Dare Believe

After looking around at them with anger and sorrow at the hardness of their hearts, He told the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. Mark 3:5

In the past I have focused on the Pharisees but this time I want to look at the man with the withered hand.

The man with the paralysed hand was challenged to stand firm in the face of the arrogant judgements of his leaders.

Should he trust this man Jesus, would it be worth it to face off the Pharisees? He could see a fight looming, he would have known what the Pharisees were like, no doubt he already suffered their judgement becasue it was popular to believe sickness and disease was the result of sin.

The man called him out in front of everyone, could he stop trembling? He saw the anger in Christ as He dared to challenge the way things had been, he could smell the scorn of the Pharisees.

Yet when this Jesus spoke to Him he could not resisit, what if he could be healed? What if now was his time to be free, he could play with his family, he could work, he could become a part of the community instead of being an outcast. It was worth it and so he dared to believe and stretched out his hand.

Joy flooded his soul as he saw his hand restored. 'I'm healed, I'm healed' he cried. How good is this man? How he defended him, him who was unworthy? Gratitude flooded his heart and mind, he was free, totally healed.

There are some of us who are scorned by those who know us, ye there is one who sees differently. Dare we believe, dare we go to Him? Yes! Yes! Yes!