"The shriveled hand"

        One Sabbath day, a man with a withered hand ducked in at the back of the synagogue in Capernaum, as the rest of the congregation chatted and caught up on the latest news with their neighbours. He kept the ugly hand hidden in the folds of his jacket, and shied away from any conversation. But Jesus saw him.

        Then, as folks quieted down ready for the service to start, the young rabbi from Nazareth spoke up and centered him out:
“Stand up in front of everyone.”

        Under some compulsion, he stood and moved forward. The eyes of the crowd turned to him momentarily, then settled back on Jesus. They watched Him closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath.

        Jesus faced the crowd.

        “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”

        No response.

       “Come on people. Someone, speak up. Anyone‽”

        But they remained silent. Neither man nor woman supported him.

        Jesus 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.

        After the service, the grateful man was shocked to overhear some Pharisees and Herodians plotting how they might kill his Healer. 

                                                    [See Mark 3:1-6]