Mark 3:1-15:
“Jesus Heals Man With Withered Hand On Sabbath / Pharisees & Herodians
Conspire To Kill Jesus / Jesus Appoints The Twelve & Gives Them Authority”
By
1.
INTRO:
2.
In our last study, we looked at verses
13-28 of chapter 2.
2.1.
We looked at the
calling of this man known as Levi or Matthew who is a tax gatherer. We discussed how he responded to being called
by Jesus.
2.2.
We talked about
how the Pharisees began to criticize Jesus for being a friend of tax gatherers
and sinners. We saw how that we in the
church ought to befriend unbelievers so that we might win them to the faith,
but be careful not to participate in their sinful practices.
2.3.
We observed Jesus
make three defenses of his disciples when they are accused of breaking the
Sabbath by picking grain in a field and eating it.
2.4.
We heard Jesus
defense of His disciples for not fasting in the manner that the Pharisees
fasted.
3.
In our study
today, we are going to look at verses 1-15 of chapter 3.
3.1.
Jesus has been on
a collision course with the Pharisees thus far during His ministry because He
has challenged their legalistic traditions.
Jesus has angered them because He and His disciples did not wash their
hands before eating in order to keep the Pharisaic law supposed to keep one
from being ceremonially defiled. He has
angered them because He and His disciples did not follow the Sabbath Laws that
the Pharisees had enacted because they had eaten wheat out in the field on the
Sabbath by rubbing the grains together in their hand for which they were
falsely accused of harvesting. He has
angered them by healing on the Sabbath for which they accused Him of performing
work on the Sabbath. He has angered them
because He taught not as their scribes but as one having authority. He has angered them because He has not come
through their schools and by studying under their teachers.
3.2.
Now today in our
study, Jesus is again going to anger the Pharisees by healing on the Sabbath,
and then by saying that it would be wrong (a sin) on the Sabbath to not do good
to someone in real need.
3.3.
Jesus is going to
heal a man with a withered hand by telling him to stretch it out to Him, the
very thing the man is unable to do. We
will look at what is illustrated in this miracle.
3.4.
We will see an
unlikely partnership develop between the Pharisees and the Herodians for the
purpose of killing Jesus.
3.5.
We will see that
Jesus appoints 12 to be with Him, and that He gives them authority over demons.
4.
VS 3:1-5 - “1 He entered again into a
synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2 They were watching Him to see if He would
heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 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. 5 After looking around at
them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and
his hand was restored.” – Jesus heals a man with a
withered hand in the synagogue on a Sabbath day
4.1.
Here, we see that Jesus was again in a synagogue in
4.2.
Luke, in his account of this story, tells us in Luke 6:6 that it was
the man’s “right hand” that was withered. Most people are right-handed, and this was
especially true in those days. So, a
withered right hand meant for this man that he could not work and that there
were major challenges in even the simplest of tasks for him.
4.3.
The issue with
the Pharisees on this day was whether or not Jesus would heal this man on the
Sabbath, which they considered to be a breaking of the Sabbath because they
considered that it was working. Breaking
of the Sabbath was an act that was punishable by death (Ex. 31:14-17).
4.4.
As we have seen in our story, all of Jesus’ healings symbolize ways in
which God heals men and women from sin, and so we can see some things pictured
from this story.
4.4.1. Sin destroys lives and
people’s ability to be healthy and productive in life. Just as this man had a withered hand, people
(including believers) often carry around lots of baggage from their previous
life of sin. The wounds created from
their years of sin keep them from enjoying life and being successful, and also
from being able to please God. Many
times everything a person attempts in life suffers train-wreck because of the
baggage they carry. Marriages are
unsuccessful, careers are cut short, friendships are destroyed, etc., all
because of the baggage of sin that is being carried. But, Jesus can heal take our baggage and
restore that part of us that keeps us dysfunctional. He can heal and restore us in all of these
things if we believers in Christ will take our needs to the Lord in faith and
learn from Him and allow Him to work in our life. Jesus is a good “baggage handler”.
4.4.2. The one thing that this man
is incapable of doing is the very thing that Jesus commands him to do: ‘stretch out your hand’. This command by Jesus challenged the man as
to whether or not he believed that Jesus could heal him. I wonder if the man hesitated and struggled
in his faith as to whether he was willing to believe that Jesus would heal him
and in faith attempt to stretch out his hand to Jesus.
