What is Permitted

Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”  Luke 6:9 (NIV)

It may be difficult for us to place ourselves there that day in the synagogue.  Do we have trouble imagining it?  All the people are gathered around.   Everyone is looking at Jesus.  There is a man with a crippled hand in the crowd.  Some are looking to see if Jesus will heal this man.  Are we curious too?  Are there some who just want to see Him do something amazing?  Are there some who are looking for a way to disprove Him?  But the man is definitely in need of help.  Jesus makes the man stand up in front of us all.  Can Jesus read what is going on in our questioning hearts?  Obviously He has seen that some are not looking for Jesus to impress them.  It looks as if some do not want to give Jesus the chance to be the Son of God He claims to be.  They want Jesus to perform a miraculous act, but not for the wonder and amazement of it.  They do not want to see Jesus help another person so that they can praise God in Heaven.  Is it because they refuse to let go of the perceptions they have of God and the world around them?  Would they lose the opportunity to be brought closer to God in wonder, because they struggle to accept who Jesus claims to be?

What about us?  Why are we here?  As we sit amongst those who witness Jesus´ movements and words, what is going on in our minds?  How are we approaching Him?  Have we come to be amazed?  Are we anxiously looking to Him to see what wonder He will perform?  Are we holding desperately to our pre-conceived ideas?  Would we hold onto our grip of reality?  Or are we opening ourselves to the possibility of His words?  Would we see His healing acts and be able to wonder after the love and power of God on High?  Do we see just a man?  Or do we allow the mystery of Him and His action sink below the surface of our soul?  Can we search our hearts in honesty?  Would we like to know just how we are taking what we experience of Christ?

As we look at Jesus, we can see He is amazed at the unbelief He finds in the hearts of those around Him.  He seems astonished that people refuse to give God the ability or credit for working out His wonders amongst His people.  So He tells the man with the crippled hand to show it to us.  As He does, right before our eyes even if we are only reading of it, his health is restored.  A miracle!  A man who was once crippled in life is made whole again.  Now it is time for our reaction.  What do we do?  How do we take it?  Do we hold as tight as we can to what we believed to be true before?  Do we desperately cling to what we thought was possible and not possible?  Or do we give the right to God to define what He can and can´t do?  Do we open our hearts and let what we experience of Him to bring us to His feet in wonder and amazement?  Are we so moved that we want to come closer to Him?

Dear Jesus, say the Word.  Give the command that the healing arm of God is put into motion once again.  But help us please!  Our hearts have clung long and hard to what we conceive is possible.  Yet now we have come into Your Presence.  Will we be able to accept what we experience here?  Will You help open our hearts to what You can do in our lives?  Will we hold everything in cold understanding of theory and science?  Or will our souls open to Your movements?  Will we be moved today?  Can our hearts experience the wonder and excitement of watching You at work?  Please help us with our disbelief.  Show us our intentions?  Impress upon us just how deep this miracle You would perform may affect us.  Let the healing begin in our lives we pray.

Amen