Take and eat this, in remembrance that Christ died for you.

Then, may the minister, take the cup and say:

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this, in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.

After all have partaken, the minister may then offer a concluding prayer of thanksgiving and commitment.