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The Pilgrim Path (4-20-2020)

The Pilgrim Path---Mark's Gospel 3:1--6

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come here." And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

---He entered the synagogue. The Lord Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness. No surprise then, that He would be where the Word was read and explained (even though He was the Word in human form). He sets the example for us. Do we treasure the Word taught and preached?

---He was followed. And not just by people who loved Him. The Pharisees only supplied a "gallery" to accuse Him. An amazing quality about Jesus: once people find out some of the core precepts concerning Him---they either love Him or hate Him (see John 3:19).

---He is pressing on in His Messianic Mission: Jesus is the Christ, The Son of The Living God. Thus, as Lord of the Sabbath, it is right "to do" deeds of mercy on the Sabbath. Loving God is not simply about prohibitions---it also demands loving action in conformity with Truth...

---He becomes angry at religious hypocrisy. He is grieved at their hardness of heart. The Lord Jesus is never pleased with religion for "show." What a tragic scene. No better commentary than Charles Haddon Spurgeon: "Mingled with his anger was grief. He was heartbroken because of 'the hardness of their hearts.' Their blind enmity grieved him because it was securing their own destruction. But his anger ended with that look; he spoke no word of rebuke. Jesus did not speak a word, and yet he said more without words than another person could have said with words. He saved his words for the man with the shriveled hand: 'Stretch out your hand.' What a disgrace to our race, for people to be so inhuman as to wish to see a fellow human being remain deformed and to dare to blame the gentle physician who was about to make him perfectly whole!"

---Herodians and Pharisees counsel together to destroy Him...these men were "natural" enemies---now, together---to eliminate the God-Man. Acts 2: 23 "this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men."

---He came back from the dead---"He threw off the pangs of death---it was not possible they could hold Him." Acts 2: 24...All part of The Messianic Mission...

The only antidote for "hardness" of heart---receiving, loving---obeying The Word of God...

From Richard Sibbes: As we love God we desire still further communion with. We must beg the Spirit to set this upon our souls when other things lead us contrary. Let us labor to be convinced of the excellence of spiritual things.

From George Swinnock: The Word is the cabinet in which you find your Savior, that pearl of infinite price, is found; and therefore you are commanded to look into it (John 5:39). You should search as a covetous man does for silver.

From Samuel Rutherford: Let Christ's love bear most court in your soul, and that court will bear down the love of other things.

From John Owen: From the Scripture are we to derive all the principles and motives of our love. If either the acts or effects of it will not endure a trial thereby, they are false and counterfeit...

From Thomas Watson: We can never love him as much as he deserves, but we must love him as much as we are able. Love is an industrious affection; it must be active...

Grace & Peace in Jesus Our LORD, Pastor Jason