Mark 3:1-19
What kind of “man” could take nothing and make it into
something?
What kind of “man” has the power of creation available to
Himself, and how is that power made available to Him, and when?
As we continue to walk with Jesus, bearing witness as a
member of His crowd of followers to the things He does, one of the things we
may notice is He never seems to do anything ordinary.
All His works are clearly extraordinary, and they all
have to do with what is most needed.
As Jesus entered the synagogue at Capernaum, as His
follower I would not have been thinking He was entering a trap. The synagogue
was a place of worship and devotion to God, and men would gather on the Sabbath
to demonstrate their culture, their heritage, and their loyalty to Judaism, if
not to God. This was a very special gathering which would take place each
Sabbath day.
Normally, a man with a defect would be restricted in
their presence because of their defect, perhaps even restricted from being in
the synagogue at all. (See Lev 21:17-24.)
One thing those in opposition to the works of Christ
could already trust was that He would always go to the person in the room with
the greatest need. Could He be trapped into performing a ‘work’ on the Sabbath –
which would therefore publicly reveal Him to be in opposition to God?
The man with the withered hand is immediately noticed by
Jesus, and Jesus is angered because He rightly perceived the Pharisees were
using this man in a way that was an embarrassment to the man - and also in a
way that was intended to trap Jesus. Would Jesus break the Law, and perform a
work on the Sabbath?
Jesus’ question pierces like a knife: “Is it lawful on
the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil, to save life, or to kill?” (How I answer
that question reveals the heart of God in me, and also for me.)
-Pastor Bill
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