The church of the withered hand

A work in progress-any feedback is appreciated.

Mark 3: 1-6
Doing Good on the Sabbath

1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward." 4 Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodian’s against Him, how they might destroy Him. .

About fifteen years ago I was called to a meeting to decide what to with my dad who was very ill and according dwindling, withering away. What did we want to do? I was the spokesman for the family. The doctor needed to know if we wanted to amputate his leg or not. My dad had been seen by many as a person of need of faith. What difference would it make.

Many of us or people we have come to know the stigma of being worthless/ soulless (See Psalm 1). They are often seen as people not worthy of the attention of God. we can gain insight as to what is a needful response to persons that will wither away without a response from the church. The only thing that can be ascertained for sure is that this crippled man is different not merely a passive pawn. God sees the man in the same way he sees the Pharisees and Jesus. There is a calling to see the withering hand man and those person that outcast just like him. Some facts to consider:
1. He is at the synagogue, which may mean that he is a man of prayer looking for someone who can take away his feeling of being defective. Lots of people call him names or treat him as he does not exist.
2. He is not afraid to be on God's turf, even if people, the Pharisees in particular, do not see him as worthy of God's favor.
3. He comes on the Sabbath, a day to celebrate God's creation after which God said that all created was good.

I. God comes to us in a place craving a truth. Adam is naming all animals and God says it is not goodthat man be alone. God does not mean for any persons to be out of fellowship. Jesus comes on the scene to redirect persons to this greater truth.

Jesus goes to the Pharisees and people and invites them to dialogue. As a child Jesus used to talk to the religious teachers and they marveled. The Pharisees are the vehicles of God's truth at the time, policeman, trying to enforce the law so that people will stay out of exile. This is a place the Israelites experienced because of disobedience. They show people how to keep the law. Jesus invites them and others into a discussion, an exploration into truth. They move away in silence. Many other people are looking on. Maybe there is another way to look at themselves and others.
Jesus SEES the man with the withered man, as one waiting for someone who sees him for who God has created him to be, a child of God. He longs to work and having a withered hand in Jesus time meant that he could not work and in a sense as one in the image of God, God was not able to work through him because of the perception of others. It was for this reason that people like him were outcasts and not allowed in the temple.

II.Another vital truth in the scripture that arises out of this text is determining who we will listen to. Adam and Eve are in the garden. They are told not to eat of a particular fruit in the garden. They listen to the serpent are taken out of relationship with God and each other. What needs to happen so our ears will be open?

Jesus turns everything that people of his time thought about the Sabbath on its head. If things remain the same there will be no work done on the Sabbath and a lot of hopeless persons like the man with the withered hand will populate with no one to help. These are people that have been cast out as being punished by God for sins. The voice of the Pharisees and others like them opt to say some are in relationship with God and others are not and on the day of the Sabbath nothing could be clearer. It was a time for rest and worship, nothing else. All one needs to do is buy into their view of Sabbath. People like my dad mentioned in the beginning are not worth their time. God has been cast out of a world that longs to know of love, because of a desire for some to know what others cannot. The serpent in the garden of Eden comes back to roost.The serpent lies in wait to share that maybe there is something better than being in relationship with God and others? Do people want to hear a God of love or a God who waits to judge those who disobey? There was a desperation to get it right and follow the rule than consider how the rule was meant to benefit those for whom it was created.

III. There is a third truth that needs to be considered. What do we see as a result of God’s work. How do we interpret what we know to be true, that which we listen to? Consider for example the Exodus. Pharaoh and Moses hear God and yet only one sees to the extent they we know God’s glory as they come face to face with the Red Sea. God calls witnesses all around to SEE what it means to know God's love.

Asking the man with the withered hand to stretch out his hand was a reminder to all gathered of celebration of God deliverance out of the Exodus. This was true worship. The scripture is replete with references to the power of God seen in the stretching out of a hand. The man stretches out his hand and in that moment his hand becomes God's hand, a hand that God can use. God sees in the brokenness, the withered, the crippled, and the poor blind and maim healing and hope. Jesus invites persons into a deeper truth than literal truth of obeying a law to the extent a person is put on the outside looking in. The untruth that begins our story, leads us into who the truth is and what the truth is. Who will you listen to? It may be the difference between knowing the truth of God's love and living by oneself.

Stretch out your hand to the person who does not know God on a day one others say to stay away. Can you see God's hand as they reach toward yours to in a spirit of welcoming. Listen, I hear God's voice and it says to be together apart from shame. Listen to God and not the voice of the serpent. Listen to Jesus and know there can be healing and hope.
There is a third truth that needs to be considered. What do we see as a result of God’s work. How do we interpret what we know to be true, that which we listen to?

Stretch out your hand and see how God can save and make whole. There is a calling to see how Jesus words and celebration of relationship are true. When Jesus tells him to stretch out a hand even as Moses stretched out hands over the Red sea, let’s see what happens. In a deeper sense I want to know whose blood saves, if we look back to the Passover even when blood was put on the doors of Israelites sparing their sons.

A bit later we will see Jesus dying on the cross. There are people that might say that Jesus has brought the trouble on himself. People say crucify him. Jesus is like the man with the withered hand his hands are bound like nails. Yet most importantly God see out this moment of stretching out hands as the most powerful event. For in the death of Jesus and under his blood is salvation for all believe that this same Jesus who healed on the Sabbath can give life to all those that believe. In the places of untruth I have mentioned: a place where relationship is discouraged, listening for God’s voice and seeing the result of obeying God’s word there is a loud voice that Jesus is the truth.

Conclusion: We come to a place of truth in our own worship. The holy Spirit is there for those who need life breathed back into them. There are those who are outcast that need to know they are God’s children. That is why the church is here. We extend out hand in inviting people into our fellowship and raise our hands in praise in remembrance of this even.
There is a revealing of truth that others cannot miss. Jesus is asking for others who witness this biblical scene to decide what it means to be on God's side. How would you like to join my team? I believe he says this to all that are gathered at that moment in the playground of life still seeking to know God’s truth in all its glory. There is the decision of what voice to listen to. The Pharisees response to the opportunity for dialogue is seen shortly thereafter. They conspire to kill him. Jesus words call people back to the many time God stretched out his hand to know God’s power. Who do you listen to? I stretch out my hand knowing what God can do and celebrate that I want to be on the side of truth. He healed this man and died for us. The glory of God is the greatest gift Will you join the team?!! There are many other longing to know about the Church of the withered hand, the church that cares, listens and sees God’s salvation. They hymn of praise that we sing……