In this episode of
Key Ministry: The Podcast, Dr. Chris Hulshof invites us into Mark 3 and the healing of the man with the withered hand.
As Jesus confronts religious leaders with “calloused hearts,” we’re challenged to consider where our own hearts may have grown hard—especially in how we see, serve, and welcome people with disabilities in the life of the church.
This is a gospel-centered call to trade systems, silence, and self-protection for love, mercy, and faithful service.
In This Episode
- Walk through Mark 3:1–6 and the healing of the man with the withered hand.
- Explore what Scripture means by “hard” or “calloused” hearts and why it matters to Jesus.
- Identify three ways religious leaders developed calloused hearts toward people with disabilities.
- See how these same patterns can quietly creep into today’s church and disability ministries.
- Consider practical, gospel-shaped ways to choose people over systems, truth over silence, and service over power.
- Be encouraged to cultivate a soft heart that reflects Christ’s love for those often marginalized by society but welcomed by God.
Pull Quotes
“Anytime disability ministry takes a back seat to the systems of church ministry, a thin layer of calloused flesh grows over our heart.”
“More often than not, injustice within the walls of the church is not what is done, but what is left undone.”
“When we set aside position, power, and security for love, mercy, and service, our heart starts to beat like the heart of Jesus.”
The Healing in Mark 3: A Window into Jesus’ Heart
Dr. Hulshof begins by reading Mark 3:1–6, where Jesus enters the synagogue on the Sabbath and notices a man with a withered (or deformed) hand.
The religious leaders are watching closely—not to celebrate healing, but to catch Jesus “working” on the Sabbath so they can accuse Him.
Jesus calls the man to stand in front of everyone and then asks the religious leaders a piercing question:
Is the Sabbath a day for doing good or doing evil? For saving life or destroying it?
They refuse to answer. Scripture tells us Jesus looks at them with anger and is deeply saddened “by their hard hearts.”
Dr. Hulshof explains that the phrase “hard hearts” carries the idea of being
calloused—like a callus on the foot that develops over time. A callus dulls feeling; the same can happen spiritually. What once would have moved us with compassion now barely registers.
In contrast, Jesus responds with love and power. He tells the man, “Hold out your hand,” and his hand is restored. While the Pharisees begin to plot with the Herodians about how to kill Jesus, Jesus chooses mercy over man-made systems and compassion over cold religious performance.
Three Ways Religious Leaders Developed Calloused Hearts
From this short but powerful passage, Dr. Hulshof draws out three ways the religious leaders developed calloused hearts—and how we can fall into the same patterns in disability ministry today.
1. Choosing Systems Over People
The Pharisees had built a detailed network of Sabbath rules—down to how much weight you could carry, whether you could look in a mirror, or even put in false teeth. Their identity was wrapped up in knowing, keeping, and enforcing these rules.
When Jesus encounters a man with a disability on the Sabbath, the religious leaders are more concerned about Sabbath regulations than a suffering image-bearer standing in front of them. They prefer their system to the person in need.
Dr. Hulshof points out that churches today can do something similar:
anytime disability ministry “doesn’t fit” our existing programs, calendars, or volunteer structures, we may be tempted to say, “We’re just not set up for that kind of ministry.”
Every time we choose the comfort of our ministry systems over the costly work of caring for individuals with disabilities, another thin layer of callous grows over our hearts.
2. Choosing Silence Over Engaging the Truth
When Jesus asks whether it is lawful to do good or harm on the Sabbath—to save life or to kill—the answer should be obvious. But the leaders know that however they answer, they’ll expose their own hearts. Agreeing with Jesus would dismantle their system; disagreeing would expose their lack of compassion.
So they choose the safer option:
silence.
Dr. Hulshof notes that silence can be a powerful contributor to a calloused heart.
Within the church, injustice toward people with disabilities is often not in what is actively done, but in what is quietly left undone. Needs become known, stories are heard, pain is visible—and yet we hope someone else (a government program, another charity, another ministry) will step in.
Every time we see injustice or neglect and choose silence instead of engaging the truth in love,
our hearts grow just a little harder and our compassion a little more suffocated.
3. Choosing Position and Power Over Love, Mercy, and Service
At the end of the passage, the Pharisees join forces with the Herodians—two groups who had little in common except their opposition to Jesus. They recognize that if Jesus is embraced, it will cost them their position, power, and security.
