The Agenda of Christ, the Fulfillment of the Law

Greek Translation (V. 1-6)

3.1 - And again, he entered into the synagogue, and there was a man with a withered hand. And they were watching (guarding) him to see if he was going to heal the man on the Sabbath in order that they might condemn (judge) him.

3.3 - And he said to the man with the withered hand, “arise into the middle.” And he said to them (the Pharisees): “Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do evil? To save life or to destroy it? But they were silent and he (Jesus) looked at them with wrath, grieved over their hardness of hearts, he said to the man: “stretch out your hand,” and he stretched it out and his hand was restored. And the Pharisees went out immediately and held counsel with the Herodians against him as to how to destroy him.”

Notes on the Passage

Recall (Context)

Within the Passage

V. 1

And again he entered into the synagogue

Jesus enters the synagogue again

There are two major ways that this first clause ought to stand out to us:

(1) Jesus is performing key ministry moments in the religious centers of the Jews. He is not trying to hide himself from the Pharisees or any of the Jewish religious elites.

See: Mark 1:21-28 (Jesus casts out the demoniac in the synagogue)

See: Mark 1:39 (He is preaching and casting out demons in the synagogues)

See: Mark 1:44 (Jesus sends the healed man to the priests)

(2) Jesus is performing teachings and healings again. The point here is that not only is Jesus giving the Pharisees the grounds for belief, but he is doing so repeatedly.

[Pause] - ISN’T THIS JUST LIKE JESUS TO DO?

And there was a man with a withered hand...

Note: There are probably a number of ways that this phrase is significant. We will take a moment to highlight two facets: (1) Scope and (2) the Connection with the Synagogue

The scope of the problem - What this man was facing was not a mild condition, but instead the total loss of his hand. Think back to the paralytic in Mark 2:10-12 or the man from John 5 who, according to verse 5, was an invalid for 38 years. In these healing episodes, what is being emphasized is not just the removal of pain, but the resurrection of dead limbs.

The connection with the synagogue is the next thing which merits attention.

Recall - We dealt with this sort of issue in Mark 1:23 - Remember that the conditions of the people of the synagogue communicate certain intangible ideas:

What does it mean for the people who are supposed to be “God’s treasured possession” (Ex. 19:4-6) to be possessed by demons?

What does it communicate to us if the religious authorities of the synagogue cannot deliver their people?

What does it mean if the leaders of the synagogue are coming to Jesus late at night to ask basic questions such as: “How do I enter the Kingdom of Heaven?” (NOTE that the Scripture says that Jesus answered Nicodemus before he could ask the question. John 3:3) - Note also that the pretext for Nicodemus coming to Jesus was the miracles he worked before their eyes.

POINT - When you see a condition of a person of the synagogue placed within the synagogue, your mind ought to steer to see the symptom of the person as being connected to the condition of the broader edifice.

Argument from greater to lesser

The KEY Question for us is: What does it mean for a man within the synagogue to have this condition. The Scripture uses this “withered” language in numerous places across the OT. Within the LXX, there are about 58 uses of the word with a high concentration of those usages in the prophets. A couple of relevant usages stand out:

Zech. 11:17 [SKIP IN SERMON]

This is a judgment that God lays against a false leader who arose after the time when God appointed leaders for Israel.

Ezekiel 17 as a broader chapter is relevant here. Focus on verse 24

Ezekiel 17:24 and Luke 23:31

[Additional Notes on Xeros]

(Side note: the word ξηρός appears also in John 5:3 to describe those who were “paralyzed.”) — The standard usage of this word was to describe something which once had life and water but is now dead and dry. For example, see: Luke 23:31 and Jesus’s usage of the word ‘dry.’ The LXX (21:16 in LXX) also uses this word in the Messianic Psalm 22:15- (“my strength is dried up like a potsherd and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.”

THE IMAGE of the Old Testament prophets in large measure was that the vine of Israel was created to flourish, but that — due to its rebellion against the Lord — it had withered. Thus, God was going to do a work within Israel to bring back to life the withered life of Israel through the planting of a new shoot (i.e. Christ).

