John 5:16

‘And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the Sabbath'.

Initially the persecution must have taken on the form of some verbal attack, as it leads on to a reply from Jesus, but the way it is put suggests that this is seen as the commencement of a continual process of persecution. Jesus is looked on as a confirmed Sabbath-breaker. Note that ‘these things' confirms that Jesus is recognised as having flouted the Pharisaic regulations a number of times. This is only one example.

The Pharisees were, of course, to be found in many places and they were not so organised that they would act as one body in every particular case. It is the leading Pharisees and other Jewish leaders in this locality who are spoken of here. When Jesus moves to a new locality He will be reassessed (Mark 2:6; Mark 2:16; Mark 2:24; Mark 3:2), but in the end, with exceptions, the result is always the same, until finally He becomes watched by the central authority, ‘the Scribes from Jerusalem' (Mark 3:22).