Rather than lose status, they begin plotting how to get rid of Jesus.
Dr. Hulshof contrasts their posture with Jesus’, who has all authority and all power—and yet chooses the path of the suffering servant. Jesus uses His power to move toward those on the margins, including people with disabilities whom others have overlooked or pushed aside.
In conversations with pastors and churches, Dr. Hulshof sees this contrast play out today.
Some leaders are deeply involved shepherds, able to describe the faces, names, and stories of people with disabilities in their congregation. Others remain distant from disability ministry—glad it exists, but largely disconnected from those it serves.
When leaders cling to position and comfort instead of stepping into costly, hands-on service for marginalized people, they risk mirroring the religious leaders more than the heart of Christ.
Doing It Backwards: Cultivating a Soft Heart in Disability Ministry
As the episode closes, Dr. Hulshof invites listeners to “run this backwards.”
If calloused hearts come from systems over people, silence over truth, and position over service, what would it look like to reverse those choices?
- Choose people over systems: Let your ministry structures bend to serve image-bearers with disabilities, instead of asking them to fit your existing system.
- Choose to engage truth over remaining silent: When you see neglect, exclusion, or unmet needs, speak up, ask questions, and move toward action.
- Choose love, mercy, and service over position and security: Follow Jesus by willingly laying preference and comfort aside so that families impacted by disability are truly welcomed.
When we follow Jesus in these ways, our hearts don’t grow numb—they grow tender.
Our churches become places where those who are often marginalized by society experience the welcome of Christ and the care of His people.
Resources Mentioned
- Scripture: Mark 3:1–6 – Jesus heals the man with the withered hand.
- Key Ministry: The Podcast – Additional episodes on theology of disability and practical disability ministry.
About the Host
About the Host – Dr. Chris Hulshof
Dr. Chris Hulshof is a theologian, teacher, and ministry practitioner with a heart for helping the church think biblically and compassionately about disability.
As a host on Key Ministry: The Podcast, he guides listeners through Scripture, exploring how the gospel shapes the way we see and serve people with disabilities in the body of Christ.
About Key Ministry
Key Ministry exists to equip churches to welcome and include children, teens, and adults impacted by disability and mental health for the purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ.
Through conferences, resources, consulting, and this podcast, Key Ministry comes alongside leaders and families to build gospel-centered communities where every person is seen, loved, and invited to belong.
Transcript Summary (Expanded Overview)
Welcome to Key Ministry, the podcast. I’m Dr. Chris Halschoff. I’m excited you stopped by the podcast today.
On the third Thursday of every month, we gather here to talk about a theology of disabilities.
Why do we do what we do theologically when it comes to disability ministry?
Today I want to look at a passage from the Gospel of Mark. Short passage—only six verses. It deals with a healing miracle performed by Jesus. A miracle that took place on the Sabbath. A miracle that involved a confrontation with the religious leaders of His day.
And I want to ask a question about their hearts, and if we might find ourselves in the same place as them.
Let’s take a look at the passage: Mark chapter three—the healing of the man with the withered hand. Some translations say “the man with the deformed hand.” I want to read it and then jump into it, noticing a couple of things as we take a look.
“Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched Him closely. If He healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse Him of working on the Sabbath.
Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, ‘Come and stand in front of everyone.’
Then He turned to His critics and asked, ‘Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?’
But they would not answer Him.
He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts.
Then He said to the man, ‘Hold out your hand.’ So the man held out his hand, and it was restored.
At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.”
Now when we look at this passage, something about the emotion immediately jumps off the page. It’s how Jesus sees the religious leaders—His critics—the Pharisees. He asks them a question, but they will not answer. It says Jesus looked at them and was angry and deeply saddened by their hard hearts.
The words used there for “hard hearts” are best understood as “calloused.” They had calloused hearts.
I don’t know if you’ve ever had a callous. There are a lot of things in life I enjoy—some things I’m not good at, but I like them anyway. Running is one of them. I’ve liked running since college. I don’t intend to run a 5K or half marathon—I’m not that kind of runner. I just enjoy putting on shoes and going for a run.
The problem is I try to do it consistently, but don’t always. When I start up again after a break, I’ll develop a blood blister on my right foot that becomes a callus. It doesn’t matter what shoes or socks I use—it always happens. Once the callus develops, the irritation is gone. The callus deadens the feeling.
