GOD IS IN THE DETAILS
«And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand» (Mark 3: 1).
I GREW UP IN A CARACAS NEIGHBORHOOD where it was very common to call people by their nicknames. In most cases, the nickname was the product of a physical defect of a person, or something they did wrong. The most curious thing about this was not so much the nickname itself, but that in some cases we never actually knew the person’s real name, much less their last name. How is it that for years, we called a person by their nickname without ever taking the trouble to know at least their real name?
These memories came to my mind when I thought of the man of whom today’s text speaks, on the occasion of his visit on a Sabbath to the synagogue. Some versions of the Bible say that the man «had a withered hand.» One other version says the man had «a shriveled hand» (NIV). Still another says he had «a crippled hand» (NCV). I wonder what they called him in the village: «the cripple»? «the deformed»? «the man with the withered hand»?
This is where the title of our reflection for today comes into play: «God is in the details.» (This saying, by the way, has been attributed to the French writer Gustave Flaubert). In a synagogue that was usually filled on Sabbaths, why does Jesus fix His attention precisely on this man? We are talking about a time when the paralyzed, the blind, the deaf, had to beg in order to survive. This placed them in the lowest rung on the social ladder; and they suffered the shame of having to depend on the charity of others to survive.t And the Lord places His attention on him!
Matthew and Mark say he «had a withered hand.» And Luke adds that it was the «right hand» (Luke 6:6). God is definitely in the details. This is the God who watches a widow place two small coins in the offering bowl, while the rich gave large sums. The same God who saw Nathanael when he prayed under the fig tree, and Zacchaeus up on a sycamore tree. That day, in the synagogue, the Lord asked the man with a withered hand to rise, and then healed him from all evil (see Mark 3:3-5). But that was the second miracle of the day. The first came when, among all those present, the Saviors attention was fixed precisely on him.
Isn’t it also a miracle that the Lord has noticed you and me?
Thank You, dear Jesus for taking an interest in the details of my life. Thank You also for noticing even my smallest efforts to please You.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators:Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate