Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath; Part Two

What do you think of when you hear the word “religion”? Do you think of rules, rituals, and rigid traditions? You might also associate “religion” with the Pharisees. And because of that you may tend to view “religion” in a negative light. The reason for that would be because of how the Pharisees and their religiosity are portrayed in the Gospels. On more than one occasion, Jesus admonished the Pharisees for their “religion”. Later on in Mark’s Gospel we’ll see Jesus rebuking them:

Mark 7:6–9 ESV

And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

Jesus was pointing out that the religion of the Pharisees was diluted, defiled, and dead. So, religion is often given a bad name because of the Pharisees.

However, Jesus put religion under a more positive light in both His words and deeds. From Jesus we understand that religion doesn’t have to be a bad word, but can actually be very good. Really, throughout the entire Bible we are informed and reminded what true and pure religion is. Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God, and serve others. We find that definition of religion in passages like Micah 6:8 and James 1:27. Our passage today, Mark 3:1-6, also contains a clear example of this sort of true and pure religion. The Sabbath, above all other days of the week, should be a day when Christians practice true and pure religion.

Last week, as we studied Mark 2:23-28, we started to contemplate the relevancy of the Sabbath to the Christian life. We asked and began to answer a controversial question, “How do we honor/keep the Sabbath today?” Then, we listened to and learned from Jesus as He defined the heart of the Sabbath. Jesus taught us that the Sabbath was designed for our delight and good. And that’s what the first half of our theme emphasized. Honor the Sabbath as a good gift from God to be enjoyed. The Sabbath wasn’t designed to prevent us from having any joy, but actually it’s a day meant to protect, provide, and promote abundant joy.

Theme: Honor the Sabbath as a good gift from God to be enjoyed and extended to others through good acts of love.

Today, we are going to continue to consider how we can honor the Sabbath as we move onto the second half of our theme. Honor the Sabbath as a good gift from God to be extended to others through good acts of love.

If the Sabbath was designed for our good, then it is fitting that it also be a day devoted to doing good. That’s essentially the logic of these back to back Sabbath encounters. The Sabbath is a day of delight and for doing good. This is what true and pure religion should look like.

We’re going to learn about this type of good religion as it is contrasted against the backdrop of some really bad religion. If you haven’t yet, turn with me to Mark 3:1-6, where we have another conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees over the Sabbath. I want to first offer a commentary or summary of what we see going on in this passage and then like last week, toward the end, offer some applications we can take away that will can help us to honor the Sabbath.

So it’s another Sabbath day and Jesus again went to the synagogue, as was His custom. Mark says, a man was there with a withered hand (v. 1). The religious leaders, knowing Jesus' character, watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath (v. 2). They knew Jesus would see the man. They knew He would be inclined to help him.

The Pharisees, on the other hand, didn't care about the lame man. He was just a pawn to them. A way to trap Jesus into breaking one of their many man-made Sabbath rules.

Why would the Pharisees care if Jesus helped this lame man? Isn’t doing good a good thing?Well, for the Pharisees, doing good on the Sabbath was a gray area. Only in life-threatening situations were you allowed to do good in order to save life. For instance, according to their Sabbath rules:

A woman in childbirth might be helped on the Sabbath; an infection of the throat might be treated; if a wall or building fell on anyone, some of the rubble could be cleared away to see whether the person was dead or alive; if they were alive they could be helped, if they were dead then the body must be left until the Sabbath ended. A fractured bone couldn’t be set until the sunset on the Sabbath. Not even cold water could not be poured over a burn or a sprained wrist or ankle.

Their legalistic Sabbath laws had concluded that they could only keep someone from dying on the Sabbath. If life was endangered, or if an injury would worsen without treatment, you could intervene. Otherwise, all medical help had to wait until the Sabbath was over at sundown. You basically had to stop and think through all the Sabbath regulations to determine if you were allowed to do good for anyone!

