The Gospel reading from Mark 4:21-34 is a series of parables about the kingdom of God. Jesus used parables to explain the kingdom because the kingdom is so vast that our limited human minds can’t understand it on our own. Jesus used these parables to explain the kingdom in terms that we, the disciples, and his audience could understand.

The parable of the sower explains how the kingdom can start in the hearts and minds of each and every one of us. Someone-a minister, a parent or another faithful servant of God-plants a tiny seed of faith in each and every one of us. It doesn’t matter how the seed is planted, only that it is planted. Those of you who were farmers or who have planted any type of seed know that it can take a long time for the seed to grow into a strong, vibrant plant. We can water it and fertilize it all we want to, but nothing can speed up the process. It has to grow on its own, and we don’t know how it grows.

Most of us have heard of the legend of Johnny Appleseed. That legend is based on fact. Johnny Appleseed’s real name was John Chapman. He worked in a greenhouse and worked with plants, trees and shrubs. He really loved apple trees and planted them all around his hometown in Massachusetts. He really wanted people to enjoy apples as much as he did, so he traveled all around the United States planting apple trees and giving away apple seeds until he died in 1845. God wants us to be just as passionate about planting seeds of faith as Johnny Appleseed was about planting apple seeds.  

The parable of the mustard seed is a good example of the old saying that “big things come in small packages”. A mustard seed is very small, but it grows into a shrub so large that even birds can make their nests in its branches-a symbol of the seed of faith being offered to everyone, including the Gentiles. The seed of faith is like that. For example, in 2007 I began my preaching ministry. In fact, the very first sermon I ever preached was based on the Parable of the Mustard Seed. To say that I was nervous would be an understatement, but God gave me the strength to get through it. That small act of faith has blossomed into a thriving preaching ministry. A similar seed was also planted in my heart in 2003 when I began my lay ministry. God used my father’s terminal illness and subsequent passing to bring me back to Him and do his work in the world through my ministry.

In order for the seed of faith to be planted and grow in us, we need to hear the word of God. The kingdom of God is hard to understand, so Jesus took time to explain it. The kingdom was hidden from our earthly view, so Jesus used the parable of the lamp to explain that what was kept hidden in the darkness needed to be brought into the light. The kingdom of God has to be brought from the darkness of our limited ability to understand it through teaching from learned ministers, be they lay or ordained. Those who hear the word of God and take it to heart will be richly blessed.  

We, like the disciples, are expected to bear fruit by spreading the seeds of faith-namely, the Good News of salvation-and nurture it as best we can. Then, we have to let God go to work. God will eventually reap the harvest and save those who hear His word. The growth has to take place spontaneously and in the proper environment, and if it does, the kingdom will become even bigger than the bush produced by the mustard seed.

Bibliography

1. “Planting Seeds-Watching Them Grow”. Retrieved from http://www.Sermons4Kids.com
2. Exegesis for Mark 4:21-34. Retrieved from http://www.sermonwriter.com
3. McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J., The Preacher’s Commentary Series; Volume 25:Mark (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.; 1982)
4. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, Inc.; 1994)
5. MacArthur, J.F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
6. Wycliffe Bible Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible Software package

(Text: 2 Corinthians 5:17)

A few years ago, a story in a national American magazine described a couple who “adopted” two wolves. They discovered the wolves, still young and small, while making a movie about the caribou in Alaska. They took them to their home, raised them, gave them the kindest treatment, and for awhile the wolves behaved just like friendly dogs. Finally, however, the wolves turned on their masters, who barely escaped with their lives, and then fled to join a wild wolf pack. No matter how kind their treatment, the nature of the wolves was such that eventually they were bound to behave like other wolves. The wolf nature could not be educated out of them.

Our sinful nature is the same. It always stays the same. No amount of education, refinement, culture, counseling, psychiatric treatment, self-help courses, New Year’s resolutions or anything else can take away its selfishness and proneness toward sin. All of us have fallen, and our fall is not something in the past. It is something very much present right now. It is personal for each one of us. All of us come to a point when we want that which will be harmful to us. We stop listening to God and let the world tell us what to do! We change our loyalty from the Creator to the world.

