Requirements of the Sabbath

Today’s Reading:
• Mark 2:14 - 3:6
• Psalm 36:1 - 12

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Mark 2:14 - 3:6
Jesus once again healed on the Sabbath, which sent those plotting to kill him in an uproar.  Verse 2:27, a verse spoken by Jesus, particularly caught my attention:

"The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath."

 This really spoke to me because I have been pondering the rules of the Sabbath, and what I should and should not do on the day of the week that I celebrate the Sabbath on.  While I do know that I shouldn't do "ordinary" work, I can also now see that the Sabbath is a day for us.  It is a day for us to relax, to honor and reflect upon the Lord, to nourish our souls and our bodies.  It's not some complicated day where I must be careful of everything I do and do not do.  I think I just need to make sure that me and my family are honoring the Lord, and that I am resting and rejuvenating my soul and my body, and that I am nourishing my family and any others who need help as best I can. 

Psalm 36:1 - 12
This Psalm of David talks of how wicked people have no fear of God.  They are conceited and cannot see how wicked they are.  Some even lie awake at night hatching sinful plots.  But the Lord loves those who are faithful and who honor, serve and fear him.  I will end this post with my favorite quote from this Psalm -- Verse 36:9 :

For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.

Truly, I am seeing life out of new eyes with each passing day of study.

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

 Today's Reading:
• Matthew 12:1-21
• Psalm 15:1-5

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Matthew 12:1-21
In this short passage Jesus basically tells us not to be ridiculous about the laws of the Sabbath.  Yes, we are to rest, but if someone needs help you help them.  If you're hungry you eat.  And someone has to run the temples where everyone is coming to worship, right?  Observe the day yet have common sense and do what's right in the end. 

In this case, Jesus completely healed a man's deformed hand on the Sabbath.  Jesus did this in front of the Pharisees, and the response from them was to plot to kill him.  I just don't understand how people can look at a person who is truly performing miracles and then immediately plot to kill that person. 

In the end Jesus moved on before the plots could be completed.  Before he left his followers he healed all the sick who were among them (12:15).  Not just one, not a few, not just the ones who caught his attention -- Jesus healed each and every one of them.  Here he is, on the move because people are trying to kill him, yet he ensures each and every sick person who follows him has been healed.  What does this say for those of us who follow Jesus Christ?  It tells me to put my full trust in the Lord, because those who follow Christ will be completely taken care of -- each and every single person.

Psalm 15:1-5
In Psalm 15 David talks about the character of those who may enter the Lord's presence.  There is a list of things to abide by; things from living a good life (don't we all generally think we are good people?) to not gossiping, to lending money without charging interest.  This Psalm reminds me that I still have a lot of work to do, that even though I do think I'm a good person, I still fall well short of God's standards for me.