“Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.” (Mark 3:5b NIV)
A heart committed to obedience ultimately restores us. Conversely, a heart committed to disobedience destroys us.
“Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodias how they might kill Jesus.” (Mark 3:6 NIV)
Our neutral position, since the fall of man, is disobedience. Anything else will require a change of heart. Encounters with Jesus are what shift the gears of our heart and such a gear change often requires regular, prolonged time in His presence.
In this text, Jesus seems to be in Capernaum again. Capernaum was a favorite haunt of Jesus’. The man with the shriveled hand had very likely heard of Jesus, maybe even sat under His teaching and witnessed His healings. This feels probable because on that particular Sabbath, the man possessed the faith and strength to obey Jesus’ instruction. “Stretch out your hand.” His obedience to what he fundamentally did not understand altered his story entirely.
Obedience will change our life. This man went home able-bodied. He went home healed or he joined the ranks of Jesus followers. Either way, we know that his narrative was rewritten after his personal encounter with Jesus at church. He went home different; whole, better, more confident of his role here on earth. His shift toward obedience effected both his immediate life and his eternal life.
Obedience alters our future but it will also make us enemies. Partnering with the power of God in our lives will upset the other team and so we expect the disruption. Jesus knew the hearts of the pharisees and so He wasn’t surprised by their murderous plots. The enemy’s agenda is to steal, kill and destroy. As unbelievers we are caught in the crossfire; collateral damage. But as committed Christ followers we become primary targets in the crosshair. We move from civilian casualties to Kingdom assets that need to be eliminated. Understand the difference?
“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgement will be revealed. God will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be anger and wrath. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew and then for the Gentile, but glory and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.” (Romans 2:5-11 NIV)
Lord, today we see that obedience is not our natural response to Your presence. Please forgive us and transform us. Unshrivel our hearts as You did the man’s hand. Give us the strength to obey even when we don’t know how or why. Build our obedience muscle and change our story. Give us courage in the crosshairs of the enemy. Further the agenda of heaven through our surrendered situation. Amen.