Mark 3:5 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.
The Sabbath starts before sunset on Friday and ends an hour after sunset on Saturday, so it lasts for about 25 hours. The law of Sabbath was instituted to teach the Hebrew slaves the concept of ‘rest’. Under Egyptian bondage for 430 years the Hebrew slaves worked all 7 days of the week, without a break. Hence a day’s break from their normal duties was to rest, rejuvenate and reconnect with their Redeemer God who brought them out of captivity from Egypt. However, the law that was given to alleviate the burden, added stress over a period of time. There were additions made to the 613 commandments of the Mosaic Law. In the Jewish religious law (halakha), Jews are commanded to refrain from performing certain types of work. The focus turned from worshipping God on Sabbath to stringent legalism. The religious leaders walked around in long white robes with canes in their hands to whack anyone who violated the halakha. Healing was also categorized as “work” and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if He would heal the man on the Sabbath day so they could accuse Him (Mark 3:2b).
Jesus was upset and distressed at their callousness. He clearly explained the law of Sabbath, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” (Luke 14:5). The presence of Jesus automatically brought the power of healing into the temple but legalism blinded their eyes from the love of Christ. Worship is the secret to healing. Worship allows the presence and the power of God to invade into our spirit, soul and body healing the broken soul and the physical body. Hence Jesus decided to heal on the Sabbath and rattle the cage of misapprehension, misconception and dogmatism.
God rattles our cage to give us clarity:
1. Truth: The rattling in our life is to set us free from ritualism and to reestablish relationship. When you are accused as a “sinner” for doing what is right and mocked for standing for the truth, don’t give up. Jesus was also attacked when He brought about clarity to the commandments. “Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth as they don’t want their illusions destroyed” – Friedrich Nietzshe. Stand firm.
2. Test: The rattling is the RAT test of our tenacity. Rattling will be uncomfortable but rattling is to remove ritualistic routines and replace it with a rational relationship with the Lord. The test will prove if we want to be accepted by the crowd or to honour God. Stand tenaciously.
- Turpitude: Rattling will bring radical revolution and remove turpitude. Jesus asked the people, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?” But they said nothing to answer him (Mark 3:4). Truth will defeat turpitude. Stand tall.
God rattles the cage to reestablish the truth.
Mark 3:6 Then the Pharisees left and began making plans with the Herodians about a way to kill Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, give me the same fervor that You had to rattle the cage of legalism and reinstate truth in this cruel and callous world. Amen.
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