This was going to happen as a distinct work of the LORD in a great reversal. That is, what looked like it was strong was going to be brought to withering, and the small, planted shoot which the Lord installed, was going to become strong.

This is reinforced in numerous ways throughout Mark, but one could look at how Jesus’s curse of the fig tree in Mark 11:12-14 and Mark 11:20-25 are used to emphasize this same point about the temple complex (and the Pharisees by extension).

It is the great reversal that really paint into the remaining verses of this section.

V. 2

And they watched him to see if, on the sabbath, he would heal him (the man)

The first clause and the last clause of this verse ought to be taken together. Why did the Pharisees watch Jesus?

They watched him … so that they might accuse him.

[PAUSE]

For our unbelieving friends and brothers/sisters according to the flesh, this is the type of verse which you must be attentive to. Namely, the Pharisees came to Jesus with their agenda. The agenda of the Pharisees was NOT to find the truth or to listen to what Jesus had to say. Their agenda was to catch Jesus in the act, to accuse him, etc.

So many people live this way of trying to accuse Jesus. This comes out in the types of questions you are inclined to ask him. Remember from last week the way that the Pharisees questioned Jesus in Mark 2:24 - This was not a question as much as a statement. It was the question of the nonbeliever which asks:

Why have you brought evil into my life? Notice here that this question is the question of unbelief. This is the case because the bedrock of the question is the blasphemy which was uttered by the Pharisees that imputed to the Christ the very evil which they practiced daily.

A more appropriate question for the Pharisees to ask would have been: “Can you provide me with your understanding of the law in order that I might live?” Or, for those of you who are riding the seat of agnosticism or some other worldview, perhaps your questions could shift to: “Would you, Jesus, be willing to give me understanding so that I would know, believe, and live the way that I ought?” The essential shift here is to recognize that Jesus bears wisdom that you do not. What is beautiful about this though is that if you are willing to give yourself to Christ, He has promised to breath knowledge, understanding, and insight into your life.

You can pray for this with confidence that comes from Scripture such as Col. 1:9-10, James 1:5, Eph. 1:17-18, Ps. 119:125, etc.

if, on the Sabbath, he would heal him...

As with Mark 2:23-28, the foundation of the problem is again, the Sabbath. Or, rather, it is the Pharisee’s expectations about how Sabbath Law ought to be worked out that is the greater issue.

Recall: God’s Sabbath law was something that He created as a mercy to man. We noted last week that one of the interesting aspects of the Sabbath conversation is that neither our culture, nor the culture of 1st century Judaism performed Sabbath correctly. For Pharisees, the mercy of the Sabbath was eroded through the addition of extra requirements in order for the Sabbath to be counted as “obeyed.” The result was that the Pharisees bypassed the actual mercy and grace which God intended through his law.

An example we could use for this could be:

Mom orders a nap (talk about grace), but brother comes along and adds a rule that says: “you must use five blankets in order for the nap to count”

The problem with our own setting is quite opposite. Namely, we as modern, western peoples do not Sabbath at all. What is remarkable about this culture shift is that even with churches, keeping the Sabbath is talked about as a relic of some sort of legalistic system. This attitude about the Sabbath ignores the fact that this law is something which discloses the mercy and grace of God in a powerful way.

Nevertheless, the issue with the Sabbath has remained. Jesus is being challenged/confronted over his Sabbath ethics.

V. 3

And he said to the man with the withered hand, “come into the middle...”

Certain translations will footnote this rendering of the text. I hope that other translations would follow in footnoting this because it accentuates the fact that Jesus desired for his healing on the Sabbath to be seen. While it is a command to the man with the withered hand, it also acts a sort of “behold!” for the Pharisees who are watching.

Jesus’s work which he is about to perform is in open defiance of the ruling powers of his contemporaries. This is evident also in the fact, however, that the next verse begins with the clause “and he said to them...”

V. 4

“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or evil?”

Jesus is setting up his question to favor an answer. Of course it is not lawful to do evil on the Sabbath. That would be evil.

