Mark 3:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.

NIV: Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.

NASB: And they were watching Him closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

CSB: In order to accuse him, they were watching him closely to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath.

NLT: Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

KJV: And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

NKJV: So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

While this verse seems vague, at first, Mark 3:6 identifies the "they" watching Jesus as Pharisees. In Mark 1:27, the Pharisees are amazed by Jesus' teaching. In Mark 2:16, they question His followers about His willingness to associate with sinners who do not follow the Pharisees' painstakingly established rules. In Mark 2:24, they confront Jesus about His disciples picking heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. Thanks to those encounters, their animosity is growing.

Now the Pharisees purposefully tempt Jesus, hoping He will break the law enough to charge Him with a crime. Matthew 12:10 says they ask Him if healing on the Sabbath would be breaking the law. Under the Law of Moses, to work on the Sabbath is a capital offense (Exodus 31:14). The Mosaic Law did not specifically ban healing on the Sabbath. However, Rabbis taught that healing was only allowed if the person's life, limb, or sight was threatened. Although the man's limb is injured, the Pharisees seem to believe it can wait until the Sabbath is over. If Jesus can heal him then and there, He can certainly heal him the next day. The hand may cause discomfort, but it is a long-standing injury and can wait.

Readers should note: the Pharisees do not doubt Jesus' ability to heal the man. They fully accept His miraculous power. But they have no desire to contemplate who Jesus is and where His power comes from. For them, all that matters is that Jesus' use of power in ways contrary to their manmade laws threatens their authority.

That's something to think about, even today. If God's truth gets in the way of our worldly position and power, which will we choose to value more?

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.

Mark chapter 3 continues in the same pattern as chapter 2, describing various teaching and healing encounters from the life of Jesus. These events are used to explain Jesus' overall message and demonstrate His power. They also serve to show how different people react to His teachings. Chapter 4 will focus more on Jesus' parables.

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.