Today’s Reading: Daniel 11; Daniel 12; Luke 6
Scripture: Luke 6:6-10
6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there.
9 Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"
10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored. 11 But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Observation: What a contrast: Jesus, who is God, caring and healing; vs. The Religious (Pharisees and teachers of the law), with no concern for hurting people, claiming to represent God, judging and conspiring. Notice that what they are focused on is Sabbath Violations -- they have no interest in seeing a man healed -- no their only concern is of their pet issue: "Don't do anything on the Sabbath that we wouldn't do!" Of course, since The Religious never perform healing due to their lack of true spiritual power, anyone who heals anytime is suspect. But if someone heals on the Sabbath... well, that's a Violation! When Jesus asks them to think, really think, about their Sabbath beliefs they remain silent. (See Mark 3:3-5.) Dante wrote: "The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of great moral crises maintain their neutrality." The silence of The Religious is a sign of their great personal moral wickedness. And once the man is healed, they immediately begin to conspire of "what they might do to Jesus." So let me get this straight: it is not OK to heal on the Sabbath (of course God does all healing), but it is just fine to have a meeting to conspire to kill someone you hate? Interesting values.
Application: My focus must be on Jesus. And I need to listen to the Lord to examine my beliefs, especially as they are manifested in my words and actions. It is easy to see how bad the Religious were in this story. But I can fall into similar kinds of blindness and hypocrisy without knowing it and, unless I listen to God and the people around me, I can dig in -- remaining in that place of dysfunction and wickedness, harming others and myself. And I can feel righteous and justified in the process. Evil is insidious. None of us is above the pull of it. We have to stay open and seeking -- confessing and repenting -- if we will be truly free and growing in the Lord.
Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are ever calling me and that You enable me to hear Your voice above the call of evil. I choose to respond to Your call and to forsake sin and the daily temptations that are common to all humanity: lust, greed, pride, and sloth. Strengthen me in my inner being to hear You more clearly and to respond with instantaneous obedience to Your initial promptings. Keep me from entering the realm of the Religious. I want to be Yours one hundred percent.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
2 comments:
Because the "Religious", as you term them, had their beliefs based on the true God and his Law, they were able to justify in their minds their sinful behavior as righteous. You are right, we can fall into the same trap without realizing it. How many times do any of us gossip or point out some other Christian's faults and sins and never look at our own? It's not enough to have correct doctrine. We must act in accordance with the Spirit of the Word, not just the letter of it.
An interesting blog idea, and interesting thoughts. And you're right: we must keep our focus on Jesus. There is a difference between a Savior and a system, a religion and a relationship, and ultimately this is where the Pharisees are missing it. It starts with Jesus, but becomes the same when applied to people.
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