We
have seen the criticism that Jesus endured from religious leaders; When He claimed to forgive sins - Mk 2:6-7, When He dined with sinners - Mk 2:16, and when His disciples plucked grain on the
Sabbath - Mk
2:23-24.
The conflict
between Jesus and the religious leaders escalated, from criticism to conniving; When the Pharisees sought opportunity
to accuse Him - Mk
3:1-2, When Jesus healed a man with a withered
hand on the Sabbath – Mk
3:3-5, and when the Pharisees began conspiring
with the Herodians to destroy Jesus - Mk 3:6. I am struck by hardness of the Pharisees' hearts which moved Jesus to grief and anger - "He looked around at
them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man,
"Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was
completely restored." (Mark 3:5). Which clearly led to their hardness of
plotting to kill Jesus - "Then the Pharisees
went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus." (Mark 3:6). Apparently
unable to appreciate the healing of a suffering man.
It
is easy to be critical of the Pharisees' "Hard Hearts And Hard
Thoughts". Yet if we are not careful, we can be guilty of
the same.
