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I didn’t have anything specific to read today, so I just flipped around to see if anything caught my eye. I opened to Matthew 12 and read one of many accounts where the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with questions about the law. They questioned him about his disciples eating some grains as they walked through a wheat field on the Sabbath. I have a confession regarding this. It’s a very serious confession. Please do not condemn me. I’m trying to be vulnerable here. Once upon a Sabbath, I walked to our mailbox and got the mail. Please forgive me.
Dang! If that’s breaking the law, I’m glad I’m not under it. We can and will never live up to the letter of the law. Thanks for Jesus. Thanks for grace.
Anyway, Jesus responded by reminding them of some Old Testament stories where similar things had been done (in those days, they didn’t call it the “Old Testament” though – it was the only text they had). Then he quoted Hosea and said, “If you knew what these words meant – ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ – then you would not have condemned these innocents.” (my paraphrase)
I think that’s pretty smart. In a way, he said, “Have mercy on people. People are far more important than the sacrifices you make to keep the law.”
Then Jesus went on to the synagogue and saw a guy with a mangled hand. The man was probably holding a pencil like Bob Dole to make it look more natural. You know how we try to cover up all our blemishes and faults? He was probably doing that. But like Bob Dole’s hand, no one was fooled. I think Bob Dole should have worn one of those big foam #1 hands. It would have given him an edge in the elections because people would have seen that he had spirit…like he was rooting for himself or our nation. I would have voted for him then.
Moving on. The Pharisees were still at it. They wanted Jesus gone or dead. So they kept trying to find ways to accuse him. They asked Jesus if it was cool to heal on the Sabbath and Jesus totally slam dunked over them. “Boo-yah!” he said.
Actually, he said, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you pull him out of there? This guy is way more important than a sheep. You ask, ‘Is it okay to heal on the Sabbath?’ Well, here’s my answer: Its okay to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he told the man to stretch out his hand, and the man immediately dropped his pencil and started to play the banjo.
Boo yah! The Pharisees hated that, so they went to make plans to kill Jesus.
What the…?! Why would they do that? Because Jesus never failed to make them look like idiots, and that made them angry. It tore through their shiny exterior and exposed the rust and rot beneath.
Here's the truth I’m holding on to today: Forget the checklist of things to do in order to look pious and righteous. Just do good. When our enemy tries to deal you a dirty hand, love is always the trump card.
Republican? Democrat? Liberal? Conservative? Pro-choice? Pro-life? Gay marriage? Heterosexual marriage? Christian? Non Christian? Muslim? These are not the flags we are meant to wave. Our banner is love. The rest falls into line when we get that right.