Scripture:
Mark 3:2,3-6
2 Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus' enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man's hand, they planned to accuse him of
working on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, Come and stand in front of everyone.
4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, "Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is
this a day to save life or to destroy it?" But they wouldn't answer him.
5 He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand."
So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!
6 At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.
Observation:
This scene is in the synagogue on the Sabbath day, so all the religious people are there being religious (as they conspire to trap and kill Jesus).
Application:
First, I wonder what it would be like in my church; to be able to record thoughts to find out what people are thinking around a service. Are our minds on Jesus, people, and serving? Their minds were somewhere else with Jesus standing right in front of them, but they did not see the real Jesus. I wonder ... But that is not what rips of the page for today.
Take a close look at verse 2; "If he healed the man's hand ...". This whole thing is a set up! They wanted Jesus to heal the man to trap him in a grievous [in their minds] crime. Jesus, of course, knows the whole thing so takes the opportunity to try and teach religious leaders a lesson about God and their law. They fail the test and Jesus is grieved, deeply saddened. He is not grieved because of WHAT they have done, but by the fact they don't UNDERSTAND what they are doing. They have Jesus, the Son of God, the innocent perfect Sacrifice to pay for the very evil right in front of Him, and they plot to kill Him.
I'm angry about it and Jesus shows nothing but love. I want to kill them and Jesus wants to save them.
There is no "us" and "them", no red or blue states, no "those people", no "one of them" just people who need Jesus.
Prayer:
Jesus, Paul understood .... why am I so stinking stupid? How much more plain can you make for me? Sometimes I'm just as blind as "them".