He [Jesus] entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. Mark 3:1-2
Imagine the tension. Jesus knew that some in the synagogue were hostile toward Him. They were watching Him closely, looking for a reason to accuse Him. Then they noticed a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue. Jesus knew that if He healed the man, they would accuse Him of working on the Sabbath. What would He do?
Jesus could have healed the man quietly after the service, but He didn’t do that. Instead, He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here” (3:3). Jesus was taking them on: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” (3:4). It isn’t hard to imagine what happened afterwards: “The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him” (3:6).
Thank God for Jesus’ courage! Don’t you want to be like that? Some battles are worth fighting: 1) Will we follow the Pharisees in ministry to a narrow group of people like us? Or will we follow Jesus and open our hearts to others in great need? 2) Will we follow the Pharisees in promoting a religion of discipline and duty? Or will we follow Jesus in proclaiming a gospel that brings joy and lifts burdens? 3) Will we follow the Pharisees in resisting the work of God? Or will we follow Jesus in refusing to be distracted from the work of God?
Where do you feel that you most need to “change sides”?
