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Mark 2:23–3:6
23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” 3:1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
What really matters the most to you?
That’s the heart of the question in these two encounters where Jesus clashes with the religious leaders. This is the third instance in a row of conflict for Jesus—the two conflicts in our passage center on Jesus’ actions during the Sabbath. In a nutshell, the Sabbath laws existed to ensure that God’s people would center their hearts and minds on the Lord, constantly keeping their focus on God’s love for them.
Jesus would absolutely agree with that purpose; however, what’s happened is that the Sabbath laws have become a powerful system that requires strict observance on the part of people to the point that observance of these laws was literally getting in the way of God’s love and grace flowing out to His people.
So for us, it’s not difficult to see where Jesus is coming from as He engages the religious leaders in these conflicts. For Jesus, people matter more than things, including observance of these laws. This infuriates the religious leaders who have been watching for their opportunity to accuse Jesus. The same account in Luke’s Gospel tells us that the religious leaders were “filled with fury” at Jesus’ words and actions. The Greek word for “fury” literally means that these people have completely taken leave of their senses, becoming overwhelmed with irrational anger to the point of pathological rage.
It’s stunning to us to learn that the healing Jesus does on the Sabbath is the tipping point for the religious leaders who now want to destroy Jesus. Instead of celebrating what God has done in their midst, the religious leaders are filled with rage. Worse, their murderous fury is kindled against Jesus because Jesus is the one who worked this healing, and in doing so, Jesus is threatening the status quo.
As I reflect on this passage, a question crosses my mind: “In what ways do we persist in keeping the status quo in our own lives and churches?” What systems or practices do we have in place that threaten to take priority over God’s love and grace flowing from us to reach and care for others in Jesus’ name? If the church buildings were suddenly gone, would we cease to be the church? Would we cease to share God’s love and forgiveness with those who do not yet know Jesus?
Good stuff for us to wrestle with both personally and in our own churches as well.
God bless you, and know that you are constantly in my prayers.
Scott
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