God cares about people more than rules. I make no apologies for saying this because it is true. Rules were made for people, not people for rules. This means that the rules exist not to determine who is disqualified for heaven. God’s rules exist for the benefit of people. They exist to protect people and to enrich their lives. Yet, from the beginning we have taken the rules that were instituted for our benefit and made the rules the focus. The rules become all important and people exist only to try and keep the rules.
This passage makes it abundantly clear that Jesus did not see it this way. Jesus declares Himself to be Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath does rule Him, He rules it. In Mark’s account of this event Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Therefore, it is always proper to heal. It is always proper to do good. It is always proper to set free. God always desires mercy more than sacrifice. God did not give us rules as ammunition to condemn each other, but to teach us how to love each other.
If that sounds dangerous, it is. Use the rules to learn how to love and in so doing you will not “condemn the innocent.”
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