Significant

 

Jesus’ ministry in Mark’s Gospel began with the opening verses of the book. Mark wanted people to know Jesus. So, Mark did not linger on Jesus’ lineage or birth, as Matthew did. He wanted people to trust Jesus as their Savior because His ministry was most important.

With the opening chapter, John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Next, God proclaimed who Jesus is from heaven when He said, “You are My beloved Son; in You, I am well pleased.” Jesus walked into the wilderness at once after His baptism. He stayed there forty days and nights without food or drink. While there, Jesus resisted three temptations from Satan. After His wilderness experience, Jesus walked to the Sea of Galilee and told four men to follow Him. He began healing people, casting out demons, and teaching with power and authority. Word spread about Him, which led to people following Him. These people wanted to watch Jesus. By the end of the chiasm (Mark 3:1-6) Mark used to teach about who Jesus is. Jesus showed His divinity. He is Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not lord of Him. In chapter one, demons shouted who Jesus is, the Holy One of God. By Mark chapter three, they shouted Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 3:11).

Jesus did not want to become famous so fast. He wanted people to see, hear, and trust Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus desired people recognize He is the Messiah. He came to take the sins of people who trust him. By Mark chapter three verse seven, people had listened to others talk about Jesus. People from outside Israel traveled to be with Jesus, too.

The Withdrawal

And He (Jesus) went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. (Mark 3:13 [NASB])

Each verb in this verse is past tense. They show action begun and concluded in the past. The verbs are “went up,” “summoned,” “wanted,” and “came.” Notice, Jesus is the one who did each of the actions except the last. The people to whom He spoke did the last action as a reaction to the Jesus’ actions. Jesus started the actions and the people He summoned received the results from Him. Those people reacted to Jesus’ actions—His commands—positively. In essence, these verbs said Jesus walked up the mountain and called people to go to Him because He purposed these people for His plans. The men reacted on Jesus’ actions by going to Him. Summoning a person is more than calling to people. This verb has behind it the recognized authority of the person doing the calling. This verse is the setting for the rest of the verses in this passage, Mark 3:13-19, and affects the spread of the gospel, including Christians today.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, the gospel writers told of His getting away to quiet places. Most often, Jesus desired to be with the Father in prayer. He did this for Himself; He is divine and wanted concerted times to be with the Father. Jesus did this to set an example for His apostles and disciples, too.

Jesus was not the only person in the Bible to get away and meet with God. Often in the Old Testament, different people traveled to a mountain or hill to meet with God. Abraham climbed a mountain to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord (Exodus 22). Moses met God on a mountain many times (consider Exodus 19, 24:12-18, 32:1-7 & 49, & 34:1-6; Deuteronomy 10:1). He and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel met him on the mountain in Exodus 24:9-12. Moses, Aaron, and Eleazar met God on Mt. Hor in Numbers 20:23-29. Elijah met God on Mt. Horeb in 1 Kings 19:11-14. Jerusalem sits upon a hill (2575 feet high), too. Whenever any Jew walked to the temple in Jerusalem to worship God, they desired to meet with and worship God. To go to a mountain to meet God signified an important purpose. That purpose was because a solemn meeting was about to happen.

Jesus’ frequent meetings with God had more significance than any other person’s meetings with Yahweh. This time, going to a mountain had a different purpose. This solemn meeting included His soon-to-be apostles. This time, Jesus summoned twelve men, not everyone who followed Him. He called these men to go with Him. The men had to accept the summons from Jesus to join Him on the mountain. They had to react upon Jesus’ actions. When they reacted with acceptance, they walked to Jesus. These twelve men separated themselves from the multitude. (Luke 6:12-16 is the only gospel record that tells of Jesus going to the mountain to pray, then do something else. Mark 3:13-19 and Matthew 10:1-4 do not include Jesus praying in their retelling.) For what did the twelve men go to the mountain with Jesus? Which men did Jesus call for His purposes?

Purpose

¹⁴ And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and He could send them out to preach, ¹⁵ and to have authority to cast out the demons. (Mark 3:14-15 [NASB])

Mark recorded that Jesus appointed twelve men. What does “appointed” mean? Why did Jesus appoint twelve and not ten or twenty? Was there any significance for this? What did Jesus want the men to do? How would they be able to do what Jesus asked of them?

Questions arise when considering verse fourteen. People should always consider with care appointments for duties. They are pivotal points of change. Jesus realized what His mission was on earth. He understood He would not be on earth long enough to affect every person in time by Himself. Jesus realized the testimony of His followers would play a pivotal role in the spread of His news. For the men to grow, training was necessary. With the knowledge of these things, Jesus walked to the mountain (likely near the Sea of Galilee) and summoned the twelve men.

“Appointed” comes from the Greek word poieo. It means to make oneself or another person do something--to ordain that something occurs. This verb implies an authority that causes something to happen. Mark recalled Jesus showing people His authority. Because the people had this knowledge, the men He summoned would obey by approaching Jesus. They would come at His command. This shows their reaction because of Jesus’ action. Behind this verb, “approach,” are conditions that define the purpose of the appointment. Jesus appointed (ordained) the twelve men to do something. He planned for something to happen and now its beginning started.

Who did Jesus appoint (ordain)? Mark recorded Jesus appointed twelve men. Jesus called them to Himself with His authority. Who were these men? Was there significance in the number?

The number twelve held deep national significance for the Jews. Israel had twelve tribes. The high priest wore twelve stones on his ephod. These tribes, named after their leaders, represented the whole of the people of God—Israel—in the Old Testament, under the old covenant. Jesus chose twelve men to represent the people of the new covenant. These twelve men were symbolic of the leaders of the new Israel. New Israel includes each person who considers Jesus as the Son of God and as his or her Savior. The twelve men did not call themselves to this job. They did not volunteer for the position. The twelve might never have considered what Jesus would ask them to do. In their minds, it may have been too fantastical.

What did Jesus appoint these twelve men to do? According to Mark’s record, Jesus appointed the twelve men to be with Him and to send them out. The main reason Jesus wanted them to be with Him throughout each day—to walk and eat with Him—is so they witnessed what He did and understood how He did it. He wanted them to learn from His teaching as they walked around the nation and as He taught the people He met. Being with Jesus wherever He traveled implied a change occurred in the men after they had been with Him. Jesus had a purpose for them. He would teach them how to do that for which He ordained them. This being with Jesus looked forward to what would come after that time. It was more than just physically following Jesus. It prepared the twelve men for their sending-out by Jesus.

“Send out” in the Greek is apostello. This word is from where the word “apostle” comes. Jesus sent them out. He called them His “sent-out”ones. Jesus spelled out the mission of these twelve by His choice of words. He commissioned the twelve as messengers (heralds) to tell people something or to do something for them. Jesus called, ordained, taught, and empowered the men. They did not call, ordain, teach, or empower themselves to do what Jesus would send them to do. These twelve men whom Jesus summoned would be closely connected to Jesus. They would represent Jesus and has His authority to do it.

What would Jesus send out these twelve men to do? Jesus wanted word that the Redeemer has come to get out to more people. God’s plan is that all people will hear the gospel. His heart is to save everyone from their sins and give them a close relationship with Him for eternity. Jesus knew He had less than three years left to walk on the earth. Because of His brief time on earth and because the task was large, He wanted to train men to recognize Him and His will. Jesus wanted these apostles to have His authority to do what they had seen Him do and teach.

Jesus sent out these men. This mission of being sent out—being apostles—has an object. What would these men do when Jesus sent them out? The objects in this sentence explain it. Jesus sent the twelve out to preach. “Preaching” means to proclaim or herald. For the apostles, Jesus sent them out to proclaim what they witnessed from Jesus while traveling with Him. John the Baptist’s disciples wanted to find out if Jesus was the “Coming One” (Matthew 11:2). Jesus answered their questions and told them to report to John what they listened to and saw, that “those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matthew 11:4-6). These things are what the apostles would see and listen to and about what Jesus wanted them to proclaim. These apostles would testify to who Jesus is.

Jesus wanted these apostles to do more than proclaim about Him as His apostles. The infinitive after “to have authority” tells for what Jesus gave the apostles His authority and power. Jesus sent them out with His authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. “Authority” comes from the Greek word exousia. It means to possess or hold authority and power to do or say something and know it will be effective. This power did not exist in the twelve as a personal attribute. These twelve men could not go out and be a messenger of Jesus without His calling, training, power, and authority. Jesus conferred (bestowed) His power on the apostles. He appointed them to go with His delegated authority and power for the mission for which He prepared them. In their own strength, these twelve men could not heal or cast out demons. Without Jesus’ authority, the words the apostles spoke carried no power. When Jesus gave the apostles authority over illness and evil spirits, He authorized them to act for Him. The apostle’s words would not draw people to Jesus, just to themselves. After walking with Jesus throughout each day, these twelve apostles would carry within themselves the love of Jesus for unsaved people. They would have the heart of Jesus for unsaved, hurt, and demon possessed people.

Jesus modeled rapid evangelism with His appointing and sending out the twelve apostles. He would exponentially increase the number of people who trusted in Him for salvation by commissioning these men. Jesus’ purposes for appointing the twelve revolved around them being with Him and sharing in His mission to reach each person with the gospel. The apostles’ ability to heal and cast out demons confirmed their authority from Jesus.

