I really love when the Bible catches us off guard. When we read something or see something or something within the text gets us in a way that we do not expect.

When we see something unfold in the text the we didn’t see coming.

Like what we read today in Mark 3:1-5. Listen to this text and see if the same thing that hit me hits you:

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

We see Jesus come into synagogue, a place of Jewish teaching. And we see people plotting against Jesus, because it was in the man-made law (not the Old Testament law) that people were restricted from work on the Sabbath. Why? Because one of the Commandment is to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. It should be a time of rest. But, the religious leaders had moved this to a commandment that had far exceeded its actual religious purpose and had moved it to just straight legalism and control.

So, Jesus is there, and he says, is it against the law to help someone?  And they are silent. And there it is.

“He looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart.” Jesus got angry! Didn’t see that one coming! He got angry.

We have this milk toast image of Jesus as just laid back, smiling, walking around, always happy, not very passionate, just kind of there. Today, it says when He was confronted by folks that would rather observe a man-made law than would help someone, He got angry.

Because they valued man-made laws and regulations over the true law of God. What is that true law? To love God and love neighbor. Jesus valued people over everything. That’s why He came. And that’s what He longs to teach us.

To value people over everything.

And they didn’t. The valued their rules over people. And it grieved Him. And it made Him angry.

Today, as the people of God, seeing others hurt should make us angry. Seeing children with no food to eat should make us angry. Seeing women and children abused should make angry. Seeing sin run rampant in the world should make us angry.

But, we can’t just get angry. We must do something about it. Jesus just didn’t get angry. He healed the man.

Today, these things that make you angry, these things of injustice and hurt. What are you going to do about them?

How are we going to act to help someone today? For in doing that, we are really living out the law that God wants us to live. And we are making a difference in for the kingdom.

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