Definitions & Insights – Withered or Whole?

by Katy Kauffman

The Problem

“[Jesus] entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.” (Mark 3:1 NKJV*)

Withered – “to make dry, dry up … waste away”¹

Do you ever feel like your heart is dried up? That your peace, joy, or strength is wasting away?

The Solution

Jesus gave the man with the withered hand, two commands before He healed him—“Step forward” (Mark 3:3) and “Stretch out your hand” (Mark 3:5).

Step – “to cause to rise”²

Forward – “unto, among;”³ “in the midst of”⁴

When we need healing and wholeness, Jesus wants us to arise in the midst of the suffering and reach out for Him. He is always reaching out to us.

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1. Larry Pierce, The Online Bible, CD-ROM (Winterbourne, Ontario: Larry Pierce, 2019), Mark 3:1.

2. Ibid, Mark 3:3.

3. Ibid, Mark 3:5.

4. Ibid.