Thankfully, there is a solution for us. A renewed Christian acts upon new principles with new ends and in new company. He received God’s version of a heart transplant. He loves God above all things. Redemption of a people who now live for Christ by living for others, affected by the Holy Spirit and the death of Jesus Christ, is the beginning of the new creation that God had planned to come during this evil age.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come”. To be “in Christ” means to be incorporated in him, so that God sees us “in Christ” rather than on our own without Christ. This concept fits very comfortably with being united with and identified with Christ as the second Adam.

Our identity changed completely when we became a follower of Jesus, It changed from sinner to saint. If we stumble from time to time, our identity still does not change. God will still look at us in the same way. He will look at us in heaven-in Christ. God has made us into something new. He has taken off our old life. In Christ we are changed into someone who didn’t exist before. What we receive isn’t the point. What we do as a Christian doesn’t determine who we are-it’s who we are that determines what we do. Understanding our identity in Christ is essential to successfully living the Christian life. No one can constantly behave in a way that’s inconsistent with the way he perceives himself. Becoming a Christian changes a person completely. We are to look at others through caring eyes. We must make it a habit to put the best possible construction on any situation.

We have to retrain our brains to believe and accept that we are a new creation. Christ has given us a new life. The old one is gone, along with any horrible things we have done, said or even thought.

If we don’t surrender to God, we surrender to something else-moods, circumstances, fear, or our own self-concerns. If we do, we will be disillusioned. Surrendering to God will lead to the birth of everything-new soul, new relationships, new perspectives on life, new power to face life’s challenges and a new sense of certainty. Christians are to be judged as servants and ministers of Jesus Christ. The old Law cannot be applied to them. They are to be judged by the new environment into which God has brought them.

The simplest definition of taking up the cross or dying to self is “the submission to the will of God”. It requires submitting our will to God’s purposes and plans. That is the only way to kill our old, sinful nature. We can’t subscribe to a defeated mindset and expect a life of victory. Victorious living demands victorious thinking. In the words of legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi, “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up”.

We, as children of God, are born again from death into life, just like Jesus was raised from death to life. When Jesus comes into our hearts, we accept the gift of righteousness through him. Our spirit was made alive. We were made worthy to partake of every promise and privilege that the Word of God has to offer. This is the treasure of the gospel-the promise from God that the world deserves to hear. It is the saving message of God’s good work in Jesus Christ –the forgiveness by which God overcomes all human divisions and brings in the new creation in Christ.

We are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. When a person is new in Christ, he becomes controlled by Christ’s love. In fact, the person becomes the goodness of God in human form. We are called to reconcile with each other, reconcile ourselves with God and do what we can to reconcile others with God. Picture a mother embracing a grown child who has come back after rejecting her for many years. That’s reconciliation. But their embrace probably depends on removing roadblocks in their relationship.

That’s what Christ does in our relationship with God. Pushing aside the roadblocks of our sin, God reconciles us to himself through faith in his Son. God also gives us the ministry of reconciliation. We are to treat others as God has treated us. This is difficult, and the devil works against us. Reconciliation ministry means working personally and together to bridge interpersonal, family, and social separations.

The new life in Christ begins with the recognition of who we are, and continues with the admission that we are helpless to save ourselves. The final step involves becoming ambassadors of reconciliation. Before a person is reconciled to God through Christ, he lives by the simple law of self-interest. When Jesus captures our hearts, he changes our vision. When we walk in Christ, we seek to walk as he would walk.

Daily we need to repent and admit that we are too willing to resurrect our old ways. Daily we need to be forgiven. Daily we need to return to our baptism and be renewed and reconciled. Daily through the power of the Holy Spirit we renew our commitment to let Christ rule our hearts and lives.

Jesus did not die for our sins so that we would live under condemnation from them. Nor did he die so we would forever be labeled and falsely identified by our sins. He died so we would be set free from our sins and their shame, labels and condemnation.

Some of you might have seen or heard of a TV show called “Extreme Home Makeover”. On this show, a deserving family is taken off to a fancy resort for a week-long vacation; a team of designers and construction workers descends on their small and deteriorating home and transforms it into a mansion like nothing they could ever imagine. The looks on the faces of the family members when they see their new home are priceless. When we accept Christ as our Saviour and walk with him in faith, we also get an extreme makeover. God allows us to become new again. Beyond forgiveness, beyond cleansing, he makes us holy through Jesus Christ.

