Don’t Prioritize Religion Over God

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. (Mark 3:1-4)

In today’s key passage of Scripture, we read about a man who came to Jesus looking for healing on the Sabbath. Now according to tradition during this time period, work was not to be performed on the Sabbath, and that included the work of healing. Everyone was supposed to rest on the Sabbath, including religious leaders. So when this man came looking for healing on the day of rest, the Pharisees didn’t have a willing or helpful attitude. Instead their hearts were filled with judgment and condemnation.

God’s house is supposed to be a place of rejuvenation, and God’s Word is to be a message of regeneration. Here was a man with a withered hand who was looking for help and hope and healing. However, that is not why the Pharisees were there. “Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath” (Mark 3:2).

These Pharisees were not in the house of God to find God. They were there to find fault. They couldn’t see God with a telescope, but they had Jesus under a microscope watching Him closely. In the Greek language the word for “watching” indicates this is what they did all the time when they were with Jesus. They were always looking for him to mess up, foul up, or make a mistake. That is exactly what Pharisees do. They prioritize religion over God.

But God wants us to be more focused on loving and serving others, because that’s what makes us more like His Son. What good is our religion if we don’t put it into practice and share the help, hope, and healing that is to be found in Christ? My prayer is that moving forward, your mindset will be more like Jesus’ and less like the Pharisees’ so that others can hear and know the message of the gospel.

Dear Jesus, thank you for setting such a perfect example of what it looks like prioritize God over religion. Help me to focus first and foremost on becoming more like you and loving and serving others as a result of following your example. And please keep me from getting so caught up in religion that I neglect to love and care for others. In Jesus’ name, amen.