Jesus commissions each person who believes in Him to go tell others, make disciples, and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20). Is each person an apostle? Each believer is a disciple. The apostles were those twelve men Jesus called and appointed. Jesus gave them power and authority to do two things—be with Him and be sent out by Him.

Appointment

¹⁶And He appointed the twelve; Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), ¹⁷James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”); ¹⁸ and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. (Mark 3:16-19 [NASB])

Who did Jesus appoint as His apostles? Were they deeply religious and already trained to be His apostles? Were each of them successful in the mission Jesus gave? The twelve men Jesus called came from across the spectrum of careers, families, and commitments. A few were fishermen. One was a tax collector. Two sets were brothers. Three were in Jesus’ inner circle of friends. One was called the “one Jesus loved.” Two received a nickname from Jesus. One was a zealot. Three others shared the same first name. One never trusted in Jesus and betrayed Him. Who were these men?

Mark introduced four men in chapter one of his Gospel. They comprised two sets of brothers: first, Andrew and Simon, and second, James and John. The gospel writers always listed Simon’s name first (Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16, and Acts 1:3). His name means “hear and obey.” Simon listened to and obeyed Jesus many times. He was the first apostle who preached at the Pentecost. The church in Jerusalem began with the people who became Jesus' followers before, during, and after Pentecost. Jesus foretold Simon being the rock when He gave him the surname of Petros, meaning rock. Simon Peter became the rock about which Jesus foretold in His renaming. Upon Simon Peter, Jesus built His church starting at the Pentecost.

Simon Peter’s brother was Andrew. His name means “manly.” Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist (John 1:35-42). He later became Jesus’ disciple. After Jesus left the wilderness and then walked around the Sea of Galilee, He saw Andrew. Andrew went to get Simon (both fishermen) and took him to meet Jesus. Jesus told these two fishermen to follow Him. While following Jesus, Andrew showed faith in Jesus to do what was necessary. He found the young boy with the five small loaves and two fish (John 6:5-9). Though the Bible does not record many actions and words of Andrew, what it records shows Andrew’s devotion and faithfulness to Jesus known.

Mark recorded Jesus appointed and sent out two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus first met these men while walking around the Sea of Galilee. They, with Simon Peter, were part of Jesus’ inner circle. “James” means supplanted. It comes from the Hebrew word “Jacob.” Three men were named James in the retelling of Jesus’ life. James, the brother of John and apostle of Jesus, carried the title of James the greater. As part of Jesus’ inner circle, this James witnessed major events that others did not. He saw the Transfiguration of Jesus. James the greater was the first apostle martyred for his faith in Jesus. Herod Agrippa I of Judea decreed James’ death by the sword in Acts 12:2.

John was the younger brother of James the greater. His name is related to Jonah and Jonas. The gospel writers recorded John as “the one whom Jesus loved” when he leaned on Jesus’ chest (John 13:23). John seemed closest to Jesus of the twelve apostles. Jesus put the care of His mother, Mary, on John, not His own brothers (John 19:25-27). John was the last apostle to die. Jesus nicknamed John and James Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder.” This nickname remains unexplained. Scholars think this nickname occurred because John and James zealously and boldly told the gospel and stood up for Jesus.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us nothing about Philip. From John’s Gospel, people can learn about Philip. Jesus sought Philip and said, “Follow me,” in John 1:43. Philip rushed to tell Nathanael that he found the one whom Moses foretold (John 1:45). John mentioned Philip again in John 6:5. He wrote Jesus questioned Philip about how to feed the five thousand people who followed Him. From these passages, Philip appeared faithful, wished to learn, and wanted people to trust in Jesus.

Bartholomew’s name means “son of Tolmai.” “Bar” means son and “Tolmai” was the father’s name. His name appears only in the lists of apostles of the New Testament (Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16, and Acts 1:1-13). Though the Bible tells little about Bartholomew, people realize Jesus appointed him to be His apostle—to be with Him and be sent out by Him to proclaim the gospel and cast out demons. Jesus trusted Bartholomew would be a bold apostle. Bartholomew did not betray Jesus like Judas Iscariot.

Matthew and Levi were the same person. Matthew is the Greek name for Levi, a Hebrew name. Levi was the tax collector Jesus called to follow him when He walked to Capernaum from the east side of Jordan. Jesus ate with Levi, other tax collectors, and other sinners (Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27). His name means “gift of God.”

Thomas’ name means “twin.” In Arabic, his name is Taoma, which translates to Hebrew as Thomas. The Greek version of Thomas’ name was Didymus, which means “twin.” Besides where the twelve apostles are listed, Matthew, Mark and Luke wrote about when Thomas responded to Jesus when Jesus planned to walk to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-3, 16). Thomas struggled with doubts. One instance for which he is famous is when he would not consider the man in the upper room was the risen Jesus. Thomas refused to trust unless he saw and touched the scars in Jesus' hands and saw the scar on His side (John 20:19-29).

James, the son of Alphaeus, had the label of James the lesser. This set him apart from James, the son of Zebedee, and James the just (the brother of Jesus). The New Testament writers did not mention James the lesser anywhere except the four lists of the apostles. Even then, the Gospel writers wrote his name near the end of the list.

Thaddeus (Thaddaeus) was the ninth apostle Mark listed as appointed by Jesus. His name means “heart.” The gospel writers record little about Thaddeus. Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18 spell his name without the second “a” as in Thaddeus. In the King James version of Mark 10:3, Thaddeus is the surname of Lebbaeus. In Luke’s list of apostles in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13, he replaced Thaddeus with “Judas son of James.” John noted Thaddeus in his Gospel as “Judas (not Iscariot)” in John 14:22. Some scholars conjecture Lebbaeus and Thaddeus were nicknames. In just one other passage in the New Testament is Thaddeus mentioned. When Jesus told His apostles He was going to prepare a place for them, Thaddeus asked why Jesus would only show Himself to His apostles (John 14:22).

Simon the Zealot may have been part of the Zealots’ party who wanted Roman rule over Jews removed. They wanted independence from Roman. These zealots wanted to inflame the passion of the Jewish people to rebel and drive Rome from Israel. They wanted to reestablish the theocracy God mandated for Israel as His people. The added “Zealot” behind Simon’s given name may have been a way for people to separate the two Simons before Jesus renamed the first Simon as Peter. The second Simon’s nickname, the zealot, might have occurred because of his passion to preach the gospel, too. Simon’s name means hearing and obeying.

Judas Iscariot was the last and the only infamous apostle. The name Judas was a variation on the names Judah and Jude. In John 6:71 and 13:26, John referred to Judas as the son of Simon Iscariot. Iscariot may have been Judas’ surname or where he lived—Kerioth. Judas Iscariot became infamous because he betrayed Jesus to the Jewish religious leaders. He carried power since he was the treasurer of the group. That self-assumed power became part of his downfall. Judas Iscariot stole from the treasury and received payment from the Pharisees to betray Jesus (John 12:6).

Jesus chose these twelve men as His appointed and sent-out heralds to proclaim the gospel, to heal every kind of sickness, and to cast out evil spirits (Matthew 10:1 and Mark 3:15). They did not appoint themselves. Jesus did not send them out without power and authority. He authorized and anointed them with His own power and authority. These twelve men were simple men with ordinary jobs. They had no training to be an apostle. Jesus trained them. His two commands included staying with and being sent out by Him. Each of these men determined for themselves if they trusted in Jesus. They acted upon their belief in visible ways. Though each of them sinned, each believed in Jesus as the Messiah, except for Judas Iscariot. His action of betrayal showed his heart. For each of these men Jesus appointed, they showed Jesus’ power and authority with their lives.

Application and Conclusion

With Jesus’ calling and appointing His apostles, He gave them His authority to preach, heal, and cast out demons. Jesus started the worldwide spread of the gospel of salvation. His news spread outside the borders of Judea, Israel, Galilee, and Samaria. It spread to Arabia, Syria, and Phoenicia next. Jesus understood His task—His heart’s desire—was to save each person. He provided the example of exponential evangelism. Jesus appointed, empowered, and sent out with His authority.

The twelve men Jesus chose to proclaim and spread the good news around the world represent each person today. They symbolically represent the new Israel, in which Christian are. Each of us comes from diverse backgrounds and careers. Some of us have family members who already have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Others of us have a reputation we wish we did not have. Still others are quiet. Last, some of us may be wolves in sheep’s clothing who act like Christians but never accepted Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior. Whoever we are, Jesus came to save us. Whoever we are, Jesus commanded we proclaim the gospel we received from Him. Matthew recorded this command in Matthew 28:18-20.

