Marcos 3:6

This verse is the climax of this whole confrontation section (Mark 2:1 to Mark 3:6). Faced with the most convincing arguments and actions about Jesus’ deity, the Pharisees chose to reject them. Furthermore instead of simply leaving Jesus alone they took steps to kill Him. As the gospel story unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that Jesus’ enemies opposed Him because He constituted a threat to their authority. That motivation is evident here, too, because the Herodians were supporters of Roman authority over Palestine. Together the Pharisees and the Herodians "feared he might be an unsettling political influence in Palestine." [Note: Wessel, p. 640.] These two groups had little in common except their common enemy, Jesus.

This is Mark’s first explicit reference to Jesus’ death. Jesus’ enemies had decided to destroy Him. They only needed to plan how. In spite of their objections to Jesus working on the Sabbath, they did not mind plotting His death on that day. His words and works, from their viewpoint, undermined their whole approach to the Law, their piety, and their actions.

This decision of Jesus’ enemies to kill Him constitutes a turning point in Mark’s narrative. It is a benchmark that affected Jesus’ ministry from then on.