The
Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
Mark 3:6
Mark 2 [25.] He said to them, “Did you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry—he, and those who were with him? How he entered into God’s house when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?” He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 3 [1.] He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had his hand withered. They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him. He said to the man who had his hand withered, “Stand up.” He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” But they were silent. When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other. The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
Mark 3 [7.] Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon.
Meaning:
Mark 3:6 is a sobering turning point in Mark’s Gospel. A man’s withered hand has just been restored in the synagogue (Mark 3:4-5), yet the response of Jesus’ opponents is not wonder but a plot to kill Him. This is the first time Mark openly mentions a plan to destroy Jesus, and from here the shadow of the cross falls across the rest of the Gospel.
- The End of a Series of Conflicts:
Mark 2:1 to 3:6 gathers five scenes of conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders: His forgiving of sins (Mark 2:6-7), His eating with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:15-16), the question of fasting (Mark 2:18), the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-24), and finally this Sabbath healing (Mark 3:1-3). Each time the opposition grows. What began as private questioning ends in a conspiracy to kill.
Jesus had already hinted at what lay ahead: “the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them” (Mark 2:20).
- The Pharisees Went Out:
The Pharisees were a respected lay movement devoted to careful obedience to the law of Moses and to the traditions of the elders. Many were sincere and admired by ordinary people. Yet Jesus had just looked at them “with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts.” They had watched a miracle of mercy and remained unmoved. They “went out” from the presence of Jesus and the healed man, turning away from the light they had seen.
- With the Herodians:
The Herodians were supporters of the family of Herod, especially Herod Antipas, who ruled Galilee under the authority of Rome. Normally the Pharisees, who resented Roman rule and its compromises, would have had little in common with them. Their alliance shows how deeply Jesus threatened both religious and political powers. Herod Antipas had already imprisoned John the Baptist, and the Herodians would appear with the Pharisees again in Jerusalem, trying to trap Jesus with a question about taxes.
Matthew records the same plot (Matthew 12:14), and John tells of an earlier Sabbath healing in Jerusalem after which “the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath” (John 5:16-18).
- How They Might Destroy Him:
There is a painful irony here. Jesus had asked, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” On that very Sabbath, He restored a life, while His critics began planning a death. Their zeal for the Sabbath did not stop them from plotting murder.
Yet human hostility could not overturn God’s plan. Peter later preached that Jesus was “delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). For now, Jesus withdrew to the sea, and great crowds followed Him (Mark 3:7-12). His hour had not yet come.
The Significance of Mark 3:6 for Believers
- The Danger of a Hardened Heart:
Religious knowledge and practice can coexist with a heart closed to God. Scripture warns, “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-8). We need humble, teachable hearts that rejoice when God shows mercy.
- Faithfulness Under Opposition:
Jesus kept doing good even when it provoked opposition. His followers should not be surprised when faithfulness brings hostility: “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matthew 5:11).
Cross-References:
Matthew 12:14: "But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him." Matthew’s parallel account of the plot.
John 5:16: "For this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath." Sabbath healings provoked hostility from the beginning.
Acts 2:23: "him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed;" God’s purpose stood behind the death His enemies planned.
Hebrews 3:7-8: "Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness," A warning against the hardness of heart seen in Mark 3:6.
Conclusion: Mark 3:6 records the first plot to destroy Jesus, formed by Pharisees and Herodians who joined forces after He healed on the Sabbath. Their response reveals hardened hearts that valued their own control above God’s mercy. Yet even this opposition served God’s saving plan, which led to the cross. The verse calls us to keep our hearts soft toward God and to remain faithful in doing good, whatever the cost.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible