Gospel in Art - The man with a withered hand

The Artist's Right Hand, Drawn by Hendrick Goltzius © Christie's London, 10 July 2014

Source: Christian Art

19th January 2022 - Mark 3:1-6

Jesus went into a synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand. And they were watching him to see if he would cure him on the sabbath day, hoping for something to use against him. He said to the man with the withered hand, 'Stand up out in the middle!'

Then he said to them, 'Is it against the law on the sabbath day to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?' But they said nothing.

Then, grieved to find them so obstinate, he looked angrily round at them, and said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out and his hand was better.

The Pharisees went out and at once began to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him.

Reflection on the Old Master Drawing

The present drawing by Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) sold in 2014 at Christie's in London for £2,6 million, against an estimate of £300-500,000. It depicts the artist's right hand. When Goltzius was only a year old, according to his friend and biographer Karel van Mander (1548-1606), he fell headfirst into the fireplace and burned both his hands on red-hot coals. Whilst his mother tried to heal the wounds with ointments and bandages, his hands were in constant pain. The tendons of his right hand never properly healed and for the rest of Goltzius's life, he was unable to open it properly. Just over 30 years after the accident, Goltzius drew the present drawing of a hand. I think it is an exquisite drawing.

Maybe his own hand was somewhat like that of the man with the withered hand, as described in today's Gospel reading. What today's Gospel reading teaches us is how Jesus is not interested in theory or man-made rules. He looks at what we practise. Being confronted with the Pharisees, he asks the man with the withered hand to come forward. Jesus so wants the Pharisees to look into the eyes of the disabled man as they decide how to answer Jesus' question of 'is it against the law on the sabbath day to do good?'. He is only asking the Pharisees to confirm or deny that such a healing would be a good thing in any case. We are told that they didn't say anything at all…

Furthermore, there is an urgency to the story. As Jesus knew He wouldn't get an answer from the Pharisees and their hardened hearts, He didn't wait. He went ahead anyway with healing the man there and then. There was no time to waste. Jesus' work in our world will not be constrained by our unwillingness to take part in His good works. But if we engage and fully co-operate, His work can fully blossom, helping to heal us and others.

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/1058
Christian Art - www.christian.art