s5e12 Mark 3:1-6

Jesus Heals a Man with a Withered Hand on the Sabbath

Observations/Questions:

• does the word "again" mean this took place on the same sabbath recorded in the last passage of chapter 2?
• Jesus is in a synagogue again but did it not say earlier that he stayed away from public places?
• Ready to pounce on the healing - something seems odd when the Pharisees ignore the miracle
• Their silence in v 4 - does it mean they thought it lawful then?
• It does not seem that the Pharisees could see the forest through the trees - Jesus seems agitated maybe with this continual misunderstanding or stubbornness
• Anger - what does this word mean? What about grieved?
• The hardness of the heart - internal? External work of God?
• What about this event stirred the Pharisees so much they wanted to kill?
• Why is this questioned but not the exorcism on a sabbath in 1:21-28?

Meaning:

• Mark does seem to be exposing the motives of the Pharisees to his readers
• The text must confront the reader's heart about stubbornness, hardness
• Jesus came to bring life, to restore goodness

Application:

Walking Closer to Jesus:

• Our own rules, even if religious, need to be confronted if they are not from God. Do I let trivial things stand in the way of genuine commitment?

Modeling Jesus:

• Are we about giving good things to people around us? Not stingy and crotchety.

Praising Jesus:

• He is Lord of the rules and the Giver of good things.

Group Questions:

• What strikes you the most in this passage about the Pharisees? About Jesus?
• What is stubbornness?
• Describe ways in which you think your heart is stubborn to Jesus?

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