Jesus didn't hide

Scripture

 

Mark 3: 3 “Jesus said to the man, “Come and stand in front of everyone””.

 

Observation

 

Everyone was trying to catch Jesus out. This would surely be the moment that he would break a religious law and his enemies would have the evidence they needed to discredit him. Jesus notices this man with a deformed hand in the doorway of the Synagogue. I imagine that compassion and mercy confronted Jesus for the plight of this fellow. Perhaps the reason the man was in the Synagogue was to seek God’s healing for his condition? Jesus immediately knew that healing would come to this man today. But how would he do it? He could have taken the man into a secret place and healed him, which would’ve drawn no attention. But not today. Jesus was determined to agitate the religious leaders. He brings the man out in front of everyone and heals him before the gapping throng. No hidden miracle, no undercover power – a blatant declaration of the power and equality of God toward humanity.

 

Application

 

There are many issues and situations that contradict and discredit the authenticity and veracity of the Christian faith in our society today. Most of this is done in the light of modernism and being relevant to our current societies accepted behaviour. It’s so easy to just give in and decide that raising the Christian position on many of the blatantly anti-Christian ideas accepted by our society is just too difficult and personally confronting. Perhaps we’ve decided that the personal cost of standing up for the values we espouse in private create a level of opposition that we aren’t prepared to accept? But this scripture today helps me to see that Jesus was confronting the same attitudes in his day and he didn’t baulk nor hide from the need to declare openly the inappropriateness of human legalism or misguided religious piety. I am confronted by the brazenness of Jesus’ action in this passage and am challenged to inspect my level of commitment to the Christian ethic and the eroding of biblical standards that I have allowed to proceed in my community unhindered.

 

Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for so often keeping my mouth closed in fear of the response of others. The actions you showed in the face of your enemies who sought to discredit and attack your integrity helps give me a reference to the degree of passion you have for the values of heaven. May I be endowed with the same passion to stand for the biblical values our society so desperately needs and may I find my voice in those times when something needs to be said.

 

 

Jim Jung