Scripture to Read: Luke 6:8–9
Jesus is God; therefore, He knew what the scribes and the Pharisees were thinking on that Sabbath day. God had Luke record this for us in Luke 6:8–9, “But 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. 9 And 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?’” Jesus knew He was the one who had given the Sabbath to mankind, and He knew that much good comes from rest and refreshment so that mankind could serve Him well. The scribes and Pharisees were so blinded by their arrogance and pride that they could have cared less about the man with the withered hand. Their only goal was to find fault in Jesus and hopefully condemn Him to death. The sad thing is that pride and arrogance can blind us as Christians as well. When we think we know better than God, that is when we fall into every form of evil. God tells us in James 3:16, “…where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” The scribes and Pharisees were full of jealousy and selfish ambition for they only saw Jesus as a threat to the religious system they wanted everyone to adhere to and follow wholeheartedly. The sad news is that their religion could not offer anyone hope, love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, or peace—only Christ can do that.
Challenge & Application
Why were the scribes and Pharisees so blind to the work of God in their very presence?
How do we guard against jealousy and selfish ambition so that we fully see all that Christ has for us to do for His glory?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!