The new birth experience is exactly what God says it is-a fresh beginning. When we are born again, we not only have our sins forgiven and our guilt removed, but we also receive the Holy Spirit-who comes to dwell in us and live Christ’s life through us. We can never be what we were before, because we have been born into His life-with a new spirit and nature. And because of that, our desires and goals should be conformed to those that God has for us.

Bibliography

• Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary. Part of Wordsearch Bible software program.

• Commentary on Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians and Romans. Part of Wordsearch Bible software program.

• ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch Bible software program.

1. Selwyn Hughes, “Talking to God All Night”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
2. Robert A. Schuller, “Sinner to Saint”. Retrieved from www.hourofpower.cc
3. Robert H. Schuller, “A New Creation”. Retrieved from www.hourofpower.cc
4. Neil Anderson, “A Matter of Being Someone”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
5. Bill Bright, “The Story of Two Wolves”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
6. Greg Laurie, “Altogether Different”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
7. Luann Prater, “Afraid”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
8. Randy Robinson, “The Necessity of the Cross”. Retrieved from www.loi.org.
9. Raymond Causey, “Think Like a Champ”. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com
10. Melissa Taylor, “Once…Always…”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
11. Mike Benson, “Eyes”. Retrieved from www.forthright.net/kneemail
12. Rev. John Rozeboom, “Love Reconciles”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net
13. Neil Anderson, “A New Creature”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
14. Everett Vander Horst, “Eternal Gift’. Retrieved from www.backtogod.net
15. Phil ware, “Heartlight Daily Verse”. Retrieved from Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com
16. Dr. Creflo A. Dollar, “The First Begotten Son”. Retrieved from www.streamingfaith.org
17. Bishop Mark Hanson, “Days of Timidity are over”. Retrieved from www.day1.org
18. Bishop Mark Hanson, “Our Gospel Must Be Jesus…” Retrieved from www.day1.org
19. Rev. Edward F. Markquart, “Ambassadors for Jesus Christ”. Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com’
20. Rev. Linda Richard, “Changing Lives through Jesus Christ”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com.
21. King Duncan, “How DO You Know?” Retrieved from www.esermons.com.
22. Maxie Dunnam, “I am Christ’s”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com.
23. King Duncan, “The Seven Year Switch”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com.
24. Dr. Bill Bouknight, “Moving Fences”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com.
25. Vince Gerhardy, “No One is Too Young”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com.
26. Dr. Mickey Anders, “Put Humpty Together Again”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
27. Jim Penner, “Retrain Your Brain”. Retrieved from www.hourofpower.cc
28. Material on 2 Corinthians 5:17 retrieved from Lessonmaker 8 Bible teaching software package

Have you ever done something that made other people wonder if you have lost your mind? If so, you can probably understand what is going on in Mark 3:20-35.

This takes place early in Jesus’ ministry when word of his teachings and miracles is starting to spread. This was a homecoming-Jesus’ homecoming. Our instincts and associations of home and family shape our expectations about how this event will unfold.

Jesus’ earthly family and friends didn’t understand his ministry. They didn’t understand that He was the Son of God. To the people of Nazareth, he was just the son of Mary and Joseph-earthly parents. We are the same. Sometimes we can’t understand Jesus and his ministry. Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand who Jesus is, what he does and why he does what he does. Often we make a rash judgment about Jesus. We need to ask God what his will is for our lives. We need to ask God why he is doing what he is doing in our lives.

At this stage of His ministry, not even Jesus’ own people-His own family-believed He was the Messiah, the Chosen One of God. He also faced opposition from His own disciples, not just from the religious teachers and His political enemies. Still, He never wavered from His mission.

Because the Pharisees did not understand what Jesus was doing, they accused him of being possessed by the devil. They wanted to discredit Jesus in the eyes of the people, but their claim had one big flaw. How could the devil defeat the devil? Jesus challenged the way the religious leaders were calling God’s work the work of the devil. The devil and his angels are of equal strength, so evil can’t defeat evil. A strong man can only be defeated by someone who is stronger. Since good is always stronger than evil, good will always defeat evil. Jesus is the champion of everything that is good, so he will always defeat evil. By labelling His healings and exorcisms as works of the devil, Jesus’ opponents tried to portray His miracles as counterfeit wonders designed to lead people away from God. His miracles commonly led people to praise God rather than blaspheme Him-further proving that Jesus’ kingdom is a heavenly one.

