BaptistWay Press® Premium Commentary By Dr. Stephen G. Hatfield Pastor, First Baptist Church Lewisville, Texas Studies in The reMARKable Journey Begins (Mark 1-3) Lesson Ten Righteous Anger Focal Text Mark 3:1-12 Background Luke 6:6-11 Main Idea Jesus was angry at the hardened hearts of the Pharisees. Righteous anger never attacks a person, but always addresses a problem. Question to Explore Do I ever get angry in the right way? Quick Read Some people may think that all anger is sinful, but there is a kind of anger that is holy and just. Introduction It was a matter of timing caused by a habit. Jesus had a habit of doing good. He just did good on the wrong day. He did good on the Sabbath. This week’s passage evokes several emotions. What’s the big deal here? Many of us grew up in an environment where certain activities were forbidden on Sunday. For that matter, we have moved the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday and for good reason. Sunday, the first day of the week, was the day Jesus rose from the dead. Page 1 of 8 Premium Commentary. The reMARKable Journey Begins--Lesson Ten. Copyright © 2020 BAPTISTWAY PRESS©. A MINISTRY OF THE Baptist General Convention of Texas. Go to www.baptistway press.org or call 1-866-249-1799 toll-free for additional Bible study materials for all ages. This lesson is not to be sold or distributed beyond the subscription agreement. The copyright notice and identifying information in this note must be included on any copies made. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in Premium Commentary are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Mark 3:1-12, Righteous Anger We must remember the significance of the Sabbath for those who walked the earth in the first century. The Sabbath was the most sacred symbol of the true nature of Judaism. It was the symbol unique to Judaism. You might say, wait a minute, what about sacrifices? Other religions made sacrifices. What about circumcision? Other religions had similar practices. What about the tabernacle and temple? Other religions had houses for their gods. But the setting apart of one day in a week—a day devoted completely to the cultivation of spiritual health and worship—this distinguished Judaism from other religions. The Sabbath was not just one day given back to God, while keeping six days for yourself. “It was the peculiar sign and symbol of the deepest things in the life of the people.”1 N. T. Wright reminds us of the significance of this day to the first-century Jew: It was a badge of Jewishness for people who’d been persecuted and killed simply for being Jewish. It was a national flag that spoke of freedom to come, of hope for the great Day of Rest when God would finally liberate Israel from pagan oppression . It was, after all, a commandment deeply embedded in the Jewish scriptures.2 Why, then did Jesus appear to disrespect the Sabbath? Because the Sabbath was turned into a weapon. It was wielded to exclude those who did not belong from those who considered themselves to be the “chosen ones.” Wright states: “For many groups, it wasn’t enough to be a loyal Jew; one had to be a better loyal Jew than the other lot . the rule mattered more than the reality.”3 Commentary Mark 3:1-6 records the last of five conflict events between Jesus, his disciples, and the Jewish authorities. These events are recorded in 2:1-3:6. These passages follow a common outline: 1) An event 2) The point of conflict 3) An accusation brought against Jesus 4) The response of Jesus The parallel accounts found in Matthew 12:9-14 and Luke 6:6-11 provide some details that give us the complete picture. The Event: Healing on the Sabbath (3:1, 5) The conflict between Jesus and the Jewish authorities was obvious. They challenged him at every turn. William Barclay states: “For him to go back into the synagogue at all Page 2 of 8 Premium Commentary. The reMARKable Journey Begins--Lesson Ten. Copyright © 2020 BAPTISTWAY PRESS©. A MINISTRY OF THE Baptist General Convention of Texas. Go to www.baptistway press.org or call 1-866-249-1799 toll-free for additional Bible study materials for all ages. This lesson is not to be sold or distributed beyond the subscription agreement. The copyright notice and identifying information in this note must be included on any copies made. Mark 3:1-12, Righteous Anger was a brave thing to do. It was the act of a man who refused to seek safety and who was determined to look a dangerous situation in the face.”4 Jesus claimed authority over the Sabbath in 2:28. In other words, he had the power and authority to overrule laws concerning the Sabbath, especially the oral interpretations of the Pharisees. Jesus made this pronouncement on the Sabbath—in a grainfield. Now, he is about to demonstrate that authority on the Sabbath—in the synagogue. Mark makes mention of a man with a withered hand in 3:1, 3, 5. Our Gospels tell us nothing more about this man. There is a Gospel (one of many actually) that did not make it into the lineup of our New Testament Gospels that recounts this event. The Gospel according to the Hebrews identifies this man as a stone mason who asked Jesus to restore his hand so he would not need to beg for food in shame. The Greek word for “withered” suggests he was not born with this condition but suffered an illness that left his hand damaged. Luke 6:6 tells us the affected hand was his right one. The Point of Conflict: Why do you break the Sabbath Law? (3:2) Mark tells us the Pharisees were watching Jesus to see if he would break the Law by healing on the Sabbath. Matthew 12:10 says they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Their question was a rhetorical one. The answer was obvious—it certainly was unlawful to do so. The Accusation: Jesus fails to uphold the Law (3:3-4) The law allowed healing on the Sabbath if the life of the afflicted was at stake. But even in such a situation, steps could be taken to keep a man from getting worse, but not to make him better. So, a plain bandage might be put on a wound, but not a medicated bandage. It could be argued that Jesus could have waited until the next day to restore the man’s paralyzed hand. Obviously, the man was unlikely to die from his deformity. Jesus could have waited a few hours, healed the man, and obeyed the Sabbath law as well. Jesus put His detractors in an awkward place with two questions: 1) Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath? They had to admit it was lawful to do good. Jesus was about to do something good by healing the man. Likewise, they had to admit it was unlawful to do harm. Yet, it was evil to refuse to help a person when it was possible to render aid. 2) Is it lawful to save a life or kill it on the Sabbath? Jesus was about to save the man’s life—to restore him so he could work and provide for his family. The Page 3 of 8 Premium Commentary. The reMARKable Journey Begins--Lesson Ten. Copyright © 2020 BAPTISTWAY PRESS©. A MINISTRY OF THE Baptist General Convention of Texas. Go to www.baptistway press.org or call 1-866-249-1799 toll-free for additional Bible study materials for all ages. This lesson is not to be sold or distributed beyond the subscription agreement. The copyright notice and identifying information in this note must be included on any copies made. Mark 3:1-12, Righteous Anger Jewish authorities were focused on plots to kill Jesus. No wonder Mark tells us they sat in silence and refused to answer Jesus. Some interpreters see a connection between Jesus’ questions and the words of Deuteronomy 30:15-19: Deut. 30:15 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; Deut. 30:16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. Deut. 30:17 But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, Deut. 30:18 I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. Deut. 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.” David E. Garland concludes: “Even on the Sabbath one must make the right choice. Suffering may be alleviated at any time, and to refrain from doing good is to abet evil and to pick death over life.”5 Jesus Responds (3:4-5) In Matthew’s version, Jesus reminded the Pharisees their interpretation of the law allowed them to rescue a sheep that had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11-12).