Mark 3:3-5
3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. Jesus is not intimidated by his opponents; he performs a healing on the Sabbath in a public place (He is not subtle with confronting the Pharisees in a public forum), and what do His opponents do when he does this? Silence. The silence of his opponents displays their hardness of heart, and Jesus' anger shows that his question should have been answered! Jesus: 'Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?' Pharisees unrighteous answer: silence Possible righteous answer: 'To save life!' This answer would not violate the OT law, but it would violate the Pharisaic tradition. Their tradition misses the point of the Mosaic law: to love God and one's neighbor (Mark 12:29-31). Church we are called to war for God's law of love….. And not for church tradition. Where are areas in your life where you need to battle for God's law of love? What are traditions that have divided your own heart within the church?
5 Comments
Jesse Dominguez
5/6/2021 07:24:21 am
When I think of the law I think of condemnation and judgment, much like getting a speeding ticket or rolling through a stop sign and yet, God's law of love is a law that gives me freedom to express my love for Him openly and, sometimes, speak words of correction or encouragement and doing so by speaking the truth in love. The love part is the part that desires to assist and make a situation better as opposed to dropping a truth bomb that just hurts a relationship. The church tradition of avoiding difficult topics and hard conversations that keep us isolated in our sin are walls that need to be torn down. In this verse, Jesus is saving a life. We too are to speak life into the lives of those in our circle of influence and encouragement during difficult times. Judgment and condemnation have no home here.
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Elisha Dugone
5/6/2021 09:10:56 am
It is interesting because I think most of us struggle to be liked by others and to have the approval of those around us. In this situation, the only people who approved of what action took place were Jesus and the man with the withered hand. That is a tough crowd, and yet, Jesus responded with an answer of love to all that were there. First, healing the man was loving, and second, speaking truth to the religious leaders, even though they disapproved of what was said, was the most loving thing Jesus could do. Jesus was more concerned with pleasing the Father over other people. What a conviction to me!!
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Michael
5/6/2021 09:37:46 am
We have to remember that “God is love” and not “love is God.” This is a very important distinction and if we do not get these in the correct order then we are at risk of not obeying the greatest commandment to love God. “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:” 1 John 2:3-5. Love is more complicated than our human understanding because we tend to base it on how we feel and not about truth. If we do not head the commandments of God how can we love others well? Discipline is seen as unloving, however, if we love people well it will require admonishment, encouragement, affirmation, discipline, sacrifice, joy and laughter, and mourning and tears...not just empty words encouraging someone to just be themselves.
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Daniel A Macaluso
5/6/2021 02:01:33 pm
I know we're avoiding the exact questions, but I like this string of comments and want to pick up on Michael's a bit. "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16. So, there you have it: God's very word is intended for not only teaching and training, but also rebuking and correcting. But doing any of those things OUTSIDE of God's word and God's truth (not YOUR truth! OR even YOUR tradition.) can cause unnecessary pain and even death (spiritual and physical). "Teaching and training" sound great, unless you're teaching and training outside of God's truth. "If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Matthew 18:6 Rebuking and correcting sound harsh (unloving), but can bring life and wisdom. "Whoever heeds life-giving correction [rebuke] will be at home among the wise." Prov 15:31
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Matthew Frank
5/8/2021 09:22:59 am
I don't think what I'm about to bring up is necessarily a church tradition so much as it is byproduct of being steeped or raised in the church. Visitors that don't have the appearance of someone who belongs in church often are avoid by the "church". There's a dichotomy of sorts. As a church we always ask ourselves how can we bring people to the Lord (come through the doors) and when the Lord brings someone who doesn't fit the "churchy" mold, we don't know what to do with them. As everyone had already alluded to, we are instructed to Love them. John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you must love one another. Let us be a people of Love even towards those we are unfamiliar with and break old "churchy" habits.
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