1And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward." 4Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they kept silent. 5And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 6Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Once again, Jesus was questioned about what is proper on the Sabbath. Again, Jesus' answer could not be argued against. Doing good on the Sabbath, even though it may be work, is appropriate on the Sabbath. So once again, through this demonstration, Jesus proclaims he is Lord of the Sabbath. Do not follow man's rules for the Sabbath, but follow God's rules for the Sabbath.
Have you ever been so stubborn that even after you hear something right, you still want to cling to your original intention? That's what these Pharisees were doing. They had studied the laws for so long that they were determined to cling to them at all costs. Even though they couldn't argue against Jesus' statements, they looked at Jesus as their enemy rather than their teacher. Their only hope in ending this onslaught against their beliefs was to destroy Jesus.
This is a very good lesson for me to take to heart, as I know I can be extremely stubborn at times. I don't think there is anything wrong with being steadfast in your beliefs. But I think this is also a clear reminder that you must open your hearts to whatever is threatening your opinions. If your beliefs are true, the new ideas won't stand a chance and you will have lost nothing by considering the new ideas. Rather, you will probably gain strength in your own beliefs. However, if the new ideas are true, it will have been important that you opened your hearts and let them in. Don't be stubborn in spite of yourself. Here the Pharisees could not argue with Jesus statements, but they refused to listen.
Interestingly enough, there are two emotions attributed to Jesus in this situation. Anger and grief. He had looked at them in anger, but was then grieved by their hardened hearts. He was rightly angered that doing good on the Sabbath was being questioned. But as he looked around, he felt grief, not more anger. Their hardened hearts are nothing personal against Jesus. He doesn't take this as an attack against Himself or His preaching abilities. But he is grieved about their inability to let his teachings into their hearts. When you start to feel yourself getting angry with someone, try to understand why they are doing what they are doing. You may find yourself feeling sorry for them. Even Jesus had to struggle with anger. But he directed that anger at the situation, not the people. For people he felt compassion.