The Good News about Jesus – Part 6
By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist
Mark 2:23–3:8 June 15, 2025
The country of Iran has, what has come to be known as, morality police. The official name is “Guidance Patrol.” They are law enforcement body tasked with enforcing Islamic dress codes. They especially focus on women, ensuring that they wear the mandator hijab that covers all their hair, and that they wear loose clothing.
When we get to our passage this morning, the Pharisees have set themselves up as the morality police. They did not have law enforcement powers, but they made it a point to shame people into doing things their way.
The particular point of the law that they were trying to enforce was Sabbath Day behaviour. I remember when I was a kid, shops and stores were closed on Sunday. I grew up working on a dairy farm. We always milked the cows – but we never did the hay or any other unnecessary work.
But life has changed. When it comes to a Sabbath, or since the resurrection, Christians moved the Sabbath to Sunday, Western Christians are somewhat muddled in their thinking about Sunday. The cultural phenomena that curtailed retail transactions and limited what a person could do on Sunday is gone. We mostly believe that a day off from work in a week is a healthy ideal. But many of us are not sure how to achieve that.
So, when we come to these stories about Sabbath, some of our minds tend to go there. But while these stories are centred around Sabbath they are not really about Sabbath.
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I am a big fan of a day off a week that you used to restore your soul. Where recreation or time to recreate is attached to celebration and community and worship. But I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time talking about Sabbath today either. Because the stories that we’re looking at, are so much bigger than the Sabbath day.
In fact, as I preach this, I am going to have to restrain myself from becoming too political. Because Jesus, in these stories, is making strong political statements.
Jesus is also taking the task thoughtless religiosity. He is calling us, who the world would label as religious, to lift our eyes to a vision that is far grander.
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But in order to understand what’s going on here, you need to understand how the Sabbath day was viewed in Jesus’ time.
Keeping the Sabbath was, of course, one of the 10 commandments. I find it interesting that it is the only commandment that is not reiterated in the New Testament as one we must keep. Make of that what you would.
But to the Jewish people of Jesus time, the Sabbath was much more than just a commandment. It was a point of national identity. It, and circumcision, were things that distinguish the Jewish people from their pagan neighbors. Observing the Sabbath was not something that they did to earn God’s favor; It was a sign that they belonged to the true God who created the world and rested on the 7th day.
You know how free public health care forms a part of our national identity. Observance of the Sabbath day formed a significant part of Israel’s national identity.
Without as a background come with me to
Mark 2:23 (NLT)
One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat.
Now you and I would think nothing of this, except for the fact that who wants to eat uncooked barley wheat or oats? Some of us might hesitate at taking someone else’s crop. But he in Jesus’ day those were perfectly normal things to do. There were pathways through fields in order to do this.
The problem was that Jesus and his disciples were doing these things on the Sabbath day. The Pharisees interpreted the actions of Jesus and his disciples as reaping, threshing, and preparing a meal on the Sabbath day.
Mark 2:24 (NLT)
24 But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”
You I see this is nitpicking. But when your identity is formed around what you can’t do on the Sabbath, All kinds of customs and traditions spring up.
Jesus doesn’t deny that he is breaking the rules. Here’s what he says,
Mark 2:25–26 (NLT)
25 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 26 He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”
The Pharisees who would know this Old Testament story would be livid. I don’t have time to get into the whole Old Testament story found in 2 Samuel 8. They would be thinking, not only is Jesus disrespecting the Sabbath, but he is putting himself on par with King David, one of the heroes of their faith.
Before the Pharisees can even catch their breath, Jesus says this
Mark 2:27–28 (NLT)
27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
Jesus is saying, “I have the right to dictate what goes on, on the Sabbath.” Then he says, “the son of man,” which is a term that he uses of himself but has Old Testament references about the coming Messiah – He says, So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
So, in one quick statement, Jesus puts himself on par with King David. He claims to be the Messiah. He is asserts his right to reframe Israel’s national identity around Sabbath. He claims that he has authority over the Sabbath, and that he is more important than the Sabbath.
You are probably getting an inkling of why the Pharisees are upset. Jesus is talking about a whole new way of being. To frame it in Jesus’ language, When the Kingdom of God breaks into a place then the rules will be for the health of the people. It will not be about nationalism, or identity or tradition. But the Kingdom of God will be about the people.
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It would be easy to condemn the Pharisees, But I have seen away too many churches act like the Pharisees. I remember time when there were unspoken rules about what one had to wear to church. There were rules about what one could and could not do on Sunday. We even turned our preferences and tastes in the rules. We want this kind of music and not that kind of music. We could use this instrument but not that instrument. The list could go on. I trust that we had Asbury have pulled back from that kind of faith. The Kingdom of God is about people.
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I want to go down a quick rabbit trail. In the US, Christian nationalism seems to be on the rise. Christian nationalism merges ones Christian identity with one’s political identity. They have this idea that the country was founded by Christians and should remain Christian. They use politics as a means to an end of enforcing their version of Christian morality.
