And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. —Mark 3:1-5

I had no idea how long that highly irate tailgater had been behind me. Clearly, the posted limit was not her pace. But since her flashers weren’t on, I assumed there was no emergency. With no safe place to pull over anyway, I just kept driving—the speed limit. And she kept “expressing” herself.

To be honest, the more my back bumper was tailed and the more sign language sent my way, the more tempted I was to show her just how slow I really could go. Thankfully, the Spirit convicted me of my bad attitude and reminded me that I had no idea what was happening in her day and her life. So I continued on my way, praying for her as I drove.

A while later, she was able to pass me at breakneck speed, flipping the bird as she went, only to get stuck behind the next driver, who was also obeying the speed limit. Ashamedly, even after having prayed for her, I felt just a tad bit of satisfaction about that. Just a tiny weeny bit.

In today’s story, we are given a glimpse of Jesus’ human side. He got angry. Unlike me, when Jesus got mad, He never lost His cool. He never lost control. He never retaliated or gloated. He was mad at the right things, at the right time, in the right way, and for the right reason. He exemplified the command to “‘Be angry, and do not sin.’ Do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26).

Jesus was no stranger to mistreatment. “That’s the boy whose mom messed around. Poor Joseph! What a man to forgive her like he did. And to raise that illegitimate as though he were his own!” Jesus had a bad rap from the cradle to the grave. From a worldly point of view, He had every reason to be ticked off and want to get even.

So, Jesus stepped into the life of this man who not only suffered from his disability but also bore misplaced shame. His culture believed that infirmities were a result of either the sin of the one stricken or the parents. Adding salt to the wound, the Jewish leaders were so hardened toward the afflicted that healing wasn’t even on their radar. They were so driven by their mission that that’s all they cared about: to use this man to set up and trap Jesus.

Jesus healed the man in a way that did not violate their man-made rule against physically healing someone on the Sabbath. Scripture never says that Jesus touched the man. He simply said, “Stretch out your hand.” When he did, the hand was healed. And that act alone was a showstopper for those out to get him!

The Jewish leader’s agenda was to trap and kill Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. But, in righteous anger at their unjust treatment of an innocent man, on the Sabbath, the Lord of the Sabbath asked them a convicting question. Then, He healed a hand and ministered to a soul. And the Jewish leaders were silenced!

Jesus shows us, by His own example, that He understands our frustrations and that sometimes stuff makes us angry. He understands the things and people we have to deal with on a daily basis. He understands the injustices of life that we may suffer. He understands that all the small stuff can pile up into really big stuff that royally ticks us off. He set the example for us. How to handle unfair, frustrating, and aggravating situations. He taught us how to deal with angry, abusive, and difficult people in the proper manner. He taught us, by example, how to set godly priorities.

Father, I’m eternally grateful that because of what You did for me on the cross, I will never have to face Your anger. Forgive me for all those times when I am unjustly angry and respond in a less-than-Christlike way. Help me to do things Your way. Your way is so very much better! I love You, Lord!

In Him,
Donna Perkins

Sweet Selah Ministries 

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet

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