Good Morning Friends,
“Indignant because Jesus had healed on the
Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, ‘There are six days for work.
So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.’ The Lord answered
him, ‘You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey
from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a
daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set
free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?’ When he said this, all his
opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful
things he was doing.” (Luke 13:14-17)
Which do you think is more characteristic of
God – loving action or strict legalism? If you said “strict legalism” then you
would fit in well with the Pharisees of Jesus’ day and be far removed from the
heart of God.
It’s not that God is unconcerned about His Law.
God does want us to embrace His standard of right and wrong. But love trumps
legalism. God said, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6)
The Pharisees understood that principle when it
came to the care of their animals. They would not deprive their ox or donkey of
the water it needed on the Sabbath. They cared about their ox and donkey. But
when it came to the needs of people – the strict Sabbath prohibitions took
precedence.
Jesus healed a woman who had been crippled for
eighteen years and the synagogue ruler chastised Him for His act of love. Jesus
was expressing the heart of God for the woman – the ruler was far from God’s
heart.
Sabbath prohibitions don’t bind many people
anymore, but are there other ways we allow some aspect of strict legalism to
get in the way of demonstrating love to others. Years ago one of the elders at
the church I served was on his way to church one Sunday morning and didn’t get
there. Instead, he saw a family with a broken down car and he stopped and
helped them deal with the problem. Strict legalism might have said he was wrong
for missing church. Love said that he made the right choice.
His, by Grace, Steve
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