I am talking about it here in Canada because things in the US often bleed into Canada. In the story that we just looked at, Jesus refuses to be coopted by nationalistic tendencies. He essentially says your identity as a country is in how you observe the Sabbath. But the Kingdom of God does not buy into this kind of nationalism. It’s not about a set of rules being Lord. It is not about a political agenda. Jesus says I am the Lord of the Sabbath. Don’t spiritualize your hunger for political power. Christian nationalism is trying to create what they believe to be good, by means that are unspiritual at best and immoral at worst. That is not the Jesus way.
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OK, let me end that rabbit trail, and go to our next story. So, the Pharisees are really ticked with Jesus. Now, they are out to get him.
Mark 3:1–2 (NLT)
Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. 2 Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.
Sometimes we get so focused on something, that we acquire tunnel vision. We can’t see the big picture because we are so focused on that which upsets us.
That is what has happened to the Pharisees here. The big picture is that if Jesus heals this man the power of God is on display. The creator of the world steps into the world and performs a miraculous healing. That would be overwhelmingly amazing. What did the Pharisees focus on? They focus on the fact that if Jesus does this miracle he is working on the Sabbath. None of these guys have ever done a miracle. They don’t know what work is in the spiritual realm. But they are quick to condemn Jesus for working on the Sabbath.
Sometimes our priorities get really skewed and we need to get our priorities straight. They would put their rules of Sabbath over curing a lifelong disability. So, what does Jesus do?
Of course, Jesus knows what is going on.
Mark 3:3–4 (NLT)
3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” 4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.
Jesus knows that they are looking for ways to condemn him. Yet, he does not say to the man, “Come back tomorrow.” He does not pull him over into a corner of the synagogue and perform the miracle out of sight. He tells the man with the deformed hand to stand up in front of everyone.
He is basically saying to the Pharisees, you think your rules are more important than this man. I don’t. The Kingdom of God values people. He essentially frames it this way. If I heal the man, I am doing good. If I don’t heal the man, I am doing evil. What is more important to God? Do I do good on the Sabbath day or do I do evil.
Course the Pharisees would not answer him. They stayed silent. Look at Jesus response to their silence.
Mark 3:5a (NLT)
5 He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts.
The NIV puts it this way
Mark 3:5a (NIV)
5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.
He is angered, saddened, and deeply distressed that they would diminish the worth of this man by putting their rules above him. In the Kingdom of God people are valued. The Kingdom values disabled people and marginalized people. It values people who, like the disciples, are out for a walk and get hungry. The Kingdom of God values you, because God values you.
It follows then, that if we’re going to be citizens of the Kingdom of God, we have to value people too. We are hoping to put park bench on the lawn out in front of her church. I fully recognize that people will sit there and smoke. We may have to deal with the butts. However, we choose people over a pristine lawn.
If you have children and youth in and around your church building -my experience is that stuff is going to be broken. They tend, at times get a little rambunctious, and stuff happens. While we don’t want our kids running out of control-stuff happens and we will choose people rather than the church facilities because God values people.
This also extends to our personal lives. It is easy to choose comfort over people. It is easy to choose to not interrupt our schedule because of people. But the Kingdom of God values people.
I recognize that this is nuanced. The Kingdom of God values people but it values you too. There is a place for taking time for self-care. That needs to be weighed off against the values of the Kingdom.
You don’t see Jesus angry very often. But here he got angry because of their hard, stubborn hearts. That anger did not stop him from doing a miracle.
Mark 3:5 (NLT)
5 He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!
Don’t let other peoples heart hearts keep you from loving people. We live in a world that has warped values. Many companies have a way of valuing their shareholders and company directors more than they value their workers and customers. Many politicians value power over doing the right thing. There are always exceptions to these things. But it is easy to see the hard heartedness around us. It is easy for hard heartedness to become contagious. Don’t let that happen. Jesus came to proclaim the Kingdom – he came to show us another way to live. In spite of what we see around us let’s live out the values of the Kingdom.
That probably will not win us many awards. Back to our story. Jesus brings this man up to the front of the synagogue. He has a permanent disability. His hand is withered. Jesus has both the power and the will to heal this man. He does that in the face of criticism that this is the wrong day to heal. You would think people would celebrate the good thing that they witnessed. That is not what happened.
Mark 3:6 (NLT)
6 At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.
They saw Jesus do good and they wanted to kill him for it.
If we value people over efficiency and progress- we will find ourselves on the wrong side of many people as well. We live in a world that would like to dehumanize us. We live in a world where the young are valued more than the old. Beautiful people are valued more than those who were not blessed with good looks. Rich people are valued more than poor people. Some nationalities are valued more than other nationalities. But this is not the way of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus snubbed the common understanding of Sabbath. I believe he stubs the common understanding of what it means to be valuable. This kind of belief was explosive back then. It is still countercultural. But followers of Jesus, follow Jesus into the Kingdom. They value what he values. Love what he loves.
It may not always make you popular. But my guess is that the man with the withered hand sure appreciated Jesus and his values.
We have been walking through the book of Mark. Mark has been trying to show us who Jesus is. He had the authority to teach and cast out demons. He has the authority to forgive sin and heal people. Now mark is showing us that Jesus has the authority over cultural norms. He wants to lead us in a different way. I would urge you to follow Jesus.