We will continue to see what our Lord and High Priest had to say and do on His Sabbath. We will study a miracle He performed on the Sabbath.
Mark 3:1-6 He (Jesus) entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 3:2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
What could be wrong with healing on the Sabbath? What kind of Sabbath laws had these religious leaders created that healing violated their self-righteous traditions of men. Weren’t they supposed to obey God’s Laws and not their own?
3:3 He *said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" 3:4 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.
Now we see their dilemma, how could they accuse Jesus of not keeping the Sabbath when it was for a greater good? They did not want the people to see just how hypocritical they really were. So they just kept silent and plotted.
3:5 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.
What did Jesus do? First, this angered Him as it should have angered the people in the synagogue. How could they be so heartless and self-righteous?
Second, He demonstrated that He was a God of mercy and loving kindness.
Third, it showed that He was indeed from God, as none of these leaders had ever healed anyone.
3:6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
So instead of rejoicing, they began conspiring. False teachers never want anyone to think more highly of someone other than themselves. They created their laws to enslave the people to obey them rather than GOD, even as they proclaimed they did it for God.
‘Follow the Leader’ may be a cute child’s game, but it is a very deadly game for adults.
Who are you following?
Where are they leading you?