And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” Then He 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 when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. (vv.1-6)
What does a stubborn heart look like? A stubborn heart is like a stone, unresponsive to the needs and sufferings of others. It lacks tenderness and compassion. The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 15:7-8 to not harden our hearts against a poor brother but to open our hands to him. Compassion isn't just for the poor; it also extends to the sick and disabled. In Mark 3, Jesus sees a man with a withered hand and challenges the crowd about doing good on the Sabbath. Their silence grieves Jesus, showing their hard hearts. A hard heart is unmoved by suffering and lacks empathy.
How does a hard heart hurt us? Jonathan Edwards, an 18th-century pastor and theologian, described a hardened heart as being unaffected and insensible. This unfeeling nature extends to our relationship with God. The Bible says a hard heart refuses to hear or respond to God. For example, Zedekiah's hardened heart led him to ignore God's call to repentance (2 Chronicles 36:13). Romans 2:4-5 warns that a hard heart stores up wrath because it is unresponsive to God's kindness, meant to lead us to repentance.
How do we avoid a hard heart in the first place? Avoiding a hard heart begins with being part of a healthy community of believers who encourage us daily. Hebrews 3:13 advises us to encourage one another every day to prevent being hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Sin lies, telling us that God's ways are not satisfying. These lies can harden our hearts if not countered by the truth. Being in a community that reminds us of God's worth and the deceitfulness of sin helps keep our hearts tender and responsive.
How can a hard heart be softened? Softening a hard heart is a miraculous work of God. Ezekiel 36:26-27 promises that God will give us a new heart and spirit, removing our heart of stone and replacing it with a tender heart of flesh. This transformation, akin to being born again, is a gift from God. Once we have a soft heart, staying in a supportive, godly community helps maintain it. Regular encouragement from fellow believers helps us recognize and resist sin's lies, keeping our hearts open and responsive to God's love and guidance.
This is one of the few places in scripture where Jesus is described as having anger, and He was angry - at the hardness of men’s hearts. Jesus was angry because this was a perfect opportunity for these critics of His to change their minds about Him and their traditions. But they refused to change their minds and rejected Jesus instead. In this we can see that Jesus deliberately used this occasion to provoke a response. Jesus could have done this the next day. Jesus could have done it privately. But He chose to do it at this time and place. And what was the reaction of His critics? They went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Jesus did nothing but a wonderful miracle. In response, two parties of former enemies (the Pharisees and the Herodians) agreed together in one cause: to destroy Jesus. Their hatred for Him went much deeper than the Law, their distain for each other, and the violation of the Sabbath. They would rather stir up contorversy than rejoice in this man's healing. Luke 6:11 says, that the critics of Jesus were filled with rage when Jesus healed this man. I ask you, which was more of sin against God and a violation of the Sabbath: When Jesus healed a man, or when these hate-filled men plotted the murder of a man who never sinned against anybody?
The Truth: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)
