Looking for a Reason

Mark 3:1-6 (ESV)
 
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.  And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.  And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.  The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.


Reflection
 
You can sense the tension in the situation described by today’s scripture. The critical religious leaders were standing in the synagogue, watching to see what Jesus would do. They had the head knowledge that Jesus could heal the man. That knowledge alone should have caused them to acknowledge Jesus for who He was (and is) and to worship Him. Instead, Jesus’ miracle, His transforming touch, made them angry because it went against what they thought was most important: their rules and influence. Rather than embrace what Jesus offered, they wanted to hold on to their desires, so they chose to kill Jesus.

Crazy, right?! How could someone see this wonderous healing and want to kill the Healer? How could someone see the restoration power of Jesus and desire for Him to be gone? Would you be alarmed by hearing me say that we do the same thing? Many of us know the power of Jesus. We’ve seen Him move, we’ve experienced His faithfulness, we’ve been changed by Him, BUT at times we want Him gone. At times, we would rather satisfy our own desires than embrace the way of life that God commands and offers us. We want to say whatever is on our mind rather than being disciplined with our words. We want to treat people how they treat us rather than extending grace and kindness. We want to control our money rather than being faithful to God with our tithe. We want to make our own rules for our sexuality rather than honoring the gift of sex within the context of marriage.

Just like the religious leaders in this passage, we harden our hearts toward Jesus because He doesn’t fit into what we think will bring us joy. When we do this, we are like the religious leaders, missing out on what Jesus offers us: a better way of life. What Jesus offers us isn’t simply a set of rules, but a guide map of how to experience the most fulfilled life here on earth and the promise of eternity. Instead of desiring to kill Jesus, let’s invite Him in.

 
Action Steps
 

1. Think about the major areas of your life: relationships, finances/resources, how you communicate, work, health. Is there something you feel like God desires for you to do in one or more of these areas, but you don’t want to do it?
2. If you answered yes to the question above, think about why you don’t want to do what God desires for you to do. Speak it out loud to God, and ask Him for strength to submit to Him.

Prayer
 
Jesus, my desires are real, but I choose to trust that Your ways are best. When I’m weak, remind me of Your faithfulness to guide me and strengthen me. Help my heart to remain soft and to be led by You.