Mark 3:1-6 (NKJV) Healing on the Sabbath
(Matt. 12:9–14; Luke 6:6–11)
1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
V1 “And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.” A withered hand is a hand where the muscles have atrophied severely from non-use. Jesus was faithful in His synagogue attendance. Jesus again wishes to teach the true meaning and application of the Sabbath. These “works” a Jew may do on the Sabbath: 1) take a donkey or ox from the stall to water it—Luke 13:15, 2) heal physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually—Luke 13:16 and Matthew 12:10-13, 3) rescue an animal from a well—Luke 14:5, 4) circumcise a boy—John 7:21-24, and 5) the priests exercising their ministry on the Sabbath—Matthew 12:5.
V2 “So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.”The purpose of their close observation of Jesus is to falsely accuse Him. It is good that they observe Jesus closely, if it is for learning, etc., but when it is to falsely accuse Him, it is evil. Compare Matthew 26:59-61, Matthew 9:34, and John 8:6.
V3 “And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” It seems that Jesus says, “So, you want to watch closely, then I’ll make sure everyone watches closely. Step forth.”
V4 “Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.” He asks them a legitimate question, but they refuse to answer because they want to falsely accuse Jesus. If they had read and believed the Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament today), they would have known the correct Scriptural answer.
V5 “And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.” Anger is a character trait of God and humans. This is an illustration of righteous anger. Here are some things that make God angry: 1) idolatry—Numbers 25:3 and 1 Kings 22:51-53, 2) unbelief—2 Kings 17:14-15 and Psalm 78:22, 3) disobedience—Joshua 7:1, 4) ungodliness—Proverbs 11:31 and 1 Timothy 1:9, 5) pride—Proverbs 8:13, 6) complaining about His will—Numbers 11:1, 7) injustice—Zechariah 7:9-12, and 8) rejection of God’s servants (usually the prophets)—Nehemiah 9:26 and Zechariah 7:12. Hardness of hearts refers to their refusal to believe the Scriptures. When Jesus gave the order/command, the man complied according to his faith.
V6 “Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.” The reaction should be praise and glorifying God; instead, they wished to destroy (kill) Him. The Pharisees are the legalists, and the Herodians. Concerning the Herodians: (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary) “Jews of influence and standing who were favorable toward Greek customs and Roman law in New Testament times. Although the Herodians should not be equated with the Sadducees, they sided with the Sadducees in their pro-Roman sympathies and opposed the Pharisees, who were anti-Roman. The Herodians joined forces with the Pharisees, however, in their opposition to Jesus.”
We learn:
- Not to make Jesus angry by disbelief.
- Believing in our own interpretations and laws, which contradict God’s, is detested by God because it serves as an excuse for disobedience.
Questions:
- Have we made God angry?
- Have we followed our own laws instead of God’s laws?