What Jesus Did

Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand.

—Mark 3:1 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus touched many people with his compassion, care, healing, comfort, and teaching. How did he reach so many people? Some came to him for healing because they had heard of his power over demons and disease. Others, however, were simply present, and Jesus saw them with his compassionate eyes. He looked into their eyes, their lives, and their hearts, and then he acted to...

 

Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.

—Mark 3:7-8 NLT

Key Thought


So often the people who think they don't believe in Jesus have never been exposed to him. Jesus meets us in many ways, but there are...

 

[After Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees about healing on the Sabbath,] the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.

—Mark 3:6 NLT

Key Thought


When we get into a defensive posture toward those who disagree with us religiously, we can very quickly find ourselves looking to destroy their argument, destroy their faith, and even destroy their reputation. The Pharisees and the supporters of Herod were bitter enemies. Yet their...

 

Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, "Come and stand in front of everyone." Then he turned to his critics and asked, "Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?" But they wouldn't answer him.
He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand." So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!


—Mark 3:3-5 NLT

Key...

 

Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus' enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man's hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

—Mark 3:2 NLT

Key Thought


The opposites of Jesus' compassionate eyes (see Mark 3:1 and yesterday's devotional) were the condemning and critical eyes of Jesus' opponents. They were looking to use the occasion of this man's healing on the Sabbath to be the basis of their arrest and condemnation of Jesus. In other words, the man's...

 

[Jesus said,] "So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!"

—Mark 2:28 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus is Lord! He has authority over everything! He is the Master and Commander of all things (Ephesians 1:21-22). His word, his teaching, his will about the Sabbath form the basis of our truth. So the things Jesus does on the Sabbath, says about the Sabbath, and teaches regarding the Sabbath are our examples, instructions, and truths regarding the Sabbath. Primarily, we seek...

 

Jesus said to [the Pharisees], "Haven't you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions."
Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath."


—Mark 2:25-27...

 

One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, "Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?"

—Mark 2:23-24 NLT

Key Thought


Some people watch others who are committed to Christ only trying to find fault in them. Critical sniping at Jesus' followers — nitpicking, as I call it — is not a virtue. Jesus condemned judging others' hearts on the...

 

Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven."
But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, "What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!"


—Mark 2:5-7 NLT

Key Thought


Yes, the statement is the correct one! "Only God can forgive sins!" This startling statement was made by the religious teachers who opposed Jesus, but it is intended for us as well. While we...

 

[Jesus continued,] "Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins."


—Mark 2:21-22 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus wants us to know that being his follower is not just another religious take on the same...