Prepare: I need to be practical when it comes to helping someone.
Read: Luke 6:1-11
I am always critical of doctors and paramedical staff who go on strike and refuse to treat patients during that period. These actions go against the letter of the Hippocratic oath that they took and the spirit of their profession.
The holiness of the Sabbath (Gen 2:1-3) was unchallenged in the days of Jesus. And so the Pharisees, who honoured the Sabbath scrupulously, found fault with Jesus' disciples plucking and eating ears of corn. Jesus makes a reference to 1 Samuel 21:1-7 where King David thought himself above the law. The Son of Man is the Lord (kyrios in Greek, meaning controller) of the Sabbath. The man's withered hand was not a life threatening situation, which would have been an exception to Sabbath obligations. But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of the Pharisees, went ahead with the healing on common sense grounds. Why put off for tomorrow, a good act that can be done today?
We probably make excuses, citing them as religious reasons, for not doing what is needed to help someone. We may even take refuge in some twisted or concocted explanation of religious ritual or duty to avoid helping someone. Please read what Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-46 about helping people. There is no way we can please God, while ignoring a fellow human being at the same time. Always remember that there is no wrong time to do the right thing.
Respond: Father, help me to be willing to help and serve others, at all times.
Read: Luke 6:1-11
I am always critical of doctors and paramedical staff who go on strike and refuse to treat patients during that period. These actions go against the letter of the Hippocratic oath that they took and the spirit of their profession.
The holiness of the Sabbath (Gen 2:1-3) was unchallenged in the days of Jesus. And so the Pharisees, who honoured the Sabbath scrupulously, found fault with Jesus' disciples plucking and eating ears of corn. Jesus makes a reference to 1 Samuel 21:1-7 where King David thought himself above the law. The Son of Man is the Lord (kyrios in Greek, meaning controller) of the Sabbath. The man's withered hand was not a life threatening situation, which would have been an exception to Sabbath obligations. But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of the Pharisees, went ahead with the healing on common sense grounds. Why put off for tomorrow, a good act that can be done today?
We probably make excuses, citing them as religious reasons, for not doing what is needed to help someone. We may even take refuge in some twisted or concocted explanation of religious ritual or duty to avoid helping someone. Please read what Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-46 about helping people. There is no way we can please God, while ignoring a fellow human being at the same time. Always remember that there is no wrong time to do the right thing.
Respond: Father, help me to be willing to help and serve others, at all times.
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