Lesson 52

LESSON 52 - Mark 3:1-6 (Matt 12:10-14,Luke 6:6-11)

1And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward." 4Then 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. 5And 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. 6Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

v.1. (Jewish people attend their synagogues on the last of the week, Friday night and Saturday, their sabbath. Christians worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, in commemoration of the resurrection day of Jesus Christ.)

Jesus made it a practice to go to a place of worship. There He found opportunity to listen, teach, minister and bless. That is what we should look for when we go to church.

v.2. The Pharisees were following Jesus (v.6), hoping to catch Him in something wrong, so they could accuse Him to others (v6).

In Matt 12:10, it says the Pharisees asked Him, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?" that they might accuse Him. (Isn't it a shame that they keep wasting the opportunities they have to be changed in His presence and to learn from Him? When you are in His Presence and in His Word, pray to be changed and to learn from His Holy Spirit.)

To answer their question, Jesus tells the man with a withered (right) hand to stand up and stretch out his hand. (Luke 6:6-8) The man obeys. As soon as he stretched out his hand, he saw it restored completely.

Instead of rejoicing over the healing and being amazed at what they had just seen, the Pharisees were enraged (Lk 6:11). They left the synagogue to seek others called Herodians who would join with them to destroy Jesus. (The Herodians were Jews who curried King Herod's favor and who sided with the Romans. The Pharisees did not like them, but here they aligned themselves with the Herodians against Jesus.)

Principle: Find a good church and attend regularly. Ask the Lord to show you what good works you should do. (Ephesians 2:10 Look for opportunities to do good. Galatians 6:9-10 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Principle 2: Always check your attitude. Don't be like the Pharisees. Use this verse in Philippians 4:8 as a guide to your thinking: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (ASV) If what you are thinking doesn't measure up to these standards, replace the thought with one that does meet God's standard.

Principle 3: Many people have a "withered hand" area of their lives, a part of them that is not right, not whole, not healthy, or has not developed as it should have. Perhaps it is poor self esteem, a critical or disrespectful attitude stemming from feelings of inferiority, or discouragement in a certain area of your life. Whatever it is, you can be changed by bringing it to Jesus, asking Him to reveal to you what is needed, ask Him make you whole, restored. Only He can heal you. Give this problem to Him and ask Him to change you into the person He wants you to be. If you'll let Him, He will do it. He loves you with all His heart. He wants the best for you.