Mar 3 - "Crossing the Line"

Mark 3:1-6 -- “Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come forward.’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.”

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Today, we get to see Jesus taking things to a whole new level.

We are encouraged by the boldness we see in Jesus. This scene in the Synagogue could not have been any better scripted by Hollywood or more perfectly orchestrated by Martin Scorsese.

I can picture Jesus striding confidently into the temple, taking each step towards His divine purpose with a single-mindedness we can barely understand. He stops briefly, seeing the man with the withered hand and walks over to him, a slight smile of peace and love on His face. Asking the man to come forward to meet Him, Jesus speaks boldly, almost mocking the Pharisees, but His words are genuine and true. He is no longer smiling. There is a deafening silence while Jesus awaits their response. But they say nothing, staring at Him in unbelief. Jesus speaks a few simple words with quiet authority and the man is made whole. Their internal conflict is overwhelming, feeling compelled to worship Him as their souls scream out, knowing He is Messiah, but their hardened hearts rule the day. Their traditions and position require them to reject Him. They storm away, leaving to plot His death.

Each of us can be similarly conflicted, many times over the course of our lives. We have the opportunities to be like Jesus; bold, confident in our speech or actions, knowing that we have God on our side. But, alas, we are so often the Pharisees. We witness something beautiful or holy, yet our place in the world almost requires us to ignore it and, in the most dramatic situations, stamp it out. If we are honest with ourselves, we reflect on those times when we missed those opportunities, with great sadness and potentially regret.

Jesus’ purpose was so good and so pure, it did not matter that His actions would bring down the wrath of the authorities. In fact, the fulfilling of His purpose required their wrath and He welcomed it. Are there not also times in our lives when we are required to step forth, ignore and reject the status quo? Times when we know that the action for which we are called may result in certain pain or struggle? What will we choose?

So, move through life with confidence. When we have that opportunity to cross the line, as we are standing there with the choice of stepping forward or shrinking back, think about Jesus. Know that He is standing right beside you, ready to fight the good fight and make miracles happen.