21st January 2015 This episode from the Gospel of Mark narrates the final incident in the conflict between Jesus and the prevailing religious authority, who now plot to eliminate him. How is it that these conflicts precipitated such drastic measures against Jesus? What did he do to produce such determined and deadly opposition? Before healing the man, Jesus poses the question: “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath; to save life or to kill?” In the healing of the man, we have the answer: Jesus cuts through the justifying rationale behind Sabbath regulations, the arguments for their cultural importance, and the logic employed for the norms of social order. Preserving life – physical and spiritual – comes first. Jesus, through his words and actions, challenges the morbid portrayal of God as distant, always needing to be propitiated through sacrifice and strict adherence to the law. Jesus presents God as ABBA, our loving Father: healing, forgiving and certainly not demanding. But most important, he tells us that God, our Father, is accessible to all.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 05:36:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015