5. JESUS HEALING ON THE SABBATH Mark 3:1-6 (Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 6:6-11) 1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there who had his hand withered.--Luke 6:6 says: "His right hand," making it a more serious affliction than if it had been the left unless the man was left-handed. [Telling of what he did and said on one Sabbath seems to call up his action on another, and it is here given without regard to time. He entered into the synagogue on the Sabbath and found a man with a withered hand. His known readiness to relieve the afflicted, and the knowledge that he had not observed the Sabbath as strictly as they thought the law required, made them watch to see what he would do to the withered hand.] 2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.--Of Sabbath breaking, and thus be able to stop his preaching. They were watching his every move to get some ground of accusation, that they might accuse Jesus to both the people and the civil authorities. They asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?" (Matthew 12:9.) They were anxious to lead him into a trap. [Seeing him, he determined to heal him, and so commanded him to stand forth in the midst so all could see what was done.] The law of Moses did not forbid works of healing on the Sabbath day, but the traditions and the interpretations of the Pharisees did; and they cared more for their conceited and perverted religious rules and ceremonies than they did for the welfare of any man. 3 And he saith unto the man that had his hand withered, Stand forth.--Luke 6:8 says: "He knew their thoughts; and he said to the man that had his hand withered, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth." Jesus saw that a crisis was at hand and an issue must be made, and he determined to make it bold and plain--as conspicuous as possible. [He was rooting out their ideas concerning the Sabbath, and brought the point before their minds: it is to do good or evil on the Sabbath; to heal a man or let him remain suffering carried out to save life, or in failing to save to let it perish, or destroy it. To fail to save life when we can is to be guilty of destroying it. These were the questions involved. He laid them before them and asked, What is right?] 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful on the sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? to save a life, or to kill?--He puts it squarely up to them. He answers not only their evil thoughts which he knew (Luke 6:8), but their question (Matthew 12:10) as well. The principle of doing good on the Sabbath is being clearly drawn. He makes a center thrust at his opposers. But they held their peace.--Refused to answer, for they could not without condemning themselves. Jesus made a home thrust and drove them to the wall. The question put them in a dilemma. They were the ones that were breaking the Sabbath law, and the whole sum of the commandments, which is love. [Luke (6:7) says: "And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him." Matt. (12:10-12) says: "And behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! ["Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day." If this was the same conversation, Matthew states it more fully, and shows they were trying to excite the Jewish prejudices against him for healing on the Sabbath. But he placed before them their inconsistency in taking a sheep out of the pit, which they did not condemn, while refusing to heal a man of his afflictions, and placed before them the issue, it was to do good by healing, or evil by leaving him unhealed; carried out, to save life by healing, or to destroy it by leaving him to perish? Seeing their own inconsistency and determined to condemn him, they held their peace. This was an unfair and unmanly way of meeting a question they had raised. Saving the ox or the ass from the pit was doing good on the Sabbath day; to heal the man or to save his life was a greater good. To fail to save life when it is in our power is to destroy it.] 5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, --Anger, when applied to God and to Jesus, is not passion, but a deep, moral resentment against wrong. It is perfectly consistent with love for the sinner; indeed it is a fruit of love. It would be base and sinful not to be kindled to indignation by baseness, treachery, cruelty, and hypocrisy. This indignation is one of the motive powers of all reformatory movements. being grieved at the hardening of their heart,--He was as sorry as he was indignant. He was grieved at their spiritual dullness. The words translated "being grieved" imply sympathy and pity for those in such a miserable and hardhearted state. They were so blind to the truth that they mistook prejudice for religion. The heart, which is the seat of feeling, or affection, is tender when it is easily affected by the sufferings and pains of others; by our own sins and anger; by the love and commands of God. It is hard when nothing touches or moves it; when a man is alike insensible to the sufferings of others, the dangers of his own condition, and the commands, the love, and the threatenings of God. It is most tender in youth, or when we have committed the fewest sins. Doubtless the wise man had this in view, when he said: "Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth." (Ecclesiastes 12:1-3.) The heart is made hard by indulgence in sin; by resisting the offers of life; or by opposing appeals which God makes through the gospel. he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and his hand was restored.-- [He was grieved at the hardening of their hearts in refusing to see the truth. He was angry with such a sinful course, but determined to pursue the right, he commanded the man to stretch forth his hand, and on stretching it out, it was restored whole. Here the man showed his faith by doing what Jesus commanded, and in trying to obey, Jesus gave the hand strength. He blessed when faith showed itself in stretching out the hand. Faith was made perfect by doing the thing commanded. In all the examples of healing through faith, this order is observed. Faith proves itself by obeying God, or, in the absence of a command, in doing something that expresses the faith in God. Faith never molds character until it moves to action. Let it be noted that God gives the needed help when we make an effort to do his commands.] 6 And the Pharisees went out, and straightway with the Herodians took counsel against him,--A political rather than a religious body. They were such Jews as favored Herod Antipas, especially in his attempts to be made king over the whole kingdom of his father, Herod the Great, which had been divided into several portions under governors appointed by Rome. "They joined the Sadducees in skepticism, the Greeks in licentiousness, pandered to the Herods in vice and cruelty, and truckled to the Romans." The union of these two opposite parties shows how intense was their feeling against Jesus. The Pharisees and Herodians were fierce political enemies, yet they unite in plotting against Jesus. Opposition to Jesus had been aroused some weeks before this at the Passover at Jerusalem (John 5:16), and the flame was fanned by the memory of his driving out the cattle and money-changers from the temple the year before. It was increased also by his teaching and miracles, and still more so by his rising popularity and his wonderful works. how they might destroy him.--They advised among themselves not whether they would destroy him, but how they might destroy him. They had already determined to do it, but how was the question to settle.