Daily Gospel Reflection for January 18, 2023

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Mark 3:1-6

Today’s Gospel about the man with the withered hand speaks to several things. First is Jesus, Who sees the man’s ailment and calls him forward to heal him despite the fact that it is the Sabbath and they are in the synagogue. It seems that Jesus is actively making a statement of mercy over law. Then we encounter the man, who entrusts himself to Jesus despite the tensions in the synagogue, and finally the Pharisees, now past the point of harassing Jesus and actively looking for evidence to put Jesus to death once and for all.

What strikes me in this scene is the Lord’s great compassion and mercy. God’s mercy is greater than man’s laws. While the Pharisees redouble in contempt and anger, Jesus experiences anger (perhaps rooted in frustration) but grieves at “their hardness of heart.” Jesus grieves for them instead of delighting in retribution. The Pharisees deserve the Lord's anger, but instead he proffers mercy.

We see that Jesus has compassion for both the man with the withered hand and the Pharisees. I would dare to say His compassion for the Pharisees could be greater, as He grieves for them because they cannot, and will not, soften their hearts.

How often do we harden our hearts? To the marginalized? The outsider? The other?

Let us be confident in the Lord’s mercy for us.

Ponder:

One of the dangers of sin is that it hardens our hearts. How do you need the Lord’s mercy today? Will you come forward confidently like the man with the withered hand?

Pray:

Lord, help us to understand the depth and breadth of Your mercy for us, that no matter how far we fall, You grieve for us and want to heal us.

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God’s mercy is greater than man’s laws. #DailyGospel

Copyright 2023 Maria Morera Johnson