From Hard Hearts to Healing Hands | Mark 3:1-6

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every single day. We are working our way through the entire Bible in what we call Project23. If you want to read more about this or get behind it, you can read about Project23 at the link in the description today.

I would love to give a shout-out today to David Weiss from Stillwell, KS. Thanks for being a partner with the ministry. We cannot do what we do without the faithful support of families like yours. This is for you today!

Today, we’re looking at Mark 3:1-6:

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. — Mark 3:1-6

Jesus walked into the synagogue, but not everyone came to worship. Imagine that worshippers came to test the teacher. They weren't there to be taught—but to trap the teacher. They also weren’t concerned with the disabled man standing nearby. They were there looking for a reason to accuse Jesus.

But Jesus didn’t back down, and he did not change course. In fact, it did not seem to affect his presence or approach.

Jesus calls the disabled man forward—right through the cold stares of the religious elite. And what could’ve been a moment of confrontation becomes a moment of clarity and compassion. Calling the man to him, Jesus asks one probing question:

“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm?”

Then silence.
No one said a word.
And that silence broke Jesus’s heart.

Jesus looked at them—not with fear (as we might) but with disappointment and grief because their hearts had grown so hard. They had become so obsessed with rules they’d forgotten how to be merciful, compassionate, and loving.

Then Jesus turned to the man and said, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man did. He didn’t argue or hide. He simply obeyed. And in that moment, what was physically broken was made whole.

Jesus didn’t just heal a hand—He exposed every heart.

You see, Jesus didn’t just restore one man's hand. He revealed the hearts of every man in the room. One man was open to healing—and let himself be changed. The others, especially the religious elite, resisted any change at all. Their minds and hearts were darkened. Therefore, one man was left healed. The others left plotting a scandalous murder.

But here's the issue: It is easy to spot legalism in others, and it's harder to see where that legalism lives in us until we are "plotting" to murder others with our attitude and actions.

So here’s my question to you today: Do you have a hard heart to the healing that Jesus wants to provide? Jesus is here, and he's inviting you to lay down your hard heart and receive deep healing. He’s still saying: “Stretch out your hand and be made new.”

ASK THIS:

1. What stands out most to you in Jesus’ question to the crowd?
2. Why do you think silence grieved Him more than words?
3. Where do you see the difference between a hard heart and a humble one?
4. What’s one thing Jesus may be asking you to stretch out in trust today?

DO THIS:

Bring one part of your life that feels weak or hidden into the light. Name it. And offer it to Jesus today in prayer.

PRAY THIS:

Jesus, I don’t want to live with a hard heart. Soften me. Heal what’s broken. Give me the courage to stretch out my weakness in faith. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

Healer.