Truth-tellers make us uncomfortable. They disturb our creeds, customs and stubborn particularities. The apostle Paul said not to get weary in doing good deeds. Truth and doing good deeds are not always appreciated. We can’t handle them. Those who challenge the status quo are dangerous. They threaten to upset everything. Jesus was dangerous in the eyes of both the Pharisees and His biological family. We as Christians are in the same situation today. If we challenge the way things are or the way things are done, we may be seen as insane or dangerous, and we may be persecuted.

So what’s going on? How has Jesus’ ministry of preaching and teaching and healing created such controversy and accusation? The answer is actually fairly simple: Jesus is so totally what the religious authorities don’t expect that they have absolutely no idea what to make of him. He doesn’t fit their categories, and what doesn’t fit our categories we typically label abnormal, or deviant, or crazy, or possessed. We assume that what we know, have experienced, and hold to be true is normal, natural, and God-ordained, and that becomes the standard by which we measure — and judge — the thoughts and actions of others. And that’s what going on here.

Jesus’ whole ministry thus far has been about announcing both a new vision of God and a new way of relating to God. And at the heart of that vision and way is the conviction that God is love, that God desires the health and healing of all God’s creation, that God stands both with us and for us, that God is determined to love and redeem us no matter what the cost, and that this God chooses to be accessible to us, to all of us — indeed, to anyone and everyone.

This is why Jesus sets himself against all the powers that would rob humanity and creation of the abundant life God intends — whether those powers be unclean spirits; disease that ravages the mind, body or spirit; illness that isolates and separates those who suffer from community; or whatever. Jesus introduces a new vision of God and a new way to relate to God…and it’s not what any of us religious folk would expect.

Jesus frequently prefaced His parables with either a thought-provoking question or straightforward teaching points in order to frame His stories properly. These were effective ways to help people see their faulty reasoning and their need for a Saviour. If Satan really was behind Jesus’ miracles, then the devil would be defeating himself, which doesn’t make any sense. Jesus defeated Satan because He is more powerful than Satan.

Normally, when there is a champion of any type-sports, politics, etc. – most people will follow the champion. In other words, many people will “jump on the bandwagon”, but there will still be some opponents. There is a similar situation in this passage. By accusing Jesus of using the devil’s power to cast out demons, the Pharisees rejected the work of the Holy Spirit. They willingly rejected Christ as their Saviour because they did not want to give up their power, prestige, authority, etc. Because they chose not to believe, they refused to accept forgiveness for their sins. Refusing to accept the Holy Spirit is the only sin that cannot be forgiven-and not blasphemy as most believers would think.

How many people in our modern world have refused to accept Christ because it would mean giving up an earthly way of life that is more important to them? The list is endless, but it includes the famous and not so famous. It includes people such as actor John Belushi and singers Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson-people whose desire for the good things of this earthly life led to their downfall and death from drug and alcohol abuse (even though Whitney Houston was raised in a strong Christian church and with a strong Christian faith).

Jesus’ family wanted to charge him with insanity. The Pharisees wanted to charge Him with working for Satan. Jesus answered these charges with riddles, and they make sense to us. They call on us to consider how Jesus might have to do with how we imagine our world and the ways of God and His creation. What is God calling us to see and hear in Jesus?

Jesus’ earthly family was concerned about his physical and mental health, but Jesus was more concerned about the spiritual health of the people he dealt with. True “family” is not a matter of biological relationship, but of kinship in obedience to God, and that kinship begins when God through his grace adopts us into his family. God wants to have a family, but if we want to join His family, we have to detach ourselves from our old families. In a world where there is so much opposition to the Christian faith, and where our homes and families demand so much of our time, our one priority is to love one another wherever we are, and with every breath of our being.