4.4.3. What a picture this is of this man stretching out his
hand to Jesus!
4.4.4. There is an old saying that
this story illustrates: “God’s
commands are His enablings.”
Whenever God commands us to do something, He gives us the power and
ability to do it. If we will simply act
in faith upon what He commands us to do, then He will honor our faith and give
us the ability to do what He has commanded.
We act in accordance with what His word commands in faith, and God meets
us there and gives us the ability. In
all things, the Lord expects us as believers to heed His word in obedience and
faith, and trust Him to give us the power to do His will.
4.4.5. Jesus said that if we have
the mere faith as a mustard seed that we shall be able to move mountains. Some people confuse faith with
perspiration. But, faith is simply trust
in God and what He tells us in the Bible, His word. When we look to God with the faith that we
have, that is all that we need because what is important is who our faith is
placed in, not how great our faith is.
We trust in the Lord to give us the power to do His will and He expands
and completes that faith and works mightily through our life.
4.4.6. When we are looking to God
in faith, many times we are like the man whom Jesus asked him if he believed
that Jesus could heal him and the man said, “I believe Lord, help my
unbelief.” The Lord does help our
unbelief when we look to Him with that mustard seed of faith in Him and His
ability to work through us.
4.5.
Realizing that there were Pharisees there who were spying on Jesus to
see if He would in fact heal on the Sabbath, He says to them, “Is it lawful to
do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” This statement indicates to us that it is a
sin to not do good for someone when you have the opportunity, especially on the
Sabbath. To not do good for someone with
real need when you have the power to do so is to commit a “sin of omission.” It is a deed that you know you ought to
do. On that future day of rewards for
believers, The Bema Seat Judgment, we as Christians will give account to the
Lord for the opportunities to do good that we passed up.
4.6.
Jesus reveals that it is will and desire to do good for all men by
healing this man with the withered hand
on the Sabbath.
4.7.
Matthew, in his account of this story, reveals more of what Jesus said
to these Pharisees: Matthew 12:10-13, “10 And a man was there
whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to
heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, “What
man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the
Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 “How much more valuable then is a man
than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch
out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like
the other.”
4.8.
The Pharisees are angered by Jesus because He in effect is telling them
that when they pass up on opportunities to help and do good to people because
of a Sabbath day, that this is actually sinful on their part.
4.9.
Notice here that the Lord becomes angry at the Pharisees there in the
synagogue who have no compassion on this man.
This is a righteous anger expressed by Jesus. Jesus is angry because He sees that the
Pharisees are more concerned in simply going to the synagogue and looking and
acting religious than they are for seeing a man be healed of a horrible
infirmity. They are more interested in
law and rule keeping than they are in doing good and loving others and hoping
and wishing the best for them. People
are paramount in importance to God.
5.
VS 3:6 - “6 The Pharisees went out and
immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how
they might destroy Him.” – After Jesus has healed the
man with the withered hand the Pharisees conspire with the Herodians as to how
they might murder Jesus
5.1.
Luke, in his
telling of this story, tells us in Luke 6:11 that the Pharisees were enraged at
Jesus after Jesus had healed the man with the withered hand, and that they then
began to consider how to put Him to death.
5.2.
It is
unfathomable to me that the Pharisees would now want to murder Jesus because He
had performed a tremendous miracle and healed this man with the withered hand.
5.3.
“Herodians — a
Jewish political party who sympathized with (Mark 3:6; 12:13; Matt, 22:16; Luke
20:20) the Herodian rulers in their general policy of government, and in the
social customs which they introduced from
5.4.
In Matt. 22:16
and Mark 12:13, we see that later on the Herodians are still trying to kill
Jesus for they are trying to trap Him in His sayings so that they might have
something to accuse Him of.
5.5.
The Pharisees and the Herodians were opposite in their allegances. The Herodians wanted to support all of the
policies and rule of the dynasty of Herodian rulers. The Pharisees wanted to see
5.6.
Isn’t interesting how the people of this world that is in rebellion
against God who come from such different backgrounds will unite under this same
common purpose, to persecute Jesus and His followers. They will unite because of only one cause,
their hatred for the Lord.
