He had looked round about on them with anger,
being grieved for the hardness of their hearts.
–Mark 3:5 (KJV)–

Where did this grief come from? Why did Jesus look round about on the Pharisees with anger? Why was he grieved at their hardened hearts? Because they didn’t believe in the doctrine of divine healing. This was the reason. They did not lay their hands on the sick to pray for them to be healed. They had even created a doctrine of cessationism that was so deeply ingrained that they told themselves, “Not only do miracles never happen, but we have rules in place to say that when people come to the synagogue, it is a sin to lay hands on the sick and pray for them. Not only because miracles will probably not happen. Such happenings will bring shame on the Lord’s name: but also that the very act of laying hands on the sick, requires a man to stretch out his biceps and triceps, in such a manner that it might be considered exercise or work. Therefore, it would only break the fourth commandment, which says to do no work on the Sabbath day.”

The absurdity, the hypocrisy, the unbelief, the religious formality, the ridiculous nature of their foolishness! Jesus is thinking, “Are you kidding me? You literally teach that to people? I have never heard such awful doctrine: such awful, ridiculous, bufoonery in the name of theology, in my whole life!” And so he thinks and feels these things, in one way or another, in one feeling, in one motion or another, and then he lays his hands on the sick person and makes him well in a moment! And shows them up for the false religious hypocrites that they were! That their theology was false, that their teachings were false, that he had bravery to pray for divine healing; and they didn’t have the bravery! That Jesus’ teaching, faith, and confidence had the baptism in the Holy Spirit on it: and the Pharisees had no Holy Spirit, no power, no bravery, no confidence, and no supernatural power behind any of their teaching.

This was just one instance among many. The Pharisees grieved Jesus in lots of ways. The seven woes in Matthew 23 showed how Jesus ranted and raved against them, and finally decided to never be around them again; and to never enter the temple of God again, because he was so grieved at their hypocrisy. I think he had seen them in dreams and visions. He knew that they were children of the devil. He had known that there were spiritual serpents and scorpions in their souls. The dream symbols had shown them to be vipers and scorpions of the spirit: to look real sharp on the outside, but on the inside nothing but rotting organs; and hellbound, maggot infested corpses. Missionaries of Satan making antinomian converts twice as much the children of Hell as they were.

They were all about the externals. They were about guilt trips, control, and manipulation. They were not about the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t know the presence of God. They didn’t know what it meant to feel the power of the Lord. They didn’t know the power of God. Jesus said that they knew the Scriptures, but they did not know the power of God, and others among them didn’t even know the Scriptures or the power of God! Nicodemus didn’t know about spiritual experiences. He didn’t know what it meant to be born again of the Spirit. He was a well meaning, but misguided Pharisee: a theology professor! Anybody who’s anti-charismatic at any time period is simply a Pharisee and just about the religious externals.

Any anti-charismatic group of people, at any time period, no matter how religious, no matter how Biblical, would be just the type of people that Jesus would look round about on with anger, and be grieved at the hardness of their hearts. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out, that we’re mainly talking about Calvinists here. Although not always. There have sometimes been movements of the Holy Spirit in the ministries of certain Calvinists, such as John Knox, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Preachers that prayed for the influence of God’s presence. But this all depends on the teaching; and the courage to be faithful to God’s Word despite the cost. To embrace communion with God through prayer, real faith, and a devotional life. Does your teaching agree with the Holy Spirit’s activity? Does your teaching and faith encourage the Holy Spirit to move? If not then you’ll have hardness of heart; and the angry frown of the Lord Jesus Christ.