Mark 3:1-5

There is never a wrong time to do good. We are the hands and feet of the One who loves us the most! It is so easy for the Body of Christ to become legalistic, like the scribes and pharisees, believing their goodness had anything to do with the grace and salvation given us in Jesus.

Luke 6:7 So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.

Do you know the Jewish phrase ahavat chinam? “If we were destroyed, and the world with us, due to baseless hatred, then we shall rebuild ourselves, and the world with us, with (ahavat chinam) love for no good reason. Better I should err on the side of love for no good reason, than I should err on the side of baseless hatred.” I need to absorb this. Because when I do see hate, I have difficulty believing that our hearts are vessels of love. 

People, very ordinary people have taken exception to hopelessness and to exclusion. And to hate. And to violence.

Small gestures. Of kindness. And compassion. And hope.
Yes. And amen. 

Very ordinary people have taken on "the impossible" time and time again. Good news? This isn’t a ploy. It comes from who we are. It spills from the inside out. Because here's the deal: This capacity—for love, compassion, kindness, truth, forgiveness, justice, restoration—is within. Every one of us. These are the weapons of the Spirit.

What I do know is that an act of gentle courage has my name on it.
Maybe even today. Grace and mercy and sanctuary and justice are not always convenient. Go figure. There is no perfect time to stand up. Or to do soul searching. Or to say this is who we are. Or to call on our better angels.

“Not all of us can do great things.” Mother Teresa reminds us. “But we can do small things with great love.” And today, is my hour. To stand. To speak. To love. SabbathMoments 

Mark 3:1-5

3 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. The New King James Version

Jesus demonstrates His lordship over the Sabbath by healing a man. This action provokes the Pharisees and their allies to plot against Him. Profaning the Sabbath was a capital offense.

Jesus’ question about the Sabbath is provocative and was intended to question common viewpoints. 

Elsewhere Jesus teaches that love of neighbor not only fulfills the law but is central to the kingdom of God. Here, Jesus tangibly demonstrates that human traditions and moral codes should not conflict with love of neighbor. This biblical idiom, often rendered as “hardness of heart” indicates both stubbornness and opposition to God’s workings. Faithlife Study Bible

The Sabbath controversy continued as Jesus visited the synagogue. The Pharisees watched Him closely, not to hear the words of life but to accuse Him. 

Christ put the meaning of the Sabbath to the test. Certainly it was more consistent with the intention of the law to restore this man’s afflicted hand, even on the Sabbath, than to destroy his hopes for the sake of keeping human tradition. The Pharisees did not respond, for they knew that they would condemn themselves. 

It is possible, as Paul exhorts, to be angry and not sin. Jesus demonstrated this righteous anger. He was grieved with sin but did not sin Himself by retaliating or losing control of His emotions. The NKJV Study Bible

Psalm 34:14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

Matthew 12:9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.

Matthew 12:10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.

Matthew 12:11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?