May 5 - Sabbath and Crowds

Jesus teaches us to do good and not evil on the Sabbath and his enemies conspire to kill him while he enters among the crowds to teach and heal.

Mark 3:1-12 (NRSV)

The Man with a Withered Hand

3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 They were watching him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” 4 Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

A Multitude at the Seaside

7 Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; 8 hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. 9 He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him, 10 for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

Reflection Notes:

We are at the synagogue on a Sabbath where Jesus is being watched to see if he heals a crippled hand on a man. Indeed he chooses to do good and not evil and heals the hand. The Pharisees connect with Herodians to conspire to destroy Jesus. They choose to do evil on the Sabbath. As they choose to proceed in their quest to destroy, Jesus leaves and as the crowds flock to him he continues to teach and heal. He continues to demonstrate how to be fishers of people. How are we choosing to do good?