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Have you ever been so convinced you're right that you miss a bigger truth staring you in the face? Mark's Gospel gives us a striking example of this human tendency in the story of Jesus healing a man's withered hand on the Sabbath.

The scene unfolds dramatically in a synagogue where religious leaders watch Jesus like hawks, hoping to catch him breaking Sabbath laws. Rather than avoiding controversy, Jesus confronts their hypocrisy directly. "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm?" he challenges them. Their telling silence reveals hearts more concerned with rules than compassion. With righteous anger at their hardened hearts, Jesus heals the man anyway – a miracle that should have been celebrated becomes grounds for plotting against him.

This passage strikes at something universal: our capacity to become so entrenched in our theological positions that we miss truth altogether. I reflect on modern religious debates where Christians attack each other over doctrinal differences while forgetting Jesus' central command to love one another. The irony is palpable – these Pharisees witnessed undeniable miracles yet remained spiritually blind because their preconceptions wouldn't allow them to see God working in their midst. Later in the passage, even demons recognize Jesus as "the Son of God" while the religious experts remain clueless, reminding us that intellectual acknowledgment isn't the same as transformative faith.

Are you seeking Jesus just for what he can do for you? The crowds pressed in for physical healing, yet Jesus reminds us elsewhere that "only one thing is necessary" – not temporary fixes but eternal salvation. Who is Jesus to you, really? It's a question worth wrestling with continuously. If you found this exploration meaningful, please subscribe and share this episode with someone who might need this perspective too.

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May God bless you and lead you always.