Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

I want you to read these verses and imagine you are the person Jesus is talking to in this story and has asked to take center stage.

Mark 3:1-5 (NLT2) “Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him. He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!” 

Did you notice that Jesus was aware of the many attitudes in the room? Did you notice that were overwhelmed with reasons why Jesus shouldn’t heal this man? Do you notice that few cared or had compassion about this man’s health and the life it created because of it. Truly, the watcher’s minds were simply filled with a lot of selfish and hardened attitudes that blinded them from seeing that God was in their midst and about to do a miracle out of His love and compassion for him. Because Jesus knew their thoughts and attitudes and the hardness of their hearts, He also knew they were blinded from knowing that the miraculous presence of God was in their midst.

There are so many people who need miracles today. They are available. The intensity and magnitude of God’s love has never changed. God wants to be intimately involved in our life and free us from Satan’s touch upon this earth. But, these demonic, blinding attitudes are as abundant today as they were in that room with Jesus. They rage accusing anyone who would believe such nonsense as a lunatic. It creates fear and confusion and stops people from seeing the loving God they could otherwise intimately know and experience. Their fears speak saying, If I give my life wholeheartedly to Jesus, will people think I’m a flake? A Jesus freak? If I read my Bible and it changes me, will people love me anymore or think I’m weird? If I believe in miracles and pray asking Jesus to answer my prayers and help me, will people think I’m ready for the loony-bin? If I stand in one of those Bible-thumping churches with my hands raised praising God, will I be marked and discarded as one of those lunatics? The answer is: By some people, you absolutely will! There are people who will reject you and write you off. Nothing has changed since Jesus was in the room with that man.

If you look around or watch the media, you can see the hostility for Christianity that exists today. The thoughts and reasoning behind this hostility is as confused, blinded and angry as it was in this room with Jesus amongst these hardened and blinded religious leaders and this man who so desperately needed a touch of God’s love. Despite it all, Jesus healed this man! And some wanted to plot to kill Jesus for it? Why? Why did they? There are many reasons why and all of them wrong and evil. But, the force and influence of such a hostile attitude by those around us that still think this way, influence people to stay away from Jesus and praying for miracles.

Can you set all your fears and confusion aside and simply embrace Jesus for the loving, compassionate God He is? Can you forget everyone else? Will you ask Him to be the Lord of your life? Will you elevate who you know He is and put your faith and trust in Him? If you will, you’ll begin to experience the intimate relationship He has always wanted to have with you. And I promise… miracles in your life, big and small will happen!

John 20:29 (NIV) “Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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