After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                        Mark 3:5

In today’s passage, we find Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were in attendance as well as a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees were watching closely to see if Jesus would heal the man on the Sabbath. In their thinking, this would have been a direct violation of the Law. So they waited. Jesus calls the man to the front. He then poses a question to the Pharisees; “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” They remained silent. Now the question tells us a lot (primarily that it was not unlawful for Jesus to heal on the Sabbath), but their silence speaks volumes as well. Their silence revealed the hardness of their hearts. Reread today’s passage. This is the only place in the gospels that I can recall in which the writer combines anger and grief as a response from Christ. You might recall the account of Jesus driving out the money changers from the temple (Mark 11:15-17). In this case, we could imply that Jesus’ actions were motivated by righteous anger but the writer does not specifically use the term anger in describing Jesus temperament. But here the writer specifically says that Jesus’ response to the Pharisees was one of anger and grief.

The Pharisees had hard hearts. Claiming to understand the things of God, their focus was on the Law, even to the point of making the Law superior to coming to the aide of others. You might say that they placed rules over and above the needs of people. They were the “representatives” of God and were in charge of guiding the people in the things of God. Jesus, being God incarnate, stood before them but they didn’t even recognize the very God that they claimed to represent. Just prior to this passage, Jesus had already addressed the issue of the Sabbath when He made the following statement:

Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 

                                                                                                                        Mark 2:27

Jesus was teaching them that the Sabbath was given to man for his benefit. Condemning others for assisting someone just because it was the Sabbath was a distortion of the Law and demonstrated the Pharisees’ lack of understanding and misuse of the Law.

But let’s get back to Jesus’ response. He was angry and grieved at the same time. If you have ever been the parent of a wayward child, you can probably relate to Jesus’ response. When you spiritually desire so much for your child only to see them squander opportunities and reject the very faith that you have invested so much time in sharing with them, it can be lead to these emotions. You might be angry with them but grieving in your heart for them all at the same time. And might I add frustration? Being angry with their decisions, frustrated that they are not making better ones, and feeling sorrow and grief simultaneously; emotions that only a parent can truly appreciate. So why was Jesus grieved at the hardness of the Pharisees’ hearts? I believe it is because He deeply cared about them. Grief is only a logical response when you have feelings for someone or care about someone deeply. An absence of love and caring toward others will not produce grief. In order for Jesus to respond with anger and grief, He had to care about their hardness of heart and desire better for them.

Paul explains the hardness of heart in unbelievers from all walks of life when he writes:

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart…

                                                                                                           Ephesians 4:17-18 

Paul equates hardness of heart with being futile in one’s thinking, being darkened in one’s understanding, being excluded from eternal life, and operating in ignorance. This is the definition of someone who is without Christ. The Pharisees were not living a life of compromise and immorality rather they were pursuing the Law of God. In contrast, the Gentiles were living life on their own terms, not acknowledging nor caring about the things of God. Ironically, the Pharisees and the unbelieving Gentiles were in the same spiritual condition. They are both described as having “hardness of heart.”

So what does this mean for us today? First, we need to make sure that we are living in the power of the gospel, placing all of our faith in the Person of Jesus Christ. We are reminded in scripture to “take care” in this matter. Consider the following:

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

                                                                                                               Hebrews 3:12 

Evil and unbelief are synonymous in this passage. Those apart from Christ (the unbelieving world) are, by definition, excluded from eternal life. Those who belong to Christ (all believers, aka the church) are the children of God. We have been born again into a new life. We are sons and daughters of God and fellow heirs of His kingdom. So faith, along with a moldable and teachable heart, is an indication that we have passed from spiritual death to spiritual life.

Secondly, we should have the same mind as that of Jesus. He grieved over the hardness of the Pharisees’ hearts, we too should grieve over those that we come into contact with who have or continue to reject the gospel. Said simply, “We should care because God cares.” We cannot change the heart of anyone outside of ourselves, but we can pray, engage others, and make ourselves available to them when the questions do arise. Let’s move out with a soft, moldable, and caring heart and demonstrate the love of Jesus to others.

By the way, the man’s hand was restored! But tragically, the Pharisees didn’t seem to learn anything from this encounter. Let’s avoid being like them, shall we?