Withering Heights Matt 12 9:13 Episode 2

It says, departing from there, He went into their synagogue, and a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" so they might accuse Him.

Talk about majorly missing the point. It is interesting the progression the Pharisee's make from things (picking the wheat), to people - the man with the withered hand. If they could have only heard themselves. "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath"? How many healings had they seen during the rest of the week that it became a big problem that they had to make a law about it? Obviously then too many people are getting healed on the Sabbath so that we never get to the preaching in the Synagogue? There's no law. They haven't had to deal with this before! They're making it up as they go. They saw an opportunity once again to trap Jesus. As I read the account, I'm thinking they're really only looking for a yes or no answer and then enter into this long protracted debate of what constitutes work. How true is it that it is so much easier to talk 'about' what can or can't be done - which leads to never really getting around to do it because we can't agree on how--which in a very sophisticated way, means we don't have to anything. Jesus has already pointed out that the priest work all the time on the Sabbath and yet they have been careful to make sure the rules that trapped everyone else didn't apply to them – because, THEY are doing God's work. It is a good thing that we never fall into that trap ourselves, where we expect one thing from ourselves, and something different from others.

In their 'knowledge' adherence to the faith they completely lost sight of the 'heart' of God. So much so that it caused them to be blind to the very purpose to which God had called them – to be instruments of His truth, grace and compassion. The disabled man is objectified by them. I find it ironic that the man with the withered hand is sitting at the doorway of the synagogue, of the very place that was to bring him hope, help and healing. Yet, he sat outside the community, looking in. A recipient of occasion acts of pity, having a few coins tossed his way. Here's the problem as I see it. We can be completely blind to the obvious. Because we're used to the way that we've always done things, or see things from a narrow perspective, we can miss the critical compassionate need right in front of us.

"He said to the man…" Jesus humanizes the man by directing his attention toward him. He invites the man to participate in the healing "stretch out your hand" He asks. All others have quickly passed him as he sat on the ground, likely on a small mat which a few people might take pity on by throwing a penny or two on to. There activity did not engage the man, it was not inviting. Their actions primarily buy their way out of the responsibility of compassion.

As the man stretches out his hand, it is "… made like the other" - his hand is restored, but so much more. The man's capacity to engage in community, to enter into the synagogue as a person is restored. But here's the point as I see it. The man's worth, value, personhood has not change one iota. God's love and image has neither been increased nor decreased, it remains the same. What has changed is how he is perceived by others. We need to carefully consider how we judge and value those around us. So many remain outside of the places that are to bring them hope, help and compassion because of the opinion of others. The Pharisee's are in a quandary. The man is healed, he did not work, Jesus did, and thereby took the unmerited blame and anger completely on himself. Are we willing to take blame and anger when we do the compassionate thing, though it may not be the 'acceptable' thing? Are we willing to place God's value on those the world devalues. Anyway I was just thinking.

Neil

People living in LAW law land Episode 1

I've purposely capitalized the first Law, and small capped the other. The reason is, through the next few posts I want to reflect on the difference approach and emphasis that we are to place on God's LAW, and man's law. I hope that will be self evident, but thought I'd better make that clear.

Matthew 12: 1-8 It is the Sabbath. Jesus is on His way to the synagogue (as was His custom –Luke 4:16). He and the boys have been on a whirlwind preaching tour of Israel. It's probably a hot morning and the disciples are likely dog tired and overwhelmed by all they have been experiencing. Their world view is undergoing a complete over-haul. As they follow Jesus, they go along a path through one of the many grain fields that dot the landscape. Inadvertently, they reach out their hands and drag them along the ripe and inviting wheat. Grabbing a few heads of the harvest, they rub the heads together between their hands releasing the seeds from their husks, blow away the chaff and pop the nutty tasting produce into their mouths. Suddenly from the sidelines they hear the shouts of "HA HA – caught you". Now, at first glance it's tough for us to see the big deal here. A simple seemly inconsequential action suddenly becomes a federal case or worse – a God breaking, event. The ironic part is, it started as a good thing. Ex 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, six days you shall labour, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God…therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy". The Sabbath was intended to be a communion and worship time, a time of rest, reflection and weekly restoration of our healing relationship with God. God gave the Sabbath to His children as a gift to ensure that rest and refreshment was possible. But over the course of centuries, increasing debates between religious leaders redefined the definitions of Holy, rest and Sabbath and so that they became a barrier, burden and distraction, away from God. The result was just over the law of the Sabbath, there developed up to 600 different points of law. To the level was eating half an olive was not considered work, where as eating a whole one would certainly be - however, if the man was able to eat the same half an olive twice, would that be considered work, and the answer, yes. If a man collected water from falling rain in a bucket and carried it, that was not work, but, if he collect that same water, but, it was collected from being poured down a wall, that was work. Those interpretations and qualifications of law would change from Rabbi to Rabbi. People were more concerned with what law they might be breaking that would bring them under the condemnation of the system rather than on the freeing moments of reflection on the God who made and loves us.

People were enslaved to the process of 'keeping the law' rather than the ultimate meaning of serving God and ministering to people. Jesus reminded them that even their primary hero King David, 'fudged the law' when it came to serving the needs of people –
his immediate need of hunger with no other resource available trumped the law that the offering showbread was only for God.
Jesus makes this following statement that continues to reverberate throughout the halls of time and creation, "But if you had known what this means, "I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE, you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath".

A primary LAW of God is compassion. Jesus is not evaporating the necessity of sacrifice – He himself is soon heading to be the sacrificial Lamb of God, in order to bear the sins of all those who are perishing. Obedience and sacrifice is not to abandoned, however, the activity of obedience or sacrifice as ends in themselves are meaningless – and worse, debilitating. Unless our obedience and sacrifice is enveloped by compassion, which places people and their freeing relationships with God and others (in that order) it becomes a barrier rather than a bridge.

Thought: How do I participate in freeing people to realize their potential? Am I expecting that they adhere to the law, or am I willing to remove the barriers that enable others to experience and express God's LAW of the giving and receiving compassion.

Anyway, I was just thinking.

Neil