Mark 3:1-6, Mark 1:14-15, Mark 2:23-28, Genesis 2:2-3, Matthew 11:28-30

Glyn Barrett urges us not to miss the GOOD NEWS

Glyn Barrett

"Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there. 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. Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone." 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. 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. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus." (Mark 3:1-6)

The Pharisees had, for a period of time, been looking to find something to pin on Jesus that could lead to his imprisonment, or his death. Here, they found him doing something that was potentially a breach of the law; something that had some substance.

The Pharisees had clearly missed the point of the law. Jesus corrected their error, but this new thread of evidence against Jesus meant that there was no chance of them backing down, and so they persisted in their accusations.

Ironically, the Pharisees had a deep desire to please God. Their passionate, persistent upholding of the law was, in their eyes, the ultimate evidence of living a life pleasing to him. However, they had become deceived in thinking that fulfilling the law was the highest call. Jesus himself said that man was not created for the law but rather that the law was created for man. For the Pharisees, it was irrelevant what Jesus was doing to override the law; their only concern was an obsessive quest to follow it to the exact letter.

This is the principle difference between a religious person (the Pharisees), and a person who has a living, genuine relationship with God. It is vital that we continue in a vibrant relationship with him and do not allow ourselves to become simply religious, doing our Christian duty but missing the point completely.

There are a few key differences between a religious person and a person living in right relationship with the Father. Religious people tend to observe the following patterns: -

1. They misunderstand GOOD NEWS

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:14-15).

In the Ancient Greek wars, the great battle of Marathon had been fought between the Greeks and the Spartans. After the battle had been won, the good news of this victory was being spread to all the people. The GOOD NEWS was that someone had fought for them, and won! GOOD NEWS is very different to GOOD ADVICE. Good advice is something to try to live up to, and can potentially weigh you down with burden. GOOD NEWS however is a celebration of something already accomplished.

Religious People fall into the trap of thinking that religion is based on 'the gospel' being merely good advice. The Gospel of Jesus however, is nothing to do with what YOU CAN DO, but everything to do with what HE HAS ALREADY DONE FOR YOU! It's not based on your ability to be good, rather it is based on the fact that HE IS GREAT!

2. They focus on the detail

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." (Mark 2:23-28).

Jesus is teaching his disciples that a life motivated only to comply with rules and regulations is no life at all. Put simply, it's 'the spirit of the thing' that's important, not the letter of the law. Truly, most world religions are based on a person trying to attain a standard in order to receive God's approval. Christianity is totally different. There are not a series of rules that you must comply to in order to be IN! This is about what he has done for you so you can be accepted!

3. They don't live in a place of rest

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." (Genesis 2:2-3).

God demonstrates our need for rest at the very beginning of the Bible. Jesus reminds his followers of this in Mark 2; the word Sabbath means 'deep rest'. For us today, Jesus is the deep rest. He calls all who find themselves in a state of unrest (physically, emotionally or spiritually), to spend time in relationship with him to discover what it means to recharge, and find full approval in the process.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

There's rest that we need on a deeper level than simply having a break from our work. We need rest from self-justification. Isaiah 9:6 confirms that Jesus is our 'Prince of Peace' - we need to spend time in God's presence in order to simply say "it's good, I'm done". This is true rest.