{"id":2902,"date":"2013-04-12T12:27:41","date_gmt":"2013-04-12T16:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oldsandals.net\/?p=2902"},"modified":"2013-04-23T13:05:21","modified_gmt":"2013-04-23T17:05:21","slug":"he-stretched-it-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.oldsandals.net\/?p=2902","title":{"rendered":"He stretched it out"},"content":{"rendered":"

And He said to the man who had the withered hand, \u201cStep forward.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Then He said to them, \u201cIs it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?\u201d But they kept silent.\u00a0And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, \u201cStretch out your hand.\u201d And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.\u00a0 Mark 3:3-5<\/em><\/p>\n

He was angry with the Pharisees, and grieved by their hard-heartedness.\u00a0 Hard-heartedness is a choice we make.\u00a0 It’s the only choice we make, and that not apart from the grace of God.\u00a0 The man with the withered hand stepped forward.\u00a0 He stretched out his hand.\u00a0 He could have refused.\u00a0 He could have said to himself, “It won’t do any good.\u00a0 What’s the use?”\u00a0 But he stretched it out—as crippled and deformed as it was—he stretched it out.\u00a0 And the Lord healed him.<\/p>\n

Did he make the right choice all<\/em> on his own?\u00a0 Did he deserve praise for making his choice?\u00a0 No, of course not.\u00a0 Yet, there is a divine-human interaction on display here that is everywhere\u00a0in Scripture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And He said to the man who had the withered hand, \u201cStep forward.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Then He said to them, \u201cIs it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?\u201d But they kept silent.\u00a0And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of … <\/p>\n

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