Harm or Good

Luke 6:6-11  On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” He got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” After looking around at all of them, he said to him,“Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.


Jesus was a man who observed the sabbath. He kept the sabbath holy. I was on the road on Sunday for ten hours on my trip east. I must say I did not go to a church service or a church building, I was driving. I thought about pulling off the road at about ten o'clock and find a church any church and worship with God's people, but I kept on going. I could hear the Pharisee in me judging that I did not keep sabbath, but the more I thought and prayed about it that day and the next I realized that I did keep the day holy. I do think people need to be connected to God's people and that a good church helps us stay centered in God better than a solitary faith. I won't and don't make a practice of missing church. Even if I was not a priest church would be a central part of my life. I did keep the sabbath holy though. I did not fill the day withe trivial or mundane but with prayer and reflection upon God's place in my life and family, friends and church. 
Jesus was even in church when he got in trouble. You know you can even be in church and not keep the sabbath holy. The Pharisees seemed to make a regular practice of it. Jesus saw through the rules and regulations to the heart of the matter. Is it lawful to do good or to do harm? Isn't holiness measured in our obedience to God in doing good every day? Isn't an unholy life filled with deeds which harm others or hold them in one kind of bondage or another? So I say, please find a good church and please go to church, but most important and in addition please keep your whole life, not just the sabbath, holy.