Showdown on the Sabbath

All right, well this morning we are continuing our way through the Gospel of Luke, which tells

! the story of Jesus. And we're in Luke chapter 6. And we've started to see how conflict is ensuing

Luke 6 · chapter mention

! between Jesus and the Pharisees. First it was over the issue of eating with sinners and religious fasting.

Then we heard about how Jesus had a run-in with the Pharisees on the Sabbath day in the grain fields.

And now Luke is going to tell us about another incident which took place between

Jesus and the Pharisees on the Sabbath day. We are in Luke chapter 6, verse 6.

Luke 6:6

On another Sabbath, Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching. And a man was there whose right

hand was shriveled. As we've talked about in the past few messages, the Sabbath was the seventh day of

the week, Saturday. And it was a normal, respected, and common practice for Jews to gather at the local

synagogue on this day. Scripture was read aloud and there was prayer. And what's interesting is that

there was no specific command given in the Old Testament for them to have synagogues or to meet at the synagogue

like this. It was kind of a later development during the years of the exile. And then it continued on after

that. So attendance was common, but not everyone went every week. Participation was more regular among men

than women. And it wasn't structured as a whole family gathering like church in modern times has been.

The elderly and the very young would often stay home. And regular attendance was more common among those

who lived in towns or cities. For those Jews living in rural areas, travel on the Sabbath was limited by

tradition to about 2,000 cubits or roughly a kilometer. And so if the nearest synagogue was beyond that

distance, it was kind of understood that you would just stay home and observe the Sabbath at home.

And so sometimes we imagine going to the synagogue was kind of like the Old Testament version of going

to church on Sundays. But in reality, there were significant differences. We see in the gospel accounts,

though, that Jesus deliberately used this tradition, this cultural thing, as part of how he proclaimed the

word of God. He went from town to town, and he read scripture, and he taught, and he proclaimed the

word of God in the synagogues on the Sabbath days. And so you can almost imagine what this might have been

like in those days. Word begins to spread around town that Jesus is on his way to your town. And you've

heard that he typically speaks in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Maybe you never went to see Jesus

preach out at the lake like some people did, but this is now your chance to see him and to hear him in

person. Maybe you weren't even planning on going to the synagogue this week, where it had been a while.

But this Sabbath day, you'll be there, because there's a special and famous guest speaker coming to town.

Well, this is probably one of the reasons why the Pharisees and the teachers of the law envied Jesus so much.

Because when he comes to town and speaks, attendance at the synagogue suddenly goes through the roof.

So this is some of the cultural background to all of this, and Luke sets the scene.

We notice Luke's description of this man's condition. His right hand was shriveled.

That's probably significant that it was his right hand. I had to look this up, but roughly 90% of people

on earth are right-handed. So it's the dominant hand. It's the good hand of most. And this should

make us think of what life has probably been like for this man. We don't know how long he's had this

condition or how it happened, but it's probably affected his ability to work and to do a lot of

different things. He has probably, for many things, become dependent on others, unable to do those things

for himself. And then there are the social stigmas that often people carry towards others who have

visible disabilities. People are often uncomfortable or awkward around them. What are they thinking?

They're thinking, look at his hand. I wonder how that happened. If we look closer at the word

shriveled, there's a little more there. The word has also been translated as withered. And the original

word used there is often used in reference to dry land or dried out dead trees or branches.

And so when it's used metaphorically like this to refer to a part of the body, it often indicated that

the part of the body was no good anymore, unable to be used, possibly shrunken, deformed,

damaged, and likely immobile or paralyzed. Now there's all kinds of reasons why a person might come to

have a withered or shriveled hand like this. It could be that way because of nerve damage or because of a

stroke. It could happen because of poor blood flow or from damage related to an injury or an infection.

Probably most of us have seen someone with a shriveled hand and it kind of has an unnatural look to it.