Jesus spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NASB)

Before Jesus’ command from Matthew 28:18-20 applies to a person, that person must come to a saving belief in Jesus as God’s Son, who lived a sinless life, died a criminal’s death though He had not sinned, and rose to life again after three days. He did this because of His love for each person. God’s love is so great that He does not want anyone to die forever separated from Him because of the stain and judgment of his or her sins. Only one way exists to receive eternal forgiveness and salvation so the person can live with God in heaven. That one way is belief in Jesus as the Son of God. John says this in his Gospel and in his letter. Paul wrote about it in his letters.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:16-17 [NASB])

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called the children of God. (1 John 3:1a [NASB])

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us. (1 John 3:16a [NASB])

By this, the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (sacrifice) for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10 [NASB])

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 [NASB])

When Jesus called the twelve men to be His apostles, He denoted their significance. They were regular people like each of us. Jesus changed that when they trusted in Him. They became important. These twelve men carried no qualifications nor earned the right to receive salvation.

Nothing we do, have, or say makes us good enough to receive salvation. Each of us is significant to Jesus, even those of us who are the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Jesus loves each of us and calls us to come to Him just as we are. Today is your day.

Your goodness is not good enough.

Jesus gives from His goodness and grace to save you.

You have no power and authority for you to save people.

Jesus gives His power and authority for you to proclaim He saves people.

Starving

 

Mark unfolded for people who Jesus is by telling about His ministry. In Mark 2:1-3:6, he told five stories of conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders. At first, they questioned Jesus’ authority to forgive. Jesus realized the unasked questions they raised in their hearts and minds and replied to them. After that, He met with open opposition to His teaching, healing, casting out of demons, and forgiving people of their sins.

The reason the religious leaders challenged Jesus is that God ordained the tribe of Levi, their tribe, to be His priests. These priests were God’s intermediaries between Him and the Israelites. The rabbis and Pharisees taught and enforced God’s Laws, led holy services, offered sacrifices for the sins of the people, and were leaders in the community. For this, God provided them with a place to live, income, and food. The religious leaders enacted 633 laws based on God’s Laws to help the Israelites learn how to be righteous before God. Over time, these manmade laws caused the Pharisees to get a bloated sense of worth and righteousness. They ended up using the laws to broadcast their own piety. Putting their piety next to other people would show the sinfulness of the people. This standard made the religious leaders appear righteous to the Israelites. The religious leaders’ intentions had changed. God appointed the religious leaders to guide the Israelites to focus on Him. Instead, they focused on themselves.

After Jesus’ last encounter with the Pharisees in the chiasm in Mark 3:1-6, those leaders joined the Herodians to catch Jesus breaking the law. They wanted to arrest and kill Him. By doing this, these leaders would remove Jesus’ influence. They aimed to regain their own self-declared stature in the nation. These Pharisees considered their status and self-declared righteousness more important than killing an innocent man by crucifixion.

In the next section of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ ministry in Galilee reached its apex. Jesus continued to teach. He called the twelve disciples, and they began to understand better who Jesus was. The Pharisees and scribes hated Him more openly. More people were curious about Jesus and swarmed to Him, not having a deep understanding of who He is and what He came to do on earth. Whether or not a person believed what Jesus said, the crux for them and for people now, is that Jesus’ presence requires a response from each person.

The Multitude

⁷ Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a large multitude from Galilee followed, and also from Judea and from ⁸ Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard about everything that He was doing and came to Him. (Mark 3:7-8 [NASB])

Remember, Jesus summarized His preaching and purpose in Mark 1:14-15. He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” After this passage in Mark’s Gospel, Mark showed Jesus’ ministry of teaching, healing, casting out demons, and forgiving people of their sins. He recalled Jesus said He is the Son of Man, as Daniel prophesied in Daniel 7:13-14. Of the other Jews who watched Jesus do these things, some trusted in Him as the Messiah. Other people still questioned if He was the promised Messiah. Another group of people resolutely sided with the Pharisees, deciding He was not the Messiah. With this new section of his Gospel, Mark tells his readers of the multitude of people who flocked to Jesus. They were like sheep without a shepherd.

Mark 3:7-8 provides answers to the questions of who, what, why, whom, and for whom. Mark established the setting in which Jesus ministered. Jesus, from this time, rarely entered cities and large towns. He avoided them because the Pharisees sought to charge Him with a crime and arrest Him. Jesus was willing to sacrifice his life for the sins of others. That time had not come yet, though. He did not flee from the cities and towns out of fear. Jesus did not go to these places because the Pharisees were in them and the time had not come yet for His sacrifice. More people must learn about Jesus first. Because of these two things, Jesus stayed in the places outside of villages, towns, and cities. He no longer needed to visit people. They traveled to Him.

Verse seven recalls, “Jesus withdrew to the sea.” The sea about which Mark wrote was probably the Sea of Galilee because of the closeness of it to Jesus’ “home away from home.” The Gospels record Jesus often going to a place away from people. Sometimes He wanted to pray and other times He wanted to refresh Himself or teach His appointed apostles. Mark does not explain why Jesus walked to the sea this time. Jesus may have gone there to retreat and refresh Himself. What questions are important in this setting who and by whom?

Jesus walked to the sea with His disciples. At this point in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus had not appointed His twelve disciples yet. Disciples followed Jesus. These disciples followed Him to observe and learn. Besides the disciples (people who regularly follow Jesus), a “large multitude” of people followed Jesus to the sea. Strong’s dictionary defines a “multitude” of people as a vast number of people. In the stories of Jesus’ ministry, the gospel writers often used “multitude” to refer to the 4000 and 5000 people Jesus fed on the hillside. Whether 100 or 5000 people followed Him that day, the important thing is people came to watch and listen to Jesus. This may have been their first or second time, but they had received information about Jesus and wanted to observe and listen to Him for themselves. Who led and taught this group? Jesus. To whom did Jesus address His message? The multitude of people.

Jesus’s reach grew. Mark wanted people to understand about Him. He wanted them to realize the good news spread beyond the borders of Israel. The curiosity about Jesus grew. Mark said a multitude of people came from Galilee, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan River, Tyre, and Sidon. If you study a map of Israel, Galilee is the northern part of Israel. Samaria is between Galilee and Judea. Judea is the southern part of Israel. Below Judea is Idumea. On the upper left border of Israel, Tyre and Sidon laid, both on the Mediterranean Sea. The other side of the Jordan included the nine cities of the Decapolis, Nabatea (Arabia), and Syria. Jesus drew people from these regions. To these people, He addressed His message, and they saw what happened. This answers the question of what.

Who were the people who traveled to watch and listen to Jesus? Galileans descended from a mix of Jews, Romans, and Greeks. People from other nations lived in Galilee because of the Roman road built through Capernaum. Judea was about 109 km (67.7 miles) from the Sea of Galilee. It was a Roman province, too. The people of Judea were mostly Jews. Jerusalem was 123 km (76.5 miles) from the Sea of Galilee. It was the capital of Judea and in it, the Jewish Temple stood. The ruler of Judea was a Herod whose lineage came from outside Israel. He ruled Judea, Idumea, and Samaria. (Note Mark did not include Samaria in this list from where the multitude came.)

Mark listed areas where people came from outside of Israel. Idumea was one of those areas. Herod Archelaus ruled over Judea, Idumea, and Samaria during the latter part of Jesus’ life. He came from the Edom/Idumean part of the Roman empire, which was south of Judea. Edom/Idumea was not part of Canaan that God gave to His people, Israel. How did Herod become a Jew and become acceptable as a leader to the Jews? During the rule of the Maccabeans (Hasmoneans) 165-63 BC, the Jewish leaders—Maccabeans/Hasmonians—coerced the Edomites to convert to Judaism and submit to circumcision. Because this made Herod the Great a Jew in the eyes of the Hasmoneans, Hyrcanus, a Hasmonian leader, approved the marriage of his daughter to the future Herod. This first Herod over Israel was Herod the Great. He came from Idumea. Herod the Great lobbied the Roman emperor so he could be the ruler of Israel in the Roman empire. The Roman ruler made him an ethnarch over the Jews. Herod the Great died and his sons and daughter inherited portions of his territory. Herod Archelaus, one of Herod the Great’s sons, ruled over the southern part of his father’s territory. The Romans renamed Edom to Idumea. From this region, Mark said people traveled to see and hear Jesus at the sea. These people walked for about 256 km (159 miles) to the Sea of Galilee.

Mark noted three other areas from where people came. People came from Tyre and Sidon. Tyre and Sidon were 63 km (39 miles) and 83.8 km (52 miles) from the Sea of Galilee. These two cities were located in Phoenicia. The people of Phoenicia made purple cloth and were sailors. They descended from early Canaanites, who occupied Canaan before God gave the land to the Israelites. Phoenician and Israelite royalty married each other and never warred against each other. Rome overthrew the Phoenicians and ruled them. The third group of people came from the other side of the Jordan River. These people came from Nabatea (Arabia) and descended from Ishmael. The east side of the Jordan included people from Syria, too. These people were not part of the Israelite promise from God. Yet, God sent Jesus to save all people. That includes the people of Ishmael.

Each person of that multitude came to listen to and watch Jesus. They sought the truth for themselves about what they heard from other people. Did some of them earnestly hope Jesus was the Messiah, or did they seek entertainment? Considering the distances which the people traveled to see and hear Jesus, one must wonder who would walk that far just for entertainment.

The Preparation

⁹ And He told His disciples to see that a boat would be ready for Him because of the masses, so that they would not crowd Him, ¹⁰ for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had diseases pushed in around Him in order to touch Him.

