Thursday, September 22, 2011

A Morning Cup of Tea: Mark 3: 1-7

 Jesus is once again in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Waiting for him there is a man with a withered hand. Of course, the Pharisees are also there and they see this. For them it is unlawful to do anything on the Sabbath other than to go to the synagogue, and very little else. 
 Jesus asked the Pharisees, " Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life or to kill?" (v 4) But they held their peace.
  Mark says Jesus looked on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts. (v5) He healed the man's hand and when the Pharisees sought out the Herodians to discuss how to destroy Jesus, Jesus took his disciples to the sea. 
  Jesus was angry with the Pharisees. They didn't have compassion on a man with a hand he could not use. They saw and cared only for the law. Instead of caring for their fellow man, they were there only to be sure the law was kept.  We should not be so intent on "being good" that we forget to treat our brothers and sisters with kindness. That does not mean that we can choose to or not to follow Christ's teachings willy nilly. It means that if a friend needs to go to the emergency room on Sunday morning, by all means take him. Call a little later to let someone know where you are. It shouldn't matter what day of the week it is when someone needs you. 
  Also, notice that Jesus was angry but he did not throw a fit. He healed the man and went on.  We don't always have to act on our feelings.  

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