Healing The Hand

Καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πάλιν εἰς τὴν συναγωγήν, καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἄνθρωπος ἐξηραμμένην ἔχων τὴν χεῖρα: καὶ παρετήρουν αὐτὸν εἰ τοῖς σάββασιν θεραπεύσει αὐτόν, ἵνα κατηγορήσωσιν αὐτοῦ. Kαὶ λέγει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ τὴν ξηρὰν χεῖρα ἔχοντι: ἔγειρε εἰς τὸ μέσον. Kαὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς: ἔξεστιν τοῖς σάββασιν ἀγαθὸν ποιῆσαι ἢ κακοποιῆσαι, ψυχὴν σῶσαι ἢ ἀποκτεῖναι; οἱ δὲ ἐσιώπων. Kαὶ περιβλεψάμενος αὐτοὺς μετ' ὀργῆς, συλλυπούμενος ἐπὶ τῇ πωρώσει τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, λέγει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ: ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρα. καὶ ἐξέτεινεν, καὶ ἀπεκατεστάθη ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὑγιὴς, ὡς ἡ ἄλλη. Των μαθητῶν κατηγορηθέντων ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, διότι τῷ Σαββάτῳ τοὺς στάχυας ἔτιλλον, ὁ Κύριος ἐπεστόμισε μὲν τοὺς κατηγόρους, καὶ διὰ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Δαβὶδ ὑποδείγματος. Ἐπιπλέον δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ νῦν ἐντρέπων, θαυματουργεῖ, δεικνύων ὅτι, Τοσοῦτον οὐχ ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἱ μαθηταί μου, ὥστε καὶ αὐτὸς ἑγὼ ἐργάζομαι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Σαββάτου, θαῦμα ἐπιδεικνύμενος· ὥστε εἰ κακόν ἐστι τὸ θαυματουργεῖν, ἔστι κακὸν ἁπλῶς καὶ τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἀναγκαῖα ἐν τῷ Σαββάτῳ· ἀλλὰ μὴν τὸ θαυματουργεῖν, ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ ἀνθρώπου, θεῖόν ἐστιν, οὐκ ἄρα παρανομεῖ ὁ ἐν τῷ Σαββάτῳ μὴ κακόν τι ἐργὰζόμενος. Διὰ τοῦτο οὖν καὶ ἐρωτᾷ αὐτοὺς εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀγαθοποιῆσαι, ἐντρέπων αὐτοὺς ὡς κωλύοντας αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθποιεῖν· ξηρὰν δὲ ἔχει τὴν χεῖρα τὴν δεξιὰν πᾶς ὁ μὴ πράττων τὰ τῆς δεξιᾶς μερίδος ἔργα. Πρὸς ὄν λέηει ὁ Χριστός· Ἐγηειρα, τουτέστιν, Ἀνάστα ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ στῆθι εἰς τὸ μέσον, τουτέστιν, εἰς τὴν μεσότητα τῶν ἀρετῶν. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἀρετὴ, μεσότης ἐστὶν, οὔτε εἰς τὴν ἔλλειψιν, οὔτε εἰς τὴν ὑπερβολὴν ἐπινεύουσα· τότε τοίνυν ὅταν σταθῇ εἰς τὴν μεσότητα, ἀποκατασταθήσεται ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ὑγιής. Ὅρα δὲ κὰι τὸ Ἀποκατεστάθη. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν ὅτε εἴχομεν ὑγιεῖς τὰς χεῖρας, τουτέστι, τὴν πρακτικὴν ἑνέργειαν, ὅτε οὔπω παράβασις· ἀφ' οὗ δὲ ἐξετάθη ἡ χεὶρ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀπηγορευμένον καρπὸν, ἔκτοτε ἐξηράνθη πρὸς τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ ἐργασίαν. Πάλιν οὖν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ σταθῶμεν τῶν ἀρετῶν. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατά Μάρκον Εὐαγγέλιον, Κεφαλ. Γ’ Source: Migne PG 123.520d-521b

And He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there with a withered hand. And they watched Him whether He would heal on the Sabbath days, so that they might accuse him. And He said to the man with the withered hand: 'Stand up in the midst.' And He said to them, 'Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days or to do evil? To save life or to destroy it?' But they were silent. And looking on them in anger,  and being grieved because of the blindness of their hearts, He said to the man, 'Hold out your hand.' And he held it out, and his hand was restored to him, as healthy as the other. 1 When the disciples were accused by the Jews because they plucked ears from the corn, the Lord refuted their accusers, and that with the example of David, but now He confuted them much more with the making of a miracle, showing by this turning to the work of the making of a miracle on the Sabbath that His disciples did not sin, because if it is wicked to perform a miracle on the Sabbath, certainly it is wicked to perform a needful deed. But to work a miracle for the saving of a man is Divine, therefore he does not sin who works what is not evil on the Sabbath. Thus He questions them, if it is permitted to do good, reproving them because they would prohibit goodness. And everyone has a withered right hand who does not perform the works which belong to the right side. To which Christ says, 'Stand up,' that is, 'Rise from sin', and stand 'in the midst,' that is, in the middle of virtue. For every virtue is middling when it is tending neither to defectiveness nor perfection. Thus when the man had stood in the middle, He restored His right hand to health. And note that it is said, 'It was restored.' For once we had healthy hands that were useful for the works of virtue, when we had not fallen. But when our right hand was extended to the forbidden fruit, then it began to dry up for good works. So let us stand again in the midst of virtue.  Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Mark, Chapter 3 1 Mk 3.1-5