Hungry for God: Resistance

“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”—Mark 3:4.

Man in his bent toward evil cares not for the things of God. In fact, religious man is far worse than the natural man, because religious man cares not for the true work of God, but for the rules of man. Keeping rules is more important than seeing the miraculous of the Redeemer for the religious man.

Jesus didn’t coddle the religious, but confronted them in their hypocrisy. One Sabbath, when He went to synagogue, there was a man present with a withered hand. The religious teachers were waiting and watching to see if Jesus would heal him, which they considered to be a violation of Sabbath law because it was considered a work, something that the Jewish law condemned. Knowing their plan, Jesus exposed their hypocrisy by asking them question, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” Work may be a sin, but what Jesus was doing was a divine work of healing, not to mention that God meant for the Sabbath to be a means of blessing, not a legalistic law.

Upon hearing Jesus’ question, the hypocrites were silent because there was nothing to say. Jesus had a way of asking questions that revealed the intent of the heart, and theirs was corrupted. He turned to the man, told him to stretch out his hand, which he did, and it was healed. Knowing that a real work had been done, the Pharisees immediately went and partnered with the Herodians how they might destroy Him.

Whenever a true work is done, there will be resistance, from unbelievers and the religious. The unbelievers can’t stand to see a true a work done, and the religious can’t stand a real work being done in any way that is not according to their way—but God knows no such bounds. He is completely free to do whatever He desires to do, in whatever way He desires to do it.

We must be careful not to put parameters upon God’s Word, recognizing that God is working in ways that are beyond what we understand. Our job is not to fight it, but to recognize it, so that God’s work might go forth faithfully and fruitfully.

Are you resisting God’s work in your life? Are you placing hindrances around His Word and His Work, refusing to recognize God’s work in your life or in the life of others? The only answer is repentance, turning from your sin, and asking God to give you the eyes to see His hand at work and the faith to believe what He’s doing. Amen.