Mark 3:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand.

NIV: Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.

NASB: He entered a synagogue again; and a man was there whose hand was withered.

CSB: Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a shriveled hand.

NLT: Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand.

KJV: And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

NKJV: And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.

The Bible is clear that Christianity is not a departure from Judaism—it is a fulfillment of it (Hebrews 9:23–24). Later in history, these two faiths will be considered completely separate religions. This makes it easy for modern readers to forget that Jesus is still a practicing Jew. He teaches on the seashore, in the mountains, and in packed homes, but like any good Jewish man He still returns to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Christianity is God's intended outcome for Judaism, and it is within the context of Judaism that Jesus lives and teaches the gospel.

Healing a man with a withered hand marks the third time Jesus has done something controversial on a Sabbath (Mark 1:21–26, 29–31; 2:23–28). Luke 6:6 says that this is a separate Sabbath from the one in which the disciples picked heads of grain from a field (Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5). This time, Jesus acts for the express purpose of confronting the Pharisees' uncharitable beliefs. The healing itself is almost lost in the bickering of Jesus' critics.

Although we are not told what town He is in, many assume Jesus is still in Capernaum. "Synagogue" is from the Greek root word sunagoge which means "a gathering or assembly." In reference to a religious center, this is a place where Jews gather to read Scripture and discuss what the passages mean.

Luke 6:6 specifies that the man's right hand is withered. The prevailing culture assumed—if not demanded—that people favor the use of their right hands. In a society dependent on agriculture and other labor-based employment, this would make it difficult for the man to work. The word "withered" is from the Greek root xeros, which means "to be dried and shrunken." The tense of the verb in Greek suggests that the man's hand had suffered an injury—this was not a condition into which he was born.

Mark 3:1–6 relates a story of Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. Continuing from chapter 2, this passage is usually grouped as the last of five events which show Jesus' authority. This incident specifically reinforces His lordship over the Sabbath. At the same time, this event can also be considered the first of five stories about the different reactions people have to Jesus' early ministry, seen in chapter 3. Since the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees' antagonism has slowly grown. Now, Jesus' provocative actions push the religious teachers over the edge, and the Pharisees ally with the Herodians to plot Jesus' destruction. Matthew 12:9–14 and Luke 6:6–11 record parallel accounts of these events.

The bulk of chapter 3 deals with how different people react to Jesus' teaching and His assumption of authority. The Pharisees' confusion transitions into plotting. The crowds that continually follow Jesus for healing become more frenetic and dangerous. Jesus' own family, afraid for His sanity, try to pull Him away. But true followers also show themselves. Twelve join together to become a core group, while a slightly bigger crowd, more interested in Jesus' teaching than miracles, earn the honor of being called His true family.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.