Matthew 12:9-14 (A Man with a Withered Hand)
He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
Tag: Do Good, No Matter the Day
The Pharisees were a group of religious leaders that were more concerned about the “laws” and “regulations” than grace, mercy and doing good for others. The “they” in the above verse are the Pharisees. They had just accused Jesus and his disciples of breaking the Sabbath (the Jewish holy day ... Saturday) because they saw the disciples, being hungry, gathering grain on the Sabbath. In the above passage “they” are watching and are, once again, more worried about their rules than their doing good. Jesus asks a simply question: “What day is the right day to do good?” He states, “So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” It is amazing how “believers” who are locked into a set of rules and or regulations can break a simply command to always do good, in order to adhere to a ridiculous command to not do something on a certain day. Religious people spend their times regulating performance. Jesus was about showing mercy, kindness, grace, love and doing good ... no matter the situation. Jesus came to “fulfill” the Law, however. He is NOT casting out previous teaching. The Law was centered on loving God and loving others as yourself. If you want a rule to follow, that would be the rule. Love others and show mercy and demonstrate grace as you would want those shown to you. Do good no matter the day ... situation ... time frame ... feeling(s)!
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