Gospel: Mark 3:1-6
Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered
hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath so
that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up
here before us.” Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the
sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But
they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their
hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched
it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took
counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.
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Reflection:
Do you strictly observe the law or you sometimes bend the law
so that the mercy, love and compassion of Jesus could be seen through you?
The question of observing the Sabbath day crops up again in the gospel. And
Jesus proves once again that it is far more important for Him to make a
big difference in the lives of the people. Than observe the Sabbath day as what
He did when He cured a man with a withered hand amidst the protestation of the
Pharisees.
The gospel is silent if the sick man had faith but he was obedient, when
Jesus told him: “Come up here.” He simply followed without question. Our
obedience to the teachings of the good Lord can do us a lot of good if only we
would learn to follow it.
Jesus was also aware of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He knew that they
were there to watch and denounce His every move. For the simple reason that He
was slowly becoming a threat to their dominance in their society.
In the same manner, Jesus is also aware of our own hypocrisy towards Him.
If we are only using His name to gain dominance and popularity in our
respective field of influence. And if we are only using His name to advance our
own selfish interest. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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