One of the sad things in life is when some people unjustly use the law against others. They are focused on apparent breaches of the law while being guilty of breaches of love. Millions of human lives have been damaged when they were unfairly accused of breaking some law or other.
It may be no surprise that when Jesus began His ministry, He too was accused of breaking the law, the law of God concerning the Sabbath. In the first instance, the Pharisees accused Him of allowing His disciples to pluck heads of grain on the Sabbath which meant in their eyes He was condoning sin. In the second, they accused Him personally of breaking the law by healing a man on the Sabbath, which in their eyes was unlawful.
How Jesus responded gives us insight as to how we should handle the law in our modern world.
1]. THE SABBATH LAW WAS MADE FOR THE BENEFIT OF HUMANS. 2:23-27
Mark 2:23 ‘One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”’
Jesus corrected the wrong attitude of the Jewish leaders to the sabbath laws by reminding them that God’s intention in giving the sabbath law was to make life easier for His followers. The Sabbath law was not meant to be a straight jacket imprisoning God’s people but to give them freedom to relax from work and to focus on Him. However, the Jewish leaders had added a hedge of specific commands to the law so that people might be less likely to break God’s sabbath law. But their emphasis was on their added commandments in the hedge and less on God’s actual commandments. God created mankind and later gave them the Sabbath law. He didn’t first make the Sabbath and later created mankind to fit into the Sabbath restrictions.
Then came the final statement from Jesus that He as the Son of Man was the Lord of the Sabbath. He determined what was the correct way to observe the Sabbath.
In our modern day, we need to be careful not to judge the behaviour of others with legalistic eyes but to look upon them with love.
2]. JESUS SHOWED HOW HUMAN NEED OVERRIDES HUMAN LAW. [He Healed A Man With A Withered Hand On The Sabbath.] 3:1-6
Mark 3:1 “Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.” In verse 2 we might become excited to read that the religious leaders were beginning to take Jesus seriously. “Watched” is from [paratēreō; παρατηρέω] meaning to watch assiduously, to observe carefully, and the verb is in the imperfect tense meaning “they were watching” or “they kept watching.” However, our excitement would end as we read their motive, “so that they might accuse him.” How sad that outwardly good actions or attitudes often come from an evil motivation.
Mark 3:3 ‘And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.”’ Jesus was motivated with doing God’s will even though it could put Him in danger. He knew it was the will of God for the man to be healed so He invited the man to come to Him.
Mark 3:4 ‘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. Jesus gave the onlookers the opportunity to reflect on the situation as He asked them this question. Of course, it would always be wrong to prefer to do evil instead of good on the sabbath. It would certainly be better to save life than to destroy it. However, their rejection of Jesus made them refuse to answer His question. In rejecting Him they also rejected the meaning of the Sabbath law made for the good of mankind. They were rejecting God in rejecting His Son Jesus whom He had sent into the world.
Mark 3:5 ‘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. ‘ Their silence displaying their hardheartedness moved Jesus to anger. Ignoring His opponents’ negativity, He commanded the man to do the impossible and to stretch out his hand. As he did so, his hand was restored. [“Restored” is from [apokathistēmi; ἀποκαθίστημι meaning to restore to its former state.]
All the onlookers had witnessed the power of God at work in healing the man, through Jesus’ words. Would they humble themselves and accept Jesus as a messenger from God or would they continue to reject Him? They had a choice.
3]. THE TRAGEDY OF HUMAN HARD HEARTEDNESS. [Seeking Evil Instead Of Worshipping God.]
The religious leaders made their choice.
a]. They Formed An Evil Alliance, Mark 3:6 “The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” The Pharisees and the Herodians were enemies who detested each other. However now they were drawn together because they had a common enemy, Jesus. Their agreed plan was to destroy Him.
How often throughout human history have former enemies sought the help of those enemies to take down or destroy a common enemy. Bizarre when you think of it that mere creatures were plotting to destroy the creator of the universe because they would not accept that He had been sent by God.
b]. They Formed An Evil Plan. “how to destroy him.” “Destroy” is from [apollymi; ἀπόλλυμι which means to destroy fully.] They not only wanted to stop His ministry, but they also wanted Him dead. One wonders how the Jewish religious leaders, knowing the Old Testament stories and teachings, could ever have imagined that this action would be approved by God.
