Mark 3:3

3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come into the middle."

Mark 3:3 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 3:3

And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand
After he had reasoned with them from the lesser to the greater, upon their own principles and practices, in relieving and taking out a sheep fallen into a ditch, on a sabbath day, ( Matthew 12:10 Matthew 12:11 ) , and knowing "their thoughts", as Luke says, ( Luke 6:8 ) , their reasonings and designs; and as the Persic version here, from thence "understanding their conspiracy", turns himself to the lame man, and bids him

stand forth:
or, as in Luke, "rise up and stand forth in the midst", ( Luke 6:8 ) . He bid him rise up from his seat, and stand forth in the midst of the synagogue: this he said, partly to raise the attention of the people to the following miracle; and partly to move commiseration upon the sight of the object; and to aggravate the hard heartedness of the Pharisees; as also, that it might be manifest to all, that the man's hand was really withered; and that there was no fraud in the following cure.

Mark 3:3 In-Context

1 And he entered into the synagogue again, and a man who had a withered hand was there.

2 And they were watching him closely [to see] if he would heal him on the Sabbath, in order that they could accuse him.

3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come into the middle."

4 And he said to them, "Is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent.

5 And looking around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched [it] out, and his hand was restored.