Reading Through Mark: What are Rules for, Really? (Mark 3:1-19)

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(During Lent 2024, I'm encouraging my congregation to join in reading through the Gospel of Mark. I'm posting occasional reflections and insights to guide reading.)

In Chapter 2 of Mark, Jesus begins a series of debates with religious leaders because he doesn't follow their rules for being holy. He says a man's sins are forgiven (2:5), eats with social rejects (2:16), and plucks grain for a snack on the Sabbath holy day (2:23-24). 

(The Sabbath day [or Shabbat, or Saturday] is the primary holy day for Jewish believers because it is the day God finished creating and rested. In the 10 Commandments, God orders faithful people to "do no work" on the Sabbath. Leaders like the Pharisees labeled a lot of things as "work" to prevent anyone accidentally offending God.)

Chapter 3 begins with another debate about following the commandments and Jesus asks a question that drives to the heart of their differences: “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” (3:4). The answer should be simple, right? The sabbath is meant to honor God, and what better way is there to honor God than showing care and compassion to someone in need? 

But the Pharisees balk at the question. God clearly says, "Don't work on the Sabbath" and doesn't say "unless someone is injured." Therefore, healing on the Sabbath breaks the commandment. 

Jesus' question and actions, though, show the problem with the thinking. God's commands are meant "to do good" and "to save life." That's the whole reason God gave them. So if your following a command actually does harm or kills, that isn't what God wants from you. 

In churches, we often get caught up on rules about what is appropriate -- what we should wear, how loud or quiet we should be, what kind of music we can sing, etc. -- and enforcing those rules can sometimes cause pain and shame for many people. We then excuse the hurt we cause because we believe we're doing what God wants from us. But as we will see throughout the Gospel, Jesus isn't as interested in us obeying the details of the rules as much as he cares about us knowing the purpose for them: 

• God is love. 
• God loves us to create new life. 
• God wants us to love as we've been loved to create new life in others. 

Commands and rules are good for providing order and clarifying expectations, but if following those rules does not reinforce the reason they exist -- God's love -- then they aren't serving their purpose. For if "holiness" is being more like God, and God is love, then love and compassion is the holiest thing we can do. 

From the Gray,

Pastor Ari

“There is no doubt about it: it was the myth of fingerprints. That’s what that old army base was for.” -Paul Simon, “The Myth of Fingerprints”