Daily Thoughts from Mark: Hardness of Heart (Mark 3:1-6)

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. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 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. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. (Mark 3:1-6, ESV) 

There is something perversely ironic about this event.  Apparently word has gotten out that Jesus is “lax” about the Sabbath, but there is a need for proof.  So the Pharisees stand watch and see an opportunity to accuse Jesus when it becomes apparent that there is a man needing healing in the synagogue where Jesus is meeting.  They know he has the power to heal this man.  This should tell them that they are not dealing with some ordinary rabbi here.  They are supposed to be on the lookout for when God sends His Messiah, Israel’s redeemer, but they are completely at sea here when it comes to Jesus.

Jesus repeats, in a sense, the argument he made with those who challenged his disciples eating grain in the field on the Sabbath, as if plucking a few kernels and rubbing them in your hands to get the food out was work.  He says the Sabbath was made for man’s benefit.  Here he asks if it is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or harm, to save a life or kill it.  They won’t answer.  How can they?  If they agree it is best to save life and do good, there is no objection to his healing the man.  If they say it is not lawful they look like idiots to everyone there.

Jesus is angry and grieved at the same time.  Their hearts are hard.  They cannot look at the truth and the evidence fairly because it contradicts their agenda.  If you care about someone and see them destroying themselves it makes you angry and sad at the same time.  If they didn’t matter to you there might be no anger at all.  Of course, these leaders are hurting others by their refusal to acknowledge the truth.  They are hindering others from acknowledging Jesus as Messiah.

So Jesus heals the man.  And the Pharisees join with their arch rivals, the Herodians, supporters of King Herod’s rule and the very antithesis of what the Pharisees stand for.  They would rather be in unity with their enemies than acknowledge Jesus’ power and authority.  Both groups feel threatened by Jesus and band together against a common enemy.  Once they dispose of Jesus they will go back to fighting each other.

Our hearts can get hardened also.  Hardened to the suffering that people experience.  Like those who knew the man with the withered hand we perhaps feel like there is nothing we can do about it and so we have to stick it away in some box in our minds where it won’t interfere with our daily lives.  Jesus doesn’t do that, and we don’t have to either.  We might not be able to do something to change someone’s suffering, but Jesus can.  He will lead us in what to do and provide mountain moving power to accomplish his work through us.

If “all” we do is keep in prayer about the suffering we are at least not closing our hearts to it.  Listening to God’s heart response in our prayers, however, should follow.  Then obedience.