Mark 3:1-6 – Healing on a Sabbath

This passage is the final of the five controversies Jesus had with the religious leaders. Like the fourth, the issue is again about the Sabbath. This time it is about Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath. It looks like in this incident Jesus knew their intention and was ready for a showdown, so He goaded them into it.

It all happened in the synagogue again. Jesus was there to teach. Present there that day was a man with a withered hand. Jesus’ critics watched Him like a hawk to see if He would do something for the man. It was not because they cared for this man caught in his plight, but they were searching for the prospect of nailing Jesus. They must have thought their moment had arrived when Jesus ordered the man to get up and come forward. They didn’t know that our Lord was poised for a showdown. Knowing that they anticipated a healing so as to accuse Him, Jesus threw them a two-part question. “Is it lawful to do good or do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?”

The answer seemed obvious. But His opponents could not answer Him one way or the other. The hunter now became the hunted. Instead of catching Jesus they were caught by the Lord’s ingenious question. To answer either way would be a no win situation for them. To say “do good or to save” would make them Sabbath breakers themselves and free Jesus to do what they knew He wanted to do. And the answer “do harm or to kill” would make them look bad, conscienceless and uncaring. So they kept silent.  

Jesus looked at their stubborn and hardened hearts, was angry and greatly distressed. Ignoring them, He turned to the waiting man and commanded him to stretch out His withered hand. And immediately his hand was restored as he stretched it out. Notice Jesus did not touch that man, He merely told him to stretch out His withered hand. At that command healing took place. They could not explicitly accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath.

Mark made it clear in verse 6 that this last of the five controversies would be the climax. Both the Pharisees and Herodians (followers and admirers Herod) who were common enemies became allies through a common cause: to terminate Jesus.

Perhaps Mark had cleverly shown the two responses to Jesus’ question. While the Lord did good on a Sabbath to grant healing to that man with the withered hand, the opponents went out and started a harmful process - they went out and conspired to terminate Him.  

In the last two controversies, the religious leaders were obviously more concerned for outward sign of being religious. They mistakenly equate a mindless observation of rules and regulations to a vibrant, connected relationship with the Heavenly Father.  From this, we learn that our life in Christ must not be just dry, cold religiosity seeking to follow a set of do’s and don’ts.  We must make sure that ours is a life of devotion and fellowship with the loving Lord!