It's all about Relationship

Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath..."Mark 2:27

In dealing with the religious leaders of His day, it seems Jesus was constantly trying to explain the difference between rigid religion and a disciplined relationship with God.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke share two such encounters between Jesus and the Pharisees that took place on two different Sabbaths.

In the first, Jesus' disciples, in hunger, broke off heads of grain to eat. The Pharisees accused them of breaking the Law.

Jesus, proclaiming them innocent, said The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

The weekly day of rest was instituted by God to meet the needs of His children, by refreshing them, renewing their spirits and reminding them to connect with God. It was meant to draw God's children closer to Him -- to encourage relationship.

The Pharisees and other religious leaders had turned the Sabbath into something it was never meant to be. They had made the day of rest all about man's ability to follow rules rather than God's desire for man to honor Him with their hearts, minds, and souls -- their whole being.

They had made the Sabbath about religion rather than relationship.

The Pharisees had become so wrapped up in their own religious ideals that they had completely failed to foster a true relationship with God. In fact, they were so distant from God that they didn't even recognize Him standing in their midst.

They had failed to allow the Sabbath to meet their own need of a relationship with God.

They pointed condemning fingers at Jesus' innocent disciples, but they, themselves, were truly guilty of breaking the Sabbath.

They had completely missed the purpose behind the command of God....to meet the needs of the people...to draw them into a closer relationship with God.

Scripture is full of commands reminiscent of the institution of the Sabbath. Instructions and guidelines that are applicable to the New Testament church. Words of wisdom that are intended to meet our physical and spiritual needs and to help us draw closer to God.

The commands of God laid out in scripture, if we discipline ourselves to follow them, help us live a more clean and holy life despite our sinful nature. They help us to become more like Christ. They help us to build a relationship with God....if we are careful not to allow them to become a rigid religion instead.

When we seek to live a pure, righteous, holy life, we benefit from that discipline.

We enjoy a closer walk with God -- a true relationship.

Relationship, not religion, has always been the purpose behind God's commands to His children whether Old Testament children of Israel or New Testament believers.

When we forget that purpose -- to meet our need of relationship with our Creator -- we become like the Pharisees -- religious zealots, devoid of relationship.

And, without relationship, we can't hear God, even when He's standing right beside us. We can't follow Him even if He's walking right in front of us.

That's exactly what happened to the Pharisees. They were so entrenched in religious practices, and their hearts had become so hardened by pride in their own ability to keep the rules that Jesus' words were unable to penetrate deep within the core of their being where lessons of faith are learned by each individual believer in relationship.  

They followed the rules. They even followed Jesus...from one town to another. But scripture portrays these religious leaders following from a distance, holding tight to their religion, and missing the magnificent opportunity to walk side-by-side with their own Messiah. They missed the relationship that they desperately needed.

We don't have to imagine how Christ's compassionate heart bled for those faux followers, scripture tells us that when He healed a lame man in their presence on another Sabbath, and their only concern was His perceived sin, in the midst of His anger, He was deeply saddened by their hard hearts (Mark 3:5).

He was angry at the Pharisees' true sin, but His heart was grieved for their unmet need of relationship.

Meanwhile, scripture says that the Pharisees left the scene wild with rage and plotting how to kill Jesus.

When religion is more dear to us than relationship, anger rages untempered by love and compassion and we become like the Pharisees, wild with rage...at the sin...at the sinner...at the lost and dying world around us.

On the other hand, when we develop a true relationship with God, His love for the world (John 3:16), spreads into our hearts as well. The grief that Jesus felt for the Pharisees, the grief that God feels over the hard hearts of every lost sinner, grieves us as well. Our anger is tempered by love.

When we come face to face with the sins of those around us, whether they are lost sinners or fellow Christians, do we feel anger mixed with a healthy dose of sorrow like Jesus did....or wild rage like the Pharisees? I believe the answer to that simple question says a great deal about our relationship with God.

Jesus asked a question of His own to the Pharisees that day: 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? (Luke 6:9).

The Pharisees sought to destroy Jesus and His disciples, and all the while, He was trying to save them.

When our anger at sin is mixed with grief for the sinner, we, like Jesus, seek to save life. But when our anger at sin becomes a wild rage we destroy ourselves and everyone around us.

It's okay to be angry at the sinful state of the world around us, but if that anger doesn't stir up some sorrow in us for their lack of hope then it's a safe bet that there is something missing in our relationship with God....something missing in our religion....

Matthew capped off the telling of these two Sabbath stories by quoting the prophecy of Isaiah saying He (Jesus) will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world (Matthew 12:19-21).

Even in His anger, Jesus showed compassion and mercy to the righteous, the self-righteous and the lost alike.

He would not crush the weakest  -- least disciplined Christian. He would not put out the flickering candle -- the dimmest light of one saved soul struggling in their faith.

He offered hope to all the world.

He offered Himself.

And that's what God has always done.

He has offered Himself to us....in relationship.

That is the gift of faith.

(Journey: Mark 2:23-28, 3:1-6; Luke 6:1-11; Matthew 12:1-21)