John 7:21 Jesus replied, "I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. 22 But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses' law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) 23 For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? 24 Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly."
Hosea 6:6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.
Micah 6:6 What can we bring to the LORD? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? 7 Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? 8 No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. 9 Fear the LORD if you are wise!
observation
This passage of scripture brings up some question that I wonder about.
Why is there so much commotion for doing something good on the Sabbath? I don't understand why Jesus was condemned for healing on the Sabbath but on the other six days of the week nobody was concerned about it at all. They would search for a missing sheep or pull their ox out of a ditch, they would circumcise their sons if the day to do it fell on the Sabbath, so why all the hubbub about healing and if it should be done on the Sabbath?
Why do they think that healing is work? Was there any strain on Jesus when he healed somebody? It seems that healing a person would be easy for Jesus so it wouldn't qualify as "work".
God wants us to do more than just keep the Sabbath, he wants us to:
- Show love
- Know Him
- Do what is right
- Love mercy
- Walk humbly with your God
- Fear the Lord
application
There is enough theology in this short list that can be used to conduct your behavior each day in a way that will please God.
I am sure that the church needs to do church in a way that is non-traditional after all Jesus came to Israel and he tore the handbook on tradition in half. Let's forget about tradition, the way that we have always done it and let's concentrate on finding the lost sheep that are stuck in a ditch.
prayer
Thank you for your love and mercy each day and for caring for the lost and hurting sheep more than the strict observance of rules. Help me to follow this short list each day.
