It us lawful to do good...

Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (Matthew 12:9-14)

As I read those words today, my mind went back to my days as an intern at a church in western Kansas.

I had organized a group of teens from the church to help out a widow in town who needed some work done around the house. She was unable to do it herself, so we gave up a few hours one Sunday to serve her.

A few days later, I was called into the pastor’s office. A member of the church’s board of elders was there. He had come to confront the Sabbath-breaker. I was shocked as he raked me over the coals for giving my time to this widow. It was the worst possible thing I could have done on the Lord’s Day as far as he was concerned. Worse yet, I’d taught the teens in the church to desecrate the holy too.

I laid into him and reminded him of this story. Probably not the wisest thing I’ve ever done, but I was so angry! I was in trouble for doing something God encourages in his word: caring for widows and orphans in their distress. This is true religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless. That’s what James says.

We’re taking about the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” at Kids Club this Wednesday. I am going to encourage the kids to care for the needs of others no matter what day it is. I hope you will do the same. I pray each of you will serve others whenever the opportunity arises.

The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!

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