Welcome to Day Seven of the Lent Blobble Study. We begin chapter three today and the conflict with the scribes and Pharisees over Jesus breaking the Sabbath continues.

A Man with a Withered Hand

.1 Again he entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand.2They watched him closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him.3He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.”4Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent.5Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored.6  The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

The Mercy of Jesus.7 Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people [followed] from Galilee and from Judea.8Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.9He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him.10He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.11 And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.”12He warned them sternly not to make him known.

The Mission of the Twelve.

13 He went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him.14 He appointed twelve [whom he also named apostles] that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach15and to have authority to drive out demons:16 [he appointed the twelve:] Simon, whom he named Peter;17James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,19and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

Go here to read my commentary for today.