Jesus told His disciples to make a boat ready for Him. Why would Jesus need a boat? He did not fish. He did not say He wanted to get to the other side of the sea. Though, if Jesus wanted to get to the other side of the Sea of Galilee quickly, going across by boat was the quickest route. The width of the sea is 13 km (8.1 miles).

Jesus explained He wanted the boat to be ready for Him because of the multitude. He wanted to be able to separate Himself from the crowd. Did this mean Jesus wanted to run away from them? Definitely not. Jesus already told the disciples a few times why He came to earth. More towns and villages needed Him to visit so more people could hear about Him. Jesus did not want to flee this crowd of people.

Why would Jesus want the disciples to prepare a boat? Consider what Jesus had done so far. He had healed a paralyzed man and made a withered hand new. Jesus had healed Simon’s mother-in-law and cast out evil spirits from people. The people from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, the other side of the Jordan River, Idumea, Tyre, and Sidon came to observe Jesus. Some of the people may have wanted Jesus to heal them. Others may have just wanted to touch a part of Jesus’ clothing. The idea of touching, as Mark recorded it, conveyed the understanding that a person wanted to touch someone in a way that changed him or herself. They wanted to touch Jesus for a personal gain, such as healing. People in our time want to be near a person of influence, talk with him or her, and/or get his or her autograph and picture to say and prove they, themselves, are important to other people, too. This crowd of people around Jesus wanted something from Jesus, too. They wanted to understand if He was truly the Son of Man and if He truly healed people and cast out demons.

For this multitude of people from throughout Israel and the surrounding nations to be near Jesus, they would have had to crowd Him—push and jostle Him. Healing people, having people crowd around Him who touched and jostled Him, would have wearied Jesus physically and mentally. It might have caused physical harm to Him and other people. Jesus did not want anyone hurt. If Jesus found Himself tightly enclosed among the people, He might have found it difficult or impossible to teach this crowd. What do people do now to get a crowd of people to watch and hear them? They stand separated from the people, often on a raised dais, so the entire mass of people can look at and listen to them. So that the crowd would not crush Jesus and more people could watch and hear Him, Jesus told His disciples to get a boat ready.

Jesus would not flee people seeking Him. God spoke about seekers in the Old Testament. He said, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 [NASB]). God spoke through Azariah in 2 Chronicles 15:2b when He said, “If you seek Him (the LORD), He will let you find Him.” David wrote in Psalm 34:4, “I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and rescued me from all my fears.” Instead of fleeing, Jesus brought the LORD near to them with His presence and His sacrifice. He stayed with the crowd but prepared to stand in the boat to teach them. Jesus declared who He is and made Himself ready for people to find Him, for those who sought the Son of God.

The Proclamation

¹¹ And whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² And He strongly warned them not to reveal who He was.

Jesus desired people to seek Him and come to know Him as the Messiah. People sought healing and exorcising of evil spirits. More of them wished to see for themselves if what they had listened to another person saying about Jesus was true. Jesus took every opportunity to share with the people that God incarnate has come to save them. He came to earth to preach, teach, heal, and give freedom from sins and eternal death. This opportunity Jesus had with the multitude was no different.

During this time with the crowd, people observed Jesus. They listened to Him. Evil spirits inhabiting people saw Jesus. Though people tried to deny Jesus as the Son of God, evil spirits could not deny Him. Instead, they proclaimed who Jesus is. Mark records another of these instances in verses eleven and twelve. In Mark 1:23-26, and 34, unclean spirits declared Jesus is the Holy One of God and submitted to His authority. Mark 3:11-12 shows this once again, except the demons call Jesus something different. They shouted a genuine witness declaring Jesus’ divinity.

Based on what Mark said in these two verses, Jesus met people possessed by evil spirits. He wrote, “And whenever the unclean spirits saw Him.” This phrase connotes more than one encounter with evil spirits among this multitude of people. Satan’s minions were not more powerful than Jesus. They recognized when they met someone of greater power, as seen in verse eleven. The evil spirits—demons—fell prostrate at Jesus’ feet. The spirits controlled the people which they inhabited. They made the people fall prostrate before Jesus. These demons recognized who Jesus was. Because they inhabited people, the people would recognize who Jesus is—the Son of God.

The spirits declared this exact thing about Jesus. They shouted, “You are the Son of God!” Though no person so far in Mark’s Gospel declared this about Jesus, the demons could not silence themselves. They had to shout it just as Jesus said, even the stones would declare who He is (Luke 19:40).

The demons could not silence themselves from telling the truth. Jesus, though, had the power and authority to command them not to make Him known. In verse twelve, He “strongly warned them not to reveal who He was.” Jesus ordered these demons not to tell people who He is. Did this powerful and authoritative warning make the people even more curious and more determined to tell others about Jesus—what He did and spoke?

Jesus recognized the right time for people to listen to and accept Him as the Son of God. This time, when the multitude met Him at the sea, was not the right time. Because of that, Jesus commanded the demons to be silent. He wanted the changed hearts of people who trusted in Him for salvation. He did not need or want the confessions of the evil spirits.

Application and Conclusion

Luke 19:10 records Jesus saying, “The Son of Man has come to seek and save that which is lost.” Matthew 18:11 states this, too. Jesus did not come to seek one person to join Him for eternity in heaven. He wants all people to know Him and believe in Him for salvation. For this reason, Jesus traveled to many towns, villages, cities, and hillsides. He healed and cast out demons with divine power and authority. Jesus taught the Scriptures as one who was acquainted well with them and God’s intention for them.

Jesus did not flee from a crowded seaside. He did not run for fear of His safety. Jesus chose a way for all the people in the crowd to hear and see Him. His reach extended beyond the borders of Israel by this time. People from the entire area sought Jesus because they had heard about Him. People starved for more. They did not realize they starved for Jesus until they met Him.

Today, mass media allows the teaching of God’s word and His interventions in this world to be known when it happens. Still, many people from different tribes, nations, and languages have not heard about Jesus. At the time of Mark 3:7-12, Jesus realized He should appoint people to take His message to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Since that time, every believer in Jesus has become His messenger in their own sphere of influence and thousands in other nations. Jesus declared this in Matthew 28:18-20, when He appointed the apostles to go make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. After that, they were to teach everything He commanded them. Jesus reiterated this for every believer, as Luke recorded in Acts 1:8. Jesus said, “You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

What does this mean for you today? Ask yourself these questions.

1.     Do I believe Jesus is God’s Son and have I trusted in Him and received from Him salvation from my sins and eternal life with God?

2.     Have I told anyone about Jesus and His love for them?

3.     If not, what keeps you from obeying Jesus’ command to each believer? How much do you hate someone not to tell them?

Jesus still heals even now. He gives freedom to people enslaved by people and things like unhealthy habits. Jesus casts out demons. He gives sight to the blind. Jesus loves you and wants you to be with Him in His kingdom for eternity. People are starving for hope. The gospel of Jesus fills each person’s need so they starve no longer. 

It is time for you to make a choice:

Are you starving for what the world does not offer?

Jesus will meet you at your need.

He will fill you with what you crave and need.

God loves the people on earth so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to earth to die for their sins so that whoever believes in Him will not die eternally separated from Him, but to have eternal life with Him. (John 3:16 [my paraphrase])

 

 

 

The Rescue

 

Mark dedicated himself to showing Jesus’ ministry and, through that, revealing who Jesus is. In this section of his gospel, he used a chiasm. A chiasm is a literary learning technique. Mark used it to reveal Jesus’ power and authority over each part of life. These stories show how Jesus’ authority is greater than that of the Jewish leaders’ authorities. As Mark progressed in the telling of these encounters Jesus had with the Jews, he relayed Jesus’ power and authority more fully. Prior to this chiasm, the religious leaders had not confronted Jesus openly. The chiasm shows how their anger and hatred of Him increased from internal musings and questionings to outright, confrontational questioning. They challenged Jesus about who He thought He was. The religious leaders questioned Him about His power and authority to heal, forgive, cast out demons, set aside religious laws, and forgive sins.

How did Mark get us to the point of this chiasm? Mark told us about Jesus in the first two chapters. Jesus walked to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, His cousin. After that, God’s voice boomed from heaven, saying, “This is My Son, with whom I am well pleased.” People heard this, and yet, Jesus still had to prove who He is. As Mark continued in chapter one, Jesus called four men to follow Him and taught in the Capernaum synagogue with power and authority. He healed Simon’s mother-in-law and the leper. Jesus cast out demons. He told the four men He must go to more villages, because He came for all people. Each of these, Jesus did to give freedom from human maladies and, thus, prove He can free people from sin and death.