So if Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, they could accuse him (v. 2). The Pharisees were trying to build a legal case against Jesus. Their previous conflict with Jesus over the Sabbath in the grainfields had left a sour taste in their mouths. Jesus had challenged their authority, attacked their sacred traditions, and had made bold claims of deity. So, they conspire to use the man with the withered hand in order to catch Jesus breaking their Sabbath regulations as they lurk in the shadows of the synagogue waiting to pounce.

Well, Jesus knew their intentions, so he called the lame man forward (v. 3). Then he asked the Pharisees two simple questions: "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" (v. 4). They had no answer, but were silent (v. 4). This angered Jesus, and in his righteous indignation, he looked around at them, grieved at their hardness of heart (v. 5).

Next, Jesus, moved with love and compassion, told the lame man to stretch out his hand (v. 5). He stretched it out, and his hand was restored (v. 5). It was clear to everyone in the synagogue, especially to the Pharisees, that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath.

As for the Pharisees, this incident was their tipping point. They didn't like how Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic, how He ate with sinners, that He didn’t fast twice a week, and that He broke their Sabbath rules. And now the healing of the man with the withered hand was enough evidence for them to convict Jesus of a serious Sabbath violation.

The Pharisees responded immediately to Jesus’ act of compassion by plotting with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him (v. 6). The Herodians and the Pharisees were never in agreement on anything. The Herodians were the politicians who supported Herod, and thus Rome, and the Pharisees were the theologians, staunchly opposed to Rome and to Herod. The two groups were total opposites. But despite them being enemies, they joined forces to destroy Jesus, who was a threat to both Herod’s throne and the Pharisees’ religious authority. (v. 6).

From this point on, Jesus will spend the rest of his life under the threat of death. According to the Pharisees, Jesus was a threat that needed to be shut down and shut up. They wanted Him gone for good.

2. Jesus displays His heart on the Sabbath (3:1–6)

In the previous conflict over the Sabbath with the Pharisees in the grainfields, Jesus proclaimed He is Lord of the Sabbath as He defined the heart of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man’s good to meet man’s needs. Now in this conflict over the Sabbath with the Pharisees in the synagogue, Jesus proved He is Lord of the Sabbath as He displays His heart on the Sabbath.

This conflict over the Sabbath could easily be summarized as, “The Man with the Withered Hand and the Men with the Withered Hearts”. Really, these verses have much more to say about withered hearts than they do about a withered hand. And so, I want to compare and contrast the heart of Jesus with the heart of the Pharisees for a bit. Honoring the Sabbath as a good gift from God is truly a matter of the heart, not merely for outward appearances. It’s a day about practicing true and pure religion, not promoting diluted, dead religion.

A. The Hard Hearts of the Pharisees

Let’s start with the hard hearts of the Pharisees. We can see the hardness of their hearts in a number of different ways.

Their Ploy

Mark 3:1–2 ESV

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.

In just the first two verses we are already made aware that the Pharisees hearts are not in the right place. Besides seeming to use this lame man as bait, their intention behind using the man was to accuse Jesus. The Pharisees took pride in their righteousness. But that Sabbath, as they darkened the door of the synagogue, righteousness was far from them. And once they spot the man with the withered hand, they know they can use him to their advantage.

Imagine someone entering this church today with the same sort of intention in their heart. They’re not here to worship, to learn, to grow, to love God or to love others. They came only to critique the service and others. Or maybe to keep their eye on one person in particular that gets on their nerves so that they can notify the church leaders when that person steps out of line.

That’s these Pharisees. They came to the synagogue on the Sabbath, a day and place to humble oneself under the teaching of the Word and to fellowship with other Jews over their common faith. Instead they came with wrong intentions. Hearts more focused on self than on serving God and others.

Their Problem

It doesn’t get any better for these Pharisees as the service in the synagogue progresses. Jesus was on to their ploy and called the lame man to come before Him. You can almost picture the Pharisees nudging and whispering to one another, “Here we go!”

