March 22

Luke 6

I'm a visual person.  When I read I try to image the scene coming to life.  So as I read this, pictured Jesus surrounded by the Pharisees.  Jesus doesn't fit in with their expectations of who they thought the Messiah was going to be, nor does He submit to what they think they know about the scriptures. So we see the tension grow between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees however, still think they have Him all figured out, but Jesus continually baits them on knowing that they are closely watching Him. He challenges the Pharisees to think and questions their assumptions in an attempt to bring them to a higher level of thinking.  When they begin arguing over what is permissible on the Sabbath day, Jesus stretches them once again drawing yet another line in the sand for them to cross and reveals the truth about the Sabbath  --  there is never a wrong day to do something truly good. Jesus proceeds to command the man to straighten out his hand and the healing hand of God did the rest. In that moment, Jesus met the need of a man, breaking petty religious traditions. Jesus wasn't trying to reform the Sabbath, He was clearly pointing out that in the knowledge the Pharisees thought they had about the Scriptures, they missed the whole point of the Sabbath.  In Mark 7:8-9, Jesus said "laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men … all too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition … making the word of God of no effect through your tradition".  I believe we also find ourselves in situations where God wants to bring us to a higher level of thinking. I believe when we see a human need God wants us to have the Holy Spirit write the application of His word into our hearts and our actions that follow that meet the needs of others be out of our love for our Good Father.  I pray as we go out today, we release into the world the love we have been so mercifully given.  I pray for all of us that as we go out today we have eyes that see and ears that hear and God gives us an opportunity to do something truly good-- and to God be the glory.

Randi