Mark 3:1-6

¹ Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” ⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Lawful to Do Good?

When reading this passage from the perspective of the Pharisees, Jesus is seen as a troublemaker. He had a reputation for disrupting the status quo with his radical ways and for breaking the rules and traditions that had been passed down through generations and with which the Pharisees identified so closely. They had already made up their minds about Jesus: he was there to stir up trouble and question their authority. They were watching closely so that they could catch Jesus stumbling or making a mistake, with which they could accuse him and have him arrested and punished. Their hearts were hardened and their necks stiffened, so they could not see Jesus from another perspective.

While browsing YouTube last week, a clip from the show “The Chosen” popped up in my recommendations. It showed a portrayal of Jesus healing on the Sabbath. I’m sure some creative liberties were taken, but in the clip the Pharisees accuse Jesus after he had healed the man, saying, “if he was supposed to be healed, God would have done it himself!” to which Jesus wittily replies, “interesting point” and leaves them raging. Although this conversation probably did not actually happen, it drives home the point of how close the Pharisees were to understanding Jesus on multiple occasions, if only they had not been blinded by their pride in the law and their traditions.

What traditions or rules, regardless of reasoning or background, are you blindly following that are preventing you from doing God’s work in your home, at church or in your community? Are you practicing the Sabbath because of tradition and obligation or because you know God made it for you and for good? Are you ready to let Jesus heal you, both physically and spiritually?