THE LORD OF THE SABBATH - PART 2 (Mark 3:1-6)
INTRODUCTION:
Last Sunday we looked at the first of two incidents where Jesus demonstrated that He was the sovereign Lord of the Sabbath. This took place in a confrontation with the Pharisees and came about because of their distorted version of the Sabbath which was central to their religious system. When Jesus declared Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath, He was showing how the Pharisees had corrupted the Sabbath, turning it from a day of rest and worship into a day of unbearable burden and drudgery. He showed this both in His words and in what He did. He publicly defied the unbiblical rules, regulations, and restrictions invented by the rabbis over the centuries, and the religious leaders hated and resented Him for it.
Our passage this morning as I said is a continuation of the theme of last week’s passage. Both passages focus on the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees concerning behavior that is acceptable on the Sabbath. Last week, Jesus’ disciples were violating rabbinic rules concerning the Sabbath. When the Pharisees confronted Jesus about it, He declared Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath, which was a claim to be the Creator God, the One who created the Sabbath and established it for the people of Israel. This declaration by Jesus enraged the scribes and the Pharisees, but what Jesus had declared about Himself was true. As the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was determined to demonstrate the proper way that the Sabbath was to be observed as it was written in Scripture, in the Law of Moses, all the while denouncing and defying the man-made rules and restrictions of the Pharisees.
Both these incidents are recorded together in Matthew, Mark, and Luke and it is believed that they occurred in a short period of time, possibly on two consecutive Sabbaths, the first took place in the grainfields, this morning’s incident takes place in a synagogue. Let’s pray and then read our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Mark 3:1-6. Again, this is a continuation of the same theme as the incident that we looked at last week. Jesus as the Lord of the Sabbath is going to give us the proper observance of the Sabbath as given to us in God’s Word, and it has more to do with compassion and mercy than it has to do with following man-made rules and restrictions. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Mark 3:1-6,
“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. He said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Get up and come forward!’ 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. 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. The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” (Mark 3:1–6, NASB95)[1]
CONTEXT AND REPROACH (Mark 3:1-2)
Mark does not specify for us the city or town that Jesus is in when He entered again into a synagogue. He is in a city or town somewhere in Galilee and He enters the local synagogue on the Sabbath. The parallel passage in Luke (Luke 6:6) tells us why He was in this synagogue, He was teaching as was His custom, He came as a visiting rabbi. The crowds were still amazed by the teaching of Jesus Christ and that was because He taught as One with authority and not as the scribes. The scribes when they taught liked to quote the opinions of other rabbis, rather then expound the biblical text. Not only did Jesus teach with authority, but His message was so unlike the scribes, it was unlike anything the people had ever heard. Jesus’ message emphasized repentance, humility, faith, and true righteousness found by faith in Him. Luke later tells us that when Jesus preached the people hung on every word that He said. (Luke 19:48)
Mark goes on and tells us that among those gathered at the synagogue on that particular Sabbath was a man whose hand was withered. Luke in Luke 6:6 notes that it was his right hand that was withered, something only a physician would take note of. Given that most people are righthanded this would have been very debilitating for this man. We are not told if this deformity was due to a disease or an accident. The term that is translated withered from the Greek is a word that refers to atrophy. In Greek it is used of dead plants that have dried up and wasted away, this suggests that this man’s hand was completely lifeless and useless.
It is possible that this disability made it impossible for this man to earn a living and because of this he may have been reduced to begging. Even though this man was experiencing a severe limitation in what he could do, his condition was not life-threatening. Jesus could have waited until the next day to heal him, rather than doing it on the Sabbath. But the Lord Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, had a point to make. Jesus was going to confront the unbiblical, man-made restrictions that the rabbis had made concerning healing and medical care on the Sabbath. As on other occasions, Jesus would intentionally heal this man on the Sabbath.
In that same group of people gathered at the synagogue that Sabbath was a group of Pharisees. Mark tells us why they are at this particular synagogue on this particular Sabbath. They were watching Jesus to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, which would be unlawful according to the rabbinic law and they would have grounds to accuse Him. They were looking for anything that they could use to accuse Him, and the way Mark describes this might mean that they had arranged for the injured man to be at the synagogue that day, hoping to trap Jesus in the act of violating the Sabbath. Outwardly, they put on a show of protecting the Sabbath, but inwardly, their hearts were evil, and they hoped that Jesus would do something that violated the Sabbath, so that they could discredit Him.
Within the man-made rules and restrictions that had been added to God’s law by the rabbis over the centuries were those that governed what level of care could be given to those who were sick or injured. Unless a person’s life was at stake, the man-made rules and restrictions said that doing anything to improve someone’s physical condition constituted work. The most that was permitted on the Sabbath was whatever care that was needed to keep a person alive, and nothing more.