With Mark chapter two, Jesus encountered opposition. At first, He faced silent opposition, but He knew what was in the hearts and minds of the people who watched and listened to Him. When Jesus healed the paralyzed man, the scribes internally challenged Him about who can forgive sins except God alone. Jesus proved continually He is the Son of Man, like He stated. He affirmed He came to eat with sinners. To the Pharisees, Jesus said He came to those who are sick, not to those who are well. He taught that religious ritual is not what He seeks, but those whose lives have been transformed. New life in Christ should not be a new patch of cloth on an old life, Jesus taught, but be a completely new cloth a saved person wears. New Life in Jesus should be His pouring of the Holy Spirit into new wineskin. Religious ritual should not forbid what the Lord allows, like fasting when the Bridegroom is with the disciples. After this, Mark relayed a story from Jesus’ ministry of the Pharisees challenging Him about His disciples working—plucking grain heads—on the Sabbath. Jesus explained He is Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not lord of Him, nor of any person. The purpose of the sabbath day is to focus on God and serve Him. Sometimes serving God means serving people. Sabbath day rituals should not forbid helping someone who has a need, like hunger, illness, homelessness, etc. God permits good. He is good, always. As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus taught meeting human needs is paramount over the sabbath day laws. By saying and proving with authority He is Lord of the Sabbath, for any learned religious leader, that would have meant He is the Son of Man—the Messiah. Son of Man refers to Daniel 7:13-14. Jesus said, using this title, He has all dominion, authority, glory, and power over all created things. Jesus has authority to forgive sins, heal, cast out demons, and teach. He is Lord of all. The Jews should have realized Jesus, as the Son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath.

The Setting

He (Jesus) entered a synagogue again and a man was there whose hand was withered. (Mark 3:1 [NASB])

In the six verses of this story, the readers and hearers learn three things. These things are as follows. Jesus healed a man. He taught what is right and good to do on the sabbath day. The Pharisees and their followers had hard hearts. These religious leaders wanted to hurt or kill Jesus.

Mark jumps immediately into this story from Jesus’ ministry with no preamble. He disclosed the setting. In a synagogue, Jesus noticed a man who had a withered (shriveled) hand. Why was a withered hand a big issue? The man’s predicament was a big problem for him. Jesus wanted to help the man, and by it, prove further that He is the Son of Man, the Messiah.

Jesus, as a good Jew and the Son of God (Son of Man), walked to the synagogue. Up to this time, most Jews did not recognize Him as the Messiah. Jesus continued teaching and performing miracles. Some people believed in Him. Jesus did more than go to the synagogue. He entered there with a purpose. Like most Jews, He went to the synagogue because it was religious practice to worship God together. It was part of the laws God gave—to focus on and worship Him only. Jesus explained in Mark 2 that God set aside the Sabbath to focus on and serve Him. In the Old Testament, God told His people to come together on the sabbath day in His tabernacle/synagogue/temple. Jesus obeyed these spiritual laws. He entered the synagogue with the purpose of joining other Jews to worship and focus on Yahweh.

Jesus entered to the synagogue for a second purpose, too. He knew a certain man who needed Him would be there. Jesus realized this man with the withered hand. He expected the religious leaders would be in the synagogue. Jesus discerned this would be a prime time to teach the Pharisees, scribes, rabbis and the attending Jews again about who He is. Jesus did not come to earth just for one group of people. He came for all people. The synagogue was the place to meet a mixture of Jewish people.

Did the Pharisees set up this meeting by making sure the man with the withered hand was in the synagogue? Mark does not say this. The man with the withered hand, as an observant Jew, probably went to the synagogue out of faithfulness to God. What we know, from the first two chapters of Mark’s Gospel, is the Pharisees and other religious leaders wanted to trap Jesus into breaking any religious laws. They had attempted to trap Jesus when His disciples plucked heads of grain while following Jesus on the sabbath day. At that time, Jesus told the religious leaders He was not made for the Sabbath. He is Lord of the Sabbath. He taught the sabbath laws were subordinate to the needs of humanity, like the disciples’ hunger. Moral laws were more important than ceremonial laws.

What would this mean for Jesus’ appointment with the man with the withered hand? Would Jesus do something else the laws forbade? Can you hear the pin drop in the synagogue? Can you see the Pharisees holding their breath as they waited for Jesus to say or do something they considered unlawful?

The Sly

And they (Pharisees) were watching Him closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. (Mark 3:2 [NASB])

Mark explained what the Pharisees did in their hope of catching Jesus doing “wrong,” according to them. They watched Jesus with evil intentions. These men secretly hoped to remove Jesus’ allure for His followers. They sneakily and purposefully watched Jesus so they might harm Him. They resolved to harm Jesus if He continued to proclaim Himself the Son of Man, gain followers, and usurp their role and authority over the Israelites. These religious leaders did not care about the Jewish man’s useless hand. They did not have the concerns of God for the impoverished and the hurting people in their country. The Pharisees sought their own desires.

The Pharisees, put in their positions by God’s decree as declared by Moses, legally could accuse someone of breaking religious laws. They watched every little thing Jesus did. The Pharisees dissected everything Jesus said because they wanted to accuse Him of breaking their sacred-to-them laws. They had little concern for the people. The religious leaders’ intentions were to highlight other people’s sins. With Jesus in the picture and considering what He was doing and saying, the Pharisees scrupulously watched Him. Their focus was not on God, even on that Sabbath day. The Pharisees’ focus was not on the physically challenged man. To them, this man’s hand was not a life-or-death emergency and should not be dealt with on the sabbath day. They had enacted a law allowing a doctor to work on a sabbath day if the patient was in a life-or-death situation. This occurrence was not that.

The Command

He (Jesus) said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” (Mark 3:3 [NASB])

Jesus acknowledged this particular man in the synagogue. He focused His attention on him. Jesus commanded the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!”

This may have been an unusual command for the man. According to Jewish teaching, a person who was sick, physically or mentally challenged, or demon-possessed was a sinner and unclean. This man was unclean to the Jews and should not have been in the synagogue. Because of this, he might have wanted to go unnoticed. This man wanted to worship God with his brothers on the sabbath day in the synagogue. He wanted to be with the community. (Notice the Pharisees did not attack the man for being in the synagogue.) Jesus did not speak about the man’s supposed uncleanliness and unworthiness to be in the synagogue. He recognized the man needed Him. Jesus spoke to the man about the area of his need. This man needed healing.

Why was this man’s plight something Jesus needed to discuss? First, a person with a useless hand could not do manual labor. Most people of that time worked with their hands. This means this man would have had a hard time providing for his family and taking care of himself. This man might have faced ostracism by the religious leaders. These leaders may have challenged him to give up his sins so God would heal him.

In a later meeting, the Pharisees would challenge Jesus about a blind man by asking who sinned, the man or his parents. Jesus told the Pharisees then, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:1-4). Why was this man’s problem something Jesus needed to discuss? Jesus addressed it because the man needed healing and other people needed to see the works of God displayed. By seeing Him heal the man, He hoped people would come to believe in Him for salvation. By healing the man, in the minds of the Jews, it meant Jesus forgave the man’s sins. Jesus rescued this man from abject poverty and ostracism, and would forgive his sins.

One other thing to note, no one questioned if Jesus could heal the man. They did not say they did not trust Jesus could heal him. Does this mean people began to accept He could heal others? Were some beginning to believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah? God arranged this appointment so the people could see His works displayed through Jesus in this man, then acknowledge and profess Jesus is the Messiah. At the right time, the Son came forth. He made Himself known. In Mark’s words, in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.”

The Lesson

And He (Jesus) said to them (Pharisees), “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. (Mark 3:4 [NASB])

Jesus directed His question to the Pharisees. They are the makers and keepers of the laws. Overtime, the Pharisees wrote 633 laws to explain what the Jews could and could not do to stay right with God. These same laws, written to help the Jews not sin (as if sinful humanity could succeed at it in their own power), ended by showcasing the religious leaders’ “goodness” to have the Israelites look up to them. The laws resulted in keeping the people’s focus on themselves and not on God, which was not the purpose of God’s laws.

Jesus directed His question to the Pharisees. He asked, what makes someone or something good? Jesus' exact question was, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” If the Pharisees defined goodness as obedience to the laws, they could have told Jesus that healing on the Sabbath was not good. Yet, from their studies and understanding, they realized goodness comes from and is defined by Yahweh. He is the fount of goodness and determines what is good. So, the Pharisees were trapped with their definition of “goodness.” They had to admit goodness is always permissible.

Of course, the Pharisees would say doing good is lawful. Doing good is always lawful. Jesus asked the implied question behind the original question. “Is it lawful to do evil?” To say it another way, “Is not doing good unlawful/sinful?” Had the Pharisees considered it that way before, that not doing the good you should do is evil and sinful? If they answered Jesus by saying doing good on the Sabbath is lawful, then they would have to explain why Jesus was not allowed by law to heal the man with the withered hand. Wouldn’t Yahweh, who they served, have agreed with them? Yet, if they did not agree with Jesus, then they would not be doing good and so would be sinful.

Thinking further about this, would this mean, for the Pharisees and each Jew, that sabbath day laws had to be set aside to do good whenever doing good was necessary? By agreeing that need known about on the sabbath day must be taken care of, the Jews would end up “working,” by the definition of the religious leaders. But if they did not do good, they did not help; they harmed and were ungodly. A complex question for highly educated people who wanted to appear godly.

Jesus, in this verse, was not asking only about the physical health of the man or of any person. He used the Greek word “sozo,” which means to rescue or deliver out of danger into safety. Bible writers used this word most often to speak about God rescuing from eternal condemnation any person who believes in Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior because of God’s grace. This rescue is from destruction. That destruction is eternal separation from God after physical death. Jesus spoke about physical rescuing to figuratively point to spiritual rescuing.

