I don't like to think of Jesus angry. There is something rather frightening in that. I remember getting a teacher (or two . . . three at the most) really upset and seeing them glare at each of us in class. It was an uncomfortable feeling somewhere between, "I really hope my parents don't hear about this," and, "I'm dead!" But that was just a teacher. In Mark 3, Jesus gets angry and looks fiercely at those who would accuse him in the synagogue. How could you not wither under such a stare?
So what got Jesus riled up? (Because if something riles Jesus up, I'd really prefer to avoid it in my own life, if you know what I mean!) The source of irritation is the hard-heartedness of the people gathered that day to hear the Word of the Lord. They didn't care about the need of the man with the withered hand, they focus only on the fact that it was the Sabbath Day, and on the Sabbath Day you were not supposed to work.
The man's pain was inconsequential to them. I don't think this was because they had looked upon the man and judged him unworthy of healing. Rather, they had not looked upon the man at all. He was nothing to them; totally overlooked.
There is an important warning to us here. Jesus came to claim a people, not to create an institution. Indeed, most of the rest of the chapter is about Jesus laying claim to his people, displaying some standing with Him, and others standing against Him.
Our sinful hearts desire the pecking order and social hierarchy that institutions create. We want to compare ourselves to those around us and find ourselves, "better than," that guy next to us.
Jesus didn't call us to be an institution called the church, but rather a people, a family, His brothers and sisters and mothers. He came to love us, so that we could, in turn, love Him. And having loved Jesus, we are then moved to love others around us.
Jesus loves us. We love him and because He has made us part of His family. Is the goal to set up barriers to others, or to love them and help them? It's an important question, because Jesus wants them to be part of His family, too.
I think it's time to pull down some man made barriers to open the way for people to meet Jesus.
So what got Jesus riled up? (Because if something riles Jesus up, I'd really prefer to avoid it in my own life, if you know what I mean!) The source of irritation is the hard-heartedness of the people gathered that day to hear the Word of the Lord. They didn't care about the need of the man with the withered hand, they focus only on the fact that it was the Sabbath Day, and on the Sabbath Day you were not supposed to work.
The man's pain was inconsequential to them. I don't think this was because they had looked upon the man and judged him unworthy of healing. Rather, they had not looked upon the man at all. He was nothing to them; totally overlooked.
There is an important warning to us here. Jesus came to claim a people, not to create an institution. Indeed, most of the rest of the chapter is about Jesus laying claim to his people, displaying some standing with Him, and others standing against Him.
Our sinful hearts desire the pecking order and social hierarchy that institutions create. We want to compare ourselves to those around us and find ourselves, "better than," that guy next to us.
Jesus didn't call us to be an institution called the church, but rather a people, a family, His brothers and sisters and mothers. He came to love us, so that we could, in turn, love Him. And having loved Jesus, we are then moved to love others around us.
Jesus loves us. We love him and because He has made us part of His family. Is the goal to set up barriers to others, or to love them and help them? It's an important question, because Jesus wants them to be part of His family, too.
I think it's time to pull down some man made barriers to open the way for people to meet Jesus.
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