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What follows is what I feel Jesus is teaching me as I read through the Gospel of Mark
Lesson 5 - Every Day Is A Day To Save A Life (3:4)
"Jesus turned to his critics and asked, "Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save a life or to destroy it?" (Mk 3:4)
Context: Jesus sees a man with a deformed hand and wants to heal him. But its the sabbath, not supposed to do work on the sabbath according to Jewish custom. It would be culturally against the norm to go do something like this. So Jesus asks the religious people "should i do it?" and they don't have a good answer, because Jesus doesn't give them good options: is it a day to save a life OR destroy it? Why can't it just be ... a normal day? another sabbath. another normal day.
Jesus has a different idea and I believe what He taught me today was this: Every day is a day to save a life.
a movie called "to save a life" came out last year. it depicts an all-star high school basketball player who's childhood friend ends up committing suicide in front of his eyes. this act leads him on a trek to discovering he wants to be the type of person who saves lives not just sits by and watch peoples' lives get destroyed. I think in one way or another, we can relate to the story.
Because the other option to saving a life today Jesus says, is that its a day to destroy a life. the other option is that its a day in which thousands die from AIDs every second, a day in which the next haggling friend that we are getting annoyed with could be the next friend to commit suicide. today is a day in which the people we encounter will see and know us and either worship God and know Christ through our actions and words, or they will see no Christ in us at all, and Christ's name will be taken vain in the actions of our lives.
Whether we like it or not, each day is a day where we may destroy lives by not living the Christ-like life. Every act we are unloving, we tarnish Christ's name, and the hope of eternal glory that an unsaved person could attain can be lost by what we do.
In effect, we destroy a life.
The best option is to live today like its a day to save a life. Isn't that Jesus' question? Is today a day to save a life or destroy it?
How will we answer? How will I answer?
How have I loved people today?
How have I gone against the cultural or societal norm to love people? to help heal peoples' wounds? how am I there for people? available for people?
How am I making sure I'm not wasting my day in such a way, that my ignorance of people or my harsh attitude with people ... ends up destroying a life?
it wasn't the religious leaders' fault that the man had a deformed hand. they could do nothing about it. but they didn't bother to pay attention to him or love him at all.
I want to save a life today. Because the other option is that I destroy one.
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