Today's exciting story shares how Jesus healed a man with a withered hand. This was a very exciting and amazing miracle. However, it angered Jesus' enemies because He performed the miracle on the Sabbath day.
According to the Law of Moses, no one should work on the Sabbath day. The scribes and Pharisees always became angry because they believed that miracles were deeds of work.
They were very strict about not working on the Sabbath. Therefore, they believed that Jesus sinned against God by working miracles on this day of rest.
Jesus saw a man with a withered hand one Sabbath
One Sabbath day, Jesus went to the Synagogue. He saw a man with a hand that had never grown. It was small and withered and he couldn’t use it
Jesus felt compassion for the man and wanted to heal him. Suspecting what the Lord was about to do, His enemies watched to see if He would heal the man on the Sabbath day.
Jesus told the man with the withered hand to get up and come forward!
The Lord then spoke to His enemies because He knew what they were thinking. He asked a question,
“Does the Law of Moses say to do good, or evil,
on Sabbath days?”
However, they never
answered, because Moses’ Law says to do good on the Sabbath.
Jesus was angry with the Pharisees, because
they didn’t care at all about the poor man.
But Jesus cared! He told the man to
stand where everyone could see him.
“Stretch out your hand,” Jesus said to the man.
The man obeyed and stretched out his hand.
There, in
front of everyone in the Synagogue (including
the Pharisees) a miracle took place!
Right in front of his own eyes,
the man watched his hand grow
and become a normal hand!
It was a miracle!
He was so happy!
The Pharisees became enraged!
They went straight out to
meet with a group of people called the Herodians.
They were also
leaders who didn't like people following Jesus.
Both groups wanted to make a plan to get rid of the Lord.
Jesus healed a man with a withered hand explained
This beautiful story shows us Jesus cares about people. The Lord volunteered to heal the man because He knew that the man longed to have a normal hand.
Once he was healed, the man could carry out activities that everyone else with normal hands took for granted.
God is always so good and kind.
Jesus healed a man with a withered hand Mark 3 1 - 6
1
He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered.
2
They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
3
He said to the man with the withered hand, ``Get up and come forward!"
4
And He said to them, ``Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent.
5
After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, ``Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
6
The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
1 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth .
2 And His disciples asked Him, " Rabbi , who sinned , this man or his parents , that he would be born blind ?"
3 Jesus answered , "It was neither that this man sinned , nor his parents ; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
4"We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day ; night is coming when no one can work .
5"While I am in the world , I am the Light of the world ."
6 When He had said this , He spat on the ground , and made clay of the spittle , and applied the clay to his eyes ,
7 and said to him, "Go , wash in the pool of Siloam " (which is translated , Sent ). So he went away and washed , and came back seeing .
8 Therefore the neighbors , and those who previously saw him as a beggar , were saying , "Is not this the one who used to sit and beg ?"
9 Others were saying , "This is he," still others were saying , "No , but he is like him." He kept saying , "I am the one."
10 So they were saying to him, "How then were your eyes opened ?"
11 He answered , "The man who is called Jesus made clay , and anointed my eyes , and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash '; so I went away and washed , and I received sight ."
12 They said to him, "Where is He?" He said , "I do not know ."
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind .
14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes .
15 Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight . And he said to them, "He applied clay to my eyes , and I washed , and I see ."
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying , "This man is not from God , because He does not keep the Sabbath ." But others were saying , "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs ?" And there was a division among them.
17 So they said to the blind man again , "What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes ?" And he said , "He is a prophet ."
18 The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight , until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight ,
19 and questioned them, saying , "Is this your son , who you say was born blind ? Then how does he now see ?"
20 His parents answered them and said , "We know that this is our son , and that he was born blind ;
21 but how he now sees , we do not know ; or who opened his eyes , we do not know . Ask him; he is of age , he will speak for himself ."
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews ; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ , he was to be put out of the synagogue .
23 For this reason his parents said , " He is of age ; ask him."
24 So a second time they called the man who had been blind , and said to him, " Give glory to God ; we know that this man is a sinner ."
25 He then answered , "Whether He is a sinner , I do not know ; one thing I do know , that though I was blind , now I see ."
26 So they said to him, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes ?"
27 He answered them, " I told you already and you did not listen ; why do you want to hear it again ? You do not want to become His disciples too , do you?"
28 They reviled him and said , "You are His disciple , but we are disciples of Moses .
29 "We know that God has spoken to Moses , but as for this man , we do not know where He is from."
30 The man answered and said to them, "Well , here e is an amazing thing , that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes .
