Teaching that Blesses or Curses ....
By studying the book of Mark (and the other gospels), we have learned that Jesus’ ministry while on Earth was not simply a location; rather, discipleship (ministry) occurred when He rose, walked, ate, rested, sat and slept (i.e 24/7). This is evidenced by the many times that Jesus both preached to large crowds and had to retreat to desolate places simply to have brief periods of solitude. Additionally, Scripture teaches that Jesus’ earthly ministry was also filled with constant confrontation from the religious leaders of this time who consistently tried to stop His ministry by misapplying Old Testament law. Today’s passage, Mark 2:23-28, presents one such instance where this occurs and teaches that we must use the law to bless and not curse as we minister to others.
During the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the pharisees had banned 39 activities on the Sabbath. Two of these activities were that no one should journey more than ½ mile and no one should harvest food, based on the text from Exodus 34:21. In this specific instance, we find that Jesus and His disciples were walking from one ministry location to another, likely more than ½ mile (Mark 2:24). Additionally, while traveling, they grabbed a handful of wheat, vigorously rubbed their hands together, separated the husk from the kernel and ate. In doing these two activities, they violated the aformentioned religious laws. Upon seeing this, the pharisees feign righteous indignation and asked, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath" (Mark 2:24). Our Savior answers with a familiar story from 1 Samuel 21:1-6 which also took place on the Sabbath. In this story, David actually lies to the High Priest by saying that he is on a secret mission when he is actually conniving to save his life from Saul. Yet, despite this conniving act by David, God providentially provides Holy bread as daily bread for His soon-to-be king and those with him. Why? because it benefitted David and his men in their time of need (Mark 2:25-26).
You may be asking how this story applies to us today since we no longer keep the Sabbath. It does because our culture, like the pharisees in the first century, also has many who misapply God’s laws in a misguided effort to guard our faith. For example, a theological progressive might say the following: “if you do not affirm an LGBTQ lifestyle, you are not practicing the love of God.” Likewise, a theological conservative might insist that, “if you do not agree and interpret Christ’s second coming my way, you do not take the Scriptures seriously”. In both of these instances, God's law is improperly applied. So, how do we properly apply God's law when ministering to others? We must follow the two principles these verses teach us. The first principal is….
Jesus models the motivation of God’s law: to bless not to harm.
Brothers and sisters, the Sabbath was created to bless God’s people, not bind them. The reaping of wheat was not violating the law because the law is for the good of His people (Mark 2:27). God’s law reflects His character and authority. It is not arbitrary and it reflects His holiness and goodness. When obeyed by believers, God’s people flourish. When a church body embraces God’s law, she is healthy and when a culture embraces God’s law, the entire population benefits. Now, when we speak of God's law, we are not speaking of the Old Testament law or the tons of restrictions that the pharisees placed on the Jewish people; instead, we mean the Ten Commandments summarized by Jesus: loving God and loving one's neighbor. The law teaches us where we fall short and what “the good life” looks like. For example, The Seventh Commandment says, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Now, we can use this law to inflict hurt (or curse) others by making someone feel inferior in God’s kingdom because they are divorced and have re-married. Or, we can teach those in a second marriage to uphold God’s law by upholding the sacredness and permanency of their current marriage just like we would for those who have only married once. After all, the same principles apply: God will bless them, their children and use them for His glory just like He will any other Christian! In this scenario, the same law is being used, but applied in radically different ways. Christian, are you applying God's law in a way that blesses others? If not, will you begin doing so?....
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