And the reason is owing to how all of those different causes I just mentioned affect the muscles

muscles and tendons and ligaments in the hand. When it comes to muscles, they come in pairs. There are the

flexors which open the hand and then there are the extensors which help with closing the hand. And so if

the extensors become weak or waste away first and the flexors overpower them, they kind of pull the fingers

back into a bent position and they can get stuck like that. And if it's stuck like that in that curl

position for weeks or months, the tendons and ligaments actually physically shorten. And it's called

contracture. It makes the hand stiff and not just weak. And so people who have this are likely to have it

for life because of the underlying causes, whether nerve damage or loss of control, contracture of

ligaments and tendons. Sometimes it's possible to get some of that movement back through exercise and

physio, but oftentimes not. And so we can only imagine how frustrating and how difficult life must have been

for this man. As he goes about his life, almost everyone around him has two good hands and seems

that they take it for granted. Meanwhile, he's struggling to get by with only one. And so Jesus is

there and he's teaching. And this man with the shriveled hand is there. And the Pharisees and the teachers of

the law are also there. And we notice that they are there for a very specific purpose. Verse 7,

the Pharisees and the teachers of the law looking for a reason to accuse Jesus. So they watched him

closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. So this is very deliberate. They are looking for a reason

to accuse Jesus. And that word accuse here is key. In the original language this was written in, it's

actually derived from a technical legal term. They were looking for legal grounds to haul Jesus into a

religious court kind of scenario for breaking the law. Luke says they watched him closely.

This is very intentional. They are after Jesus. They're lurking like hunters on a mission. Luke tells us

they already had in mind what the grounds of their accusation would be. They're hoping to charge Jesus

with working on the Sabbath, breaking the Sabbath law. That's what this is about.

I mentioned it a few sermons ago, but the Jewish rabbis over the centuries had piled up a massive

amount of man-made religious rules that they added on to help people keep the Sabbath commandment.

At least they thought it was helping. They turned Sabbath keeping into this sort of hyper-legalistic

religion of its own. And if you missed that message and want to hear more about that, you can find it on

the church website. It was May 18th and it's titled Lord of the Sabbath. But one of the rules that they

had added was that when it comes to doing the work of a doctor or nurse on the Sabbath day, you were only

permitted to do as much as needed to save a person's life or to keep them from dying. Anything beyond that

that was aimed at just helping them generally improve, you had to wait till Sunday to do that work for them.

And so this kind of helps us understand the mindset that they would have had toward this man

with the withered hand. It's visible and obvious to everyone that this man has a debilitating condition,

but that's not life-threatening. At least that's what they're thinking. And so if Jesus heals this man

today, we're going to get him on charges of working on the Sabbath.

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand,

get up and stand in front of everyone. So he got up and stood there.

Jesus knew what they were thinking. This is something that we see about Jesus in all of the

gospel accounts. And it's not just that he has a very sharp intuition or keen powers of deduction.

Jesus possesses knowledge of precisely what people are thinking. He demonstrates it time and time again.

He knows what's in the hearts of people, their very thoughts. And he often responds to what they are

thinking. And amazingly, he's always right. He has this knowledge because of who he is. This is divine

knowledge. So he knew what they were thinking. And he said to the man with the shriveled hand,

get up and stand in front of everyone. And so he got up and stood there.

Jesus knows they're going to try to charge him with working on the Sabbath if he heals the man.

And so what does Jesus do? He's going to heal the man.

He's not afraid of the Pharisees or the teachers of the law one bit.

Neither is he worried about being guilty of breaking the Sabbath.

Just a few verses back, what did Jesus say to them?

He said,

In other words, I'm in charge of the Sabbath.

I know what's right and what's wrong when it comes to the Sabbath. It's my commandment.

He's not intimidated one bit by the Pharisees.

He calls the man to get up and stand in front of everyone

so that everyone can see

what he's about to do.

Now at this point, we do well to take a peek

at Matthew's account. We're looking at Luke's account,

but let's just flip over to Matthew's account.

Chapter 12, verse 10.

It would seem that in this moment

as this man stands in front of everyone

before Jesus says or does anything,

the Pharisees

open their mouth and

challenge Jesus.

They asked him,

Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?

And this is not a wondering.

This is a rhetorical question.