Jesus rescued this man with the withered hand from poverty by healing him. He rescued the paralyzed man (Mark 2:1-12). Jesus delivered Simon’s mother-in-law from sickness (Mark 1:30-31). He delivered the people possessed by demons (Mark 1:24-26, & 34). Jesus did these things because it was good, because God’s will is to free people from what binds them. He came to earth to free people from the sins that bind them and will lead them from eternal separation from God. Had Jesus not healed this man or helped any person, He would not have done good, but evil. But Jesus is innately good. He will not do evil. No darkness can be where light exists. Jesus knows the Father’s heart because He is Himself part of the Godhead. He knows the purposes of God to deliver and do good for each person.

The Pharisees recognized they had backed themselves into a corner. They understood what was more important. They understood God gave His laws so people could know Him and focus on Him. People, His creation, are important to God. Yet, the manmade laws the religious leaders had created had become more important to them than God or His purposes. These leaders had hard hearts. They did not want to lose their battle, the one between their importance and God’s will to save people. The Pharisees made themselves to be a god by doing this.

Mark recorded in this verse, the Pharisees kept silent. With their silence, they admitted they did evil and were not good. Either a person is doing good or not. No fence-sitting exists. If one chooses not to do what is right, then that person does what is sinful. By Jesus asking the Pharisees this question, these religious leaders realized they had condemned themselves by their silence and actions. Their silence was deafening after Jesus’ question in verse four. The Pharisees' silence affirmed the goodness of Jesus’ teaching and led more Jews to follow Him. Their recognition of their sins and their jealousy of Jesus would lead them to kill Jesus as soon as possible. The religious leaders actively sought to kill Jesus.

Notice, Mark did not record speaking by any other Jews in the synagogue after Jesus asked this question of the Pharisees. Was this because they did not want the wrath of the Pharisees on themselves? Was it because they agreed with the Pharisees but were afraid to say it aloud so Jesus would know their hearts, too? A third reason the people might have stayed silent is that they were processing this interchange between Jesus and the Pharisees to decide if they believed Jesus is the Son of Man, the Messiah.

The Rescue

After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He (Jesus) said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. (Mark 3:5 [NASB])

Imagine the look on a parent’s face when a child deliberately disobeys him or her by taking another child’s toy. The look of disappointment mixed with grief and with anger rising from the frustration. The emotions people have come as part of God creating humanity in His image. Our disappointment with our child, sibling, spouse, parent, etc. is like His with us when we disobey Him. A standard we set in our minds that another person knew about and broke because of his or her willfulness of that person can cause this anger and grief. Our sinfulness comes from breaking the godly standard God has for the world. God enables Christians to achieve godliness through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Before a person believes in Jesus, that person has God’s “coding” because of being made in His image. That “coding” is each person’s conscience that God gives him or her. Everyone knows what is right/godly to do. Going against the conscience given to each person is sinning. Sinning is disobeying God and rebelliousness.

Each of us has experienced the disappointment and grief over our own or someone else’s sin. We may have become angry because of it. Our anger differs from God’s anger. Our anger comes from our inner being because we or another person crossed a boundary--sinned. Sometimes that boundary is imposed by us and sometimes by God. (Not every boundary a person creates is godly.) Anger at a person for crossing our personal boundaries/morals is different from God’s anger. God’s anger, as taught in the Bible, comes from His righteousness and His care for our relationship with Him. Human anger most often comes from our sense of being offended or dismissed as unimportant. The source and intention behind the anger of God and a person differ. Jesus’ anger came from His grief over the Pharisees stubbornly choosing to hold on to their self-righteous intentions. Human anger comes from offense taken. Jesus’ reasoning with and rhetorically discussing good, evil, harm, and help did not make the Pharisees change their minds.

Jesus hoped the Pharisees would see Him as an example of godliness. He hoped they would become like Him and be an example of godliness for the Israelites by focusing on God and not on personal intentions. Because the Pharisees refused to trust in Jesus and to accept the superseding moral good of helping someone over the human-imposed rule of sabbath rest, Jesus was angry. The Pharisees would continue to lead the Israelites away from God with their religious rituals instead of toward Him. Their innermost intentions of having followers and being better than everyone else kept them from conceding Jesus’ truth, goodness, and better way.

Jesus had a second agenda for His meeting with the man. He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man stretched out his hand and found it restored, like God intended. Jesus commanded with authority when He spoke to the man. He taught with authority when He spoke to the Pharisees and tried to reason with them. This man with the withered hand recognized Jesus’ authority, based on His teaching and the authority in His voice. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain by admitting Jesus could do what he had heard Jesus had done. The man stretched out his hand toward Jesus in hope. With this meager belief and hope in Jesus, this restored man’s faith, hope, and belief grew. His one step toward Jesus strengthened him spiritually and renewed him physically.

Jesus restored the man’s hand. The action started and completed at that time. Jesus did His miracle specifically for this man. He did not partially heal his hand. Jesus did the action. The receiver of the action was the man. Jesus restored the man for the Pharisees, too, so they would accept and receive what He said and who He is. The Pharisees refused to accept Jesus and believe in Him. Jesus’ salvation for each person begins when the person believes in Him and continues until each believer arrives in heaven on resurrection day.

The Rejection

The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might put Him to death. (Mark 3:6 [NASB])

The Pharisees had to take a stand on one side of the fence or the other. They had to decide if their sabbath day laws were more important than anything or anyone else. If they said healing the man on the sabbath day was good, then their laws about not working would forever be broken. The people would not look up to them as much anymore. If they said the healing on a sabbath was evil, then again the people might not consider them authorities anymore since all good is permissible. But, if they agreed with Jesus, more people would follow Him and they, the intermediaries between the people and God, would be redundant. Their income and stature would decrease, they figured. Instead of choosing one or the other, they kept quiet. The Pharisees left and sought their enemies, the Herodians, to conspire with them for a mutual goal.

Herodians were people who supported Herod and the Roman rule of the Jews. The Herods in Israel during New Testament times were descended from the Edomites south of Judah. They came from Idumea. The people in Idumea converted to Judaism by force in the four-hundred-year period between the Old and New Testaments. The Romans chose them to rule the territories of old Israel and Judah because they were faithful to the Roman Empire. According to the Jews, the Messiah would take the throne and return the rule of the nation to the Israelites. The Herodians did not want to lose their power in the land.

The Pharisees left to conspire with the Herodians because they had much to lose if Jesus was the Messiah or if He caused rioting in the province. If the Herodian rulers did not keep the peace for which Rome was famous, then the Roman army would remove, by force, the troublemakers and restore peace. The Roman supervisors of the Herods might remove them from their throne as governors of the provinces. For each of their reasons, the Pharisees and Herodians did not want Jesus to be the Messiah and rise to power. The Pharisees chose to get the help of their enemies to defeat their other enemy.

The Pharisees did not intend to focus on God. Their laws did not keep their fears and selfish intentions in check. The religious leaders firstly sought what they considered was for their own good. God was not preeminent in their lives. They, too, were sinners who needed a Savior, but they refused to admit it.

Application and Conclusion

The Pharisees harbored malicious thoughts about Jesus. They were jealous and afraid of losing power, stature, and income. In their effort to keep their desired status quo, they condoned evil by not agreeing a man with a withered hand should receive help on the sabbath day. God was not their focus. He was not central to them in word, action, or thought. By making the Pharisees choose to help or harm, it may have seemed to them that Jesus caused them to sin. Before that point, they could justify not helping the man as keeping the sabbath day laws, which were merely religious ritual.

What are the points in Mark 3:1-6 of Jesus’ ministry? Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. Doing good on the Sabbath and any day is always right. The Pharisees had hard hearts; do not be like them. Instead, choose what is good. Good is always permissible. Focusing on God on the sabbath day will lead a person to serve Him by serving people in need.

This encounter with Jesus was not the only one where they felt challenged by Him. He challenged the Pharisees in the grain field as His disciples plucked grain from heads to eat as they walked (Mark 2:23-28). Jesus spoke with them when they asked why His disciples did not fast like they themselves did (Mark 2:18-22). He spoke to the scribes when they asked why He and His disciples ate with sinners and tax collectors (Mark 2:13-17). Jesus showed He knew what they thought when He healed the paralyzed man lowered through the roof (Mark 2:1-12).

A person is not the same after meeting with Jesus, even today. He teaches people even today. A person can choose to change his or her life to live according to Jesus’ teaching or the person can choose not to change. Disobeying, ignoring, or obeying a lesson or command are choices that arise when a person encounters Jesus.

Each person is like the Pharisees. We each want to live our own ways and make something or someone preeminent in our lives. Some of us choose to believe in Jesus for salvation and follow Him. Jesus offers salvation to each person freely by God’s grace through that person’s faith in Him as the Son of God, the Savior. Jesus paid the price for our sins. He died in our place.

