A devotion on Mark 3:1-6

[Blake]

Mark 3:1-6 "He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him."

They knew Jesus could heal, but were more concerned with whether or not He'd do it on the Sabbath day. Isn't that a trip? The ultra religious of Jesus' day saw Him working miracles but it didn't fit into the religious box they had constructed. Oh by all means, heal people, Jesus! But do it tomorrow, when it's right by the law. Some things never change, do they? How many times have we lost sight of the spirit of something in favor of the law of something?

Don't invite that one to church, he doesn't look the part. Don't love that person, his sins offend me more than my own do. Why should I forgive him? He will just do it again. God isn't working in that one's life, he's in and out of church too much. Why try to walk right? I'll just fail again. Why are you praying for that person? He isn't even a Christian. Why are you eating dinner with atheists? There should be no such communion. I saw him hanging out with roughnecks, what kind of Christian is he?

God doesn't save us and begin to sanctify us to hide us away in churches and shake our heads at the state of things. He saves us to send us back into the world to change things! Are you the hand and light of God in dark places, or are you the false righteousness and condemnation of the pharisee in high places?

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

If I can do miracles, understand the great mysteries, prophesy prophesies, but have not love.....
.... Then none of it matters.

 

[Blake]

If I can do miracles, understand the great mysteries, prophesy prophesies, but have not love.....
.... Then none of it matters.

Amen.

 

[JPPT1974]

Jesus heals all the time, every single time.

 

[jocor]

They knew Jesus could heal, but were more concerned with whether or not He'd do it on the Sabbath day. Isn't that a trip? The ultra religious of Jesus' day saw Him working miracles but it didn't fit into the religious box they had constructed. Oh by all means, heal people, Jesus! But do it tomorrow, when it's right by the law. Some things never change, do they? How many times have we lost sight of the spirit of something in favor of the law of something?

Good post Blake. Just a point of clarification of the statements I bolded. The law never forbid healing on the Sabbath. That was erroneous Jewish tradition as Yeshua pointed out. While the Jews were guilty of neglecting the spirit in favor of their false understanding of the law, many believers today are guilty of neglecting the law in favor of their false understanding of the spirit. For example, to mow the neighbors lawn on Sabbath because the neighbor had to go out of town and couldn't do it is not a valid example of keeping the spirit, IMHO.

 

[Blake]

Good post Blake. Just a point of clarification of the statements I bolded. The law never forbid healing on the Sabbath. That was erroneous Jewish tradition as Yeshua pointed out. While the Jews were guilty of neglecting the spirit in favor of their false understanding of the law, many believers today are guilty of neglecting the law in favor of their false understanding of the spirit. For example, to mow the neighbors lawn on Sabbath because the neighbor had to go out of town and couldn't do it is not a valid example of keeping the spirit, IMHO.

Right on. Thank you for pointing that out!