It's a trap.

Of course, if Jesus says,

Yes, it's lawful to heal on the Sabbath,

then he'll be contradicting

the authority and laws

of countless Jewish rabbis,

both past and present,

as well as the current

law of the land,

and he will be liable to judgment.

As I said earlier,

for the Pharisees,

this is already an established law.

Only in cases of life and death

can medical work be done

on the Sabbath.

They're ready to put Jesus

on trial here

and haul him before the court,

before the judge.

And so if he answers,

Yes, it is lawful

to heal on the Sabbath.

There could be consequences.

On the other hand,

if he answers,

No,

it's not lawful.

You're right.

This can wait until tomorrow.

Well, then he's basically

affirming that the Pharisees

are right.

Their interpretation,

their application

of all these rules

and regulations

is right.

This would really undermine

Jesus' credibility

when you think about it,

because can we trust his teaching

if he almost accidentally

broke the Sabbath law?

He should have known

if he really is the Messiah.

So how does Jesus respond

to this trap?

We'll stick with Matthew's account

for just a moment longer.

Jesus said to them,

If any of you has a sheep

and it falls into a pit

on the Sabbath,

will you not take hold of it

and lift it out?

How much more valuable

is a person

than a sheep?

Therefore, it is lawful

to do good

on the Sabbath.

So Jesus argues

from the lesser

to the greater,

from the less important

to the more important.

Nobody there,

if one of their animals

had broken loose

from the pen

and fallen into a pit,

none of them

would have said,

Oh man,

well,

I guess we'll just have to

leave it there

until tomorrow

because today's

the Sabbath day.

If God really wants us

to have him,

then that'll still be there

alive tomorrow.

We have to honor him first,

right?

We'll come back

at sundown.

None of them

would have done that.

Just leaving that

poor animal

to suffer

bleeding away

helplessly

till the next day.

Everybody knew

that the right thing

to do

was to help

the poor animal

out of the pit

even if it was

the Sabbath day.

Well,

that's different.

They might have been thinking.

That's not the same.

Of course,

we would grab it

and lift it out

because that would be cruel

if we didn't.

It is lawful

to do acts of mercy

on the Sabbath.

And Jesus

basically says,

so you would help

an animal

on the Sabbath day

if it's afflicted,

but you wouldn't help

a human being

on the Sabbath day

who's afflicted.

you don't think

I should heal

this man

right now?

Do you really think

I should wait

till tomorrow?

How much more

valuable

is a person,

a human being,

than a sheep?

It's an amazing

response of Jesus

with just a few

words.

He exposes

the heartless

hypocrisy

and lack

of compassion

that the Pharisees

and the teachers

of the law

have.

He says,

you care more

about animals

than you do

about people.

You care more

about law keeping

and rules

and regulations

and religious

observances

than people.

All right,

back to Luke.

Luke 6:9

chapter 6,

verse 9.

Then Jesus

said to them,

I ask you,

which is lawful

on the Sabbath?

To do good

or to do evil?

To save life

or to destroy it?

Jesus piles on

this challenge

question of his own

and it's a doozy.

Is it lawful

to do good

on the Sabbath?

Because that's

what I'm about

to do.

in healing

this man.

Or is it lawful

to do evil

on the Sabbath?

Now,

there's two

possible ways

to understand

the second part

of Jesus' question.

Everybody agrees

that doing good,

saving life,

that that relates

to Jesus healing

the man.

Right here

and right now.

But what's not clear

is exactly what

Jesus is contrasting

that with.

one possibility

and this is

what I grew up

thinking

was that Jesus

is saying

to not heal

this man

right here

and now

when it's in

my power to do

it would be evil.

just like it would be

heartless

and cruel

to leave the sheep

in the pit

until tomorrow.

To leave this man

in his affliction

a day longer

for no good reason

would be cruel

and heartless.

Now,

there's a couple

difficulties

with this way

of looking at it.

one of them

is that when we

get to that

second question

to save life

or to destroy it

it almost

doesn't make sense

because it's not

a matter of life

and death.

