In this message Pastor Scott teaches from Mark 3:1-6. We look at the moment Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day. Discover why knowing what the Bible says does not guarantee a clear understanding of what it means.
Sermon Notes
The Gospel of Mark
Mark 3:1-6 // A Handicapped Hand & Hard Hearts
Self-Righteousness
We all have a little Pharisee in us
Mark 3:1-6
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
The word “sabbath” is derived from the Hebrew term shabbat, meaning “to rest,” or “to cease.”
“And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27
1. The man’s handicap
“a man was there with a withered hand.” (v.1)
2. The Pharisee’s suspicion
“And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.” (v.2)
ARE YOU MORE CONCERNED WITH FINDING FAULT IN OTHERS OR SEEING A WAY TO SERVE THEM?
Finding fault is what pharisees do; Seeing a way to serve is what Jesus does
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” James 1:22-24
3. JESUS’S RESPONSE
“And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” (v.3-5)
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:18
We should obey man’s laws so long as it doesn’t cause us to disobey God’s law.
Living self-righteously lessens my sensitivity to the needs of others
Some of us have hard hearts towards the things that are near to God’s heart, and it makes Him angry.
We must guard against reading a story like this, where we see our Lord angry and grief-stricken over human sin, and simply say to ourselves, “Oh, those bad Pharisees.” When we do that, we are just like them. Rather, we should go to God in prayer and say: “O God, do not be angry with me. Do not let me give You cause to be furious with me. Do not let me grieve You because my heart is hardened. Instead, tell me what You want from me. Give me ears to hear, and a heart open to embrace everything that You say.” R.C. Sproul
4. The Pharisee’s evil Plot
“The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” v.6
“Imagine your reaction if someone in your neighborhood received miraculous, instantaneous, complete healing. A person born blind or deaf received complete restoration. A paraplegic suddenly leapt from a wheelchair and began walking and running. Everyone I know would rejoice! But not the Pharisees. Hard-hearted and hard-headed, they couldn’t see past their hatred for Jesus to congratulate the healed man and celebrate the miracle.” Chuck Swindoll
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 NLT