St Paul recognised the hardness of heart and the spiritual blindness of those who could not see God’s plan at work through Jesus. He wrote of the Jewish people as a whole, “But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:14-15. The veil of ignorance is only lifted when people turn to Christ and put their trust in Him.
This antagonism towards Jesus continued throughout His ministry and we see that later on, the same alliance was formed for an evil purpose, “And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk.” Mark 12:13.
SUMMING UP.
The value of history is that we can learn from the errors of the past. But it is only valuable if we determine not to make the same mistakes. St Paul looked back at the history of his own people and saw that there were lessons to be learned, 1Corinthians 10:5 “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. ……. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
The Pharisees and the Herodians thought they were standing in the truth when they rejected Jesus as God’s Messiah. Seeing Him as an imposter, they tried to get rid of Him.
This passage provides a number of lessons for us in today’s world.
In the events on that Sabbath day we see the danger of using our own interpretation of the law to silence or even destroy another person who has a different interpretation. It is dangerous for us to think that we have the truth and the other person is evil for seeing things differently from ourselves. Christian agape love demands that we seek the best interests of others and that certainly means not trying to destroy them in any way.
Another lesson comes from the healing of the man on the Sabbath. God’s original purpose in giving the sabbath law was to allow His people to have a time of rest from their busy lives and to focus on Him. He gave the law as an expression of His love for His people. Jesus expressed that love when He healed the man on the Sabbath for He saw it as doing good on the Sabbath.
There is an expression, ”When law comes in, love goes out the window.” It is true that when obedience to the law, as we see it, is demanded of a person who sees it differently, it is a breach of love. Especially when our own interpretation is faulty or incorrect. That was the problem with the Pharisees and the Herodians who rejected Jesus’ ministry. Their legalism, based on their wrong interpretation of the Sabbath law, put pressure on Jesus to conform. But He displayed the heart of God as He healed the man in need.
Blog 550 posted on Tuesday 30 April 2024.
holbeck 
550. On Mark 2:23-3:6. “Using the Law Instead Of Loving.” Gospel For Sunday 02 June 2024
One of the sad things in life is when some people unjustly use the law against others. They are focused on apparent breaches of the law while being guilty of breaches of love. Millions of human lives have been damaged when they were unfairly accused of breaking some law or other.
It may be no surprise that when Jesus began His ministry, He too was accused of breaking the law, the law of God concerning the Sabbath. In the first instance, the Pharisees accused Him of allowing His disciples to pluck heads of grain on the Sabbath which meant in their eyes He was condoning sin. In the second, they accused Him personally of breaking the law by healing a man on the Sabbath, which in their eyes was unlawful.
How Jesus responded gives us insight as to how we should handle the law in our modern world.
1]. THE SABBATH LAW WAS MADE FOR THE BENEFIT OF HUMANS. 2:23-27
Mark 2:23 ‘One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”’
Jesus corrected the wrong attitude of the Jewish leaders to the sabbath laws by reminding them that God’s intention in giving the sabbath law was to make life easier for His followers. The Sabbath law was not meant to be a straight jacket imprisoning God’s people but to give them freedom to relax from work and to focus on Him. However, the Jewish leaders had added a hedge of specific commands to the law so that people might be less likely to break God’s sabbath law. But their emphasis was on their added commandments in the hedge and less on God’s actual commandments. God created mankind and later gave them the Sabbath law. He didn’t first make the Sabbath and later created mankind to fit into the Sabbath restrictions.
Then came the final statement from Jesus that He as the Son of Man was the Lord of the Sabbath. He determined what was the correct way to observe the Sabbath.
In our modern day, we need to be careful not to judge the behaviour of others with legalistic eyes but to look upon them with love.
2]. JESUS SHOWED HOW HUMAN NEED OVERRIDES HUMAN LAW. [He Healed A Man With A Withered Hand On The Sabbath.] 3:1-6
Mark 3:1 “Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.” In verse 2 we might become excited to read that the religious leaders were beginning to take Jesus seriously. “Watched” is from [paratēreō; παρατηρέω] meaning to watch assiduously, to observe carefully, and the verb is in the imperfect tense meaning “they were watching” or “they kept watching.” However, our excitement would end as we read their motive, “so that they might accuse him.” How sad that outwardly good actions or attitudes often come from an evil motivation.
