Sunday Sermon Summary: withered

Last updated on: October 17, 2010 at 12:57 pm by David Hayward

Sunday Sermon Summary: withered 2010-10-17T12:57:49-04:00 David Hayward

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Today’s sermon summary is taken from Mark 3: 1-6. It’s the story of the man who entered the synagogue with the withered hand, and they watched to see if Jesus was going to heal him or not so that they might accuse him. (This is free for you to use if you wish.)

I want to just highlight a few of its aspects that I think are very important.

The first is that the authorities are more concerned about what is right and wrong than what can heal or harm. They sincerely believe that their scrupulous attention to order matters and is in the best interest of the people. Certainly they genuinely presume their codes improve quality of life. But they are living in another categorical set that Jesus soon asserts actually kills. It isn’t about what is right or wrong, but what gives life or kills it. This attitude is the prevalent weakness in all institutions when propriety, rules and convention come before the wellbeing of the person. The principalities, powers, authorities and thrones incline to invest more into protocol than the person.
Next, Jesus teaches that assigning priority to propriety over the person is not just another categorical set operating independently from life as an objective critique of the same, but is actually an instrument of death. There is no neutral higher ground that the authorities may occupy in order to evaluate the spiritual health of their people. You are either helping or harming. You are either healing or hurting. You are either giving life or killing. What angered Jesus wasn’t the existence of the Sabbath laws, but how the observance of these laws actually authorized some to clinically watch others suffer and to unconsciously use them as bait to expose lawbreakers. It excused them from action. It even excused them from honest speech! Jesus says that this inaction and silence is paramount to murder.
The popular phrase “hardness of heart” (v. 5) is packed with meaning here because just before this Mark writes that Jesus became angry and was filled with grief. Anger and grief are two powerful emotions that Jesus apparently wasn’t afraid to exhibit. Unlike his adversaries who coldly watch from an indifferent distance, who are inactive, who are silent, and who don’t feel anything but murderous intellectual provocation when a rule is broken, Jesus was openly angry and heartbroken all in one sentence. Jesus lived in close proximity with the suffering, the sick and the sinful. He touched them. He got angry for them. He felt grief for them. He didn’t just advocate for them. He helped them.

This whole package of complete but illegal involvement with and investment in the suffering man’s life is what finally tipped the scales of the authorities against him so early in his career. They didn’t just want to end Jesus’ ministry, but destroy him and forever crush the opposition. Which shouldn’t surprise us, because we’ve just learned that their lack of concern for the man with the withered hand was also paramount to destroying him. Despite their best intentions, their whole raison d’être was about the destructive dehumanization of the person. Whatever didn’t fit into the code had to be destroyed. Against this Jesus lived. And for it died.

Get my book. It also has commentary on many of the cartoons.

Get fine art cartoon prints & original art.
Get my t-shirts.
Please join my newsletter.

Previous Post

October 17, 2010

prayer from the cell: elude

Next Post

October 18, 2010 cartoon: things go better

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category art cartoons cartoons 2 freebie music one minute message podcast Sophia teaching technology thought

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 March 2006 February 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was Cornelius' profession?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Fisherman Roman centurion Carpenter Shepherd