But imagine their surprise when Jesus, before healing the withered hand, took a moment to ask them two questions that would function as a diagnostic of their hearts.

Mark 3:4–5 ESV

And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

It is fascinating how the Pharisees couldn’t answer Jesus' questions. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say they would not answer His questions! Jesus’ questions further expose the hardness of their hearts. With His first question Jesus had essentially asked, "What is lawful for me to do on the Sabbath: to do good for this lame man or to do nothing like you fellows?” They wouldn’t give Jesus an answer. As I’ve already said, doing good on the Sabbath was complicated. A gray area that required scanning the rule book to determine what “good” was permissible to do on the Sabbath.

Really the answer to Jesus’ first question was obvious, but they didn’t want to confess it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good. That would condemn their practices instead of condemning Christ’s!

We saw a similar problem last week when Jesus and his disciples walked through the fields, plucking heads of grain to eat. The Pharisees accused them of working on the Sabbath day. They had built all these extra fences around the Sabbath, which were restrictive and incompatible with God's intention. The Sabbath was meant to be a blessed day. But the Pharisees had turned it unnecessarily into a burdensome day.

Jews were forced to ask, “What sort of good am I allowed to do on the Sabbath?” But Jesus wanted the Pharisees to understand that it is always good to do good on the Sabbath! The issue isn’t about legality: what am I permitted to do? Really the issue is about morality: what is the right thing for me to do?

So, Jesus’ first question referred to His good intentions toward the lame man. His second question, however, centered on the evil intentions of the Pharisees toward Jesus. “What will you do on the Sabbath: save life or kill?” Recall why the Pharisees were in the synagogue that Sabbath. They were looking for enough evidence to accuse Jesus of profaning the Sabbath so that they could kill Him.

These two questions reveal the Pharisees hard hearts. All that these men cared about was keeping and enforcing their man-made doctrines. They couldn’t care less about this man with the withered hand. They were indifferent toward a person in need, deeming it more important to hurt Jesus.

To make things worse for them, Mark records in verse 5 that the Pharisees had callous hearts. That’s what the Greek word depicts in this word for “hardness”. Remarkably this is the same Greek word that Paul used to describe unbelieving Gentiles in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:18–19 ESV

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

The Gentiles’ callousness lead to them practicing all sorts of impurities.

That’s what the religion of the Pharisees produced as well. They were living like the Gentiles with respect to God’s Word and ways. The fundamental problem of the Pharisees was that they were resistant to the truth Jesus taught, it rubbed them the wrong way and made their hearts calloused, and they were indifferent to the needs of others.

Indifference really is a good way to view callousness. Indifference is probably one of the worst forms of injustice. Think about it for a moment. To see someone in need, and maybe having the ability to offer some relief, yet ignoring the person and their problem. That’s indifference. When people reject the truth of God found in His Word, and become calloused to the truth, it will eventually result in the mistreatment of others; or to a lack of care for others and their needs.

That’s what happened with the Pharisees. They were so focused on accusing Jesus because He spoke the truth that they didn’t like that they ended up ignoring the lame man. They were indifferent toward a man in need.

Their Plot

The condition of the Pharisees’ hearts are at their worst in verse 6. Here we see their sinister plot.

Mark 3:6 ESV

The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Not only do they break the Fourth Commandment by refusing to do good, but they actually end up breaking the Sixth Commandment too! The LORD God commanded Israel, “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13). Jesus, in His sermon on the Mount, deepens and transforms the meaning of this commandment by saying that it not only prohibits violent acts of murder, but also any violent emotions and intentions within our hearts.

Matthew 5:21–22 ESV

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

So hard are the hearts of the Pharisees that they are harboring malicious hatred. They desire, not to save life on the Sabbath, but to kill. In the words of Solomon, they had “hands that shed innocent blood, hearts that devise wicked plans, and feet that make haste to run to evil” (Prov. 6:18). All things that the LORD abhors. The Pharisees’ hearts were ugly. Their religion was only skin deep.