On this basis, if Jesus decided to heal this man, He would be doing what was unlawful on the Sabbath according to the Pharisees’ rules and restrictions. The Pharisees did not care about the physical well-being of this man, this is especially seen if they had planted him there to trap Jesus. And even though they did not deny that Jesus could heal him, they did not care about the supernatural power that Jesus would display by healing this man’s hand. The only concern that these self-righteous, hypocritical Pharisees had was whether Jesus would break their petty man-made traditions which would allow them to accuse Him of being a Sabbath lawbreaker. They viewed Jesus as an irreligious blasphemer who deserved to be condemned. Luke’s parallel passage tells us in Luke 6:8 that Jesus knew what they were thinking. He knew that they had set a trap for Him. But rather than avoiding another conflict with them, He sought it and sprang their trap.
CONFRONTATION AND RESTORATION (Mark 3:3-5)
Jesus never shied away from a confrontation with the Pharisees. And He does not this time either but uses this situation to show them how the Sabbath truly should be observed, showing mercy and compassion rather than following a list of man-made rules. Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking and hoping that He would do, and because of this Jesus was in complete control of this situation. Not only was Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath in an overall sense, but He was also the sovereign Lord of this particular Sabbath and everything that would take place on that day.
It is worth noting that the man with the withered hand did not bring attention to himself or seek Jesus out for healing. There is no record of this man saying anything here or in the other two Gospels that record this incident. According to Mark, Jesus is the one who initiated contact with this man. Jesus called him out of the crowd. “He said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Get up and come forward!’ ” (Mark 3:3, NASB95)[2] Jesus called the man to the front of the synagogue at the end of His teaching. Perhaps the man was startled by this invitation to join Jesus at the front, and simply obeyed.
According to the parallel account in Matthew 12 it was the Pharisees who began asking Jesus what He intended to do. Matthew 12:10-12 says, “And they questioned Jesus, asking, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’—so that they might accuse Him. 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? How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’ ” (Matthew 12:10b–12, NASB95)[3] Jesus responded to the Pharisee’s question by arguing from the lesser to the greater. Using the example of a sheep falling into a pit on the Sabbath and if it is permissible to help your sheep on the Sabbath, how could it be wrong or unlawful to help a human being, who value far exceeds that of an animal? No Pharisee would argue that a sheep was worth more than a human being, since humans are created in the image of God. Yet in practice, the Pharisees treated their animals with more compassion than they treated people. It is incredible to think that they would be willing to suspend their religious rules and restrictions to help an animal than show compassion to another human being by helping them.
Jesus knew that the Pharisees were trying to trap Him and so He turned the question back on them, responding to their question with a question of His own. Verse 4 says, “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.” (Mark 3:4, NASB95)[4] This question by Jesus was a powerful charge against them in three ways. First, Jesus by this question exposed the unlawful nature of the nonbiblical, man-made rules, restrictions, and traditions. The Old Testament law clearly encouraged people to do good and prohibited them from doing harm. But the man-made regulations and traditions prohibited you from doing good when it came to the care of people, instead following the rules and regulations might cause harm instead of good. Because this was true, it was the Pharisees and not Jesus who were violating God’s law. Second this question by Jesus exposed the Pharisees calloused attitude toward suffering and pain. They were more interested in accusing Jesus of wrongdoing then they were in helping the man suffering from the withered hand. Third, the question targeted the Pharisees’ plot against Jesus. How contradictory that the self-professed protectors and guardians of the Sabbath secretly hoped that Jesus would violate their man-made Sabbath rules and restrictions so that they could one day put Him to death.
God’s Word to the Old Testament prophets made it clear that God was more concerned with His people doing good and showing mercy and compassion to others than with their meticulous observance of religious ceremonies and rituals. The prophet Isaiah makes this abundantly clear in the opening chapter of his book, he writes in Isaiah 1:11-17, “’What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?’ Says the Lord. ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:11–17, NASB95)[5] Clearly, these verses show us that God takes no pleasure in the sacrifices and Sabbaths of the people of Israel when they refused to do good and show kindness to others.
Jesus’ question to the Pharisees trapped them when they had hoped to trap Him. How could they answer His question? If they agreed that it was lawful to do good and save a life, then they would not be able to accuse Jesus of any wrongdoing. To confirm that truth would contradict their man-made rules, restrictions, and traditions while at the same time affirming that an act of healing was acceptable. The other option was even worse for them. If they claimed that it was lawful to do evil and kill, they would find themselves completely and utterly at odds with the Old Testament, they would be publicly admitting their own merciless wickedness. They were clearly humiliated and caught in a logical contradiction resulting from their own unbiblical rules, regulations, and traditions. They resorted to the only thing they could do, they kept silent. They refused to answer the question and they did this by keeping silent.