One explanation

given by some

is that Jesus

is purposely

exaggerating

going to the extreme

save life

or destroy it

in order to make

the point

that it's

that if it's

lawful to save life

then it's lawful

to do any lesser

act of the same

character.

whether healing

or helping someone

who's hurt

or afflicted

and in the same

way

if it's not

lawful to do

evil on the Sabbath

neither is it

lawful to do

any lesser

sort of evil

on the Sabbath.

Like even something

as simple as

just passing by

a person who's

in need

when it's in our

power to help

and there's no

good reason

to pass them by.

Another difficulty

with this interpretation

though is

how do we apply

this?

Is Jesus

really saying

that whenever

we see a need

we do evil

when we don't

stop to meet it?

I got thinking

about this

how many

pleas

for help

from charities

have I ignored

in emails

or in the mail?

how many

broken down

cars

on the side

of the road

have we

driven by

without at least

stopping to ask

and see if they

need assistance?

Is Jesus

really saying

that every time

we fail to

stop and help

we do evil?

We destroy

life?

On the other

hand

there is the

parable of the

Good Samaritan.

In that

parable

Jesus seems

to be exposing

and condemning

the Levite

and the

priest

for just

walking on

by the

wounded man

who is in

need on the

side of the

road.

He seems

to be suggesting

they were

somehow obligated

by their

faith in God

and their

love for God

to stop

in that

moment

and help.

So that's

one interpretation

that Jesus'

questions here

are about

whether he

should heal

or delay

healing

until tomorrow.

Of course

if he would

heal him

then it

would be

that

that would

be the

good

that would

be saving

life

or if he

delays it

till tomorrow

that would

be to do

evil or to

destroy it.

But there's

another way to

understand what

Jesus might be

saying with

these questions.

Could it be

that it's not

about healing

him now

or waiting

till tomorrow?

Could it be

that Jesus

is actually

contrasting

what he's

doing right

now

with what

the Pharisees

are doing

right now?

Like

is it

lawful

on the

Sabbath

to do

good?

Because that's

what I'm

here to do.

That's what

I'm about

to do

for this

man.

Or I

could ask

you a

question.

Is it

lawful

on the

Sabbath

to do

evil?

Because

that's

what you

Pharisees

and teachers

of the

law

are doing

right now.

it's

kind of

a

painfully

obvious

question

to ask

isn't it?

I mean

why even

ask it?

Is it

lawful

to do

evil

on the

Sabbath?

Of course

not.

Who would

answer yes

to that?

Well then

why are you

Pharisees

looking for

a way

to bring

a charge

against me?

What's

your motive

in that?

could it

be that

the question

of Jesus

is simply

intended

to expose

what the

Pharisees

and the

teachers

of the

law

are up

to?

And this

kind of

makes sense

of that

second

question

to save

life

or to

destroy

it.

What

do the

Pharisees

and teachers

of the

law

hope

will come

of this?

What's

their goal?

Well truly

they're looking

for a way

to destroy

Jesus.

That's

not an

exaggeration.

When Mark

wrote his

account of

this he

actually

used a

synonym.

Of course

Jesus probably

said it in

Hebrew or

Aramaic but

then Mark

wrote it

down as

to do

good or

to do

evil,

to save

life or

to kill.

To kill.

And then

Mark sums

it up at

the end

by saying

this.

Then the

Pharisees

went out

and began

to plot

with the

Herodians

how they

might

kill

Jesus.

And so

that's the

other

interpretation

that Jesus

questions are

not about

healing now

versus delaying

healing till

tomorrow but

rather about

doing good,

saving life

which is what

Jesus is here

to do on the

Sabbath versus

doing evil and

plotting to

kill, to

destroy life which

is what the

Pharisees and

teachers of the

law are doing

on the Sabbath.

Well in this

moment Jesus

asks these two

questions and

what's the

response of the

Pharisees?

It says in

verse 9,

Jesus looked

around at

them all.

It's like he

was giving

them a chance

to answer.

What's the

answer?

Which is

lawful?

To do

good or to

do evil?

