Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

This week, we will continue walking through the Gospel of Mark. One of the things that makes Mark’s Gospel unique is his fast-paced approach, highlighting the actions and teachings of Jesus. In today’s chapter, Mark highlights five different events that occurred earlier in Jesus’s ministry, but I’d like for us to spend a little more time focusing on the first event recorded within this chapter in verses 1-6. Here, Mark tells the story of Jesus healing a man with a withered hand, but in this particular instance, the healing takes place on the Sabbath day.

The first detail Mark gives us is the setting, stating that Jesus has entered the synagogue, which simply refers to an assembly of Jews for the purpose of worship and study of their faith, similar to our practice of attending church. Mark also tells us that a man with a withered hand was there on this particular Sabbath day.

Due to accounts of miracles and teachings Mark recorded in the previous two chapters, Jesus had begun to develop a bit of a reputation as more people were becoming familiar with him and recognized him. Because Jesus was known to have healed others (1:21-28; 1:29-34; 1:40-45; 2:1-12) ranging from casting out demons to healing leprosy and paralysis, Mark tells us that others were watching Jesus to see what He would do since there was a man at the synagogue with a withered hand. However, their motive for watching Jesus wasn’t one of giving glory to God if Jesus healed the man, but rather “so that they might accuse Him.”

The scribes, or experts in Jewish law, believed that healing was a form of work and therefore not permitted on a Sabbath. Jesus, however, calls into question their motives underneath the practice of prohibiting this work of healing, but not before telling the man with the withered hand to come to Him.

When Jesus asks them if it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill, He’s addressing the root of their issue. Even in the previous chapter in verses 23-28, Jesus seems to be addressing how they’ve made the practice of observing the Sabbath more about rule-keeping than actually remembering what the Sabbath was made for. When they don’t respond to His question, Jesus doesn’t seem to be pleased with their concern of keeping rules over doing good, so much so that Mark tells us that Jesus is both angry and grieved at their hardness of heart.

Jesus is fully aware that the Pharisees here are looking for reasons to build a case against Him, but He isn’t intimidated by this. He stands firm on His stance that it is lawful to do good and to save life on the Sabbath by telling the man to stretch out his hand and healing it.

Whenever I read this story, at first I feel a sense of triumph at Jesus “sticking it to the man,” if you will, and revealing the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees. However, whenever I slow down and read this story more intentionally, I come to realize that sometimes in life I approach Jesus with the same hard-heartedness of the Pharisees.

Let me explain.

Our culture is one that prizes productivity and action, so much so that it can be easy to wrap our identity up in how much we accomplish and what all we can do. In church culture, this can sometimes look like busying ourselves so much with good things that we forget to stop and remember the best thing. Maybe today, that’s where you are. Maybe you’ve grown to care so much about doing all the things and doing them perfectly that you’re exhausted because you’ve forgotten the heart behind it all. If that’s the case, I have good news: there is grace for you! Take some time today to slow down and seek the heart of Christ and examine the motives underneath all of your busyness and doing.

Reflection:

• Spend some time in prayer today asking the Lord to grow in you a heart that cares more about His presence and sharing His love with those around you than getting all your tasks accomplished perfectly.
• Take some time today to listen to the song “Jireh” by Maverick City and really pay attention to the lyrics. This song is a great reminder that Jesus is enough for us and that we can’t earn more of His love by doing more—we’re already loved by Him more than we could fathom.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Mark 3

Author: Nichole McCardle

This week, we are reading from the book of Mark and hearing a lot about Jesus’s ministry. He preached, healed the sick, showed compassion and love for people who were viewed as unlovable, and had large crowds everywhere he went. Many people, including his family, could not fully understand Jesus’s mission from God. Some people did not believe that Jesus could perform miracles. Some did not like that Jesus did things differently than them. Even Jesus’ family, His brothers and mother tried to take Him from the crowds, saying that “He was out of His mind”. But Jesus replied by saying, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother (Mark 3:35).” Here, Jesus is telling us that His family is anyone who does the will of God, and that includes you and me! It’s not through our qualifications, our knowledge of the Bible, how often we go to church, or our good deeds that bring us to God. It’s only through God’s love for us, and because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, that we can be called his family. How amazing is it that Jesus, who performed amazing miracles, calls us His brothers and sisters!

In this chapter, we also read about Jesus appointing His twelve disciples. He chooses twelve men to follow and learn from him, who will later go and preach about God on their own. We will later learn that although they were not qualified to teach with Jesus, they were willing to do God’s will. They spent time with Jesus, and then Jesus sent them out to preach. Just as you and I spend time with Jesus through prayer and reading the Bible, we are to go out and tell our friends and family that they too can be in the family of Jesus! We may not feel qualified, but all we have to do is be willing.

• Did you know that you can be a disciple of Jesus, even as a kid? Today, Jesus calls us all to follow him and to be disciples. All you have to do is accept the invitation to follow Him, be loved by Him, and have a relationship with Him and then go and spread the good news of Jesus’s love to your friends!
• Prayer: God, You are amazing and powerful! Thank You for giving us Jesus and calling us into Your family! God, help me to follow Jesus closely and to boldly tell others about Him. Amen.