Jesus went into the synagogue again and
noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus' enemies
watched him closely. If he healed the man's hand, they planned to accuse him of
working on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand,
"Come and stand in front of everyone." Then he turned to his critics
and asked, "Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day
for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?" But they
wouldn't answer him. He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened
by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand."
So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At once the Pharisees went
away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus. Mark
3:1-6
For six days work may be done, but on the
seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does
any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death. Exodus 31:15 NASB
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| Synagogue rebuilt ruins at Capernaum - Israel |
Is healing “work” or would it be evil NOT to heal that poor man’s hand? Jesus
was asking those Pharisees some good questions.
"Does the law permit good deeds on the
Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to
destroy it?"
Do you suppose that those very questions
had already been debated among the Rabbis in an oral tradition of the Talmud?
Jewish Rabbis have long debated legal issues—the Law given to Moses. According
to Wikipedia (the great encyclopedia of the Internet) the Talmud was an oral
tradition until after the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. So in Jesus’ time we
can assume the Rabbis just debated and passed on judgements of law issues
orally. Likely those Rabbis were among the Pharisees confronting Jesus in the
synagogue there in Capernaum. It seems to me that those Rabbis were the evil
ones…confronting Jesus and wanting to allow that man to continue his life with
a handicapped hand. They knew that Jesus could heal him…but they were just
looking for a way to trap Jesus with their religious traditions and standards.
Were they jealous of His power? Why did they want to kill Him?
Jesus did what was right…He did His
Father’s will—healing and preaching. He did what He came to do just as He told
John’s disciples.
Jesus told them, "Go back to John and
tell him what you have heard and seen-- the blind see, the lame walk, the
lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News
is being preached to the poor. And tell him, 'God blesses those who do not turn
away because of me.'" Matthew 11:4-6
Good or Evil? What do you think? Is it
wrong to help others on the Sabbath? Do you even keep a Sabbath? Is it Saturday
or Sunday? What “work” do you do on that day? I personally struggle with
observing a particular Sabbath day even though I know that keeping the Sabbath is one of the
Ten Commandments.
But the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest
dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any
work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female
servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days
the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on
the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set
it apart as holy. Exodus 20:10-11
Rest in God’s word and follow His will.
Respect God and be obedient to what He expects of us—from the Old and New
Testament scriptures.
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And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul,
and all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:5
-
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but
love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:18
-
And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul,
all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love
your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." Mark
12:30-31
I think that by healing the deformed hand
Jesus was loving His neighbor as
Himself. Was that good or evil? Love God and my neighbor…that is the best that
I can strive to do. How about you?
Prayer
~ Jesus, I’m sorry that the Pharisee were so rude and hateful to You, but it
seems they were part of God’s plan to send You to the cross. May I never
forsake You…or be ashamed of You for You are worthy of my love, adoration and
respect.
Daily
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 28-31, Psalm 18
©
2018 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted
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