Mark tells

us that in

this moment

the Pharisees

remained silent.

They didn't

say a word.

And Mark is

the only one

who tells us

just a little

of what Jesus

was thinking

and feeling

in this

moment.

Jesus looked

around at

them in

anger and

deeply distressed

at their

stubborn hearts.

Deeply distressed

at their

stubborn hearts.

Jesus was

angry with a

righteous and

holy anger in

this moment.

He was

deeply distressed

at the

stubbornness in

their hearts.

the answer

to the

question is

obvious.

Is it

lawful on

the Sabbath

to do good

or to do

evil?

Jesus tells

them straight

up the

answer.

In Matthew's

gospel we

read that he

said it is

lawful to

do good on

the Sabbath.

And yet they

remained silent.

They didn't

say a word.

Of course

Jesus kind

of had them

in a bit of

a trap.

with the

question that

he asked

them.

If they

were to say

yeah Jesus

you're right

that would be

pretty humiliating

to them.

It would show

that Jesus

was right

about them.

It would

show that

they really

did lack

compassion.

It would

show that

they had been

wrong about

the Sabbath

and they

couldn't admit

that.

They were the

Pharisees.

They were the

teachers of the

law.

They were the

experts.

Or so they

thought.

And if the

problem was that

everybody was

going to Jesus

instead of to

them well

admitting that

they were wrong

and Jesus was

right would

probably just

make it worse.

More people

would keep

going to

Jesus instead

of to them.

And they

knew they

couldn't win

this argument

with Jesus

either and

just double

down and

say no

you're wrong.

That would

only further

expose them

as the

heartless

legalistic

hypocrites

that they

were.

Imagine this.

What are they

going to do?

Are they

going to

escort the

man with

the withered

hand out

the door

in front of

everyone to

prevent him

from being

healed?

Because it's

the Sabbath

day?

Well that

wouldn't go

over well with

the people.

And again

same thing.

People are

going to start

going to Jesus

even more.

He's the one

who has

compassion.

He looked

around at

them all

and then

said to

the man

stretch out

your hand.

He did

so and

his hand

was completely

restored.

In

Matthew's

gospel it

says he

stretched it

out and it

was completely

restored just

as sound

as the

other.

What a

sight that

must have

been.

And

everybody

there saw

it.

Including the

Pharisees and

the teachers

of the law.

We talked

earlier about

what kinds of

things could

cause this

condition and

how whatever

the cause

there was that

effect of the

muscles atrophying

and weakening

and the

ligaments and

tendons physically

shortening and

becoming stiff.

Jesus doesn't

seem to lay a

finger on the

man.

He simply

says stretch

out your

hand.

And as he

does God's

power flows

through Jesus

and a miracle

takes place.

The muscles,

tendons,

ligaments are

completely

instantly

restored and

unstiffened.

His hand is

strong enough

that he can

open and close

it just the

same as he

can with the

other one.

No physio

needed.

God's

power of

God.

God's

power of

life at

work.

What a

wonderful day

for that

poor man

with the

withered hand.

No doubt a

day of great

joy,

probably a

day that he

would never

forget.

It was a

day that he

got his life

back the way

that it was

before.

It doesn't

talk about him

jumping up and

praising God

here, but

he probably

was.

Now what

should the

response of

the Pharisees

be that

this healing

has taken

place?

Well, now

is the time

to finally

admit you

were right,

Jesus.

We were

wrong.

Clearly, if

God's power to

heal is

unleashed

through your

words, then

what you say

about the

Sabbath is

right.

We're off.

We're wrong.

But no.

What's their

response?

Verse 11.

But the

Pharisees and

the teachers

of the law

were furious

and began

to discuss

with one

another what

they might

do to

Jesus.

They were

furious.

Luke's being

a little

discreet here.

Both Matthew

and Mark,

as I mentioned

earlier, spell

it out

clearly.

The Pharisees

went out

and plotted

how they

might kill

Jesus.

We want

him dead.

This reveals

the ugliness

and the

phoniness

of the

religion

of the

Pharisees.

