Mark 3:1-12

Setting Jesus Up

Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath as was His custom. He would teach, heal, and cast out demons. There were a group of Pharisees that knew he would be there and would probably heal someone. It was against their tradition to heal someone on the Sabbath as it was considered work.

Jesus knew what they were doing and challenged their tradition to see if it was consistent with the old Testament Law. The Pharisees had taken the old testament law of 613 commandments found in the Torah ( first 5 books of the Bible) and add other stipulations to them that made them very difficult to follow. Their stipulations enhanced legalism and lost the spirit of the Law.

Jesus called them out by asking them a question:

Mark 3:4 NASB95

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.

The obvious answer is that it is lawful to do good and save a life on the Sabbath. Their silence showed the hardness of the Pharisees heart. It is apparent that these Pharisees knew about God but didn’t know God. They understood the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law.

Loving and obeying the commandments of Christ

God’s law has not changed and will not change. It is important to know the law for righteous living, but it is more important to know the giver of the law. It is in know the giver of the law that you will know not only the letter of the law but also the spirit of the law. John says in 1 John 5:3

1 John 5:3 NASB95

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

What John is saying here is that our love and relationship with Christ is what motivates us to keep the law. They are not something that we dread doing, but instead appreciate and look forward to doing.

The law of God is good and meant for our good. The law of God is not meant to harm us, but instead to help us live in right relationship with God and with one another.

Knowing the law without knowing the giver of the law is like a parent that gives their child a bunch of rules that are impossible to follow and used to punish the child. This will cause the child to resent the parents, because he does not know the love of the parent. Conversely, when a child understands the love of the parent they will be more likely follow the rules even if they don’t understand the why of the rule of the parent because they understand the love of the parent.

Many people refuse to follow Christ because they see Christianity as a moralistic religion with a bunch of rules that they don’t want to follow. Unfortunately they do not understand the relationship and love of Christ and the benefits of His commands. His commands are rooted in His love for us.

Galatians 5:16–24 NASB95

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

It is the Holy Spirit in us that produces the fruits of the Spirit. As this we mature in our faith and learn how to walk according to the flesh it is the fruit that manifests itself in enabling us to live according to the law. This is why he says, “ against such things there is no law.

Jesus Anger and Grief Over the Hardness of Heart

The Pharisees unwillingness to learn from Jesus because of their hardness of heart both angered Jesus and grieved Him at the same time. Jesus was not angry at the Pharisees but at their hardness of heart. This leads to and interesting question. Jesus was able and willing to heal a man with a withered hand but was not willing to heal the Pharisees of a hardened heart. Why do you think this is?

Could it be that the man with the withered hand had a faith that would make him well where the Pharisees did not have faith in Jesus to heal their hardened heart?

A hardness of heart is self-inflicted. It is a conscious choice to rebel against God. Our rebellion both angers and grieves the Lord. This is because the Lord desires what is best for us and when we chose otherwise we are forfeiting the blessing of God and replacing it with sin that leads to destruction.

Our rebellion is our choice. We can choose to live according to the flesh or the Spirit. Rom. 8:3-8

Romans 8:3–8 NASB95

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Christians have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We can choose to walk according to the leading of the Holy Spirit or the flesh. When we choose the Spirit we receive life and peace. When we choose the flesh we receive death and destruction. Christ came to overcome death and destruction and give life abundantly. John 10:10

John 10:10 NASB95

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Jesus Power

After Jesus left the Synagogue, He went to the Sea of Galilee. He continued healing and casting out demons. His power was so great that just by touching Him they were made well. When the unclean spirits saw Him they would proclaim His identity, He would forbid them to disclose it. He did this so there would not be the perception that His kingdom had any affiliation with Satan’s.

Jesus power is just as relevant today as it was back then. We can continue to go to him and reach out and touch Him and He can bring the healing that we need. We do this through our prayer!