Slices
Prepare
What do you need from God today? Ask him, knowing that he is your Father who loves to give good gifts to his children (Luke 11:13).
Bible passage
Jesus heals on the Sabbath
3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there. 2 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. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’
4 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.
5 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. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Explore
I’m allergic to wasp stings. If I get stung, I need an EpiPen injection quickly or the consequences could be fatal. Imagine if I came barging into your house, begging you for an EpiPen, asking you to call an ambulance because I’d just been stung – and then you refused because, in your house, if you don’t knock politely and wait, you don’t get what you want!
It sounds absurd, doesn’t it? My assumption is that most people wouldn’t do that, yet that is what the Pharisees did every day with their man-made rules (v 2). By preferring their customs to what the kingdom of God was doing in and through Jesus, they withheld good from people for the sake of their tradition.
The kingdom of God is no respecter of tradition and human order because God is always reaching out to people, and they are more important to him than traditions and customs (v 5). The kingdom of God has come in Jesus, and nothing is going to stop it, not even well-intentioned propriety and customs.
Respond
We are called to bring the good news of Jesus to the world around us. In prayer, ask God to show you if there are any places in your heart where religious tradition has become more important than obeying the Holy Spirit.
Deeper Bible study
‘O who am I, / that for my sake / my Lord should take / frail flesh and die?’1
The Pharisees taught that a person could only be healed on the Sabbath if she or he were dying. The man with the shrivelled hand did not fall into that category, so the Pharisees watched to see if Jesus would break their rules and heal him. Jesus knew they sought to trap him. He could have avoided trouble by healing him the next day or by doing it somewhere less public. However, he called the man into the middle of the synagogue, where everyone would see, and addressed the Pharisees’ plot head on. His question silenced them, for they would either have to accept he was right to heal and go against their teaching or admit that their view on Sabbath-keeping prevented people from doing good on that holy day. By stopping good deeds from happening, the Pharisees could be seen to be aligning themselves with evil.2
His bold healing and public humiliation of the Pharisees enraged them so much that they joined forces with their enemies the Herodians to plot Jesus’ death. As a religious group they did not have the power to execute him. They hoped the Herodians, political allies of Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, could persuade him to execute Jesus, just as he would later execute John the Baptist.
Jesus showed real bravery in healing the man and confronting the Pharisees. How did he have such courage? He was not exempt from the fear of death, as his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane shows.3 Gethsemane also reveals, though, that wrestling in prayer gave him the strength to face the cross. No doubt his regular times of prayer throughout his ministry helped him deal with opposition. This encourages us that, if we lack the boldness to do what God wants, we can find it through prayer.
What do you need courage for? Pray for the strength and courage you need and for others known to you who need courage to do God’s will.
1 Samuel Crossman, 1623–83, ‘My Song is Love Unknown’ 2 CEB Cranfield, The Gospel according to Saint Mark, CUP, 1974, p120 3 Luke 22:41–44
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Pray for the team working on improvements to the Scripture Union website. Pray that they’ll find the best ways to powerfully communicate that SU can help churches in their mission to children and young people.
Shine a light this Halloween!
Halloween isn’t something we celebrate with children and young people; however, we can use it as an opportunity to share the love and light of Jesus. From light parties to light trails, we’ve got some great FREE resources available to help you navigate the season.
