In morning staff worship we learned something pretty cool. In the gospel of Mark, there is a story about Jesus going to the synagogue on the Sabbath. There is a man with a withered hand present. The pharisees are watching eagerly to see if Jesus will unlawfully heal on the Sabbath.
Jesus calls the man forward and then asks the religious leaders a question. "It is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?"
I have always thought to myself, well that is kinda silly and extreme. Not healing him isn't evil. Not healing him won't kill him. Why the extreme measures?
Turns out that the Jews of that time had a common saying that not doing good when you had a chance to was evil. That purposefully not helping someone when you could was the same thing as killing them. Now I understand Jesus' statement.
Jesus took the pharisees' own words and turned them against them. Jesus was right to be so angry with the pharisees for their hardened hearts. He didn't hesitate then to turn and do that which the pharisees claimed was right (at least in words). He healed the man's withered hand.
That is a great insight to the ways of thinking of the times. Thanks for sharing!
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