COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 28
“ Mark 3:1 And He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse Him. 3 And He saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4 And He saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 5 And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.” (Mark 3:1-5)
THE MAN WITH THE WITHERED HAND
INTRODUCTION
The stage has been set for the ministry of Jesus – the ministry that preceded His betrayal, death, resurrection, and enthronement. That ministry is both introductory and preparatory. It introduces men to God and His ways, and prepares Jesus for the giving of Himself as a ransom for a fallen race. In Christ’s introduction of God and His ways, we will be exposed to three kinds of people, all of whom react to Christ’s revelation of God and His ways. One group will vigorously oppose the Lord, seeing Him as nothing more than a competitor to the persons and manners. Another will see Him as the answer to their temporal needs, yet will not be able to perceive His association with the Father, of with things beyond this world. Still others will perceive Him as the promised Savior, and will be drawn to Him, and follow Him with determination and consistency. There are also a variety of subclasses in these groups that confirm Jesus Himself is the cause of a remarkable degree of division among men. As the “light of the world” (John 9:5), the Savior not only revealed the nature and purpose of God, His Father. He also revealed the nature of man, and the extent of his fall into sin. Basking in the revealing light of Jesus everything is made more clear. Things that were otherwise concealed and unexpressed are made plain.
JESUS CONFRONTS A MAN WITH A WITHERED HAND
“ 3:1 And He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse Him.”
HE ENTERED AGAIN INTO THE SYNAGOGUE. Christ’s frequency of the synagogues is significant. Although, with the possible exception of Psalm 74:8, synagogues are never mentioned in Moses and the prophets, they had become a prominent part of Jewish life. There are forty-one references to synagogues in the Gospels. Jesus is said to have “taught” in the synagogues (Matt 4:23; 9:35; 13:54; Mk 1:21; 6:2; Lk 4:15; 6:6; 13:10; John 6:59; 18:20). He “preached in their synagogues” (Mk 1:39; Lk 4:44) He “went” into synagogues (Matt 12:9; Mk 3:1; Lk 4:16). You would find Jesus where people gathered in the name of the Lord – places where the name of the Lord was embraced, the Scriptures were read, and a general interest in the things of God was common.
Here Jesus lived out something He promised to His disciples: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt 18:20). As we will see in this text, Jesus does not come “amidst” His people to merely observe. In our time, a sensitivity to the presence of Jesus in the assembly has nearly been lost. Sometimes there are petitions for the Lord to join the people, even after He has affirmed that He is present when people “are gathered together” in His name – because of Him, and in honor of Him. Throughout history, holy gatherings have always accompanied great revivals or renewals. I know of no revival, in either the Scriptures or in church history, that was realized independently of the gathering together of the people.
A MAN WITH A WITHERED HAND. Previously, Jesus confronted a man with an “unclean spirit” in a synagogue (Mk 1:23). Now, in the presence of Jesus, and within a synagogue, there stands a man with “a withered hand.” A “withered hand” a “shriveled hand” NIV – a hand that was useless, with no feeling or life in it. Other versions read, “whose hand was dead,” BBE “having his hand dried up,” DARBY and “with one arm shriveled up.” WEYMOUTH Luke tells us that it was his “right hand” that was “withered” (Lk 6:6). The word used here (“withered”) indicates that the man was not born with this defect, but that it was the result of either an accident or a disease. That is, it had become “withered” subsequent to his birth.
With was a man with a bodily member, intended for productive use, that had become useless. He had a hand, but it was no functionally no different than if he had no “right hand” at all. A “withered” hand cannot take hold of anything. It can engage in no work, or take hold of someone to support or lift them. It ought to be apparent that many have spiritual capacities that have, for some reason, withered and died, and can no longer be used. This account offers hope for the restoration of such parts.
THEY WATCHED HIM. Matthew says the people asked Jesus if it was lawful to “heal on the Sabbath days, that they might accuse Him” (Matt 12:10). Luke says it was “the scribes and Pharisees” who watched Jesus “that they might find an accusation against Him” (Lk 6:7). These people had no interest in the truth, which was standing before them in the very Person of Christ (John 14:6). He was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), yet they only perceived Him as a contradiction to their stilted and lifeless traditions. He had already soundly rebuffed them for their perspective of the Sabbath day (Mk 1:25-28), but their devotion to tradition had blinded their minds and hardened their hearts so that “they could not believe” (John 12:39).
