21 Jesus said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."
Jesus’ healing of a paralytic at the pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath caused quite a stir. A fierce controversy among the Jews developed regarding this incident inciting them to the point of hotly desiring our Lord’s demise. Blind to their own ways of allowing a baby’s circumcision on the Sabbath when it fell on the eighth day after its birth to prevent from breaking the Law of Moses, Jesus reasoned with them that their act of obedience and mercy would only partially heal while His healed the whole man. They conveniently forgot in their blind hostility the fourth commandment was not given to prevent works of mercy or necessity – the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In Luke we find Jesus asking the following penetrating questions to the Pharisees and experts of the law in an effort to open their blind eyes albeit leaving them speechless:
3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. 5 Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" 6 And they had nothing to say. Luke 14:3-6 (NIV)
The prophet Micah gives us an appropriate answer to the attitude of the heart God seeks in His children:
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (NIV)
“Nothing graces the Christian soul as much as mercy.” Ambrose
Actually, it simply boils down to two things: love God and love others. As we love God, He empowers us through His Spirit to love others. We are enabled to be fair and just in our dealings with those in our spheres – loving them and helping them to meet their needs – which in turn demonstrates God’s love for this needy world to see.
“He does much who loves much.” Thomas a Kempis
It is God’s desire for us to flesh out His love to those around us through acts of mercy and kindness and justice as we walk humbly with Him. These actions demonstrate what Jesus stated as the greatest commandment:
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31 (NIV)
We can be certain God will never ask of us apart from equipping us. As Paul rightly exclaims in Philippians:
13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13 (NIV)
We are to claim the promises of God’s Word particularly when we find ourselves want of kindness, mercy and justice toward others. God gives us the following encouraging Words in Scripture to demonstrate that it is He who equips us for His tasks of righteousness and not something we must muster up in our own strength:
9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chron 16:9 (NIV)
King David described in Scripture as a man after God’s own heart, also attested to this fact over and over again in the Psalms. Below is a small sampling for us to savor and apply:
3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame...5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long... 8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Psalms 25:3, 5, 8-9 (NIV)
11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. Psalms 29:11 (NIV)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalms 73:26 (NIV)