Day 16: Mark 2:23-3:6

Read Mark 2:23-3:6

Helpful Background Information: 

• Last week, we read how Jesus and His disciples walked through grainfields on the Sabbath, and the disciples began picking heads of grain. The Pharisees quickly accused them of breaking the Sabbath law.

• This week, the conflict grows. Jesus enters the synagogue and sees a man with a disabled hand. Knowing the Pharisees are watching, He asks if it’s lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath; to save life or to kill. Then He heals the man. Instead of celebrating this miracle, the Pharisees become furious. They begin plotting with a group called the Herodians to destroy Jesus.

Reflection Questions: 

• Jesus asks, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath?” Why do you think the Pharisees were silent at that question?

• Jesus was “angry and grieved at their hardness of heart.” What do you think “hardness of heart” means? How can we guard our own hearts from becoming hard?

• How does this passage challenge us to rethink the purpose of our “religious” practices? How can we discern between traditions that are helpful and those that obstruct our ability to live out the gospel?