The Tuesday after the First Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 13, 2026 by under
Scripture: St. Mark 3:1-6 (NKJV)
3:1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, 2 “Step forward.” 4 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. 5 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.
6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Devotion
In what seems to be a precarious situation, we see Jesus applying Law and Gospel to the right people in the right situation. The setting is the synagogue, but the situation has little to do with formal worship and study. Jesus becomes aware of a man present who has a withered hand. It being the Sabbath, the Pharisees are watching closely to see what Jesus will do. Knowing their hardness of heart, Jesus confronts them with a rhetorical question: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” Their silent response shows they know the right answer, but do not wish to admit it. Jesus, of course, follows through with the man and heals his withered hand. Interestingly, He does so without touch; He simply tells the man to stretch out his hand and he is cured.
As for the Pharisees, this only makes them angrier. Jesus’ application of the Law yields the all-too-frequent negative response. It is very hard to crack the thick shell of man’s pride, which is illustrated not only by the Pharisees, but known to be in all of us as well. This is why we go through the Confession of Sins every Sunday—to pour out our sinful pride. Only then are we ready to hear the sweet news of the Gospel.
Collect: O Lord, we beseech Thee mercifully to receive the prayers of Thy people who call upon Thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
