Humanity of Christ in the Biblical Passage "Jesus Heals on the Sabbath"

An Exegesis Paper on Mark 3:1-6
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1. Analysis 1.1 Introduction Throughout history, Christ has been regarded as one of the most polarizing people to exist on earth. His birth, life, teachings, and even death have significantly impacted the Christian community. Most people agree that Jesus of Nazareth was an important figure on earth but disagree on Jesus' divinity and humanity. Based on the scripture, Jesus was the only human conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and this characteristic contributes to the argument for the humanity of Christ. Questions revolving around this subject include: was Jesus God? Was He human? Is it possible that Jesus was both God and Human? What shows that he was God or human or both? Several Biblical texts analyze the humanity of Christ based on the life and teachings of Jesus. According to the scripture, most miracles performed by Jesus, including raising the dead and healing the sick, showed his compassion for humankind. This paper will illustrate the Humanity of Christ using a Biblical passage in Mark 3:1-6. The theme of this passage is ‘‘Jesus Heals on the Sabbath’’. This periscope is relevant to the topic, ''Humanity of Christ,'' because it demonstrates the compassion Jesus had for human nature after healing a man with a withered hand despite criticisms of the Pharisees. During this time, Pharisees believed it was against the law to perform miracles on the Sabbath, but Jesus argued that it was better to do good than evil on the Sabbath day. The action taken by Jesus was an act of humanity that this paper will explore further. 1.2 Observations Mark 3:1-6 demonstrates an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees on the Sabbath day. The encounter happened in the Synagogue, a Pharisaic symbolic stronghold. Among those present was a man with a withered hand. Despite the man’s condition, God still had mercy on him as he used his feet to come to the Synagogue, where he met Jesus and found healing. Pharisees watched Christ closely to see whether Jesus would obey the Sabbath rules. In this sense, the Pharisees, who were critics of Jesus, knew Jesus would do something for the needy man. However, their attention was drawn toward Jesus' ability to observe the Sabbath. The Pharisees held the view that Sabbath healing would break their rules about the Sabbath day. Sabbath traditions dictate that if someone cuts their finger, they cannot stop the bleeding but can apply only apply ointment. They can stop it from worsening but cannot make it better. Jesus looked at His critics angrily, grieved by their hearts' hardness. He was infuriated because this was the best opportunity for the Pharisees would change their minds about Jesus. Instead, they rejected Him and plotted to kill Him. By telling the withered man to stretch out his hands, Jesus commanded him to do the impossible: move his paralyzed hand. One noticeable feature that comes out clearly from the passage is the form of the literature. The literature in the passage takes numerous forms, including action, rebuke, miracle story, and wisdom saying. Action is revealed in the way Jesus approached the situation. He saw no need to let the man suffer on the Sabbath and took a bold step to healing him in the middle of criticisms and accusations. Rebuke is depicted in how Jesus expressed sharp disapproval of the Pharisee’s belief about the Sabbath day. He asked them whether it was right to save a life or to kill on the Sabbath. In other words, Jesus disapproved of the Pharisees, who were grieved by his actions to save the man from suffering. The whole story in the passage was a miracle because what Jesus did was extraordinary. No human had the power to heal like Christ. Wisdom saying manifests in the question that Jesus asked the Pharisees in Mark 3:4 ‘‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’’ (New King James Version). Arguably, Jesus made a wise decision, which reflected his teachings. 1.3 Outline

1. [First Narrative] Christ entered the Synagogue and found a man whose hand was withered (Mark 3:1)
   1. [Reaction] Pharisees observed Jesus actions to see whether He would obey the Sabbath rules and accuse him (Mark 3:2).
      1.                                                               i.      The Pharisees knew Jesus would do wonders, so they wanted to find reasons to accuse the Messiah.
2.  [Response] Jesus commanded the man to step forward and then asked the Pharisees whether Sabbath required them to do good or evil.
   1.                                                               i.      Sabbath traditions did not justify healing on the Sabbath
   2.                                                             ii.      Healing the man would mean doing good: it was a sense of humanity because the man was suffering.
   3.                                                           iii.      Failure to heal the man while He was able to, would be contrary to His teachings.
   4.                                                           iv.      Dilemma between following the traditions and showing compassion existed but Jesus made a wise decision.
   5.  [Second Narrative] Jesus looked around the Pharisees with anger and saw them grieved (Mark 3:5). He seemed unbothered by the Pharisees’ attitude and reactions but determined to heal.
      1. [Action] He commanded the man to stretch his hands out
      2. [Results]
         1.                                                               i.      The man’s hand was restored
         2.                                                             ii.      The Pharisees immediately plotted to kill Jesus.
3. [Implication]Jesus broke Sabbath traditions to save a life. He demonstrated humanity.

2. Interpretation             Mark 3:1-6 demonstrates Jesus' compassion to do good and have a sense of humanity for humankind. At a first glance, the passage seems like a conflict story that portrays Jesus as attempting to justify through questions the legitimacy of doing good and saving life on the Sabbath. The passage shows Christians that Christ is concerned with healing and saving humanity from suffering. It describes humanity keeps moving through a similar pattern and how people keep doubting God even after witnessing a miracle. Humans tend to think contrary to God’s plan. This is the reason people needed Christ. They needed a savior to deliver them from pain and suffering. God’s plan for humanity exceeds the human-made rules. It is the relationship with Him that matters. What does this relationship mean for humankind? God’s purpose on earth was to heal a sick world. In the passage, Jesus gives Christians the impression that they should follow His teachings and reject leaders that despise Him. This does not mean that rules are bad, but Jesus wants Christians to follow his ways. This passage raises two critical questions:  (1). What is the right thing to do on the Sabbath day? (2). Is Mark 3:1-6 a sign story? According to Mosaic laws, the Sabbath is a day of rest and worship. However, based on the periscope, it is safe to note that whatever is good and helpful is godly and whatever harms is evil. Anything done on the Sabbath that glorifies God is acceptable. This also shows that working on the Sabbath is okay so long as it is in God's name. Jesus helped the man with a withered hand and glorified God’s kingdom. He demonstrated humanity when he refused to let man suffer because of the mere rules established by the Pharisees. The passage is a sign story. A sign story is a narrative where a claimant divides authority, faces hostility, and finds it necessary to justify that the actions they have undertaken is godly. Mark 3:1-6 is a sign story because the theme of the passage is the theme of the sign story.  Jesus faces hostility from the Pharisees and defends Himself by proving that the action He took was Godly. The only noticeable difference between the 2.1 Genre and Large Context John Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark to confirm the messianism of Christ. He wrote this book based on eyewitness accounts and memories. Mark gathered stories from Peter, the apostle. Peter witnessed Jesus actions and he had a personal relationship with Christ. According to the hypothesis of Marcan priority, the Gospel of Mark was written first and then used as a reference for the other gospels. Gospel means good news, and Mark was written to announce the good news of the Me...