The Gospel of Mark.

Mark 3:1‑6
 
Chapter 3:1-6.1
1AND he entered again into the synagogue, and there was there a man having his hand dried up. 2And they were watching him whether he would heal him on the sabbath (day), that they might accuse him. 3And he saith to the man that had his hand dried, Rise up into the midst. 4And he saith to them, Is it lawful on the Sabbath (days) to do good or to do ill, to save life, or to kill? 5 And when he (had) looked round (about) on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their heart (s), he saith to the man, Stretch out thy hand. And he stretched [it] out, and his hand was restored (whole as the other). 6And the Pharisees, having gone out, immediately were deliberating with the Herodians against him how they might destroy him.
Notes and Suggestions.
Verse 1.— Again. There appear to have been seven miraculous cures wrought by the Lord on the Sabbath: —
John 5:1-161After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. (John 5:1‑16). Healing impotent man.
John 9:1-411And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. 8The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? 9Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. 10Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? 11He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. 12Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. 13They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. 14And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. 15Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. 16Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. 17They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. 18But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. 19And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? 20His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: 21But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. 22These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. 23Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him. 24Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. 25He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. 26Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? 27He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? 28Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. 29We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. 30The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. 31Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. 32Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. 33If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. 34They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. 35Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? 36He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. 38And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. 39And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. 40And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? 41Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. (John 9:1‑41). Opening blind man’s eyes.
Synagogue. Of the above cures, the demon was cast out (Mark 1:21-2721And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. (Mark 1:21‑27)), the withered hand restored, and the infirm woman healed (Luke 13:11-1711And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. (Luke 13:11‑17)). publicly in the synagogue.
Dried up. The hand was shrunk and wasted, so that it was quite useless. By natural means this was incurable.
On the Sabbath. Immediately before this, Mark gives a work of necessity on the Sabbath (2:23-28), here a work of mercy. Luke says it occurred upon “another” Sabbath, perhaps the week following the incident in the cornfields.
The Lord’s action on the Sabbath, which was the particular sign of Judaism, is highly significant that it was to be set aside. “One cannot but see how the old system, based on what man ought to be for God, is being set aside for what God is for man. But the former [the law] having been established by God, nothing but the words and works of Jesus would have justified the Jews in giving it up.” But they resisted both His words and His works (John 15:22, 2422If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. (John 15:22)
24If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. (John 15:24)).
Verse 3. — Rise up into the midst. The miracle was to be performed publicly in the sight of all.
Verse 4. — Is it lawful? They had asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? “that they might accuse Him. He turns their question upon themselves, bringing the light to bear upon their crooked words, — Is it lawful to do good or ill, to save or to destroy life? This question would admit of but one honest reply; and that reply would quash every objection they might raise against the Lord’s healing the afflicted man.
Verse 5. — Anger, being grieved. Righteous and holy indignation at their willful resistance and wicked opposition to the truth. “The presence of grief and anger in the same heart at the same time is no contradiction. Indeed, with Him Who was at once perfect love and perfect holiness, grief for the sinner must ever go hand in hand with anger against the sin; and this anger—which with us is in danger of becoming a turbid thing, of passing into anger against the man who is God’s creature, instead of being anger against the sin, which is the devil’s corruption of God’s creature—with Him was perfectly pure; for it is not the agitation of the waters, but the sediment at the bottom, which troubles and defiles them; and where no sediment is, no impurity will follow on their agitation.” “Though we read of His looking round in anger, yet we soon learn, that this was not the anger of one who has taken the seat of judgment, but of Him Who was grieved at heart for the hardness and unbelief of men. It was the sensitiveness of the spirit of holiness.”
Whole as the other. This phrase is found in Matthew 12:13,13Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. (Matthew 12:13) but is an unwarranted addition here, and so omitted in the revised translation above.
Verse 6. — Herodians. The Herodians appear to have been a political rather than a religious party among the Jews. They are also referred to in Matthew 22:1616And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. (Matthew 22:16) and Mark 12:13,13And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. (Mark 12:13) and in each case they are conferred with by the Pharisees with a view to the apprehension of the Lord.
Destroy Him. Those who complained of the Lord restoring the man’s withered hand on the Sabbath had no compunction in plotting against the Lord’s life on that day. Compare the Lord’s words above, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to kill?” Though boasting of the law, they broke its spirit and dishonored God (Rom. 2:2323Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? (Romans 2:23)). They could not save life, but they meant to destroy life as soon as they had opportunity.
 
1. Words in italics should be passed over in reading as they indicate what should for critical reasons, be omitted from the Authorized Version. Variations and additions are marked by heavy type.