The cross above Good Shepherd Chapel

Day

8

God’s Anger, God’s Compassion

Lent 2020

Read Mark 2:23-3:6

23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" 25 And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" 27 And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath." 1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come here." 4 And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Yep, Mark said it. Jesus looked around with anger. We don’t typically think of Jesus in this way. We are always ready to talk about His love, His compassion, His kindness. We may even recognize the reality of His disappointment or frustration, but anger? Yet this is the righteous response we should expect in this situation.

It is the response of the God of love who watches humanity so infected with sin that our natural tendency is to reject God’s grace because it means relying on him alone and we would rather depend on ourselves. It is the response of the God of compassion who watches as even his gracious gifts (like the Sabbath), meant to free and restore, are perverted with rules and regulations that only further enslave. It is the response of the God of kindness who watches some individuals not only enslave themselves but wrongly bind and burden the consciences of others.

Prayer

Lord, remind me each day of your unfailing grace emboldening me to abandon all dependence on myself and lean fully on your mercy. Amen.

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