That’s the imagery at play here when Jesus talks about their hard hearts: their hearts have been calloused.
So what caused their hearts to be calloused? What caused them to be in this situation—seeing an individual with a disability, seeing Jesus’ desire to heal him, hearing His questions—and instead of responding, they stand in silence? Jesus looks at them angrily and is saddened by their calloused hearts.
That calloused heart is what I want to explore today. When it comes to disability ministry, how can we develop calloused hearts? Is it possible for us, in ministry, to develop these same kinds of calloused hearts these Pharisees had? It’s not a good thing, but can we develop them? And if so, how?
I think we can see three ways the religious leaders—the critics of Jesus—developed calloused hearts.
First: They chose systems over people.
The religious leaders had a pious system of beliefs—a structure designed to enforce the rules. Even if nobody else kept the rules, they would. They would be the ones who kept the Sabbath, knew the rules, enforced the rules.
Their Sabbath rules were detailed: you couldn’t carry anything heavier than two dried figs. You couldn’t look in a mirror in case you felt the need to adjust something and therefore “work.” You couldn’t put in false teeth. There was a whole network of rules.
Jesus is in the synagogue on the Sabbath. He sees a man with a withered hand. The leaders know it’s the Sabbath. They know the man has a disability. They know Jesus has the propensity to heal.
If He heals on the Sabbath, He breaks their rules.
So they watch.
They preferred their system over people.
Can we do the same?
Yes. Anytime disability ministry takes a back seat to the systems of church ministry, a thin layer of calloused flesh grows over our heart. Anytime we say, “We’re not really set up for this kind of ministry,” we’re choosing our system over individuals with disabilities.
Second: They chose silence over engaging the truth.
Jesus poses obvious questions: Is it lawful to do good or harm on the Sabbath? To save life or kill? They know any answer they give puts them in danger. If they agree, their whole system collapses. If they disagree, they look heartless. So they choose silence.
Could they have engaged Jesus? Absolutely.
But they chose silence because silence felt safer.
Can we do the same in ministry?
Yes. Anytime we choose silence in the face of injustice, another layer of hard flesh grows over our heart. Injustice in the church is often not what is done but what is left undone. Needs become known, but we leave them undone, trusting someone else—government, charity, another ministry—to take care of it.
Third: They chose position, power, and security over love, mercy, and service.
At the end of the story, two groups who normally oppose each other—the Pharisees and the Herodians—join together. The only thing they share is hatred for Jesus.
They recognize that embracing Jesus means giving up position, power, and security.
Instead of clinging to power, Jesus chooses the place of a servant. The suffering servant savior. In love and mercy, He cares for those the powerful have cast aside.
I often talk with churches and pastors about disability ministry. I usually get one of two responses:
The first is from the shepherd who is deeply involved. He knows the families, the events, the ministry. His heart for disability ministry is clear.
The second response reveals a disconnect: “Oh, this family leads it,” or “This couple runs it.” When you press in, it’s clear the pastor watches from afar but is not involved. That servant heart doesn’t extend to disability ministry.
Why?
Why is this the one area where there is disconnect?
The religious leaders were unwilling to sacrifice position, power, or authority. They did not want the service part of shepherding God’s people.
But Jesus, having all power and authority, chose to serve.
So how did these critics of Jesus develop calloused hearts?
They chose systems over people.
They chose silence rather than truth.
They chose position and power over love, mercy, and service.
If we’re honest, it’s not hard to find ourselves in the same position—layers of callous slowly forming on our heart and suffocating compassion.
So here’s the challenge: What does it look like to do this backwards?
To choose people over systems.
To engage the truth instead of remaining silent.
To willingly step aside from power and position and choose love, mercy, and service.
When we do that, we won’t have a calloused heart.
We’ll have a heart that beats for those who are marginalized by society but welcomed in our church. We’ll have a heart for individuals with disabilities.
Thank you for joining us on the podcast today. I hope you’ve enjoyed our time here. If you’ve enjoyed this, we have plenty more good content. Scroll back through previous episodes and give them a listen.
We have plenty of great content available as you follow God, as you lead, and as you serve in the capacity of disability ministry.
Until next Thursday, thank you for joining me here at Key Ministry, the podcast.
Enjoy your day today.
