Abstract
In dealing with a man who had a disabled hand and a group of Pharisees who complicate healing work on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1–6), Jesus responds not only with restorative power and effective argument, but also with intense emotions of anger and grief. His thoughts, words, actions—and feelings—swirl together to reveal what Jesus is most passionate about, namely: the health, wholeness, and well-being of all people made in God’s image. Far from clashing with Sabbath aims, such fervent commitment to healthcare reflects the very core of Sabbath “rest.” It both boils Jesus’ blood and breaks his heart that all the learning and dedication of the religious teachers function in Mark’s scene to perpetuate strife, not rest—death, not life.
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