This is a Bible story retelling from the story of the man with the withered hand (whom I named Micah) described in Mark 3:1-5 in the NKJV.
He hid amongst the crowd, afraid. The watchful eyes of the Pharisees intimidated his very soul. Shame crawled its way into Micah’s heart, breaking almost every ounce of hope he had left.
Almost.
Micah hid his withered hand inside his tunic, tired of the scornful faces of those around him. The Pharisees were making a public example of him, challenging the Teacher. But is it wrong? Micah wanted to ask. Is it wrong to want to be healed?
The Pharisees thought so.
The man with the withered hand watched Jesus stand at the center of the crowd. He remained unmoved by the hateful expressions and prepared ridicule from the Pharisees. Micah imagined Jesus standing right there, at the center of everyone’s opinions.
Looking at Micah, Jesus said, “Step forward.”
Micah’s heart nearly burst. A mixture of fear and excitement moved with the shuffling of his feet. The Pharisees stared down at Micah, their expressions read, how dare you!
Was it a walk of shame? Or maybe it was a walk of faith?
Micah stood before Jesus, his hands trembling. The eyes of the crowd burned right through him, reminding him to keep his shameful hand hidden. Will He do it? Micah wondered. Does He want to do it?
Jesus observed the crowd for a moment, before speaking boldly, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”
A small gasp escaped from Micah’s lips. He glanced at the Pharisees, each of them remaining silent. Micah looked back at Jesus and felt something soft in his heart. It was the realization that someone was standing with him, for the first time in Micah’s life.
“Stretch out your hand.” Jesus kept his eyes on Micah, showing no care for their spectators.
The shame. It nagged Micah left and right, screaming at him not to publicly humiliate himself. He didn’t want to display his withered hand to the crowd, and especially not the Pharisees. But this Jesus who stood with him, at the center of the hateful opinions, remained unmoved.
Reaching for the feeling of hope and faith, Micah stretched out his withered hand. A loud cry came from the inner depths of Micah’s soul. He stared at his hand, completely shocked. It was restored as whole as his other hand.
Micah looked to Jesus, with tears in his eyes, as the undeniable truth replaced every lie…
He mattered.
Personal Thoughts/Bible Study:
My Jesus. He is the one who is not ashamed to touch someone’s life. His heart is always filled with over and abundant love. And it is that same love that brought restoration into a man’s hopeless life…
Can you imagine the embarrassment and shame of the man? The Pharisees made him feel watched, challenged, and intimidated. He hid amongst the crowd, afraid. Yet, remained—because he felt hope for the first time.
The man had a choice: to walk in shame or faith.
It says in the Bible that Jesus grieved (Mark 3:5). Why? Because no one was brave enough to stand for the shunned man. No one defended or cared for him. All because they feared public opinion over caring for a broken soul. It doesn’t matter what everyone will say, think, or do. All that matters is the moment.
And in that moment, Jesus defended Him.
Unashamed, Jesus publicly showed that He was there for the man, to stand with him in the midst of adversity. When Jesus told the man with the withered hand to stretch out his hand, he was really saying, “Reach for faith.”
It reminds me of the scripture “Walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Reach for Him. The one who defends, cares, and removes all shame.
Due to his act of faith, the man was restored. His hand made new right there—publicly. But the man’s heart and spirit were also restored. That broken spirit was made whole because Jesus was close. The Lord over all was determined to stand with this man and not the opinions of men.
“Because the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28).
Jesus is Lord, not opinions. Souls are important, not opinions.
I love the final words, souls not opinions are important. It's so important to be seen because you matter. Thank you for this!
Thank you… souls matter. Made me all tear up 🙏💙