 |
 |
||||
And Mark adds that “they were watching Him.” He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. (NASB) Mark 3:1-2 The “they” were the religious leaders. What a sinister setting. The Greek text tells us that “they” had been watching for a while to see if Jesus would heal a man on the Sabbath. Why were they watching? It appears that they had prepared a trap for Jesus. It appears that the Pharisees had brought a man with a deformed hand into the synagogue and were hoping that Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath. These religious leaders knew that Jesus could heal. They also knew that Jesus cared for people.
Matthew says that the Pharisees asked Him if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath.
And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”— so that they might accuse Him. (NASB) Matt. 12:10 These wicked men wanted to make sure that Jesus thought about healing the man. They had set a trap and now they want Jesus “to walk into it.” They want Him to heal the man so that they can accuse him of breaking their rules about not healing on the Sabbath.
The Tension. Jesus responded with wisdom.
And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?” (NASB) Matt. 12:11 Jesus referred to a common practice among the people including the leaders themselves. They would violate the Sabbath rules in order to rescue an animal but not a person who was in need. Then Jesus revealed their hearts.
“How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep!” (NASB) Matt. 12:12a Jesus then asked the man to come to Him.
He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” (NASB) Mark 3:3 There must have been some tension and excitement in that synagogue now. Some people were hoping to see Him perform a miracle, and the Pharisees wanted evidence that would support their plan to remove Jesus. The room must have been very quiet now with everyone’s eyes fixed on Jesus. Maybe someone could have heard a pin drop on the floor.
And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. (NASB) Mark 3:4 “Is it lawful to do good?” Jesus asked. The Pharisees did not want to answer. They knew the answer, but they did not care. They were interested in only one thing - trapping Jesus. They did not care about the man. They did not care about his hand. They did not care about Jesus. They wanted Him dead. So they kept silent and eagerly hoped that Jesus would heal the man and violate their rules. These leaders were anything but wonderful and spiritual.
Jesus Was Angry. Then Jesus looked at the leaders. He was angry and upset because they cared more for their animals than for the people.
After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (NASB) Mark 3:5 Some believe that all anger is sin. If this is true, then Jesus sinned. Ephesians 4:26-27 helps us understand that there is a certain type of anger that is okay.
BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. (NASB) Eph. 4:26-27 |
|||||
|
|||||
| Life & Heart of Jesus | |||||