Where does your help come from?

I visited Mt Buffalo in the Australian alps recently. It was crisp and cold, gusty and majestic. It reminded me of the greatness of God and the words of the psalm, "I look to the hills, where does my help come from. My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth". (Psalm 121:1-2) There are many things in life which are beyond me. But they are not beyond the care or power of God.

Is this a day to save life or destroy it?

Sometimes we can view God as a cosmic policeman who sets up a long list of rules that we can’t keep. We think that he is just waiting to catch us out and punish us. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it was the religious leaders who acted like that in Jesus’ time. On many occasions they tried to catch him out breaking their rules. They wrongly assumed that God supported their narrow and judgemental approach to life.

On one occasion, a man in need of healing was brought to Jesus on the Sabbath. This was a day set aside to worship and focus on God. The idea was that instead of working, people would take extra time to meet with other believers and remember God’s place in their lives. But the scribes and Pharisees (the religious leaders) added rule upon rule until it was virtually impossible to do everything they thought was necessary to keep God happy on this day.

When Jesus was about to heal the man who had been brought to him on this holy day the religious people frowned and scowled. They were angry that Jesus was going to break one of their rules. So,

“Jesus said to the man, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” 4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.” (Mark 3:3-4 NLT)

The leaders were so blinded by their own pride that they wouldn’t answer Jesus. He went ahead and healed the man anyway. This made them even angrier and spurred them on to want to kill him.

How tragic it is when our beliefs about God lead us to ignore people in need. Sometimes, we may be scared that we will move outside our comfort zone. Or we may be worried about other people disapproving of what we do. It may be that we have a mixed up idea about what is important to God (like the Pharisees). Jesus gives us a clear summary of God’s priorities in this story.

God is concerned about saving life not destroying it. The rules he has set in place are designed to help us live life to the full. They are also there so that we can help other people to find healing and wholeness of life in all its dimensions.

Which person do you most identify with from this story at the moment? Are you the person who needs Jesus to bring wholeness to your life? Are you a religious person standing in judgement of others in need? Or are you seeking to reflect the love and acceptance of Jesus to others?

Which is easier?

I have been thinking recently about some of the questions that Jesus asked. Sometimes they were to challenge the hypocrisy of the religious leaders he met. At other times, they were to encourage people and draw out their faith. Over the coming weeks I’ll reflect on some of these questions. In the beginning of Mark’s gospel we read about an encounter Jesus had with a man who was paralysed. Four of his friends carried him on a stretcher to Jesus believing that he could heal him.

When he was placed in front of Jesus he did not heal him immediately in the way that his friends might have expected. Instead he spoke to him about his sins being forgiven. This angered the religious leaders. They knew that only God had the power and authority to forgive sins. But here was a young carpenter from Nazareth telling the crippled man that his sins were forgiven.

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and spoke it out loud. Mark puts it like this:

“Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man* has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” (Mark 2:8-11 NLT)

The heart of the question Jesus asked was, “Which is easier to forgive someone’s sins or heal their body?” He proved his right and power to forgive sins by also healing the man’s body. Modern psychology and medicine have increasingly become aware that we need to be seen as whole people. A healthy life is not just about a healthy body. We are multi-dimensional beings with physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and social needs. Together these areas of our lives contribute to our health and well-being or lack of it.

Jesus Christ demonstrated his concern for the whole person when he healed the paralysed man. He also showed that he is able to forgive our sins through his God-given power and authority. His death on the cross was the ultimate demonstration of his commitment to bringing the fullness of God’s life to people.

Do you have a friend who needs your help to come near to Jesus? Do you need to hear his words offering you forgiveness and healing?