What remains then but to do good? In Matthew’s rendition of the story, Jesus concludes this teaching dialogue with the phrase: “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:12)

The Pharisees might have responded to this quip by saying that it is best to do nothing at all. Yet, Jesus — the one who is the Lord of the Sabbath (recall that beautiful high Christological phrase from Mark 2:28) — argues differently. Recall that one of the problems with the Sabbath law as the Pharisees perceived it was that it was never well-defined. It was clear that the Sabbath was a matter of life and death; the law punished transgressors of the Sabbath through death and/or exile (see: Exodus 31:14-15, 35:2 and Numbers 15:32-36). In fact the seriousness of the Law was evident in the fact that God himself rested on the Sabbath. That is to say that not performing the Sabbath was linked with blasphemy; the individual is arguing for doing something which God himself does not do. This sin would thus be the embodiment of sinful pride against God.

POINT - The Pharisees rightly appraised the degree of seriousness of the Sabbath, but they did not rightly gauge its intent, or its direction.

The law was designed was made for man (Mark 2:27)

The law was geared to encourage a life of faith in God — the very substance of salvation. Heb. 11:6 and Rom. 1:17 (Rom. 5:1-2)

PIVOT

Hinging on these ideas, there is a special resonance that comes from Jesus’s next phrase:

“to save life or to destroy/kill?”

Just like the phrase which immediately preceded, it is right out to say that one can lawfully kill on the Sabbath. However, it seems much more difficult to say “Don’t save a life” on the Sabbath. To knowingly withhold salvation from someone is a weighty thing. What Jesus is steering to is the basic idea: the Sabbath was a mercy for you in many ways. Insofar as it encouraged a life of faith, its aiming was preservative. Jesus is challenging the Pharisees to regard the Spirit of the Law in order to become more faithful in keeping the letter.

PIVOT — A Tree and Its Fruit

Matt. 7:16-20 - Here Jesus articulates that you will know a tree by its fruit.

As we reflect on the Lord’s treatment of the Sabbath, what we can see is that He is providing a vision of God’s heart which bears unique fruits of life.

Using passages such as John 17:1-5, one could argue that the heartbeat of Christ’s kingdom orbits the concept of glory, however, the melody of Christ’s God-glorifying kingdom is the song of salvation. As we ponder Christ’s engagement with the law, what occurs is that we as believers are prompted to think about how our own structures, disciplines, and laws reflect this attitude and agenda of Christ.

But they were silent

The Pharisees could not answer Christ’s question and from the information found in verses 5 and 6, one could imagine that the Pharisees seethed at Jesus’s questions. Here, the Pharisees would do well to learn from Proverbs. As a side note, it is an interesting venture to read the Proverbs as if you were Nicodemus. That is, you are convinced of the Lordship of Christ, but are pressured by your peers, the Pharisees. This is NOT a hermeneutic, but it is an invitation into a way to read the proverbs in a way that you might not have thought of.

The Pharisees might do well to reflect on Proverbs 3:11-12, 27 — Perhaps much of this whole scene could be summarized in those three verses.

V. 5

And he looked around at them with wrath/anger | grieved with/over them because of the hardness of their hearts

So much emotion of Christ is captured in this opening verse. On the first, we see that Christ meets obstinate hearts with anger or with wrath. One can imagine from verse 5 fire in the eyes of Christ as he looked upon the Pharisees. Yet, within the same breath, Mark utilizes a word which might rightly be translated as “grieved with.” Of course the problem with this rendering logically is that the Pharisees themselves do not groan over the condition of their own hearts. It takes tremendous self-awareness to do such a thing because, as Jeremiah states, “the heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). The nearly unanimous treatment of this phrase is “grieved at.”

The import of this follow-up phrase is that one can see that even in conflict, the heart of Christ is to intercede on behalf of the Pharisees. Christ’s anger burns with wrath against the proud hearts of Pharisees who drag God’s law through the mud and turn a command designed for life (Rom. 7:10) into a heavy burden. Yet, in that same moment, Christ’s heart was burdened on behalf of the Pharisees with a kind of love which was summed up by Paul in Romans 9:1-3 when he describes the exceeding sorrow of his heart because of the condition of his kinsmen. Though just a moment, we see in this clause Christ as the high priest and Christ as the judge before his ascension.

