Wednesday January 17
The last line of today’s reading lays the shadow of the cross over Mark’s gospel. Healing on the sabbath was forbidden, and Jesus deliberately flouted this rule by healing the man with the paralyzed hand. There are always multiple layers of meaning in the Scriptures: he was restoring the man to his full power. Your arm is your power to do things. Your feet are your power to go places. Later, he himself would be nailed hand and foot to the cross; he would become powerless for the powerless. Such a one will always be in trouble with the controllers. Anyone who sets people free can expect trouble.
