Then he turned to all those gathered there and said, “Is it against the law to do evil on the Sabbath or to do good? To destroy a life or to save one?” But no one answered him a word.
Then looking around at everyone, Jesus was moved with indignation and grieved by the hardness of their hearts and said to the man, “Now stretch out your hand!” As he stretched out his hand, it was instantly healed!
— Mark 3:4-5 (TPT)
Jesus is showing us in this situation that what matters most is the state of our heart. Are we fixed on getting everything right according to the law or do we allow the spirit to lead us? Love and kindness are to show us the way as Jesus is our example. He cared more about people than being seen as “right”. Of course, he was right because he was led by Love.
When Jesus saw the hardness of the hearts of the religious people, he got angry. He felt what we feel at times. Yet I certainly don’t want this example to cause me to sit in judgment of these people, but instead to make me look at myself and ask, “Am I willing to be led by the need in this instance or by what people think of me?”
It is so easy to want others to think well of us that we give in to pressure from them and fall into the pattern of fitting in rather than doing what we know is the right thing. I have done both.
Several years ago when I was in a grocery store, a man who looked like a bum, dirty and shaggy, approached me and asked a question (he didn’t ask for money). Inside I was cringing because of the way he looked and really wanted to go the other way, but I swallowed that feeling, recovered my sight and was kind to him. He wanted to shake my hand and thank me. My flesh didn’t want to touch him or him to touch me, but I knew Jesus in me wanted to respond in a gentle and kind way. So I wholeheartedly gave him my hand with a big smile. He got behind me in line and continued to interact with me.
What I didn’t realize was that someone was watching this take place. Later when I met this person in a different place, she told me how much what I did made an impression on her. Well, you never know who is watching! That was a time when I let the Spirit lead me and was very thankful. Woohoo when we get it right, but when we don’t, what do we do?
When my flesh wins, I am not to beat myself up. No, I have to realize that God is saying to me, “That’s not who you are! I am not condemning you, only reminding you of your true identity. You are in Me and I am in you. I forgive you so forgive yourself. Remember, you are a new creation. As I am, so are you”. Knowing this, I must willfully let my disappointment in me go and move forward as the new person I am.
I encourage you to follow the leading of the Spirit. However, when you fail, get up, accept forgiveness, let it go and go forward. We are all continuing to grow into this new person we are! Jesus showed us how to do this when he lived here as a human. He is awesome and gives us the ability to be awesome, too.
“He calls me friend.”
He Wants To Provide