Wednesday January 21, 2026

Mark 3:1-6

Jesus went into a synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand. And they were watching him to see if he would cure him on the sabbath day, hoping for something to use against him.

Have you ever stopped to think what went so terribly wrong with the culture at synagogue that they would stoop so low. This was a house of prayer and it became the very place where they would lay traps to get to each other. I can testify that church politics can be brutal. But this is not the good news we came to hear today. The good news is Jesus saw the man. He did not only see the man, he saw his pain and embarrassment. He healed him not to show the power of God but because he cared for the quality of life for this man.

What is withered in you today? Is your love life withered? Is your job withered? Maybe your spirit? Whatever it is, I invite you to place yourself in that place of grace. Maybe this is your day when you will hear his command. “Stretch out your hand and be healed.” May these be the words that are heard by all who walk into our houses of worship.