The Withered Hand: Mark 3:1-6

The trap was elegant in its cruelty. The Pharisees had placed the man strategically—front and center in the synagogue, his withered hand impossible to miss. It hung at his side like a dead branch, fingers curled inward, muscles atrophied to uselessness. He had lived with it for years, probably, learning to compensate, learning to hide it. Now he was bait.

They watched Jesus like hawks circling prey. Would he heal on the Sabbath? Would he take the bait?

Jesus looked at the man. He looked at the Pharisees. He knew exactly what was happening.

"Stand up in front of everyone," he said to the man.