Jesus defied the norms about who’s in and who’s out. People possessed by demons and those who were maimed or born with a physical limitation or defect were often assumed to be cursed, to be not natural, or to have sinned or to be suffering from the sins of their parents. Jesus forgives and heals all who are in need-no exceptions. If people weren’t sure about this before, Jesus pushed his point unbelievably and quite literally home when he says that anyone and everyone who does the work of God is his true brother and sister and mother. He redefined what constitutes a family at a time when family was everything.

Although Jesus honoured His mother as the law commanded in John 19:26-27, Jesus did not allow even His own flesh and blood to prevent Him from doing the will of God. A closer bond exists between brothers and sisters in the faith than among biological siblings because of their spiritual relationship. This is why Jesus later said that believers who must part ways with their family of origin because of their faith gain a much larger and more closely-knit family. When Christ is the focus of our lives, faith becomes stronger than family.

For Jesus, action in response to the call of God marks what it means to be a member of God’s family. Relationships in God’s family are couched in terms of doing God’s will. At this point in the story, the will of God is not defined. Jesus offers another invitation of hospitality that is about meeting people where they are, accepting anyone who is interested in God’s kingdom and responding to need no matter who is asking or when or how they ask. We have to trust Jesus and the invitation to join him and believe that together we will take part in spreading the Good News of God’s kingdom.

Instead of asking why Jesus got so much flack, we should ask ourselves why we aren’t getting more flack. Why aren’t we pushing the boundaries of what is socially and religiously acceptable In order to reach more folks with the always surprising, often upsetting, unimaginably gracious and ridiculous love of Jesus? If that’s the kind of love we want to offer, we must ask ourselves if we are communicating that message in our words and our deeds loudly and clearly, both in the church and in the community.

Those who accept the Holy Spirit will do the will of God and thereby become part of the new concept of family that Jesus creates. That is, they will become part of the family of God. This is not meant to exclude our biological family unless they refuse to accept the Holy Spirit and therefore refuse to do God’s will. When we allow the Holy Spirit in our lives, nothing can stop us. We have a power that can overcome everything the devil throws in our way-even the opposition of our earthly family. That power is the awesome power of God! When we unite with fellow believers, the power is even greater.

Bibliography

• Stanley, C.F., “The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASB”. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2009)

• Exegesis for Mark 3:20-35. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

• Max Lucado, “Dealing with Difficult Relations”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

• Bob Brine, “Team Spirit”. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com

• Pastor John Barnett, “All Sins are Forgivable”. Retrieved from www.dtbm.org

1. Pastor John Barnett, “The Unforgivable Sin”. Retrieved from www.dtbm.org
2. Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
3. Mark D. Roberts, “A New Kind of Trinity”. Retrieved from Newsletter@TheHighCalling.org
4. Wycliffe Bible Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible Software package.
5. ESV Study Bible. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible Software package.
6. MacArthur, J., “MacArthur Study Bible, NASV”. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006;2008)
7. McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J., “The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 25: Mark” (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)
8. Meda Stamper, “Commentary on Mark 3:20-35”. Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching_print.aspx?commentary_id=1315
9. Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “Who Are My Mother and My Brothers?” Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
10. Dr. Mickey Anders, “Was Jesus Out of His Mind?” Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
11. John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, Proper 5, Ordinary 13. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod.org/archives/year-b-season-after-pentecost-proper-5-ordinary-13.html
12. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: NKJV (Nashville, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1347-1348)
13. James Boyce, “Commentary on Mark 3:20-35.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2468
14. David Lose, “Pentecost 2B: Offering a Wide Welcome.” Retrieved from www.davidlose.net/2015/06/pentecost-2-b-offering-a-wide-welcome/
15. David Lose, “Out of Our Minds.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=1615
16. The Rev. Dr. William H. Willimon, “Why Jesus? Part 4: Jesus the Home Wrecker.” Retrieved from http://day1.org/2201-why_jesus_part_4_jesus_the_home_wrecker.print
17. The Rev. Dr. Ozzie Smith Jr., “When Jesus Comes Home.” Retrieved from http://day1.org/8212-ozzie_smith_jr_when_jesus_comes_home.print

Sometimes the people who make our laws get a little carried away and pass some very silly laws. Even back in the day when Jesus lived, they had some pretty silly laws. There was a group of religious leaders called the Pharisees who were keepers of the law of Moses and they believed that keeping the law was everything. They also believed that their own understanding and teaching about the law was the only correct teaching. Jesus was quite often opposed by the Pharisees and was accused of breaking the laws of Moses, especially the laws regarding the Sabbath. The passage we heard from Mark’s Gospel tells us about two times that the Pharisees accused Jesus and his followers of violating the Sabbath.

