Jesus doesn't excuse sin, but emphasizes there are weightier issues in the law. Lying is bad, but murder is worse, and choosing to lie to protect someone from being killed is the better choice.

The Pharisees missed the spirit of the law on favor of the letter of the law.

Exodus 4:5ff... one of God's signs of his presence to the people is his healing of Moses' hand. The people believed, but Pharaoh didn't... here in Mark, the man with the withered hand believed, but the Pharisees didn't; they were acting like Pharaoh, angering Jesus. They then plotted to kill him.

Jesus asks the Pharisees if they've never read what David did, removing the holy bread from the temple to feed hungry soldiers, found in the passage in 1 Samuel 21 and 22. Jesus references not the priest in charge during the story (Ahimelech), but his son (Abiathar). In doing this, he may be saying the Pharisees are like Saul or Doeg when they persecute David; indeed they intend to use a foreigner like Pharaoh (Herod and the Herodians) to kill Jesus.

Spurgeon: "Don't tell me what you know, tell me what you've done about what you know." We must not just learn of Jesus, but follow him! The Pharisees know a lot, but don't live it. It's easy for pastors to fall into this trap, always reading the word to prepare a sermon, but never for themselves; pastors need their own devotional time! Augustine: "Your true religion is what you do when no one is looking." We must be diligent in our walk with the Lord, and really live it!

Throughout history, there's an intimate connection between big government and Satan's and the antichrist's agenda. The mark of the beast (no buying or selling without governmental approval), Babylon, the beast's armies at Armageddon.

Satan also uses false religion for his agenda; worship the beast or die, the false prophet leads people into worship, the Old Testament worship of Baal, and here, the religious Pharisees rooting against the healing of this man for their agenda.

James 1:26-27: True Christianity is to invest in the least of society. Jesus in this passage shows his compassion for the crippled man, unlike the Pharisees who see him as a pawn to further their false religious agenda. Even today, we must be vigilant to keep these influences from creeping into our own churches!