B. The Holy Heart of Jesus

In stark contrast to the hard hearts of the Pharisees, Mark displays the holy heart of Jesus. Throughout this synagogue-Sabbath dilemma, we see Jesus’ heart and intention to do good. Even the Pharisees knew that Jesus’ intention was to do good. That’s why they used the man with the withered hand to trap Jesus in the first place. They knew Jesus would be drawn to meet the need of this man.

By the way, wouldn’t it be awesome if that’s how people viewed us as a church? How wonderful would it be if people outside the church knew that we were a people who always intended to do good because we were drawn to help and meet the needs of others! That’s one way we can reflect the image of our Savior. By imitating His heart for the needy, broken, and suffering people in our church and in our community.

The Cross

Interestingly, Jesus was in that synagogue that Sabbath to do good and to save life despite knowing it would lead to His own harm. Because He was determined to do good on the Sabbath, the Pharisees would plot to kill Him. That actually applies to the entire earthly ministry and mission of Jesus. He came to do good, to serve others even though it meant He would have to suffer harm. He came to save life despite the fact that He would have to be killed to do so.

Do you see how the theme of Mark’s Gospel is interwoven even in this Sabbath conflict? The Gospel According to Mark is about the Suffering Servant-Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Here Jesus was serving and that continued to harden the Pharisees’ hearts, which would eventually flare into a hatred that will put Jesus on the cross.

The Consternation

Due to the stubbornness of their hearts, the Pharisees couldn’t bring themselves to agree with Jesus. To do so would mean the end of their religion and the embracing of Jesus’ Lordship over the Sabbath. For the Pharisees, love and mercy had been displaced by religiosity and tradition. They had hardened their hearts toward Jesus and toward someone in need of mercy.

In verse 5, we see that this angered Jesus. The word that Mark used to describe Jesus’ anger is a dynamic word. It’s the very same word used to describe the wrath of God in the New Testament. We see it in passages like:

John 3:36 ESV

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

And

Romans 1:18 ESV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

That helps us contextualize Jesus’ anger in Mark 3:5. It is not a sinful anger that fallen man is so prone to possess. Rather, it is a righteous anger. Righteous anger is the detesting of what is contrary to God’s holy nature and law. And that is how Jesus viewed the Pharisees’ hearts. Hearts that were at odds with God’s character and disobedient to God’s Word.

But not only was Jesus angry at what He saw in their hearts, He was grieved. He was afflicted, pierced with sorrow in His own heart. Their indifference made Him indignant. Their stubbornness made Him sorrowful. He hated what was in the Pharisees’ hearts and He was hurt by what was in their hearts.

In Jesus, we see the heart of God. He hates dead religion. He hates forms and traditions that get in the way of loving God and loving people.

The Compassion

Jesus was the holiest man in the room. The Pharisees thought they were holier than Jesus. But Jesus exposed the impurity of their hearts to them. And at the same time, Jesus displayed the purity of His heart.

At the end of verse 5, in His holiness, Jesus cared for the man with the withered hand. The hardness of the Pharisees’ hearts caused them, and almost cause us as well, to forget about this man in need. But, Jesus’ holy heart would not neglect the man.

Mark 3:5 ESV

And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

In this good act for the lame man, Jesus was evidencing how His people ought to honor the Sabbath. He was proving that it ought to be a day of extending mercy, practicing hospitality, and outdoing one another in good acts of love.

Later in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus will sum up the way we keep all 10 Commandments by prioritizing the two most important commandments:

Mark 12:29–31 ESV

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Is this not what we see Jesus doing in the synagogue? Is this not the heart of the Sabbath? This is how we can honor the Sabbath as Christians today! Love God and love others. When we truly love God then that love will flow into love for people. Love is not indifferent to others, but is intentional in doing good for others. That’s a holy life. That’s true and pure religion. A life lived in the love of God. A life where our love for God actually moves us to love others.

