Hold Out Your Hand

Time...for healing, for good deeds?
Time for a miracle.

Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus' enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man's hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, "Come and stand in front of everyone." Then he turned to his critics and asked, "Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?" But they wouldn't answer him. He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand." So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus. Mark 3:1-6 

Meditate.

 

This scripture passage describing this Sabbath healing by Jesus is also found in Matthew 12:9-14 and Luke 6:6-11. Read all of them for a deeper understanding of this miracle. It may not have been on the same Sabbath day as when Jesus and His disciples harvested a few heads of wheat and ate them.

Jesus mercifully noticed and healed the deformed hand of a man, who was in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Again, it was the Sabbath, and the Pharisees were trying to enforce the “no work on the Sabbath” law. Jesus just simply asked them if the law permitted good deeds on the Sabbath, but the Pharisees refused to answer. They didn’t want Jesus to be successful, but they knew that He had miraculously healed other people. Basically, they were jealous of His abilities. They weren’t healing people who were lame, had deformed hands, or even just a fever. Jesus told this man to hold out your hand. It was healed. Made perfect just as Jesus created it. Jesus rejected the Pharisees in anger and disappointment because they rejected His desire to perform miracles, and to do God’s will. Jesus’ attitude is similar to the words of James. Do you think the Pharisees would accept that?

If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. James 3:13-17

James speaks of mercy and good deeds. Those were qualities that Jesus was portraying with this gentleman who needed his hand healed. Would you want the Pharisees to be responsible for healing you? What was wrong with them that they couldn’t want the best—the healing of this man’s hand? They were already wanting to destroy Jesus and His ministry.

            What do we learn about Jesus in this passage of scripture? He continues to be merciful. He is not only not intimidated by the Pharisees, but He is angry and feels sorry for them as they reject the idea of healing on the Sabbath.

 

Prayer – Lord Jesus, thank you for the mercy You showed to this man and to all of us. Thanks also for just showing us Your strength

 

Verse of Salvation ~ For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. Titus 2:11-13

 

© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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