Daily Devotion, October 26, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Mark 3:1-6.

Already when he entered the synagogue, there were people watching to see what he did; it’s possible that they had been waiting for him. It seems that they were almost hoping he would do something wrong so that they could accuse him. Jesus noticed a man with a deformed hand and asked him to stand in front of the crowd. So the man came forward and Jesus asked the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath?” Jesus is implying that healing that man would be good – and not a violation of the Sabbath. The Pharisees kept silent. They weren’t interested in truth; they were only interested in their religious system. But Jesus went further, “Is it lawful to save a life or to kill on the Sabbath?” The Pharisees remained silent.

But when Jesus healed the man’s hand, they ran off to plot with the Herodians. They were seeking a means to “destroy” him, to have him killed. For the religious leaders, love had been replaced by tradition and religious fervor. This angered Jesus. He was grieved at their hardness of heart. Jesus showed righteous anger. This is one of the few times we’re told that Jesus was angry. He saw that religious leaders were devoted to the rules but not the Spirit of them. When we keep our eyes on Jesus we can learn to have the right kind of anger, the kind that comes from a truly godly compassion for those around us who are hurting.

Personal Worship Option:

Jesus was being watched to see what he might do, yet it did not stop him from doing good, from bringing life. I ask God for the courage I need to do what I know to be the right thing.