The Questions Jesus Asked Part 17
This week in our Questions Jesus Asked series we are looking at a question Jesus asks in Mark Chapter 3, “Which is lawful on the sabbath….”? We are going to talk about living out this life in Christ. The question we need to ask ourselves is. “will we be relationship people or rule followers”?
Mark 3:1-6 (NIV)
1 Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” 4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Can you see the difference in this passage between being relational versus being a rule follower? Jesus cared about the man with the shriveled hand (relational). The Pharisees cared about the rules (rule follower). The Pharisees were so stuck in rule following that they couldn’t rejoice with the man who was healed. All they could do was conspire to kill Jesus. I often wonder how often we miss Jesus because we are stuck in our own rule following.
It seems to me that something happens after we get saved. We realize how amazing this free gift of life is and then we start thinking we have to perform to keep it. I think we have to keep getting back to the realization that is God who made us alive in Christ.
Colossians 2:13-15 (NIV)
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
God did it. We didn’t. We couldn’t make ourselves alive. But somehow after we come into His life, we think that it is up to us. So we come up with rules. Then we start trying to figure out how to bend them while at the same time judging people who don’t live up to them. What a mess.
In the passage above Paul is writing to the church in Colosse. They have responded to the good news. They have heard that Jesus died for their sins on the cross, according to the scriptures, that He was buried, and that He defeated death and rose again according to the scriptures. They have responded in faith to the good news. Because of that God made them alive with Christ.
Here’s the question: How did you get in? Did you get in because you got your doctrine right? Did you get in because you got your theology right? You got in because you believed that Jesus died on a cross for you and He rose again on the third day, So, you believe that and you’re in.
I am not saying that doctrine isn’t important. I am not saying that theology isn’t important. I am not saying that we can just go ahead and do whatever we feel like doing. What I want you to hear is that if we make all these things more important than the simple gospel message, we start preaching about them instead of preaching the gospel. And the gospel is the power of God for salvation. There is some fascinating stuff we are going to look at as we tie this all into our question about the sabbath, so be sure to join us in-person or online at Keys Vineyard Church this weekend.
“The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much.”
Oswald Chambers
Steve Lawes is a church encourager and the lead pastor of Keys Vineyard Church.
