Focus on His love
Therefore, some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. John 9:16
A few years ago, we had the honor of going on a tour in Israel. It was such an amazing opportunity, and the entire trip took 10 days. We arrived there on a Wednesday and left on the following Tuesday, so we were actually there on Saturday the sabbath. We were still able to go out and see some places, but the entire country, still shuts down on the sabbath day. So much so that in the hotel we stayed in, every light was set on timers and the elevators are set to move continually stopping on every floor, so no one would flip a switch or push a button. It was definitely foreign to us and hard to believe that it was necessary to go to such extremes.
God gave the commandment for the sabbath so that His people would have permission to set aside a day from working. It was to be a day of rest and set apart to God. In Mark 2, Jesus quoted Isaiah the prophet by saying the sabbath was created for man, not man for the sabbath. Jesus was telling the priests of His day that God gave the sabbath as a gift to people not as an obligation. God wanted His people to be different from those who did not know Him personally and to not feel pressured into pushing themselves to over work.
In today’s reading, the Pharisees, once again are trying to condemn Jesus for opening a blind man’s eyes on the sabbath day. These religions and legalistic leaders were more focused on enforcing the law instead of the care and well being of the people around them. They did not know the concept of love and they had become enforcers of the law rather than loving the people God had entrusted to them to care for.
Legalism is a dangerous place to be, and in the world, we live in it can be easy to look at who is doing the right things and who is doing the wrong things. If we are not intentional about loving the people around us, we can easily get caught up in this enforcement mentality. Instead of looking at lost people’s behavior, it is more important to look at them as one of God’s creations and the object of His love. Remember that God want to recue all people, not condemn them.
Today I want to encourage you to focus on loving all people with God’s unconditional love. Don’t decide who is worthy or unworthy of your attention. There are none that are worthy, but Jesus died for all. It is our job to love them and share the message of God’s love and let the Spirit of God be the one that convicts and draws them in. Let’s not be a people that are like the Pharisees of Jesus day, instead let’s be like Jesus who went out to all the people so that they all could come in to Him.
Today’s scripture reading: John 9:13-34
13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.
14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.
19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.”
22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”
25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”
28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.
29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”
30 The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!
31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.
32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.
33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
34 They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.
The Daily Dose 