“He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored” (Mark 3:5).
As difficult as it may be to understand, the religious leaders in the Synagogue service did not want Jesus to perform this miracle. It violated their rules about healing on the Sabbath, as though the God who created the Sabbath didn’t want to heal on the day He set apart.
Thankfully, Jesus never let the opinions of His opponents prevent Him from carrying out His mission. He came to save and heal us and He is willing to do that on any day of the week.
What is remarkable about this miracle is the fact that Jesus asked the man to do something he couldn’t do. Undoubtedly he had tried to move his weakened hand before and had not been successful. Now Jesus asks him to do it one more time. He could have run around the building because his legs still worked but Jesus focused on the man’s most obvious limitations.
What is remarkable about this man’s faith is that he tried to do it because Jesus asked him to stretch out his hand. At this attempt, the man’s hand “was completely restored.”
Each of us comes to Jesus with limitations that seem to hem us in. When Jesus asks us to do something He also empowers us to do it. Let us not be afraid to stretch at something Jesus asks us to do. At the moment He asks us the issue isn’t our past limitation; it is His power to enable us to obey Him. Jesus doesn’t want our limitations to be a barrier to the future He plans for us.