What they had hoped to be a trap turned out to trap them instead of trapping Him. By questioning them on the extremes, Jesus forced the Pharisees to shut their mouths. Jesus’ question caused them to wrestle with the real issue. Who was honoring God? Was it the One who desired to show mercy and compassion toward people? Or was it those who ignored or simply did not care about the suffering of others in order to maintain strict obedience to their man-made regulations and traditions?
Having trapped them in their own trap, Jesus highlighted His point with a dramatic act. He paused, the silence must have been deafening, He paused and stared His opponents down. As their silence filled the room, their consciences must have burned under the weight of His angry, piercing gaze. There was no mistaking His point. Nor could they have missed the righteous indignation that filled His heart and shown out through His eyes. Just as God was angry at the hard-heartedness of the Israelites in the Old Testament, Jesus was angry with the calloused unbelief of the Pharisees. Not only was He angry, but He was grieved at their hardness of heart. His wrath was because of their calloused unbelief, but this was intermingled with sorrow and sadness because of the necessary condemnation He knew would come upon them. Even in His anger toward them, Jesus grieved knowing the eternal destruction that awaited them on account of their stubborn rebellion.
Out of His grief for the Pharisees’ unbelief, Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “stretch out your hand.” (Mark 3:5b, NASB95)[6] The man again obeyed. “And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” (Mark 3:5c, NASB95)[7] Can you imagine the amazement and excitement that filled that synagogue at that moment. Most of them there would have known this man with the withered hand. Not only had Jesus’ preaching amazed them as He spoke as One with authority, but they were amazed at His willingness to openly defy the Pharisees, and they were amazed that He had performed an undeniable miracle. Can you imagine as the disabled man stretched out his withered hand and feeling surged back into his right hand and it was restored as if it had never been withered. His strength returned and I can just see him flexing his fingers and realizing that he had full use of his hand again. Notice that Jesus never touched the man, he only spoke to him, nothing Jesus did could be called work. What could the Pharisees charge Him with? Speaking to a disabled man?
CONSPIRACY AND RELATIONSHIP (Mark 3:6)
How did the Pharisees respond to the supernatural healing? Remember that they had just been humiliated having the trap they set sprung on them. They were furious with Jesus and their hatred for Him had just grown stronger. The were fuming with anger because Jesus had publicly challenged their authority, and they were not willing to accept defeat and they would not tolerate such a challenge to their authority, so we read that they acted quickly. Mark writes, “The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” (Mark 3:6, NASB95)[8] Even though they had just witnessed the power of Jesus to heal a man without even laying a finger on Him, they refused to believe who He claimed to be. They were so confident in their self-righteous works and the traditions that they followed handed down by the rabbis that they closed their hearts to the Word of God and to the Son of God. The Pharisees had failed to refute Jesus’ arguments, they could not deny the reality of His healing power, and they left the synagogue embarrassed and outraged. If they could have, they might have tried to kill Jesus on the spot were it not that He was so popular with the people. If they had tried anything they would have had a riot on their hands. Besides that, Roman law prohibited them from exercising capital punishment on their own. They were determined to find a way to get rid of Jesus for good.
Seeking for a way to kill the Messiah led the Pharisees into an interesting relationship, an unexpected alliance. We read that they began immediately to conspire with the Herodians. The Herodians were not a religious group, they were a worldly political group that supported the dynasty of Herod the Great and, by extension, Rome. These secular Jews were viewed by their countrymen as loyal to Greco-Roman culture and traitors to their own religious heritage. They could not be more different than the Pharisees. At any other time, they would have been archenemies. But they found a common enemy in Jesus. As we have already seen, the Pharisees hated Jesus because He openly opposed their hypocritical system of works-righteousness. The Herodians hated Jesus because of His popularity with the local people which made Him a potential threat to the power of Herod and of Rome which they supported. Because of this, both groups rejected Him as the Messiah, and rejected Him as the Son of God. These two groups formed a relationship with one goal in mind, to come up with a plan to destroy Jesus.
CONCLUSION:
The mercy and compassion that Jesus displayed toward the man in the synagogue stands in stark contrast to the hatred displayed by the Pharisees toward their own Messiah. They hated Him so much that they were willing to join forces with their religious enemies to get rid of Him, to destroy Him. They were willing to do whatever it took to eliminate Him.
There scheming and conspiring would one day end on the hillside called Golgotha outside the city of Jerusalem, where Jesus Christ, the Son of God would give His life. Though the religious leaders will think they have won, Jesus Christ will triumph, paying the penalty for sin and rising from the dead in victory. Because of the sacrifice of the Lord of the Sabbath their remains a Sabbath rest for those who repent and put their faith in Him. The author of Hebrews speaks of this future heavenly Sabbath rest when he writes in Hebrews 4:7-11, “‘Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:7–11, NASB95)[9]
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.