It is the manner of those who have nothing more than religious tradition and a love for self to look for some failing in the people of God. Job cried out, “All my inward friends abhorred me” (Job 20:10). David said “false witnesses” rose up against him (Psa 27:12), and that they would “daily swallow” him up (Psa 56:2). Jeremiah said of his enemies, “All my familiars (friends) watched for my halting” (Jer 20:10). That is the manner of those who walk in the flesh – they set themselves against those who walk in the Spirit, and look for some point upon which they may condemn the righteous.
Matthew says these people “asked” Jesus if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath days. Luke opens the matter further by saying Jesus “knew their thoughts.” That is, even though they asked question as though it was an honest inquiry, Jesus answered them according to the corruption of their “thoughts.” He did not answer them “according to” their outward “folly” (Prov 26:4), addressing them as though they were intellectually honest. He rather answered them “according to” their inward “folly,” lest His answer lead them to imagine they were anything but utterly corrupt (Prov 26:5). One thing about the Savior, one may fasten his eyes upon Him, carefully watching for some error, but he will find none!
JESUS SPEAKS TO THE MAN AND TO HIS CRITICS
“ 3 And He saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4 And He saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.”
STAND FORTH! With the eyes of His critics upon Him, corrupt thoughts within their hearts, and a trick question thrown at Him, Jesus turns His attention to the afflicted man in the congregation. Indicating that the man was seated among the people, Luke writes, Jesus “said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth” (Luke 6:8). The NIV reads, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” Infirmity or not, the man was to stand before all of the people, with his infirmity being seen of all. In this manner, Jesus would bring due glory to God, and Festus: “for this thing was not done in a corner” (Acts 26:26).
WHAT IS LAWFUL? Jesus now hurls the question of his critics in their faces. He will not gravel about in their dirt of their tradition, but will force them to either think on a higher plain, or drop their inquiry altogether. They had asked, “Is it lawful heal on the Sabbath days?” However, this was not the right question. It was rather one of those “foolish and unlearned questions” which the people of God are told to “avoid” (2 Tim 2:23). No such question is to be dignified with an answer or extensive discussion. Thus Jesus phrases the question as it ought to have been asked.
“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil?” Luke phrases Jesus retort even more precisely, “I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9). Is there really any time when doing good is out of order, or doing evil is in order? Is it ever wrong to save a life, and is it ever right to destroy one? This question is as relevant today as it was then!
Notice, Jesus classifies healing as doing good. By insinuation, He is suggesting that to ignore this man would, in fact, be doing evil, and more related to destroying life than saving it. James reminded us that the person who knew “to do good,” and did it not, was actually sinning – Sabbath or not (James 4:17).
Behold how Jesus shifts the thinking of the people into the proper area. Rather than thinking of an obligation to keep religious tradition, Jesus reminds them of the obligation of doing good “unto all men” (Gal 6:10). By inference, He suggests that God has not provided a time during which men may rest from doing good. There is no time when saving life can put on hold in deference to a humanly conceived notion of being religious. He also confirms that the time to “do good” and “save life” is when we are confronted with the opportunity to do so.
Jesus asked if it was “lawful” to do good on the Sabbath day. This was the same as saying, If God did not say, “Do not heal on the Sabbath day,” what man dares to affirm such a thing – much less bind it upon other men, and judge those who do not honor their carnal view of things?
Jesus also knew that this was a work that God had ordained – it was a time in which He was to “show” the people “good works” that were “from the Father” (John 10:32). This was a work through which it would be confirmed that the Father was in Him, and He as in the Father (John 10:38). Those who opposed such works were making known their own hatred of God, for He declared, “He that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me” (Luke 10:16).
THEY HELD THEIR PEACE. Only Mark records this response. Other versions read, “But they kept silence,” NKJV “they remained silent,” NIV “they were silent,” NRSV “They said nothing,” BBE and “they wouldn’t answer Him.” LIVING
What happened here? The wisdom of Christ’s critics dried up. Their minds were unable to respond to words of the Christ. His words, like a sword proceeding from His mouth, cut their reasoning into ribbons, and they could not recover from His assault. On another occasion, when healing a man with dropsy, Jesus asked these same critics, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” At that time, having engaged in several skirmishes with the Lord, they “held their peace” (Lk 14:3-4). On another occasion, when they asked Jesus a foolish question, and after hearing His answer, it is written, “For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything” NASB (Luke 20:40).
