Mark 3:1-6

Mark 3:1-6 Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-10 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The Pharisees were constantly following Jesus around on the Sabbath to see if He would do any work. For anyone who did work on the Sabbath was deserving of death. God's covenant with Israel demanded that the Sabbath was to be holy and that no work should be done on that day, not even lighting a fire for warmth. It was a day of self denial. Work of any kind on the Sabbath justified a death sentence. In the above Mark passage, we see Jesus openly healing a man who had a shriveled hand. He wanted everyone, especially the Pharisees, to see this miracle. He wanted them to know that the God of grace and mercy does good on the Sabbath; miracles and goodness did not have to be postponed or stopped because of the Sabbath. Jesus wanted them to know that God made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a good thing, not a bad thing. The Sabbath was a day when people should draw close to God: a day of rest, a day of meditation and prayer, a day of considering God's greatness and power.

Jesus, in his act of healing this man on the Sabbath, was telling the people that the Lord of the Sabbath was now in their presence. This day of holy rest, this day of God's favor, has come down to us in the form of Jesus Christ. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast." No longer do we have to deny ourselves of the activities of this world or the comforts of this world to please God. God, the creator of the Sabbath, has brought us near to him through Jesus Christ and HIS WORKS. We are now experiencing the day of rest; we are now in the era of God's good pleasure because of Jesus Christ. We are now in a position to please God all the time. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. We are now no closer to God on a special day than any other day. For as Christ is alive today, so are we alive, therefore, near to God. We are alive to do good works. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We are alive In Christ to display God through our good works. Yes, we should pray for healings and miracles, for those are good works, but we should also seek out the hurting and the lost to bring them "good news." We should do good to our wives, husbands, sons and daughters, grandchildren, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We should do good to the stranger, the alien, those who despitefully use us. We are to show forth God's goodness and loving kindness always. That should be our resolution for next year: to display God's goodness while it is YET DAY. We should bring God's goodness by a touch, a smile, an "I love you." As Jesus said, the world should know us by our love. Yes, the Pharisees hated Jesus because He was active and performed a miracle of healing on the Sabbath. They could rightly pass a sentence of death on him. But Jesus knew their hearts were hardened and far from God, for they could not even recognize when God was in their presence. They chose death over life. They chose law over grace. They chose hate over love. Let us know that the Sabbath has come. We are rich in the good things of God; we should be experiencing the Sabbath in our hearts every day. Tell your loved ones you love them, touch them, care for them; and give goodness, grace, and mercy to the world around you. God bless you.