Jan and a friend from Ho Chi Minh City were touring Hanoi yesterday. Our friend is quite fluent in Vietnamese which means, unlike Jan and myself, she is able to read all the signs in Vietnamese that remain a mystery to us. One sign they saw yesterday at a temple said simply, "It is forbidden to break the law."
You could have a lot of fun speculating about the implications of a sign like that. Which law is forbidden? Is it acceptable to break all other laws? Should you pay attention only to the laws that are expressly forbidden? Are there gradations as to which laws are forbidden; somewhat forbidden; not at all forbidden; just written for fun?
Anyway, a day or two before they found and translated the sign, I was reading the early chapters of Mark's Gospel. Jesus was a conundrum to the Jewish priests, pharisees, teachers of the law and the common people. They could not understand what was guiding His teaching and His actions.
When Jesus calls Levi (Matthew), a tax collector to become his disciple, he then attends a dinner party at Levi's house. The guest list includes all kinds of people that are not among the most religious or most respected in town. The religious leaders wonder, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 2:16 The actions of Jesus are confusing.
Then some people are concerned that Jesus' disciples seem either to be enjoying life too much or are not religiously disciplined enough. "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting but yours are not?"2:18
Next, the religious leaders observe his disciples ignoring traditional laws about the Sabbath. "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" 2:24
Mark puts these events right next to each other in his book because he wants us to see how and why there was a build up of anger and resentment against Jesus. He does not fit their ideas of what good religious people are like; especially Jewish rabbis. The antagonism really surfaces in the next section. It is again the Sabbath, and there in the synagogue is a man who needs healing. But the religious leaders know that "it is forbidden to break the law". So they watch to see if Jesus will "do work" on the Sabbath. They are not concerned about the man with a paralyzed hand; they are not simply confused about Jesus, they are now antagonistic. They are watching to gain evidence that He is a "law breaker."
Jesus questions them, trying to help them thing beyond regulations to biblical principles, but they won't even consider this. Then "He looked around at them in anger and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts." 3:5 Knowing how they will react, Jesus still moves ahead and heal the man. His angry opponents begin to plan together how they might be able to kill this man Jesus who doesn't keep the rules.
Far too often human religious rules and laws become way more important than simply living all of life with God. May God's grace keep us focused on the two great commands: it is forbidden to live life without loving God and loving others. To do so is to waste our lives and miss all that God has for us.
You could have a lot of fun speculating about the implications of a sign like that. Which law is forbidden? Is it acceptable to break all other laws? Should you pay attention only to the laws that are expressly forbidden? Are there gradations as to which laws are forbidden; somewhat forbidden; not at all forbidden; just written for fun?
Anyway, a day or two before they found and translated the sign, I was reading the early chapters of Mark's Gospel. Jesus was a conundrum to the Jewish priests, pharisees, teachers of the law and the common people. They could not understand what was guiding His teaching and His actions.
When Jesus calls Levi (Matthew), a tax collector to become his disciple, he then attends a dinner party at Levi's house. The guest list includes all kinds of people that are not among the most religious or most respected in town. The religious leaders wonder, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 2:16 The actions of Jesus are confusing.
Then some people are concerned that Jesus' disciples seem either to be enjoying life too much or are not religiously disciplined enough. "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting but yours are not?"2:18
Next, the religious leaders observe his disciples ignoring traditional laws about the Sabbath. "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" 2:24
Mark puts these events right next to each other in his book because he wants us to see how and why there was a build up of anger and resentment against Jesus. He does not fit their ideas of what good religious people are like; especially Jewish rabbis. The antagonism really surfaces in the next section. It is again the Sabbath, and there in the synagogue is a man who needs healing. But the religious leaders know that "it is forbidden to break the law". So they watch to see if Jesus will "do work" on the Sabbath. They are not concerned about the man with a paralyzed hand; they are not simply confused about Jesus, they are now antagonistic. They are watching to gain evidence that He is a "law breaker."
Jesus questions them, trying to help them thing beyond regulations to biblical principles, but they won't even consider this. Then "He looked around at them in anger and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts." 3:5 Knowing how they will react, Jesus still moves ahead and heal the man. His angry opponents begin to plan together how they might be able to kill this man Jesus who doesn't keep the rules.
Far too often human religious rules and laws become way more important than simply living all of life with God. May God's grace keep us focused on the two great commands: it is forbidden to live life without loving God and loving others. To do so is to waste our lives and miss all that God has for us.
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