Here is an aspect of spiritual life that could well be restored in our time. As it is written, “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped” (Tit 1:10-11). And again, “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Pet 2:15). It brings no glory to God when foolish feel free to keep on talking.
JESUS RESPONDS TO THE CIRCUMSTANCE
“ 5 And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.”
HE LOOKED ON THEM WITH ANGER. Luke when Jesus told the man to strength forth His hand, He was “looking round about on them all” (Lk 6:8). How do people like those Jesus confronted in this text effect Him? Does He simply brush the matter aside, and speak with gentleness of such individuals? He looked upon these people just as He looks upon the devil himself, who was animating them – “with anger.” The word “anger” is properly defined as agitation of the soul, violent emotion, wrath, and indignation. STRONG’S It Contains the idea of opposition and punishment that comes from being against the person. On one occasion Jesus saw multitudes of people as wandering sheep “having no shepherd,” and “was moved with compassion” (Matt 9:36). On another occasion, He also “saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion” (Matt 14:14). However, when Jesus looked upon those who sought an occasion against Him, and questioned the validity of His works (which were of the Father), He did not look with compassion upon them. Their presence and thoughts stirred up His anger, and caused His wrath to rise to the surface. They had no appeal to His mercy, grace, kindness, or pity – but to His anger.
Those who imagine that wayward human emotions and thoughts have no impact upon the Lord of glory ought to peruse this passage with much deliberation. On one occasion when a certain “ruler of the synagogue” told the people not to come on the Sabbath day to be healed, Jesus responded, “Thou hypocrite!” (Lk 13:15). Sin registers this kind of impact upon Christ Jesus. He is in no way tolerant of it. This is why sin had to be taken out of the way before men could experience the grace and kindness of God.
BEING GRIEVED. It was Jesus’ grief that provoked His anger – “being grieved for the hardness of their hearts.” One version reads, “deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.” NIV The idea is that He was greatly disturbed or agitated at the awareness of their stony hearts. This is the very thing that moved God to “bring evil”upon the city of His people, which He Himself had blessed (Jer 19:15). It is what moved the Lord to depose Nebuchadnezzar from the throne upon which He had paced him (Dan 5:20).
You may rest assured that when Christ is “grieved” with the hearts of men, He will not be disposed to bless them. Care must be taken to avoid a view of the Lord that has Him tolerant of sin, indifferent toward obstinance, and gracious toward stubbornness. Here, we are being exposed to the real Jesus, and He is angry at foolishness, and grieved by hardheartedness – even when it is found in the synagogue!
STRETCH FORTH THINE HAND. All three Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) report this word: “Stretch forth thine hand!” Other versions read, “Put out your hand,” BBE “Reach out your hand,” NLT “Hold out your hand.” ISV How will the man respond to this command? Would he not be justified in saying, “I cannot do it; my hand is dead?” Technically, according to the flesh, he has no more capacity to do this than a paralyzed man has to get up, pick up his bed, and walk (Matt 9:6). However, Christ’s “word was with power” (Lk 4:32). If faith will take hold of this word, the ability to put forth his hand will be realized. It might appear to the flesh that this was an open door for unspeakable embarrassment. The man was standing before them all. How will he react?
HIS HAND WAS RESTORED. It is written, “And he stretched it out!” Matthew reads, “And he stretched it forth” (Matt 12:13). Luke reads, “And he did so” (Lk 6:10). His hearing was “mixed with faith,” and this He was profited by the word of the Lord (Heb 4:2). Those who respond in faith to the word of the Lord will not be disappointed. Responding to the word of mere men, however, is not marked with such benefit.
Immediately, the man’s hand was “restored whole as the other,” so that it was fully functional. All three accounts read the same. Other versions read, “was made well,” BBE “Completely restored,” NIB and “became normal again.” NLT He now had two good hands (“whole as the other”), and could resume normal activities.
There are still people who have “withered” spiritual hands – capacities granted at their new birth that have dwindled away, and are no longer working. It may be their understanding, their zeal, or their ability to communicate. It could be their hearing ear, the speaking mouth, or the working hand. Their “members” are not operating as they should. Such souls must stretch them out to the Lord, yielding their members as “instruments of righteousness unto God” (Rom 6:13). When they gave them to the world, they withered, and became useless. But when they stretch them forth to God in faith, they will be restored.