Week 2 of Ordinary Time, Wednesday – 22nd January 2020 — Gospel: Mark 3,1-6
Contrast in words and deeds
Jesus expresses his willing to cure a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, because he knows that good news is all about bringing wholeness and salvation to one who is broken and sick. He made his intention clearly known through his question: “to do good and to save life”. This seems to be the evangelist Mark’s way of anticipating the intention of Jesus’ opponents. For at the end of the narration the enemies act in contrast to Jesus way;they plot to kill him. Though Mark does not specify at the beginning of this episode who was watching at Jesus to accuse him, at the end of the episode they are named as Pharisees and Herodians. The point is that the opponents object to someone being made whole on the Sabbath because they are concerned about the law, yet on the same Sabbath, they will not hesitate to plot the destruction of someone else. In this way, Mark brings out the contrast between their words and their deeds. Instead there is no dichotomy in what Jesus says and does; he does what he knows is necessary.