Did they

really know

God?

Did they

really love

God?

Did they

really desire

to honor

God by

obeying

his commandments?

Was this

really about

what was

truly good

and right

versus what

was truly

wrong and

evil?

One

commentator

that I

read this

week said

it this

way.

It's kind

of a

scholarly

academic

quote,

but it

just stuck

in my

mind.

He said,

the religious

mind is a

curious thing.

It is not

necessarily

interested in

common morality.

It's not

interested so

much in

just generally

what's right

and what's

wrong.

Still less

is the

religious

mind

interested

in relieving

human misery

and affliction.

It's

interested in

keeping

rules,

particularly

the rules

which spring

from its

own cherished

interpretations

of scripture

or tradition.

And to

these

interpretations

it will

attribute

the inflexible

authority

of God

himself.

Let

God

incarnate,

that word

incarnate

means

in flesh,

let God

in human

flesh,

that's

Jesus,

come down,

let God

incarnate

contrary

to its

interpretations

interpose

with a

miracle of

divine

goodness to

relieve human

misery.

That's the

healing of

this man.

Then

instead of

revising

its

interpretations,

the

religious

mind will

plan to

stop such

miracles

happening

again.

In

other

words,

we've

become so

committed

to our

rules and

our cherished

interpretations

that God

himself doing

a miracle of

mercy right

in front of

our eyes to

show us the

error of our

ways is not

enough to

change our

minds.

We are so

committed to

our religion

and rules

that we

must make

sure miracles

such as

these do

not happen

again.

We need

to stop

Jesus.

We have

to take

him out.

Wow.

What are we

to take from

all this?

Well, if you

missed my last

two messages on

the Sabbath,

I'd encourage

you to go to

our church

website and

listen to

them.

They talk

more in

depth about

what the

Sabbath had

become in

Jewish culture

and in

my last

message I

specifically

answered the

question of

whether we

as Christians

should keep

the Sabbath

and if

so, how.

So I'm

not going to

go back and

preach that

message again.

But one

thing I think

we see

clearly here

is the

compassionate

heart of

Jesus for

us in

contrast to

the dark,

ugly,

cold,

religious

heart of

the

Pharisees.

And I

think we're

being called

by God

through these

words,

are we

not?

To

examine

ourselves,

to see if

there is any

of that

attitude that

they had,

that heart

that they

had in

us.

And I

think we're

being called

to take

notice of

this wonderful

Savior,

Jesus,

who is

showing us

the kind of

relationship that

God has

always wanted

with us.

Not this

cold and

dead,

rule-keeping

kind of

relationship,

but this

living,

compassionate,

heart-engaged

relationship where

true love

reigns supreme.

A number

of the

different

people I

read this

week pointed

back to

what God

said through

Isaiah the

prophet.

And these

are powerful

words coming

from hundreds

of years

before Jesus

came to the

people of

Israel.

God speaks

through Isaiah

back then,

and this is

what God

says to

Israel.

He says,

the multitude

of your

sacrifices,

what are

they to

me?

Says

the Lord.

I have

more than

enough of

burnt

offerings,

of rams,

and the

fat of

fattened

animals.

I have

no pleasure

in the

blood of

bulls,

and lambs,

and goats.

When you

come to

appear before

me,

who has

asked this

of you,

this trampling

of my

courts?

Stop

bringing

meaningless

offerings.

Your

incense is

detestable

to me.

new

moons,

sabbaths,

and

convocations,

I cannot

bear your

worthless

assemblies.

Your

new

moon

feasts,

and your

appointed

festivals,

I hate

with all

my being.

They have

become a

burden to

me.

I am

weary of

bearing

them.

When you

spread out

your hands

in prayer,

I hide

my eyes

from you.

even when

you offer

many prayers,

I am

not

listening.

Why?

Your

hands are

full of

blood.

Wash

and make

yourselves

clean.

Take your

evil deeds

out of my

sight.

Stop

doing wrong.

Learn to

do right.

Seek

justice.

Defend

the oppressed.

Take up the

cause of the

fatherless.

