NT Text: Mark 3:4
OT Source(s):
Source: No public domain commentary confirmation available
Reference Type: Echo
Connection Method(s): Analogy
Significance: Jesus' question echoes Deuteronomy's covenant choice between life and death. The irony is sharp: religious leaders plot Jesus' death (3:6) on the Sabbath while condemning him for bringing life. Jesus reframes the Sabbath issue—it's not about ritual minutiae but covenant faithfulness. Will they choose life (healing) or death (plotting murder)? Their hardness of heart (3:5) mirrors Israel's covenant unfaithfulness.