<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 3;1-6<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.</b></div><div><b>2. &nbsp; And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him.</b></div><div><b>3. &nbsp;And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come here.”</b></div><div><b>4. &nbsp;And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?” &nbsp;But they were silent.</b></div><div><b>5. &nbsp;And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” &nbsp;He stretched it&nbsp;out, and his hand was restored.</b></div><div><b>6. &nbsp;The Pharisees went out, and immediately held counsel with the Herodi-ans against him, how to destroy him.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>In essence, the ongoing contention between Jesus and&nbsp;the Pharisees (and rulers of the Jews) over true sabbath observance, is a matter of who&nbsp;is the greater authority? &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Pharisees considered themselves the true experts in interpreting the law of God. &nbsp;As the ‘true experts’ therefore they were the rightful rulers of the people. &nbsp;(Holding on to worldly&nbsp;power and authority made them rich, comfortable, and full of pompous&nbsp;pride.) &nbsp;Further, their position of power&nbsp;enabled them to serve as buffers between the common rebellious&nbsp;Jew in the streets and the Romans. &nbsp;So long as the Romans could use the Jewish authorities to control the people, the Jewish authorities themselves felt secure. &nbsp;(see, John 11;47&amp;48)</div><div><br></div><div>The Pharisees were <i>“The blind leading the blind.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 15;13&amp;14) &nbsp;Jesus knew the law better than the Pharisees, He is the Author of the law, and he knows its’ purpose and intent. &nbsp;The law is given us as a blessing for good. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>When the LORD gave the law, <i>“You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”</i>&nbsp; (Genesis 2;17) &nbsp;He gave it so that man may have life and not death. &nbsp;As we keep the law, we honor God our Father and&nbsp;find life. &nbsp;To break the law means separation from the Father and&nbsp;death.</div><div><br></div><div>We are all, by nature ‘law-breakers’ doomed to die. &nbsp;But, from the beginning, God desired us to have life. &nbsp;Therefore the true keeping of the law gives life. &nbsp;The Pharisees did not understand this, and it made Jesus both <i>“angry” </i>and <i>“grieved” &nbsp; </i>They should have known the truth. &nbsp;He was standing before them. &nbsp;Jesus is the world’s greatest theologian. &nbsp;All authority belongs to Him. &nbsp;<i>“I </i>(Jesus) <i>came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” </i>(John 10;10)</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus said, “<i>He who seeks to save his life, will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 16;25)</div><div><br></div><div>Is it not a wonder that the Pharisees were plotting to kill Jesus, thinking if they did, they would keep their lives? &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Even today, people are still rejecting God’s law, thinking by doing so they will have life. &nbsp;Instead, they are blindly walking toward the bottomless pit.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;O most merciful Heavenly Father, Your Word of law is truth, deliver us from the deceptions of our enemies the devil, this world, and our flesh, (our reliance upon our feelings and human reason, in defiance of your perfect truth, shown to us in Your law.) &nbsp;Bless us dear Father to <i>“Trust in You with <u>all</u>&nbsp;our heart and not depend on our own understanding.” &nbsp;</i>(Proverbs 3;5&amp;6) &nbsp;Your Word to us is the authoritative truth. &nbsp;Your Word to us is Jesus, the One alone who kept the whole law for us. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 3;1-6
1.  Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.2.   And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him.3.  And he said to the man who had 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 a 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 Herodi-ans against him, how to destroy him.
In essence, the ongoing contention between Jesus and the Pharisees (and rulers of the Jews) over true sabbath observance, is a matter of who is the greater authority?   
The Pharisees considered themselves the true experts in interpreting the law of God.  As the ‘true experts’ therefore they were the rightful rulers of the people.  (Holding on to worldly power and authority made them rich, comfortable, and full of pompous pride.)  Further, their position of power enabled them to serve as buffers between the common rebellious Jew in the streets and the Romans.  So long as the Romans could use the Jewish authorities to control the people, the Jewish authorities themselves felt secure.  (see, John 11;47&48)
The Pharisees were “The blind leading the blind.”  (Matthew 15;13&14)  Jesus knew the law better than the Pharisees, He is the Author of the law, and he knows its’ purpose and intent.  The law is given us as a blessing for good.  
When the LORD gave the law, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  (Genesis 2;17)  He gave it so that man may have life and not death.  As we keep the law, we honor God our Father and find life.  To break the law means separation from the Father and death.
We are all, by nature ‘law-breakers’ doomed to die.  But, from the beginning, God desired us to have life.  Therefore the true keeping of the law gives life.  The Pharisees did not understand this, and it made Jesus both “angry” and “grieved”   They should have known the truth.  He was standing before them.  Jesus is the world’s greatest theologian.  All authority belongs to Him.  “I (Jesus) came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10;10)
Jesus said, “He who seeks to save his life, will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  (Matthew 16;25)
Is it not a wonder that the Pharisees were plotting to kill Jesus, thinking if they did, they would keep their lives?  
Even today, people are still rejecting God’s law, thinking by doing so they will have life.  Instead, they are blindly walking toward the bottomless pit.
Prayer:  O most merciful Heavenly Father, Your Word of law is truth, deliver us from the deceptions of our enemies the devil, this world, and our flesh, (our reliance upon our feelings and human reason, in defiance of your perfect truth, shown to us in Your law.)  Bless us dear Father to “Trust in You with all our heart and not depend on our own understanding.”  (Proverbs 3;5&6)  Your Word to us is the authoritative truth.  Your Word to us is Jesus, the One alone who kept the whole law for us.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”



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