Plead the

case of

the widow.

These are

the words of

God himself

to Israel

long ago.

Wow.

God does

not want

empty-hearted,

hypocritical,

religious

behavior

from anyone.

We have to

remember that

God in the

Old Testament

law,

given through

Moses,

commanded that

all of these

things be

done.

That the

Sabbath be

kept,

that sacrifices

of these

kinds be

offered,

that the

people assemble

for these

regular

festivals and

feasts,

that they

pray.

God commanded

those things,

and yet God

says, I hate

all of these

things that

you're doing.

I'm weary

of them.

They burden

me.

Stop doing

them.

They are

meaningless to

me.

They are

worthless to

me.

Why?

Because

meanwhile,

you're killing

each other,

living wicked

lives,

doing all

kinds of

evil deeds

and perverting

justice.

You're

oppressing

the weak.

You're taking

advantage of

others.

You're doing

nothing to

help the

needy,

the orphan,

the widow.

That's how you

live, and then

you come to my

temple and do

all these

religious

things.

You observe

the Sabbaths

and you

offer

sacrifices.

That kind

of obedience,

if you can

even call it

that, doesn't

do anything

for me.

Your

religiosity is

just a show.

Stop pretending

to have a

relationship with

me when you

don't.

These are

sobering

words.

God doesn't

want us to

pray and

read our

Bibles and

go to church

every week

and give

10% of

our income

to the

church as

a sort of

token of

our religious

affiliation

with him.

Meanwhile,

our hearts

are far

from him.

This is

what the

Pharisees

were doing.

And Jesus

saw right

through it.

He knew

what they

were thinking.

and he

knows what

we're

thinking.

He knows

what's really

in our

hearts.

If we

think we

can keep

God happy

by just

doing enough

of his

stuff,

going to

church,

reading our

Bibles,

praying,

keeping the

Sabbath,

giving 10%,

we're wrong.

We can't

fool God.

No.

God wants

a real,

vibrant,

personal

relationship

with you.

He wants

our hearts.

He is

full of

compassion

and love

for us.

He is

the Jesus

who stood

up to the

Pharisees

and healed

the man

with the

withered

hand.

God.

And that's

why he

has come

to do

good to

us and

to save

us.

He calls

us to

repent and

believe in

him.

He calls

us to

surrender

our lives

to him

and own

him as

Lord.

And he

will not

tolerate

religious

pretenders

for very

long.

God

will not

The way

the Pharisees

and the

teachers

of the

law

abused

the

people

under

the guise

of

religious

observance

made

Jesus

very,

very angry

and upset.

just like

it did

long ago

in Israel's

history

when God

said,

your new

moon

feast

and your

appointed

festivals,

your

Sabbaths

and your

convocations

I hate

with all

my being.

But what

did God

say right

after that

long ago

through Isaiah?

He denounced

their worthless

religiosity,

he told them

he hated it

and then he

said this,

come now,

let's settle

the matter.

Though your

sins are

like scarlet,

they shall

be white

as snow.

Though they

are as

red as

crimson,

they shall

be like

wool.

God is

eager to

wash us

clean of

our moral

filth,

our pride,

our selfishness,

our self-righteousness.

He is eager

to forgive.

That's

why he

sent

Jesus.

He came

to be

the sacrifice

needed to

secure the

forgiveness of

our sins,

to save our

lives,

because we

were utterly

shriveled

and withered

by sin.

He came to

restore us

and give us

life.

So I want to

end with this

question.

have you

surrendered

your whole

heart and

life to

Jesus,

this

compassionate

Savior?

Or

do you

intend to

go on

pretending

like the

Pharisees

while pushing

Jesus away?

Father in

heaven,

please do

your good

work in

our hearts

through

your word.

I pray

that we

would not

go untouched

by these

words,

that we

would be

stirred to

faith and

to love

for you,

true love,

true faith.

we thank

you that

you are

compassionate

and merciful,

an amazing,

beautiful,

glorious God,

and we

love you.

I pray

this in

Jesus'

name.

Amen.