Each of us gets to choose how we respond to Jesus. Will we cheer and be excited to believe in Him or will we turn away in silence? In earlier miracles, Mark recorded the people were amazed. They excitedly told other people about Jesus. The people in this last story from Jesus’ ministry were silent: silent because of resentment and brooding, silent because of thoughtfulness, or silent in amazement at seeing the Pharisees challenged and defeated. We each get to choose how we react to hearing from Jesus. Will it cause us to focus on God and obey Him? Or will we turn away from Him and focus on self?

Jesus said to them (us), “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4 [NASB])

Rescuing lives is Jesus’ purpose

Doing good is permissible, always.

Believing in Jesus and obeying Him is always good and permissible.

Righteousness or Religiosity?

 

Mark wrote his gospel to tell people about Jesus’ ministry. He did it by first showing Jesus’ power and authority. Mark showed this by telling of Jesus’ baptism, forty-days in the wilderness, succeeding over Satan’s temptations, calling men to follow Him, casting out demons, teaching in the synagogues, and healing people. Through Mark chapter 1, Jesus did not meet any overt challenges to Himself. From chapter two, the religious leaders began challenging Him outright.

In Mark 2:1-3:6, Mark used a teaching method called a chiasm. Because the people learned orally, teaching this way made for easier remembrance. The style used a step method of A, B, C, B’, A’. A and A’ tell about Jesus' healing people. B, C, and B’ relay Him teaching about and using food as an illustrative tool. The middle and last stories, C and A’, emphasize the main point. As Mark taught each level of the chiasm, the people would understand better the main point of the teaching. They would learn about Jesus’ authority and power. The people would learn more and learn to believe He is Deity.

The lesson relayed in the Bible study titled “The Standard” explains Jesus is the bridegroom. Jesus taught the religious leaders that His disciples do not fast when the Groom is with them. Only in the Old Testament does God use the analogy of Himself as the Groom. Jesus took this title when the Pharisees challenged Him about His disciples not fasting like they did. This teaching is the central one of this chiasm because in it, Jesus explains He is God in a way the Pharisees, who were learned men, would recognize and understand.

This lesson comes from Mark 2:23-28. Through this third teaching moment, Jesus instructs people using food for illustrative purposes. The Pharisees openly challenged Him in this retelling of Jesus’ meet with them.

The Setting

And it happened that He was passing through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. (Mark 2:23 [NASB])

This verse begins by telling the hearers and readers, “And it happened.” What happened? Mark sets the stage. He leads his audience to set their focus and pay attention to what would be said in this passage. Mark does this by aiming people on the person and occurrence coming up in his retelling of history.

Mark said, “And it happened that He (Jesus) was passing through the grain fields.” Many people, if they are walking somewhere, they will try to take the quickest route. Sometimes that meant they walked through another person’s property. We readers might think that is why the disciples and Jesus walked through a field of grain, because it was quicker. Yet, often, the destination was not the main purpose for Jesus doing what He did. Many times, the journey was more important than, or just as important as, the end point. The disciples may have thought Jesus took them through the grain field because it was quicker, but Jesus knew the Pharisees looked for a way to find fault with Him. Jesus wanted to meet the Pharisees. He wanted each person to believe in Him and receive salvation. This was not an “Uh oh, we’ve been caught moment,” but a planned meeting by Jesus.

Besides the meeting being intentional, let’s consider another matter. In this verse, we notice the disciples picking heads of grain. They did not pick them to harvest the grain for the landowner. The disciples picked the grain to quench their hunger.

Mark made one other point to set the scene for Jesus’ discussion with the Pharisees. Jesus and His disciples walked through the grain field on the sabbath day. They did not walk to go to the synagogue in Mark’s retelling in this verse. They may have already left or were going to the synagogue. Mark does not give us that information. The day of the week was important in this story about Jesus’ ministry. The sabbath day was the focus.

Mark recalled pertinent details for his readers and hearers. He relayed Jesus, and the disciples walked through a grain field on a sabbath day. The disciples plucked heads of grain. The Pharisees laid in wait to catch Jesus and His disciples. What would be the lesson for the listeners?

The Challenge

The Pharisees were saying to Him (Jesus), “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” (Mark 2:24 [NASB])

The Pharisees never seemed far from Jesus. They boldly approached Jesus with their accusation couched in a question. These men scrutinized Him and His disciples so they could confront and accuse Him. When people want to accuse someone of doing wrong, it does not take much scrutinizing to find a fault. Each person is a sinner, after all.

The Pharisees felt their job was to point out a person’s sins so the person could make amends with God. Their idea of holiness came from a skewed interpretation of God’s intent of His laws. God gave His laws, statutes, and commands to lead people to Him, not to drive a wedge between Him and them.

The religious leaders had created 633 laws for the Israelites to live by, based on God’s laws. Instead of making it easier for people to live godly lives, it created a caste system of sorts. The people who publicly lived the laws obviously were holy, according to the religious leaders. To appear holier than the common people, the Pharisees, scribes, and rabbis prayed aloud on the streets and in the city gates. They fasted twice a week instead of on the only day of the year God required. These religious leaders publicly repented with ashes and loud prayers for people to see and hear them.

The only use the Pharisaical laws gave was to create a sense of holiness, which people call religiosity. Doing religious actions do not lead to holiness. Works do not save a person from their sins. They do not convince God a person is holy enough to redeem. Yet, for the Pharisees, the laws they created served a purpose. It showed their pseudo-holiness, a lack of righteousness.

With this mindset, of course, the Pharisees would challenge Jesus. They saw Him as a threat since He daily gained followers. If Jesus became great in people’s minds, people might give fewer offerings to the synagogues and temples. They would be less inclined to follow and obey the religious leaders. The religious leaders would lose stature in the nation.

With this understanding, the Pharisees waited for Jesus and His disciples to make a mistake. To them, plucking grains of wheat on the Sabbath was not lawful. The Pharisees considered their actions and opinions made the sabbath day revered. How they lived—what they said and did—mattered more than the purpose God set aside for the day. Their Pharisees showed the intentions of their hearts with their question to Jesus. Actions determined a sabbath day’s purpose, according to the Pharisees.

Notice, the Pharisees did not say the men plucking grain from another man’s field was wrong. What they pointed out was that they plucked grain on the sabbath day. In Deuteronomy 5:12-15, no work was allowed on the Sabbath. That permitted people to keep the sabbath day holy. Holy means consecrated by God and set apart for Him. The focus of the sabbath day was to keep one’s mind set on God. The focus was not work was disallowed. For the Pharisees, the sin was plucking the grain on a Sabbath.

Is plucking working? Is plucking to satisfy hunger work? Many Old Testament passages teach about this topic. Each deals with “working” on the sabbath day. Is plucking a few heads of grain reaping? This takes us back to the intention of the Ten Commandments and, particularly, the fourth commandment. The fourth commandment states, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). The intention of this commandment, according to the wording, is to keep the sabbath day holy. God’s nature defines holiness. For people to keep the sabbath day holy, they must focus on God and set themselves apart only for His purposes. The purposes of a person for the sabbath day sets it apart in their lives as being for him or herself or for God. Those purposes originate in the heart, take form in the mind, and can cause each person to act for God or him or herself.

What were the disciples’ intentions for plucking grain that sabbath day? Did they intend to harvest the grain, or did they intend to quench their hunger as they followed Jesus, the Son of Man? What were the intentions of the Pharisees that day? Did they intend to help a person realign to be in God’s will or to accuse a person so they themselves seemed more holy? What was the intention of Jesus that day? If He meant to catch the Pharisees by setting Himself and His disciples in their path, He succeeded. If He meant to help them see Him as the Messiah, He tried, but the Pharisees' hearts still were stubborn.

God set the sabbath day aside for rest because it was a day of rest for Himself. Instead of focusing on the sabbath day or on what one can or cannot do, people should focus on the One who created it and gave it to them. The sabbath day is not god over Yahweh. Yahweh is God over the Sabbath. On the Sabbath, people are to rest and focus on God because He created it and gave it to them.

For the Pharisees, the laws based on the interpretations of God’s Laws were more important than the words God gave the Old Testament writers. They became inflexible in applying their own interpretations and put more emphasis on them that on God. All the while, God gave the Old Testament to point people to Himself. God judges each person according to His Word, not the rules humanity makes.

God forbade men to work for their profit on the Sabbath, not for gathering a few grains to feed themselves. Jesus’ disciples wanted to know Jesus more and to see Him teach, preach, heal, and cast out demons. They followed Jesus, even on the Sabbath. By following Jesus, they kept the sabbath day holy. They focused on the Messiah. When they became physically hungry, these men ate what they could find, heads of grain near their hands. This action was not harvesting, but gleaning. Deuteronomy 23:25 teaches about this. It says, “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.”

The disciples’ plucking grain was not work. It did not distract them from God. The disciples’ actions did not make the day unholy. The intention of Jesus’ followers was to continue to follow Him, but they had a need. Their physical bodies required sustenance to continue following Jesus.

The Reminder

And He (Jesus) said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry: how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar, the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” (Mark 2:25-26 [NASB])

Jesus continued teaching. He taught with words and with actions. He knew the Pharisees followed Him to trap Him in what He did and taught. Jesus understood the educated religious leaders would learn from His use of history and Scripture. It would be easier for these learned men to discount miracles and harder for them to push aside known historical facts and sacrificial laws. Jesus meets each person where they will listen most to Him.

