“Ten percent of any population is cruel, no matter what, and ten percent is merciful, no matter what, and the remaining 80 percent can be moved in either direction……..You cannot conceive, nor can I, the mercy of God……Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends……The current belief in our culture is this: We don’t believe that there is a chance for redemption for some; for a hand to reach out and raise them up; for an embrace to save them, forgive them, pick them up, flood them with infinite, patient, indulgent love; to put them back on their feet…….For that to happen there needs to be mercy.”

Gospel Text: (Mk 3:1-6)

Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees,
“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

 

Jesus is put in a situation where He chooses to heal someone on the Sabbath.  This is an act of mercy.  It is done out of love for this man to relieve him of his suffering.  Though this is an incredible miracle, the disturbed minds of the Pharisees look only for a way to twist this act of mercy into something sinful.  What an appalling scene.

 

Reflect, today, upon this most unfortunate scene.  But reflect upon it with the hope that the poor example of the Pharisees will help you to identify any of the same tendencies in your own heart.  Seeing these tendencies they struggle with should help free you from falling into the irrational thinking that comes as a result of sin.