Mark 3
Healing on the Sabbath
And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
In a synagogue on the Sabbath, opponents watch to see whether Jesus will heal a man with a withered hand. Jesus asks whether it is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or harm, to save life or kill; when they stay silent, he heals the man. The Pharisees go out and begin plotting with the Herodians to destroy him.
What does this mean?
A 'withered' hand is shrunken or paralysed. The Herodians were supporters of Herod Antipas and his family; their alliance with the Pharisees, groups that often had little in common, shows how widely opposition was gathering.
Historical context
Jewish teachers agreed that saving a life overrode the Sabbath, but debated what else did. A withered hand was not an emergency, so healing it could wait a day; Jesus' question shifts the issue from what is permitted to what is good.
Why does it matter?
This ends the series of conflicts that began in 2:1, and the plot already points toward Jesus' death. Mark often notes Jesus' emotions: here he looks round 'with anger', grieved at their 'hardness of heart' — a phrase Mark later applies even to the disciples (6:52; 8:17).
Editorial notes, not scripture.