One Sabbath day, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some fields of grain. His disciples were hungry and began to break off some heads of grain to eat. The Pharisees saw it and said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

Jesus saw the foolishness of the Pharisees’ comparison of breaking off a few heads of grain to eat with harvesting the whole crop. He asked them, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests were allowed to eat. He also shared it with his companions.” Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”

What started out as a natural and innocent act by Jesus’ disciples led to a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. The disciples were hungry, so they picked some grain, shucked the skins and ate the grain. There was nothing wrong with that…except that they were working on the Sabbath. Reaping, threshing, winnowing and preparing a meal were considered to be work, and these types of work were not allowed to be done on the Sabbath.

Jesus didn’t argue that His disciples broke the letter of the Law. He contested a view of the Sabbath that killed the spirit of the Law. He reaffirmed the principle that the Sabbath was made for man-a day of physical rest and spiritual renewal. He also declared His authority as Lord of the Sabbath.

Jesus’ point was that when a higher law such as the Sabbath conflicts with a lower law such as the Pharisees’ rules, the higher law takes priority. The higher laws of worship in the temple suspended the lower law of Sabbath observance, and the higher law of mercy suspended the lower law as it did when David and his followers ate the consecrated bread in the temple.

Another time, Jesus went into the synagogue and noticed that there was a man who had a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, the Pharisees were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched to see if he would heal the man. If so, they would accuse Jesus of working on the Sabbath.

Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Then he turned toward his enemies and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil?” The Pharisees refused to answer him.

Jesus looked at them angrily and was saddened at the hardness of their hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” He held out his hand and Jesus healed him. Immediately the Pharisees left to go and meet with Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.

Jesus reasserted His authority over the Sabbath when He healed the man with the withered hand. Healing was work that could not be performed on the Sabbath unless it was a matter of life and death. Jesus asked the Pharisees if mercy could take precedence over the Sabbath Law. He also asked if it was lawful to save a life or kill someone. If the Pharisees had no mercy for saving life, they would indict themselves as killers on the Sabbath day.

Jesus’ earthly ministry was a transitional time between the religious practices of the Old and New Covenants. In the new era Jesus had ushered in, for example, plucking heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath was not unlawful. Yet in their rejection of Jesus’ teachings, the Pharisees either did not understand or would not accept that many of their established rituals and traditions could no longer coexist with His new way of life.

The laws, as written by the Pharisees, were oppressive. These experts, in a desire to scrupulously observe the Laws of Moses, had devised 613 commandments. The whole Jewish community was, in their view, obliged to keep these laws. Can you see how oppressive this was? How could you keep these laws if you couldn’t read? The overwhelming majority of the people were poor and illiterate. In the view of the religious elite, this did not excuse anyone from observance of each of these 613 laws. So, the literate, presumably the upper class, would have access to the religious regulations, while all the rest would, because of their ignorance, be constantly breaking the laws. The entitled could look down their religious noses at all the “sinners” around them. Jesus saw this exclusion and the distance it seemed to put between God and the people and He confronted it constantly. The passage from Mark’s Gospel shows one of his fundamental teachings; the compassionate interpretation of the Law, “The Sabbath was made for humans, not humans for the Sabbath.”

God created and established the Sabbath as a benefit and blessing to His people. The Pharisees, however, had turned His good deed into a weighty obligation. As the Creator of the Sabbath, Jesus had the authority to determine how it should be best practiced. When we exchange the freedom of the Spirit for the straightjacket of legalism, the rules become more important than the life that the rules were meant to guard. Legalism drains the life out of everyone it touches.

Jesus’ opponents had no interest in the welfare of the man with the withered hand; he was important to them only as a potential means to discredit Jesus for breaking their traditions. The Pharisees wanted to make the Sabbath all about show and self-denial, but Jesus reiterated that the Sabbath was and is a celebration of God’s graciousness and provision-whether gathering grain, feeding the hungry or healing someone on the Sabbath.