Mark 3:3 ‘And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.”’ Jesus was motivated with doing God’s will even though it could put Him in danger. He knew it was the will of God for the man to be healed so He invited the man to come to Him.
Mark 3:4 ‘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. Jesus gave the onlookers the opportunity to reflect on the situation as He asked them this question. Of course, it would always be wrong to prefer to do evil instead of good on the sabbath. It would certainly be better to save life than to destroy it. However, their rejection of Jesus made them refuse to answer His question. In rejecting Him they also rejected the meaning of the Sabbath law made for the good of mankind. They were rejecting God in rejecting His Son Jesus whom He had sent into the world.
Mark 3:5 ‘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. ‘ Their silence displaying their hardheartedness moved Jesus to anger. Ignoring His opponents’ negativity, He commanded the man to do the impossible and to stretch out his hand. As he did so, his hand was restored. [“Restored” is from [apokathistēmi; ἀποκαθίστημι meaning to restore to its former state.]
All the onlookers had witnessed the power of God at work in healing the man, through Jesus’ words. Would they humble themselves and accept Jesus as a messenger from God or would they continue to reject Him? They had a choice.
3]. THE TRAGEDY OF HUMAN HARD HEARTEDNESS. [Seeking Evil Instead Of Worshipping God.]
The religious leaders made their choice.
a]. They Formed An Evil Alliance, Mark 3:6 “The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” The Pharisees and the Herodians were enemies who detested each other. However now they were drawn together because they had a common enemy, Jesus. Their agreed plan was to destroy Him.
How often throughout human history have former enemies sought the help of those enemies to take down or destroy a common enemy. Bizarre when you think of it that mere creatures were plotting to destroy the creator of the universe because they would not accept that He had been sent by God.
b]. They Formed An Evil Plan. “how to destroy him.” “Destroy” is from [apollymi; ἀπόλλυμι which means to destroy fully.] They not only wanted to stop His ministry, but they also wanted Him dead. One wonders how the Jewish religious leaders, knowing the Old Testament stories and teachings, could ever have imagined that this action would be approved by God.
St Paul recognised the hardness of heart and the spiritual blindness of those who could not see God’s plan at work through Jesus. He wrote of the Jewish people as a whole, “But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:14-15. The veil of ignorance is only lifted when people turn to Christ and put their trust in Him.
This antagonism towards Jesus continued throughout His ministry and we see that later on, the same alliance was formed for an evil purpose, “And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk.” Mark 12:13.
SUMMING UP.
The value of history is that we can learn from the errors of the past. But it is only valuable if we determine not to make the same mistakes. St Paul looked back at the history of his own people and saw that there were lessons to be learned, 1Corinthians 10:5 “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. ……. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”
The Pharisees and the Herodians thought they were standing in the truth when they rejected Jesus as God’s Messiah. Seeing Him as an imposter, they tried to get rid of Him.
This passage provides a number of lessons for us in today’s world.
In the events on that Sabbath day we see the danger of using our own interpretation of the law to silence or even destroy another person who has a different interpretation. It is dangerous for us to think that we have the truth and the other person is evil for seeing things differently from ourselves. Christian agape love demands that we seek the best interests of others and that certainly means not trying to destroy them in any way.
Another lesson comes from the healing of the man on the Sabbath. God’s original purpose in giving the sabbath law was to allow His people to have a time of rest from their busy lives and to focus on Him. He gave the law as an expression of His love for His people. Jesus expressed that love when He healed the man on the Sabbath for He saw it as doing good on the Sabbath.
There is an expression, ”When law comes in, love goes out the window.” It is true that when obedience to the law, as we see it, is demanded of a person who sees it differently, it is a breach of love. Especially when our own interpretation is faulty or incorrect. That was the problem with the Pharisees and the Herodians who rejected Jesus’ ministry. Their legalism, based on their wrong interpretation of the Sabbath law, put pressure on Jesus to conform. But He displayed the heart of God as He healed the man in need.
Blog 550 posted on Tuesday 30 April 2024.
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About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.