How Jesus Deals With His Friends And Enemies

The story of the Pharisees & the man with the withered hand is found in Mark 3:1-5 (It’s also told in Matthew 12:9-13 & Luke 6:6-10). It’s only a few verses, but this simple story gives us a glimpse into the heart of Jesus and shows us how He reacts to those who follow Him and those who are against Him.

JESUS KNEW THEIR HEARTS…

Our story opens with Jesus entering a synagogue (Mark 3:1). The man with the withered hand was there and so were the Pharisees (the religious leaders of the day).

On the outside, the Pharisees appeared to be keeping God’s commands, but their hearts told another story. They acted holy on the outside because they desired the praise of man, but Jesus knew their hearts and knew they were not seeking God (Matthew 23:5-7). The Pharisees desired rules and man’s praise whereas Jesus was offering relationship and freedom. Not surprisingly they were clashing all the time (Mark 2 & 3).

This was one of those times.

Now it was the Sabbath and according to the law it was unlawful to work on this day. So they waited for Jesus to heal the man with the withered hand. When He did they would accuse Him of breaking the law because, they rationed, healing was considered work (Mark 3:2).

How sad on the one hand that the Pharisees viewed helping someone in need a sin, yet on the other hand how awesome that even Jesus’ enemies knew that He would go to the one with the greatest need. And we can be comforted by the fact that “He is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 15:8). He still goes to the one with the greatest need.

Jesus knew what they were up to and said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill? But they kept silent. And He looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts.” (Mark 3:4)

This is a snapshot of how Jesus deals with those who are against Him. He treats them with kindness and explains the truth to them (“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good…”) so that they might repent. And when they don’t He is angered by their sin and also grieved by it. In other words Jesus hates the sin but loves the sinner. It breaks His heart when someone rejects Him because He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

A LIFE TOUCHED BY JESUS…

So Jesus now turns his attention to the man with the withered hand. We know so little about him. He must have had great faith in God because in those days an affliction like the one he had was considered judgment for some secret sin (even though we find that think thinking is wrong. See the lives of Job and Hannah for example). Yet this man continued to worship God. He must have known that He would find the true God if he searched for Him with all his heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

“Jesus said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Step forward’.” (Mark 3:1,3)

The man’s heart must have leapt when he heard Jesus’ invitation. Jesus was inviting the man to cast his cares unto Him and find comfort in His rest. He calls us the same way. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.

“‘Stretch out your hand.’” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.” (Mark 3:5)

It was Jesus who called this man into a relationship. It was Jesus who gave this man the strength to hold out his hand. And it was Jesus who healed him. All the man did was simply allowed Him to work in his life.

Our relationship with Jesus is the same. He calls us into a relationship (Matthew 11:28), His strengths keeps us (John 15:5), and when we give Him that part of us which is withered – that sin we cannot break or that hurt we cannot rid ourselves of – He will heal us because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).