6.
VS 3:7-12 - “7 Jesus withdrew to the sea with
His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from
Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from
Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great
number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 9 And He told His disciples that a boat should stand
ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10 for He had healed many, with the result that all
those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would
fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” 12 And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He
was.” – Mark tells us about Jesus’ growing popularity and how that people
came from all regions in order to seek Jesus out, and Jesus healed many, for
all who had afflictions around Him were healed, and, the unclean spirits whom
He cast out would fall before Him and shout that He was the Son of God, and He
would warn them not to tell who He was
6.1.
Jesus was
continually growing in popularity at this phase of His ministry. Word about Him and the tremendous miracles
and works He was performing had spread all over not only
6.2.
Jesus could have
built upon this popularity and the multitudes would have grown larger who
sought Him out. However, later on we
will see how that Jesus at a future point challenges the people with the truth
that a person needed to partake of Him in substance to be part of His kingdom,
that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood if they are to have life. After that the multitudes and most of those
who were following Him departed. Then, Jesus begins to concentrate upon His
disciples and preparing them for the life that they would have after He is
gone.
6.3.
Jesus requested
that a boat be made ready for Him so that the multitudes could not crowd around
Him and He could sit in the boat in the water and teach and minister to the
people, or possible just get away for a period of time to rest.
6.4.
Note that Mark
tells us that ‘whenever the unclean spirits saw Him they would fall down
before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God.”’ The demons had heard the Father speak to
Jesus at His baptism telling Him that He was His only begotten Son with whom He
was pleased, and so they knew who Jesus was.
The demons fell down before Jesus begging for mercy for they greatly
feared Him and thought that He had come to send them to hell for eternity. They knew judgment soon awaited them.
7.
VS 3:13-15 - “13 And He went up on the mountain
and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be
with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons.” – Jesus went up on a mountain and summoned those whom He wanted and He
appointed twelve so that they could be with Him and He could send them out to
preach, and He could give them authority to cast out demons
7.1.
Luke, in his
account of this story, tells us that Jesus went up on the mountain and prayed
before He picked the twelve: Luke 6:12,
“12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent
the whole night in prayer to God.” Jesus knew that
He had to be dependent upon the Lord in all things, and thus He prayed about
all things, especially things of such importance as who would be part of the
twelve He would choose.
7.2.
Twelve is a
number that signifies a perfect administration.
There were twelve tribes of
7.3.
Note that Jesus called His disciples to ‘be with Him’.
They were called to be witnesses of Him,
and thus they were to be with Him. But,
it is also the case that most things are better caught than taught, and just
being with Jesus would allow them to know Him intimately and see up front and
close what things He did and how He went about doing the things that He did.
7.3.1. By the way, all of us who
are believers in Christ need to ‘be with Him’. We need to spend time each day with the Lord
so that we can grow spiritually and be led and empowered by Him, and so that we
glorify Him in all that we do.
7.4.
Jesus also called the twelve so that they could have a
unique ministry. They were first of all
called so that He could ‘send them out to preach’. This preaching would be to get the good news
out that the
7.5.
But, the twelve were also given ‘to have authority to
cast out the demons’. They were
granted the authority of Jesus Himself to cast out the demons in His Name. We know from the gospels that Jesus then sent
out the twelve on two different intern missions trips to preach the gospel,
heal the sick, and cast out demons.
7.5.1. Do you who believe in
Christ realize also that God has given you authority to cast out demons and
pray for the sick? This authority is
part of the kingdom which Jesus was ushering in and which is in place to today,
and yet still to come in all of its fullness.
God wants us to exercise that authority we have in Christ and allow Him
to fill us with His Spirit and give us spiritual gifts and manifestations as we
preach the gospel and make disciples in fulfillment of the Great Commission we
have been charged with (Matt. 28:18-19).
8.
CONCLUSIONS:
8.1.
Realize that if you will come to Jesus with the faith you have and in
obedience act in obedience upon His word He will meet your faith there and give
you the ability to do His will. He can
handle your baggage and heal and restore your dysfunctionality.
8.2.
Remember that it is wrong and a sin to not do good when you meet
someone with real need and have the ability to help them in some way.
8.3.
Remember that Jesus has given you authority over demons and the ability
to pray for the sick to be healed.