1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come here." 4 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. 5 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. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

The Pharisees Stubbornness

It is amazing how religious leaders would not answer Jesus' questions. He'd asked, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" (4). And they responded with silence (4). I mean, the answer was so obvious, but they couldn't bring themselves to respond. They couldn't confess it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good.

We saw this problem last week when Jesus and his disciples walked through the fields, plucking heads of grain. The Pharisees accused them of reaping a harvest on the Sabbath day. The system they had built around the Sabbath-day was restrictive and incompatible with God's intention that the Sabbath be a life-giving experience.

Love vs. Religion

What happened to these religious leaders? What corrupting influence had gotten ahold of their hearts? What made them so stiff, rigid, stubborn, and immovable? I mean, even the smallest child could answer Jesus' questions correctly. The Sabbath was a day for life-giving good, not life-killing harm. Everyone knows that, but these men could not bring themselves to think that way. Why? What happened to them?

Slowly, over time, their love for God was replaced with love for their religion. In other words, their traditions and interpretations had become the irreplaceable objects of their affection. They weren't there for God, but for tedious religious practices that gave them a sense of self-approval and holiness. And, as they loved their little legalistic methods, they became blind.

Paul described them well:

"They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart." (Ephesians 4:18, ESV).

You see, though God had prescribed the Sabbath and the sacrificial system for Israel, these men had forgotten what all of it was about. They were meant to have a society that honored God -- complete with Sabbaths, festivals, sacrifices, and a thriving priesthood -- as a witness to the surrounding nations. Their love for God was meant to be contagious. Abraham's seed was to be a blessing to the whole world.

God had warned them religiosity should not replace true godliness. He'd said it this way:

"I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6, NLT).

"No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8, NLT).

The Anger of Jesus

But, for the religious leaders, love had been displaced by religiosity and tradition. And this angered Jesus. Yes, that's what I said. Jesus was mad. Mark said, "And he looked around at them with anger (5).

Why? Because he was grieved at their hardness of heart (5). Jesus' anger grew out of what he knew -- that they'd become so hardhearted, so entrenched, so fossilized in their traditions that not even the radical presence of the Holy Son of God could shake them from their ways! So he was angry. It was righteous anger. Anger without sin (Ephesians 4:26).

The Holiest Man in the Room

In Jesus, we see the heart of God. He hates dead religion. He hates forms and traditions that get in the way of loving people.

You see, Jesus was the holiest man in the room. He was pure. He never sinned. Every thought and intention and feeling of Jesus was submitted to his Father in heaven.

And, in his holiness, Jesus cared for the man. In Matthew's account of this story, we learn that Jesus said,

"Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." (Matthew 12:11–12, ESV).

This man was Jesus' sheep! He was more valuable than a sheep! In all his holiness, Jesus knew it was time for him to do good for this man. And the fact the Pharisees could not approve of such a good and loving action, all because of some twisted respect for their interpretation of the Sabbath, angered Jesus. Because God is angered by dead religion.

Jesus said the most important commandment is that we love God. And he said a second is closely tied to the first, that we love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:29-31). He loved God, and that love flowed into love for the man with the withered hand. That's true holiness. And God is angered by dead religion that blocks us from the holy life of loving God and others.

My Question

I wonder if many believers have fallen into dead religiosity? I wonder if many have not sought God personally, but have succumbed to lifeless tradition? I wonder if God will use this season of sheltering in place and social distancing to revitalize many of his people? And I wonder if God is waking some of his people up to real holiness?

Peter says the church is a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Revelation says we are a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:6, 5:9-10). When Jesus saves you by his blood, you gain his position. He is the great high priest who brings you to God. So now, we have access to God and are his representatives here on earth.

On the one hand, the priesthood of all believers is a delicate doctrine to address in our era. Some have used it as a way to invent unbiblical doctrines, an I-can-do-what-I-want-because-God-told-me-so attitude. Others have used the doctrine to remove themselves from church life and leadership, a the-church-is-the-people-so-we-don't-need-the-institution-of-the-church attitude.

In individualistic societies like ours, the priesthood of all believers is often dealt with gingerly by pastors and teachers because they understand their audience. Western believers often look for any excuse to express themselves and regard all institutions with suspicion. In other words, we don't need much convincing that we can go to God directly.

But, on the other hand, the reason I bring it up today is that many, while believing in the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, have given up on it for practical purposes. They believe they can go directly to God. They believe they are his representative on earth. But in practice, they live as if God is only accessible at their church, and their church leaders are the only ones called to represent God here on earth. When we fall into this rut, we try to live off of a couple of sermons a month, a couple of life groups a month and believe only our pastors should have holy lives.

So perhaps we need to be refreshed in the reality that every person covered by the blood of Jesus can enjoy God and be his representative here on earth.

Let us say: We love our churches. We follow our church leaders. We pray for the expansion of the church here on earth. We will not forsake the assembly. We will serve and give. We will faithfully attend, serve, participate in, and give to our church. But we will not let tradition or religion get in the way of our walk with God or obedience to him! We will let this time of separation stretch us and train us in our priesthood before God!

Next week, we will conclude by turning our attention to the man with the withered hand. What can we learn from him?