It's not just the Pharisees Who Get it Wrong.....

Mark 3:1-6

This is a telling statement from this short passage:

"Some of them [that would be the Jewish elite] were looking for a way to accuse Jesus...."  (v 2a).

They weren't going to the synagogue with open minds, looking forward to hearing what this new, revolutionary Rabbi had to say.  Oh, no.  They had an agenda, and that agenda was clear:

"Then [after he healed the man with the shriveled hand on the Sabbath] the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus." (v. 6, emphasis added).

The Pharisees were protecting their turf.  They were the ruling elite for the Jews, who had been under Roman rule for at least 200 years.  They had cut their deal with their captors, and they were in charge of Jewish laws, Jewish observances, and Jewish customs.  The Jews were a minority in Rome, but at least they were allowed to practice their faith - as long as the Pharisees kept them in line, which was not always easy to do.

Along comes Jesus, who heals on the Sabbath.....who pays attention to tax collectors.....who insists that children are part of the kingdom of God.....who gives honor and dignity to women.....who welcomes non-Jews into the kingdom (the Centurion, the woman at the well, etc.).

It's easy to see why Jesus threatened the status quo.  Before I beat up the Pharisees too much, however, let me take a few moments and examine my own heart.  When I open my Bible, am I eager to see what God has for me?  Do I greet each day asking him to guide me?  Am I open to the Holy Spirit's leading?  Or am I so caught up in my agenda, in the world's prizes, that I ignore what God has for me?

Lord, you came to give me life and to give it abundantly.  Thank you for this indescribable gift of eternal life.   Forgive me when I put my agenda first.  Help me to look to you, the author and perfecter of my faith.  Amen.