Jesus did not debate or argue with the Pharisees. He focused the Pharisees upon a man whom they held in high esteem in Israelite history. That man was David, God’s chosen man as king for His people. David had expanded the borders of Israel. The crops and livestock of the nation had increased. David was deeply devoted to God and enjoyed His favor. God had promised David that his kingdom would never end (2 Samuel 7:11-13) and, from him, the Messiah would come (Isaiah 59:20). The Israelites considered David godly. Jesus then reminded the Pharisees of the time David fed his soldiers with the showbread on the altar in the holy place of the temple.

Jesus taught the Pharisees in the method to which they were accustomed by asking questions. This was the rhetorical method where education happens through discourse, orally. He said to the Pharisees, “Have you never read?” Jesus knew these learned men had read about David. He realized they held David in high esteem. To the Israelites, David was the model for being a great Jew. People sought to emulate him. They also had hope in the promise God gave to David about the Messiah coming from his line. Because of this, Jesus showed His disciples’ actions were like David’s men’s actions. This could then be reason enough, according to the religious leaders, for the disciples to pluck grain. David and his men were hungry and so ate from the temple offerings (1 Samuel 21:1-6). Likewise, Jesus’ disciples were hungry and so plucked and ate on the Sabbath. The actions of both leaders’ followers ran parallel.

According to Leviticus 24:5-9, only the priests were to eat the showbread that was in the holy place. Yet, the high priest, Abiathar, offered the showbread to David and his men, if they had kept pure from women. God never condemned this action by the priest. David had not acted in rebellion to God when he asked for food and accepted the showbread. He wanted to meet the immediate need of hunger in a life-or-death situation. God never condemned the priest for giving David the showbread. God considered David just.

Like David and his men had a just reason for eating the showbread, Jesus’ disciples had a just reason for plucking and eating the grain. They hungered while following Jesus. The disciples did not reap and steal a man’s grain. Their intention was to eat while continuing to follow and learn from Jesus. Staunching the hunger was a necessity. Ceremonial law was less important than the necessities of men.

The Pharisees would not dare to say David and his men eating the showbread was inappropriate. They held him in too high a regard to consider saying that. If they could not judge David, then they could not judge Jesus’ disciples. In both instances, the men ate out of necessity. The bread was still holy in that the men received it from God. Likewise, Jesus and His disciples still held the sabbath day in high esteem. The followers did not stop to harvest a field so they could make bread; they just plucked a few grains to eat as they followed Jesus.

To Jesus, ceremonial ritual is not always necessary, but moral duty is. Feeding people. Helping the sick. Caring for the homeless, orphans, and widows. These are moral duties. As Christians, our care for people shows our love for God. This being said, Jesus did not encourage willful disobedience. He considered how God’s Word deals with the issue. Scripture should always guide how we live.

The Lesson

Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27 [NASB])

Jesus helped the Pharisees to realize ceremonial rituals are not as important as giving what is necessary for people to live. He then arrived at the point of His teaching. Jesus reminded the Pharisees of David. He wanted to make sure the Pharisees, and each person, understood this lesson. Jesus understood if a religious leader learned a truth, then his/her followers would learn the truth, too. This model of getting the truth to more people is one reason Jesus trained His followers and made them fishers of people. A quicker way to get the gospel to each person was to multiply the messengers.

Jesus used the sabbath day to teach His disciples and the Jewish religious leaders. He willingly faced the Pharisees’ accusations so He could discuss God’s intentions and His heart. Plucking grain heads on a sabbath day and having the Pharisees see it allowed Jesus to instruct both sets of people about God’s intention for the Sabbath. The lesson about the Sabbath is that God’s faithful ones should serve people, not restrict activities. This promoted keeping one’s focus on God and not on self. This teaching showed the Sabbath say was for serving God by His ways.

The purposes of the Sabbath are about keeping it holy to serve God and providing a rest day to serve people. If we truly serve God, then helping someone on the sabbath day can honor God. It can allow someone to hear the gospel or get needed encouragement and prayer. God instituted the Sabbath as a day of rest and focus on Him.

With this lesson about David breaking ceremonial law, Jesus taught a principle that governed this incident. The “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” This lesson would help the Pharisees accept the disciples’ actions of plucking grain. The disciples plucked grain because of their hunger. The Sabbath law created by the Pharisees hindered the moral law of meeting the hunger need of the disciples. Ceremonial laws they created were secondary to the necessity of the men. Jesus differentiated between ceremonial law and moral law. He wanted the Pharisees to learn this and believe in Him. Jesus wants each person of every nation, race, people, tribe, tongue, and time to learn about God, His Sabbath, and the salvation He offers.

The Point

So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:28 [NASB])

God created the Sabbath Law (“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” [Exodus 20:8].) to keep us focused on Him and to give us regular rest. This Law is for the good of each person. This Law is a divine law, not human created. Since this law is a divine law, the Son of Man, as Daniel wrote in Daniel 7:13, can direct which of humanity’s laws can be interrupted for the moral good. Because of this, plucking grain to feed hungry people is not working. People are affected for good when they are not starving. Jesus’ disciples did not faint from hunger. He explained to the Pharisees and His disciples that He has the authority to suspend law to meet the needs of humanity for his/her spiritual and physical good.

Further, this means it was right to eat with sinners so they would come to know God through the Messiah (spiritual good). It was right to heal the paralyzed man because it was for his physical and spiritual good. It was right to eat with the bridegroom—Jesus—while he was with the groomsmen, His disciples (spiritual good). Each of these was for spiritual and/or physical good. Jesus, as God, had authority to suspend manmade Sabbath laws for the physical and spiritual good of these people and everyone He healed, cast out demons, and ate with during His three-year ministry.

By feeding the disciples grain (taking them through the grain field), Jesus sought to ease their hunger. By forbidding their plucking grain, the Pharisees showed they cared not for the plight of men, but for their own system of godliness, which did not include God. These Pharisees did not argue with what Jesus said. If they did, they would show their stony hearts of not caring for other people. The Pharisees’ pride was bound up in their laws and self-ordained religiosity. They would hate whatever and whoever came up against their standard of faith, yet their faith was not in God, but in their ability to do every one of the 633 Judaic laws. The Pharisees were religious, according to their standards, but not godly, according to God’s standards. Religiosity is following rules and rituals as dictated by a religion, but not necessarily having the faith in Jesus that is the hallmark of being a Christian. Doing things does not make a person faith-filled. Actions do not save a person from his or her sins. Faith in Jesus alone by God’s grace saves a person from his or her sins and eternal death.

Jesus showed His innate power and authority. He did this by healing people, casting out of demons from people, feeding people, and teaching people. His love issues from His being. God is the source and definition of pure love. Jesus speaks, acts, and thinks morally. From Him comes absolute morals for the good of all humanity.

From this time onward, the Pharisees sought to catch Jesus blaspheming so they could add it to His list of crimes. Jesus has been calling Himself the Son of Man. If the Pharisees had been paying attention, they would have realized His statement meant He is Deity and has authority over God’s laws. Jesus’ statement was like peeling another layer of the onion to show more to people that Jesus meant He is the Son of God—the Messiah.

Application and Conclusion

The Pharisees were preoccupied with every ritual of the Sabbath. They did not see Jesus as the Messiah. They put more emphasis on the day of the week than they did on the Savior. Jesus should have been their priority. Instead, they chose the demands of human traditions as their priority.

Jesus suspended a ceremonial law to meet the moral law. He taught the Sabbath Law God gave was to serve God and humanity, so keep it holy by focusing on Him and helping people in need to whom He sends you. Often, people cannot or will not hear a person tell them about Jesus because they are hungry or in pain. Sometimes only when a person receives tangible love from a Christian can or will he or she see Jesus. Often, people are stubborn, like the Pharisees. Other people refuse to see or hear Christians until Jesus shows proof of His love. Sometimes even tangible proof does not move a stubborn heart.

The point of this chiasmic story from Jesus’ ministry is that Jesus has authority over the Sabbath because He is the Son of God, Deity. The Pharisees, after this discussion with Jesus, still refused to believe in Him as the awaited Messiah. They continued doing their ceremonial rituals and immersing themselves in religiosity. We do not have to be like them. At this point, we can choose to believe in Jesus for salvation and cast away the empty rituals we follow aimed at proving our self-proclaimed goodness. This will allow us freedom from sacrificing ourselves on the altar of good-enough-ness. We can know without doubt Jesus redeemed us and set us free to be holy, focus on God and His intentions, and serve Him and other people. The Sabbath Law of God is our law of rest and service.

This leads to questions:

1.     Are you too busy policing others that do not worship?

2.     Are you too busy criticizing the music or sermon that you do not worship God?

3.     Are you telling other people about Jesus, while feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and taking care of the widow, orphan, and foreigner?

Take your day of rest before God and receive what He offers you-wholeness, peace, joy, renewed energy, and His mission—for you to serve other people.

¹⁷ Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

²³ Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,

 ²⁴ knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. (Colossians 3:17, 23-24 [NASB])