What I’m Thinking: Stopped from Helping

When Jesus sought to help some people, others stepped up and said, “This is not the time. This is not the place.” And by long-established standards, they were absolutely right. For Jesus, however, it was always the time, and always the place, to help someone. What prevents you from helping?

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about two stories found in the Gospel of Mark, one at the end of the second chapter, and the other at the beginning of the third (Mark 2:23-3:6). In each of them, Jesus or his disciples do something on the Sabbath which is not strictly consistent with the ancient law of Israel.

In the first, his disciples are gathering grain on the Sabbath, and when people complain, Jesus compares their actions to King David – while on the run from King Saul – taking some of the bread that had been meant for the priests and which was not proper for him to eat.

In the second story, a man comes with a withered arm for Jesus to heal him, but it’s the Sabbath. And they say, you should not do this today, and Jesus is grieved by their hardness of heart.

And sure enough, he heals on the Sabbath.

We face all sorts of legal, cultural, social, even our own personal sense of what is right and what is wrong, that can prevent us from being compassionate, to acting in a loving way to our neighbors, to our friends, to the strangers, even to the closest members of our family.

And Jesus looks upon us with grief at our hardness of heart.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear about what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below; I’d love to hear from you.

Just another thought for today, and, indeed for, I suspect, some days and weeks ahead: a thought about those who are affected by the lava flow in lower Puna. If you would like to help, I encourage you to visit the United Church of Christ Disaster Response giving page. Donate through Emergency USA. Thank you so much for your prayers and for your action.