Day 29 - Challenge the Status Quo - More of Jesus Devotional

Challenge the Status Quo

Tad Coit

Matthew 12:9-14 is one of my favorite healings in the

Bible. It is one of my favorites, not so much for the healing itself as it is for the fact that it is an ultimatum. Yes, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand but He does even more. He make a statement, a statement to the Pharisees that their rules don’t apply. Jesus can heal on the Sabbath and any day that He so pleases. In verses 11 and 12 He says, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

This healing comes right after Jesus and His disciples have eaten some grain they just plucked from a field, another thing that isn’t supposed to take place on the Sabbath. But Jesus is not about to back down for anything on this day. He is intent on showing that the man-made rules don’t apply, that healing and practicality supersede the traditions of the day. He is showing, once and for all, the ultimate authority that He has on this earth.

Today, we are still faced with obstacles of when we are to display the practice of our faith. But instead of the religious zealots intent on sanctioning what we can or cannot do, we are challenged by an increasingly agnostic society that would prefer we only display our religious power in the confines of a building. We are presented with a similar challenge to Jesus. Do we keep quiet and constrain our faith within the rules that someone else decides upon or do we be like Jesus and challenge the mores of those who have no morals?

Jesus show us the way by healing when He was led to, not waiting until He had permission. Jesus demonstrated His authority but promises that we also possess this authority. Like Jesus, we do not have to wait for someone else’s permission other than the permission of the Holy Spirt Himself.

Verses: Matthew 28:18, Mark 3:15

Questions:

1. Why did Christ have the authority to heal when He did?

2. Where are some places in your life that you can be more confident in displaying God love and power?