Radical Jesus! [Luke 6]

5And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."6On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.7The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.8But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And he got up and came forward.9And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?"10After looking around at them all, He said to him, "Stretch out your hand!" And he did so; and his hand was restored.11But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.


 

I can't imagine standing up in a public forum knowing that some important people present will be offended and then do the "offensive" thing anyway. Jesus could have avoided the whole rage thing by waiting a day to heal the man's hand. But Jesus didn't change His behavior for any man. He was radically obedient to what the Father wanted. The things He did and said shook up the people of His day. However, His legacy of radical obedience, as daunting as it may be, is now our legacy as His followers.


 

Thank You, God, that You allow us to follow in His steps to be part of the radical transformation You are doing on this earth in the lives of men. Cause us to listen to You, to find strength in You and to do what You want us to do no matter what. We can't, but You can!

 
Beth Warlick, 12/11/2009