31 "We know that God does not hear sinners ; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will , He hears him.
32 "Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind .
33 " If this man were not from God , He could do nothing e ."
34 They answered him, " You were born entirely in sins , and are you teaching us?" So they put him out.
Spiritual Blindness
35 Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said , "Do you believe in the Son of Man ?"
36 He answered , " Who is He, Lord , that I may believe in Him?"
37 Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you."
38 And he said , "Lord , I believe ." And he worshiped Him.
39 And Jesus said , " For judgment I came into this world , so that those who do not see may see , and that those who see may become blind ."
40 Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, " We are not blind too , are we?"
41 Jesus said to them, " If you were blind , you would have no sin ; but since you say , ' We see ,' your sin remains .
Jesus Tells Nicodemus To Be Born Again - introduction
Jesus Tells Nicodemus To Be Born Againis a simple explanation of how to enter into eternal life. The story centers around a man who asked Jesus if he needed to return to his mother's womb in order to be born again.
Nicodemus was an important religious leader who sneaked in to see Jesus in the night. He did not want anyone to see him.
Nicodemus began his enquiry with a compliment
‘I believe you come from
God. No one could do
the miracles I have seen
you do, unless God was
with him,’ said
Nicodemus
Jesus did not comment. Instead, He told Nicodemus that he must be born again in order to see the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus was shocked. He was an old man!
He asked Jesus how he could become a baby again. Did he need to return to his moms womb in order to be born again.
Jesus must have chuckled. He patiently replied:
‘You must have God’s
Spirit in you."
This means that God's Spirit will give you a new spirit. Therefore, people who are born again become like born babies who are new and innocent of sin.
Jesus used the wind as an example to help Nicodemus. The wind is invisible, and you cannot see it. However, you can see the effects of the wind like the trees moving their branches.
The Lord explained to Nicodemus that those who are born again cannot see the Spirit of God. However, they and others will see the results and change that comes about in their lives.
Nicodemus still could not understand. Jesus reproved him because as a Teacher of the Law, Nicodemus should have known these things. The prophets had spoken of being born again:
Ezekiel 11:19
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
Ezekiel 18:31
Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Ezekiel 36:26
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Jesus explained that God loved everyone so much that He sent His only Son from Heaven into the world. Every one who believes in Him will not go to hell, but will receive everlasting life.
Only people with born again spirits can receive eternal life. Eternal life means that those who believe in Jesus will not go to hell, but will live with God forever.
Furthermore, Jesus explained, those persons who are born again will practice truth, and will obey the Word of God:
``But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God" (John 3: 21).
How can I be born again
Jesus said that anyone who is born again must believe that He is the Son of God and the only one to save them from their sins:
.
They must believe that He died to save them through His blood:
14
``As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15
so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16
``For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17
``For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."
Everyone who wants to be born again must confess their sins to God. This means to admit to being a sinner and to tell God their sins. To confess sins mean to ask God to forgive sins:
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Persons who want to become new spirits in Christ must repent of their sins
The bible teaches that people must repent of their sins. Jesus also preached about repentance. To repent means to turn away from sins and to stop practicing them.
Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
People who have repented practice the Word of God and do not do things like lying, cheating, stealing and other sins.
This is why Jesus explained to Nicodemus that there is a difference between people who love God and those who love evil or Satan:
19``This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20``For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21``But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
Prayer asking God to forgive sins and to make you a new spirit in Christ
Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I ask You to forgive my sins and save me from eternal separation from God.
By faith, I accept Your work and death on the cross as the only payment for my sins.
I promise that you will be my only God and that I will obey your Word.
Thank You for providing the way for me to know You and to have a relationship with my heavenly Father. Through faith in You, I have eternal life.
Thank You also for hearing my prayers and loving me unconditionally. Please give me the strength, wisdom, and determination to walk in the center of Your will, In Jesus’ name, amen.
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
2this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ``Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
3Jesus answered and said to him, ``Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4Nicodemus said to Him, ``How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
5Jesus answered, ``Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6``That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7``Do not be amazed that I said to you, `You must be born again.'
8``The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9Nicodemus said to Him, ``How can these things be?"
10Jesus answered and said to him, ``Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
11``Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.
12``If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13``No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
14``As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16``For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17``For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18``He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19``This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20``For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21``But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
22After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.
23John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized--
24for John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification.
26And they came to John and said to him, ``Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him."
27John answered and said, ``A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.
28``You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, `I am not the Christ,' but, `I have been sent ahead of Him.'
29``He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
30``He must increase, but I must decrease.
31``He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
32``What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.
33``He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.
34``For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.
35``The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
36``He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
