What's Good?
Mark 3
Jesus keeps working miracles and the crowds around him keep getting bigger and bigger. It seems, though, that the religious leaders didn't like Jesus. They saw what he was doing and decided that he was breaking God's law when he healed people on the Sabbath - the weekly day of rest. Jesus stood up in front of everyone, the crowds and the religious leaders, and asked them outright "What action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil?" Everyone was totally quiet when he asked. Most knew the answer he was looking for - its right to do good on the Sabbath, not evil. But instead of answering him they hid behind their religiosity. They knew the religious leaders had a very strict interpretation of what was allowed and what was not allowed on the Sabbath. As the people stood there in silence Jesus became angry with him. Scripture says he was "furious at their hard-nosed religion."
A religion that lacks sentiment, religion that cares more about the rules than people, is no religion worth following. Jesus healed a man's hand while everyone watched to see if he would break the human-made Sabbath laws (the tradition that had been built up around God's original law to keep a holy Sabbath). Jesus would not be deterred from doing good.
When the religious leaders saw what Jesus did they immediately left the area. I would imagine that in the commotion of the miracle that took place it would have been a chaotic scene. The religious leaders, though, care more about getting rid of Jesus than the amazing healing. They care nothing for the man whose life is forever changed by the touch of Jesus. They decide they will join forces with Herod, the hated King appointed by a foreign government that constantly did evil in order to bring down Jesus. How corrupt. They would rather join with the enemy than join in with the good that Jesus is doing.
Do good. Keep a soft heart that cares for others. Its the only religion worth practicing.
Jesus keeps working miracles and the crowds around him keep getting bigger and bigger. It seems, though, that the religious leaders didn't like Jesus. They saw what he was doing and decided that he was breaking God's law when he healed people on the Sabbath - the weekly day of rest. Jesus stood up in front of everyone, the crowds and the religious leaders, and asked them outright "What action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil?" Everyone was totally quiet when he asked. Most knew the answer he was looking for - its right to do good on the Sabbath, not evil. But instead of answering him they hid behind their religiosity. They knew the religious leaders had a very strict interpretation of what was allowed and what was not allowed on the Sabbath. As the people stood there in silence Jesus became angry with him. Scripture says he was "furious at their hard-nosed religion."
When the religious leaders saw what Jesus did they immediately left the area. I would imagine that in the commotion of the miracle that took place it would have been a chaotic scene. The religious leaders, though, care more about getting rid of Jesus than the amazing healing. They care nothing for the man whose life is forever changed by the touch of Jesus. They decide they will join forces with Herod, the hated King appointed by a foreign government that constantly did evil in order to bring down Jesus. How corrupt. They would rather join with the enemy than join in with the good that Jesus is doing.
Do good. Keep a soft heart that cares for others. Its the only religion worth practicing.