Jesus Couldn’t Wait

Luke 6:1-11
Our reading from Luke for today includes the following: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?’ After looking around at all of them, he said to him, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ [The man] did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:9-11). So why did Jesus heal on the sabbath? Why didn’t he wait until the next day to heal the man’s hand thereby accommodating the Pharisees and abiding by the law? Wouldn’t that have accomplished more for the glory of God by giving his enemies less to complain about?

The answer is that Jesus simply could not wait, nor would he allow himself to be stymied by the negative mindset of those around him. Grace - God’s outpouring of love and redemption - is not a commodity to be meted out on a schedule or made available during “normal business hours.” It abounds. It flows. It overwhelms. Healing takes place according to God’s will, not when the calendar says it should. The law said that no work was to be done on the sabbath, so for some this meant that even God was expected to remain inactive. But in calling men and women to a new relationship with God Jesus challenged these assumptions and showed that God could not be confined temporally, physically, geographically, spiritually, or in any other manner. Jesus showed that in God’s coming reign the doors are always open “for business.”

So what restrictions do we try to put on God according to our customs or our understanding? Into what boxes do we try to try to force God’s grace? Do we demand that God meet our expectations while we go about doing what we want where we want? Jesus healed on the sabbath because it needed to be done and because God wanted it done. Jesus could not wait, nor should we. Sharing the grace and love of God for all people is something that we simply cannot postpone or limit.

Prayer: God of all time and space, we ask for the courage to live as your people, embracing your will for the world while defying the assumptions of those who would like to ration your grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Which Law Are We Talking About?

HK Stewart

Mark 2:23-3:6

This passage in Mark comes after Jesus has been talking about new wineskins for new wine. With old wineskins -- old ways of thinking, old ways of seeing -- the skins will fail, and the wine will be lost. In today’s passage, Jesus is showing his listeners how to think differently about the law. New wineskins for a new way of thinking and behaving. He reminds them -- and us -- that the law is a blueprint for living a blessed life. It is not a tool for one group to use to condemn another.

For Jesus, the law is a way of seeing the Divine in all creation. “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath” (Mark 3:27). He understood how fruitful the law can be when it guides us deeper into God. He also understood how frightful the law can be when it drives us deeper into fear. By the end, Jesus may get credit for restoring a man’s hand, but he also feels grieved at the narrow-mindedness of those in fearful control.

How many times do we not feel grieved at our own narrow-mindedness when the law drives us deeper into fear? How many times do we not feel restored when the law guides us deeper into God?

Prayer: Lord, free us from the fear that divides and guide us toward the joy of knowing you more fully. Amen.

HK Stewart is a Presbyterian elder and member of Westover Hills Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has a BA in English and journalism and an MFA in creative writing. HK writes a daily spiritual blog entitled “Christian Taoism” and has recently begun conducting retreats on creative spirituality. You may find out more about HK and his work at:

Christian Taoism and Gift Spiritual Retreat.

Something Greater

Matthew 12:1-14

According to our gospel reading for today Jesus said to the Pharisees, “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here” (Matthew 12:6). He was talking about himself and about God’s presence in the midst of the people. God’s work in Jesus was far more profound than the religious institutions of that day. In fact a part of Jesus’ ministry was to set the hearts of the people on God and not on religion per se. But few of the Pharisees seem to have understood what was going on. The institution-law and temple-was what they knew, and Jesus was flaunting it.

In fairness we shouldn’t be too hard on the Pharisees. One of the challenges that we must address today is how to serve God in and through the church without letting the church become the focus of our devotion. When we gather to worship we must remember that something greater than the church is there. When we talk about the future, about stewardship, about ministry and evangelism, about what it means to be faithful disciples, we must remember that something greater than the church is there. When we argue about doctrine and about who is more faithful to the scriptures, we must remember that something greater than the church is there. Otherwise we become the Pharisees of our day.

Something greater than the church is here! It is the Spirit of God at work, leading, teaching, building up, challenging, making restless, confounding, inspiring, and doing so much more. If we rely solely on brick and mortar, if we cling to the fellowship that we find so comforting, if we hold tight to “our kind of music” or “our kind of worship” then we will miss the opportunity to join in the magnificent things that God is doing. Truly, something greater than the church is here.

Prayer: Open our eyes, O Lord, and let us see what you are doing and how we might join you in that work. In Jesus’ name. Amen.