Jesus forced the Pharisees to examine their tradition regarding the Sabbath to see if it was consistent with God’s Old Testament Law. When Jesus asked the question in Mark 3:4, He used a device common in the Middle East. He framed the issue in terms of clear-cut extremes. The Pharisees could not answer Jesus’ question without condemning themselves. In their stubbornness, they preferred to keep their mouths closed rather than open their hearts and change their traditions. Such hardened religious pride provoked more of a negative reaction in Jesus than any other sin.

Ironically, Jesus had just asked if it was lawful to save a life or kill on the Sabbath, and now, on the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies plotted to kill Him. While the Pharisees worried that Jesus would damage their religious hold over the people, the Herodians-who supported Rome and Rome’s puppet ruler, Herod-probably worried that Jesus would provoke political opposition and damage their power base. These two factions, who were normally opposed to each other, found common cause-against Jesus.

Jesus became angry, but at the same time His heart broke. Jesus was angered by sin and grieved by unrepentant hearts. The Good News bounced off calloused hearts and minds without the slightest effect. When our hearts are hardened, we can’t see the grace and the gift of the Sabbath. We stop seeing the freedom and healing of another person as important. We become blind to the depth of the truth of who Jesus is and what He is up to in the world. Hardness of heart will always rob us even if we are standing in the presence of God. We are encouraged to yield our cold hearts to the warm healing hands of Jesus before it’s too late.

Society has largely forgotten that the Sabbath was meant for physical rest and spiritual renewal. Most stores are open seven days a week. Young people often skip attending church because of sports and other activities that take place on Sunday. Christians who observe the Sabbath are seen as weird or different-and people who are seen as weird or different are often targets for ridicule or persecution. Even as we honour the day of rest, we need to be flexible. Human need has to take priority over religious prescription. That’s why doctors, nurses, police officers and firefighters work on the Sabbath. Emergencies don’t take a day of rest.

In spite of the rapid pace of life, God still invites us to seek proper rest and holy reflection. That is why Jesus and His disciples went from the grain field to the synagogue. They went from feeding the body to feeding the spirit.

Many churches today refuse to address the issues at hand, or if they do address them, they do very little. They conceal the problems and put on a good face. They are like the Pharisees who refused to do anything to help the man with the withered hand. Many people have fled from people and churches who place doctrines, practices, and institutions above the needs of humanity. Man seems to have been made to serve religion and not vice versa.

God is not into rules. He’s into relationships. When God gives laws, it’s not for the purpose of personal piety. The purpose of the law is to be in right relationships with our neighbours and with God. That’s the purpose of the two Great Commandments-love God and love people. There are many reasons for reaching out to meet the needs of people around us. One reason may be to simply lend a helping hand. Another may be to put our gifts and talents to good use. A valid reason could be that we must take action against the nonchalance and indifference others have towards the needs at hand. Many churches have been sorely convicted when a believer steps out and shakes up the status quo.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1346-1347)
2. “Jesus and the Sabbath.” Retrieved from https://www.sermons4kids.com/jesus_and_the_sabbath_print.htm
3. McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 25: Mark (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 66-71)
4. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
5. The Rev. Lauren Carlson, “Proper 4(B): The Law of Grace.” Retrieved from http://modernmetanoia.org/2018/50/21/proper-4b-the-law-of-grace/
6. Two Guys and a Bible Newsletter, Aug. 2017. Retrieved from www.twoguysandabible.com
7. “Made for Man.” Retrieved from www.forthright.net
8. Jude Siciliano, OP.,” First Impressions, 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
9. “Sabbath-Keeping Stewards.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
10. Pastor Jack Hibbs, “Divine Goodness.” Retrieved from devotion@reallifewithjackhibbs.org
11. Richard Innes, “Communicating Christ.” Retrieved from www.actsweb.org
12. Joni Eareckson Tada, “Shaking the Status Quo.” Retrieved from communications@joniandfriends.org
13. Richard Innes, “Rules vs. Relationships.” Retrieved from www.actsweb.org
14. The Rev. Duane Steele, “Rest in Holy Time.” Retrieved from http://day1.org/845-rest_in_holy_time.print