Mark 3 - 2.13.24
Mark 3:1 – 6
Scripture: Mark 3:1 – 6: Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Observation: The religious leaders were looking for anything they could to accuse Jesus and to kill him. They began their quest to accuse Jesus in Chapter 2 by accusing him of blasphemy when he forgave a man’s sin on the Sabbath (Mark 2:5 – 7), for dining with sinners (Mark 2:12-17) and allowing disciples to pick and eat grain on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28). The event at the synagogue was also written about in Matthew 12:9 – 14 and Luke 6:6-11.
There are only a few times where Jesus was angry and interestingly it happened against religious leaders and those who used the Temple as a marketplace (see Matthew 21:12-17). The religious leaders were obviously blinded by their hate of Jesus and their long held and rigid rules about the Sabbath.
The whole idea behind the Sabbath came from several references in the Old Testament. The first time it is mentioned is in Genesis 2:2 – 3 where God rested on the 7th day after creating the Universe and called it the Sabbath. In Exodus 20:8 – 11 the Lord commands Israel to keep the Sabbath holy. Leviticus 23:3 says “Six days a week are for work but the seventh day is a day of rest and assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.””
Jesus was definitely rocking the religious boat when he questioned the leaders about activities on the Sabbath. The religious leaders had taken the scripture about the Sabbath and took the “not to do any work” to the extreme. He called them out by saying “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.” In Matthew 12:10 the religious leaders asked him “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” In response Jesus asked “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?” Jesus is pointing out their hypocrisy in making such rigid rules about the Sabbath. Jesus is saying there are times where an action on the Sabbath might be done for the greater good.
Application: We should rest on the Sabbath, worship and assemble together but it doesn’t mean we abstain from doing good on the Sabbath just because it’s the Sabbath. It’s also important to look at the intent of the law or scripture and not be rigid in our beliefs. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” My life in Christ should reflect serving him and not serving the laws.
Prayer: Lord, help me to see your vision in the Scriptures. Open my eyes and heart to follow the intent of your Word and not be rigid or legalistic in any way. Your ways are not about enslavement but of freedom. Thank you for your Word and guiding me on your path to freedom.
- Mary Oberg
