Mark 3:1-5 The Golden Rule - Love One Another

He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do well or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill? “But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

In the time of Jesus, the Jews had historically been through some very troublesome times. Their ancestors received the law, but broke it to the extent of being removed from the land. Now this generation of Jews is so zealous for the law that they cannot see the author of the law which is God himself. The letter of the law and its intent are very different things. This is why so often Jesus is redefining the law as one of authority, because even though they have been striving to keep it, they have let their heart go cold.

Daily Prayer: Father, I and my generation are only under the Law of Christ which is to love You and the Son and to love one another. Yet I am sure there are times we do not follow the Golden Rule and do not do unto others as we would like to be done to us. Like the Jews in this story, soften our hearts in my day, so that we can love God, the Son and yes, our neighbors as ourselves. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.