Mark 3:1  And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2  And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3  And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4  And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5  And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6  And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

The Bible has many warnings for those who reject the true God and the Lord Jesus Christ. We, as people, do not know when the Lord closes the door on the salvation of a soul. We do know that a person can say “no” once too often and it is eternally too late to be saved.
The Pharisees were a hardened group of Jews. They chose to take the Word of God apart and re-write it to suit their own ideas. They were the forerunners to the authors of the perversions. Far too many people are satisfied to believe the lies of the perverters, rather than believe the Word of the God Which cannot lie.
In our text we read that Jesus entered a synagogue once again. In that synagogue there was a man with a withered hand. This man wanted to know the truth, just like any other man should want. The sad reality is that most men did not want to know the truth then and most men do not want to know the truth now.
In verse 2 we read that this particular day was the sabbath day. Jesus had just taught some important facts regarding the sabbath in our last study. The sabbath was not designed to be a burden to man. This man could not function properly because his hand was withered. The Pharisees proved once again that they did not care about the people. They were power-hungry people. They wanted to keep the people under their thumb. They were servants of the devil. We read that they were looking for a way to accuse Jesus.
The Pharisees were a hardened group of Jews. Only a few, like Nicodemus and Saul/Paul would be saved. The majority were far too stubborn to bow the knee before the God of Creation Who is also the Judge of all the earth.
Jesus was not about to be trapped by wicked men. He saw that man with the withered hand. He knew that man and many others needed to know that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. He told that man to step out. Jesus wanted the people to see what He was about to do.
Jesus began with an important question. This was a question about the law. Were the people being hindered from doing good just because it was the sabbath? Was the sabbath a day where evil should abound? Was it not possible to save a life on the sabbath?
Those hardened people were momentarily ashamed of themselves. They could not answer Jesus. In verse 5 we see that Jesus had a right to be angry. This was not an unjust anger. Here was a man who was crippled by a withered hand. There were many people present there that had a withered heart. The Bible often refers to this as a hardened heart. Jesus exposed them for who they were. They were lost and on their way to hell. They needed to know Who the Messiah was. They needed to know the Pharisees were not their friends. They needed to know the truth.
We read that Jesus was grieved with the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees and their followers. Jesus turned to the man with the withered hand and told him to stretch forth his hand. The man needed to act in faith. He needed to obey Jesus’ command. He did not work anything here. He simply stretched forth his hand. When he did that, his hand was restored whole as the other. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God did the work. He healed that hand with His Word. He proved His deity by doing what only He could do.
In salvation, God/Jesus does the work. Jesus finished the work of providing the way of salvation for all people. His shed blood was required and given to make the way for man to be forgiven and saved. Those who turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, are forgiven and saved. They are given eternal life.
Jesus did many signs while on this earth. They were never for entertainment. They were to prove that He was the Messiah. They were to prove that He had the power to save sinners.
In verse 6 we read the sad report of the Pharisees. They refused to see this healing for what it was. They went and took counsel with the Herodians. The Herodians were not a religious group. They were a political group, loyal to Herod. We see the close tie here between the Pharisees and the Roman government. The Pharisees did not particularly like Herod, but they would act as if they were friends because they had a common enemy here. That common enemy was Jesus Christ. They needed the power of the Roman government to try to accomplish their goals. They would do anything to get rid of Him. God haters will form strange alliances. They each have their own agenda and they think that through compromise they will eventually get what they want. They are blinded by their own wickedness and fail to see the fires of hell lapping at their heels.
Contrast that attitude to that of the born again Christian. Born again Christians do not align themselves with wicked governments. They draw nigh to God and seek His wisdom and direction. True power rests in God, not in man. Jesus Christ went to the cross and died there. The lost Jews assumed that Jesus had lost. By laying down His life and shedding His blood on that cross, He won. He did not remain on that cross. He was taken off that cross and was laid in a tomb. He rose again three days later and demonstrated His victory over sin and death.
Jesus loved the Pharisees and the Herodians. He also loved the common people. He would expose the heresies of the false religious leaders and their cohorts. He would show the people that He was their Friend. He would lay down His life for the sheep. He would stand up for the truth regardless of who was opposing It.
That is what those who are saved must do today as well. We need to stand up for the truth. The wicked need to know where the truth is found. The false teachers need to be exposed and confronted. We are called to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.
In Ephesians 6 we are reminded that we are in a war. It is not a war that is won with bullets and bombs. It is a war that had already been won on the cross. Our duty is to remind people of that fact and help deceived people to turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. Jesus Christ Is the Hope of man.
Pastor Bartel