The Sabbath is the one day out of the week where good acts of love ought to be prominent. Since it is God’s good gift to us, then it ought to be a day devoted to doing good.

Application

So, what lessons can we learn from the hard hearts of the Pharisees and the holy heart of Jesus? How can a passage like this help us to better honor the Sabbath as a good gift from God to be extended to others through good acts of love?

I want to outline four exhortations that are rooted in this synagogue-Sabbath debacle. I’ve included these under the study questions in the outline so that you don’t have to worry about writing these down!

Number one, having observed the hard hearts of the Pharisees, this passage certainly exhorts us to be careful. That is, we need to be careful with regard to our hearts and with regard to our deeds. Solomon instructed his son to be careful with regard to his heart:

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

And the author of Hebrews warns his readers in light of Israel refusing to enter the Lord’s rest, saying:

Hebrews 3:12–13 ESV

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

The point is: Guard your heart from growing cold and callous. The condition of your heart will impact how you respond to God’s Word and how you treat others. Test your heart. Is it callous or caring? Is it indifferent toward the needs of others or is it indignant toward injustice?

Be careful also with regard to your good deeds. Paul wrote to Titus:

Titus 3:8 ESV

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

If you have placed your faith in the Lord, then be careful to extend good to others. And that is because the Lord has shown you infinite goodness and lovingkindness in saving you according to His own mercy. Be careful to guard your heart from growing cold toward God and toward others.

Number two, be mindful. Be mindful of others and consider their needs. That’s what Paul exhorts us to do in order to be more Christ-like:

Philippians 2:3–4 ESV

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

In order to be mindful, you need to be sensitive to others around you. Have a proper view of people and their value. The Pharisees treated the lame man as a pawn. Christians need to treat people as people created in the image of God.

So be considerate. What do others need? Who needs my help? Is there something that I can do to help or is there someone I know who would be able to help this person with a particular problem? How might I be of service? Be mindful.

Number three, having observed the holy heart of Jesus in our passage, be merciful. The LORD says through the prophet Hosea:

Hosea 6:6 NIV

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Once you determine who needs your help and what they need, then actually meet their needs! Don’t just think about helping them or hope that someone else steps up. Someone else is hoping for the same thing! If you are able to meet a need and have the skills or abilities to help, do so! Do good, especially on Sundays, because it is always right to do good. Be merciful.

And number four, be faithful. Be consistent in doing good for others. It was Jesus’ custom to enter the synagogue every Sabbath and week after week He is seen willingly meeting the needs of others without grumbling or complaining.

Paul encourages us to be faithful in doing good writing:

2 Thessalonians 3:13 ESV

As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

And elsewhere he says:

Galatians 6:9–10 ESV

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

I can think of no better occasion to do good to those who are of the household of faith than when we meet together as one body on Sundays! For the most part, today is the only day in the week where we are all together and can actually see one another, speak with one another, and discover how we can serve one another. In fact that is one of the main reasons we are commanded to gather as a church regularly.

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, these four exhortations will help us to honor the Sabbath as a good gift from God. They will aid us in our pursuit of Christlikeness by imitating His holy heart. Be careful to guard your heart and apply your heart to doing what is right and good. Be mindful and considerate of others. Be merciful and meet the needs of others. And be faithful, never growing weary of doing good acts of love for one another. Love God and love one another, for that is the the sum of not only the Fourth Commandment, but of all the Commandments.

May God’s grace given to us in Christ Jesus enable us to do this by the power of His Spirit working within us.

Prayer

Lord of the Sabbath,

How easy it is for us to look at this passage and shake our heads at the Pharisees!

But we are just like them.

Often cold and calloused

Stubborn and sinful.

Be merciful to us.

Forgive us when we neglect to honor this day when we think it’s our day.

But it is called the Lord’s Day for a reason!

To that end, help us to obey Your commandment to honor this day as You desire.

Grant us to enjoy this day You have made.

And open our hearts to love others as You have loved us.

AMEN

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