What Do You See in Jesus?

And they watched him so that they might accuse him. (Mark 3:2)

Mark 3:1-6; Matt. 10:34, 22:15, and 27:12; Luke. 8:36, 11:53-54, 14:1, and 20:20

What Is God Saying?

It is wrong to say that wherever Jesus went there was peace. His presence and His message were not always welcome. Sometimes He stirred up controversy and awakened hostility. In this early chapter of Mark, we find that Jesus and the Pharisees are at odds.

These teachers of the law were so suspicious and jealous that they watched Him, asking, Is it possible that He would desecrate the Sabbath by performing a work of compassion and healing? Jesus wanted to be a blessing to all who suffered anywhere anytime. They wanted to catch Him in the act. They were there in the synagogue, the front seats, of course, not to worship, not to learn, but to accuse, to criticize. That was their responsibility and they brought to it a fanatic devotion.

To the Pharisees, all work was forbidden on the Sabbath. To heal was to work. Even a fractured bone could not be attended to on that day. A cut finger might be bandaged but no ointment could be applied. On the Sabbath, an injury might be kept from getting worse but it must not be made better. This was the legal trivia that assumed such importance. Such was the awful crime of the compassionate Healer. They saw in Jesus someone who might break the Sabbath. Jesus saw in the man with the withered hand someone who might be helped. God's great love triumphed over human petty jealousies and pathetic self-importance. It always does.

How Does This Apply To Us?

We all see something in Jesus. Those who wanted to trap Him and His followers watched Him to find flaws. We watch Him for all the different reasons. We watch to learn. We watch to rejoice. We watch to receive inspiration and blessing. That is what we see in Jesus. We see One whose love brings help to the troubled, One who looks beyond man's faults and sees his need.

What do we see in Jesus? Are we among those who watch suspiciously or those who believe implicitly? Is our priority the keeping of little laws or the sharing of a great love? Do we stress correctness over compassion?

Pray With Me

Lord, in the beauty and strength of love You walked among men. With great compassion, You healed the sick. You lifted from tired spirits the burden of pain. You removed from sightless eyes the curtain of darkness. Yet the Pharisees watched in order to accuse. Let their example move me away from pride. Teach me it is mercy You require and not sacrifice.

• They watched in order to accuse. I would watch in order to imitate.

• To them Your love was a threat to power. To me, Your love will be the source of power.

• To them Your caring was a roadblock to thwart their prejudices. To me, Your caring will be a trail blazed, a road cleared, a way whose end is peace.

• To them Your healing of a withered hand meant the raising of their good hands in judgment. To me let the sight of a hand restored constrain my own hands to selfless service.

Then, Lord, as You had to deal with the barb of suspicion and the indignati0n of jealousy, let me take heart that for Your sake, and engaged in Your work, I will encounter misunderstanding and resistance and disapproval even when I am trying to do good.

Let others watch to accuse, Lord, so long as I may know that You are watching to approve. In this, I will find the strength to go on. In this, I will find my joy in going on.

For the sake of Him who one day will speak the words, I am waiting to hear, Well done, good and faithful servant. Amen.

Moving On In The Life of Prayer

Prayer is the time we look unto Jesus. His example helps us run with patience the race that is set before. His selfless love is the inspiration for all our relationships with all people. The same touch that healed the withered hand causes our withered spirits to grow and blossom. Prayer is when we seek and find in Jesus

• the answer to all our needs,

• the source of all our hope,

• the reason, the substance, and the goal of all true Life