“The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” (Mark 3:6, ESV)

There is a point in Mark’s gospel, in chapter 3, where Jesus has a confrontation with the Pharisees over whether or not he should heal a man with a withered hand. Mark writes that, as Jesus entered the synagogue, the Pharisees watched him to see whether or not he would heal the man on the Sabbath (3:2). Notice Mark does not write that the Pharisees watched to see if the work of God might be on display through the healing of this man. They were not interested in seeing God at work; they were interested in keeping control.