WHAT WE VALUE MOST
Kimberly Portillo
Today's Scripture: “And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” Mark 3:5, ESV
Theme: Jesus, angry and backed into a corner, chose to ignore the fight and focus on the hurting, needy, and powerless person—generously healing without explaining or arguing.
ANGER CLOUDS OUR VISION
On the Sabbath, Jesus encountered a man with a withered hand. As the man stood before Him, the Pharisees watched closely, their hearts hardened by legalism and their eyes searching for a reason to accuse. They knew the law well but had forgotten its purpose.
Jesus looked at them and asked a piercing question: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored” (Mark 3:4b-5, ESV).
The Pharisees valued order, tradition, and their own authority. When Jesus threatened those things, anger erupted. They hardened their hearts.
God was working right in front of them. They couldn’t see what God was doing because their anger made them blind to it.
Jesus’ anger was different. He values mercy over performance, people over policies, and restoration over reputation.
ANGER CLOUDS OUR FAITH
Sometimes our prayers feel like they fall into silence. We ask God for healing, for a job, or for a restored relationship. When the answer doesn’t come the way we hope, frustration can turn into anger. In those moments, we may miss that God is not absent but redirecting us, inviting us into a season of growth we didn’t expect but deeply need.
That anger, while understandable, can quietly close our hearts to the comfort God longs to give. Even when we cannot see it, there may be eternal purposes unfolding beyond our understanding.
Make It Personal: How often does your anger do the same?
- We get so defensive that we miss His loving correction.
- We get so offended that we miss healing: our own or someone else’s.
Pray: Heavenly Father, I come before You with my anger—not to conceal it, but to lay it at Your feet. I choose to surrender what I do not understand, trusting that Your ways are higher than mine, Your timing is perfect, and Your heart toward me is always good. Give me eyes to see from Heaven’s perspective all that I am or have been going through, and a heart that rests in Your wisdom, even when answers are unclear. Amen.
Read: Psalm 95:8, Hebrews 3:12–13
Weekly Memory Verse: “Be angry and do not sin;” Ephesians 4:26a, ESV