He said to the man: “Extend your hand” and he extended it and his hand was restored.

Here, one gets a vision of the flow of grace which Christ extends to the faithful. Out of this entire scene, the faith of the man with the withered hand has remained a background issue. Note that nothing in this scene indicates that the man did any significant work to come to Jesus. Rather, it was Jesus who came to the synagogue, it was Jesus who commanded the man to come forward. It wasn’t until this moment that we see or read of any action the man took on his own behalf.

So much of this scene seems to orbit the relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees, but it is worthwhile to pause on this clause to reflect on the extreme, unmerited, unidirectional flow of grace which came from the savior into the life of this man. The result of this grace is the full restoration of the hand of this man.

[PAUSE]

If we are to take the man’s hand as an image or metaphor for the heart of the Pharisees or of Israel more broadly, what Jesus is offering is a total healing and restoration. Nevertheless, the hearts of the Pharisees do not follow the same path of the hand of the man. Instead, verse six indicates to us an embrace of the hard-hearted pursuit of the death.

V. 6

And the Pharisees left immediately and held counsel with the Herodians against him as to how to destroy him.

The arc of this short story is very in keeping with the sentiment captured in John 5:18 which indicates that after Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the Jews sought to kill him. Keeping Mark 2:28 where Jesus refers to himself as the Lord of the Sabbath, John 5:18 makes conceptual sense here as well.

Note that as we worked our way through Jesus’s teaching and response to the Pharisees in this section that Jesus asked them if it was lawful to save a life or to kill; Jesus took the road of salvation while the Pharisees took the road of killing/destruction.

While Mark’s use of the word immediately in many instances serves as a type of lead-word to show the progress of the in-breaking kingdom of God across the text, its effect here seems to show that the Pharisees themselves utilized their Sabbath to do the work of killing.

The other gospels do not use the word “immediately” after Christ’s healing, but LUKE’s account (Luke 6:6-11) seems to suggest this sort of pace. Luke specifically emphasizes the rage of the Pharisees toward Jesus and how they began to discuss what they might do to Jesus. Matthew’s account (Matthew 12:9-14) agrees with Mark’s in terms of movement. When these gospels are read side by side, we get a canonical picture which agrees with the sort of speed which Marks implies in this verse.

Critical Understandings of the Passage = What are we to do with these things?

[1] Mark is giving us in this section of text a vision of the kind of kingdom-agenda which is applicable to us. Specifically, Jesus understood the grain of the Scripture and the Mosaic law to flow towards redemption and salvation and not burden and destruction. This is to say that every law has a spirit to it and the spirit of the law must be considered next to its letter. NOTE: Jesus is not killing the law in this section, but is providing a vision for fulfillment.

While it is easy to beat up on the Pharisees in this section of text, we must recognize the role which the Pharisees play as representatives of humanity. Namely, if the best and most blessed (being entrusted with the oracles of God - Romans 3:2) tended towards this attitude with the law, how true might this be for others?

[1] CONCEPTUAL APPLICATION - Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath - Use this passage to paint the Christ of your life as high as you can.

APPLICATION 1 - Saturate your lives with the attitude that Christ displays toward the law.

Household Rules - Start with the Individual and fan out to homes

One of the most immediate applications of this concept comes in how we as believers structure the rules, habits, and disciplines of our homes. Have you created structures within your homes that lend to life? (i.e. Sabbath) What does the fruit of the tree of your house look like?

NEXT, what is the spirit of your home? It is easy to fall into ruts and patterns where as you interact with spouse or kids that the spirit of the home becomes a spirit of burden and blame instead of a spirit of grace.

NOTE that in creating the rules of your home that you can structure them in a way to disciple your kids and create conversations about the spirit of the law which opens up conversations about God, His grace, etc. (Possibly talk about the flow of authority)

[2] SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE OF CULTURAL GATEKEEPERS - Truth doesn’t need to apologize.

PRAYER