Luke 6:10-12

Jesus heals he man with the withered hand: V. 10. And looking round about upon them all, He said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so; and his hand was restored whole as the other. V. 11. And they were filled with madness, and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. V. 12. And it came to pass in those days that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

When no answer from the Pharisees was forthcoming, Jesus therefore once more looked around upon the circle of faces, hoping to find some indication of yielding; but there was none.

And so He performed the miracle before their eyes. At His command the sick man stretched forth his hand, and it was restored to full health and strength at once. The Pharisees were again foiled, and this fact filled them with insane fury against the Lord.

Their senseless anger was directed at Jesus, especially because the miracle would tend to make Him popular with the people, since they had not been able to answer His question. From this time forth they were continually active in considering ways and means to remove Him. They frankly sought Hrs life, Mark 3, 6.

So far can hypocrisy bring a person that fights against the knowledge of truth that he will excuse the most conspicuous lack of love and mercy, and will conceive a deadly hatred against any one that suggests the proper observance of the summary of the Law.

But Jesus gave them no opportunity at this time to carry out their murderous designs. It was in those days, as Luke remarks, that He again withdrew to a mountain. There, in the solitude and silence, He found the right conditions under which He could, without disturbance or distraction, pour out His heart in prayer to His heavenly Father. He spent the entire night in prayer, not a minute too much under the circumstances when He was preparing to extend His ministry.

Note: Regular, intimate, importunate prayer to God is the best way of obtaining strength, above all before an important step in life.