Church Fathers Commentary Mark 3:1-5

"And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there who had his hand withered. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man that had his hand withered, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful on the sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? to save a life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their heart, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and his hand was restored." — Mark 3:1-5 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: After refuting the Jews who had blamed His disciples for pulling heads of grain on the Sabbath day, using the example of David, the Lord now leads them further toward the truth by performing a miracle on the Sabbath. He does this to show that if it is a pious deed to perform miracles on the Sabbath for the health of men, it is not wrong to do things on the Sabbath that are necessary for the body.

Therefore, He says, "And He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the sabbath-day; that they might accuse Him."

The Venerable Bede: Since He had defended His disciples for breaking the Sabbath by using an approved example, His opponents now wished to slander Him by watching Him closely. They hoped to accuse Him of transgression if He healed on the Sabbath, or of cruelty and foolishness if He refused. ¹

The text continues: "And He saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand in the midst."

Pseudo-Chrysostomⁱ: He placed the man in the middle so that they might be taken aback by the sight, and upon seeing His compassion for him, lay aside their malice. ²

Anticipating the slander the Jews had prepared for Him, He accused them of violating the precepts of the law through a wrong interpretation.

Therefore, the text continues: "And He saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath-day, or to do evil?"

He asks this because they thought that on the Sabbath they were to rest even from good works, while the law only commands them to abstain from evil ones, saying, "Ye shall do no servile work therein" (Leviticus 23:7). This "servile work" is sin, for "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (John 8:34).

What He first says, "to do good on the sabbath-day or to do evil," is the same as what He later adds, "to save a life or to lose it." This means to heal a man or not to heal him. This is not to say that God, who is supremely good, can be the author of our destruction, but that in the language of Scripture, His not saving is equivalent to destroying.

But if it is asked why the Lord, being about to heal the body, asked about saving the soul, one should understand one of several possibilities. It could be that, in the common language of Scripture, the "soul" is used for the whole person, as it is said, "All the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob" (Exodus 1:5). Alternatively, it could be because He performed these miracles for the salvation of a soul, or because the healing of the hand itself signified the saving of the soul.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Someone might wonder how Matthew could have said that they asked the Lord if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath day, when Mark relates that our Lord instead asked them, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath-day, or to do evil?" ³

Therefore, we must understand that they first asked the Lord if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Then, understanding their thoughts and seeing that they were seeking an opportunity to accuse Him, He placed the man He was about to heal in the middle and asked the questions that Mark and Luke relate. We must then suppose that when they remained silent, He proposed the parable of the sheep and concluded that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.

The text continues: "But they were silent."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: For they knew that He would certainly heal him. ⁴

The text continues: "And looking round about upon them with anger."

His looking around at them with anger and being grieved by the blindness of their hearts is fitting for the humanity He condescended to take upon Himself for us. He connects the performance of the miracle with a word, which proves that the man is healed by His voice alone.

Therefore, it follows, "And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored." By all these actions, He was answering on behalf of His disciples and, at the same time, showing that His life is above the law.

The Venerable Bede: Mystically, the man with a withered hand represents the human race, which had become barren of good works but is now healed by the Lord's mercy. The hand of man, which was withered in our first parent when he plucked the fruit of the forbidden tree, has been restored to health through the grace of the Redeemer, who stretched His guiltless hands on the tree of the cross, making it fruitful again with good works.

It is also fitting that the hand was withered in the synagogue, for where the gift of knowledge is greater, so too is the danger of inexcusable guilt.

Pseudo-Jerome: Alternatively, the withered hand represents the greedy, who, though able to give, would rather receive, and who love theft more than giving gifts. They are commanded to stretch forth their hands; that is, "let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hand the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth" (Ephesians 4:28).

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, the man had his right hand withered because he does not do the works that belong to the right side. From the moment our hand is used for forbidden deeds, it becomes withered for doing good. But it will be restored whenever it stands firm in virtue. This is why Christ says, "Arise"—that is, from sin—"and stand in the middle," so that the hand may be stretched out in a balanced way, neither too little nor too much.

1. in Marc., 1, 14
2. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
3. de Con. Evan., ii, 35
4. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.