Luke 6:6-11 (ESV)
On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
I would dare say you have never gone to church to hear the preacher get heckled during the teaching time. Imagine what that would look like and feel like. Imagine every time a specific speaker got up to speak a group of men would stand by with arms folded, with deadpan stares and glassy eyes, with frowned faces. Add to these self-appointed-watch-tower-powers the fact that they are the most powerful figures in this group of people you are speaking to. How would you handle that? But, in Jesus ministry this is exactly what the religious leaders of the day did. Just in this section of Luke, note:
Luke 5:17 (ESV)
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
Luke 5:30 (ESV)
And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Luke 5:33 (ESV)
A Question About Fasting
And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”
Luke 6:2 (ESV)
But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”
Since I speak to crowds for a living, I can say it is unsettling if you have one person who fits any one of these behaviors. Jesus carried out His entire ministry with this group of people looking for ways to undermine His message and His ministry. These religious leaders were fearful of losing their power. Jesus will eventually conquer this type of behavior but it continues to grow in our society today. These group of people continues to discuss what they might to do to Jesus (and His followers).
No comments:
Post a Comment