6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
During Jesus ministry this matter of the Sabbath was the third rail. You couldn’t touch it without getting electrocuted. This was how the teachers of the law imposed their authority. So we have the Lord’s disciples finding little kernels of truth throughout the entire Bible on this matter. This is because they are in the field with Him, walking with Him and obeying Him. Then you have those who are in the synagogue under this oppressive regime, they are not allowed to touch this topic and as a result their hand is withered.
8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.
So let’s talk about another 3rd rail topic in the church. What about righteousness in our government. If you go back 400 years to 1620 the pilgrims made the mayflower compact, a covenant with God to set up the new land as a city on a hill as a testimony to the whole world. Just like the descendants of Abraham we have become enslaved in this land and after 400 years it is time for our deliverance. But, you need to “get up and stand in front of everyone”. You need to take a stand for righteousness. When I read this I knew I had to go to the rally in Washington DC and then the next Sabbath to the rally in Atlanta, Ga. I am taking a stand for righteousness. I want every legal vote counted, I want every illegal vote not counted, and I want transparency so that everyone can see that the process is free and fair. But many would argue that Christians should not get involved in politics. I would say that I have seen signs from Christians at these rallys, some print out prayers, some sing hymns, and in Atlanta they said the Lord’s prayer.
9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
Simple question isn’t it. At what point did it become illegal for Christians to do good?
10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored.11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Yes, it is a stretch. It is a four hour drive to and from DC for me, so I spent a good part of that day driving. Atlanta was too far to drive so I flew out at six in the morning and flew back in at nine at night. But I felt restored.
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
The Lord needs a traitor. Luke makes it very clear that the choosing of the twelve was done after much prayer and that the Lord chose Judas who became a traitor. Judas played a pivotal role in the crucifixion and hence the glorification of Jesus. Today we are also seeing traitors who are selling out this country and the covenant we have with God for thirty pieces of silver. I believe that this is all under the sovereignty of the Lord and will be unto the glory of God.
17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
For the last six months we have seen riots and looting from those who are troubled by impure spirits. In Washington there was one woman screaming at us that we were “fascists”. In Atlanta there were about 40 who had makeshift “armor”, baseball bats, and even shotgun shells wrapped around their body like rambo. The police did a wonderful job of keeping them separate from us. What we are seeing now is a powerful way for a large crowd of disciples to “stand up in front of everyone” and to “stretch out our hands”.
20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
It isn’t by power, it isn’t by might, it isn’t by riches or money, it is by the Lord’s spirit that we will gain the kingdom of God. That is why I went there and that is why many others went there as well.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. We are hungry for righteousness.
We are hungry to have this covenant fulfilled. Our goal is a better kingdom, the city on the hill. And we know that we will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Right now it seems that liars and thieves are everywhere and are about to win. But I believe that Jesus is Lord, we will get the victory, and that weeping lasts for the night but joy comes in the morning.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
Oh, for a second I thought He was going to say because of Trump. The hate speech today is off the charts. They want to cancel (exclude) everyone who supported Trump. They call them deplorable, irredeemable, chumps, racists, etc. But when they do that it tells me they have no other argument. They are terrified that if we stick to our guns that they will all be caught, convicted and go to prison.
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
That is precisely how I feel coming back from these rallies. My whole life I have regretted not going to Martin Luther King’s rally in Washington DC. I was only four at the time so I would have had to really convince my parents to take me, still I have always wished I was part of that history. Well, today I feel that this is the same struggle.
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
There are a lot of people who have traded their conscience for some silver. That is one reason why they are so filled with rage at this challenge to their authority. If they lose they lose all that money.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
One thing that really stuck out to me these last few months is the contrast between the way the media speaks about Trump and his supporters compared with Biden and his supporters. For four years I was used to the media being like pit bulls attacking everything and anything the president did or said. Then with Biden they wouldn’t even ask a single tough question. I have actually seen Biden rebuke reporters for asking him a question. I have seen Biden and Harris just walk away after a press conference refusing to answer a single question. They are well fed, they laugh at the election results and everyone speaks well of them.
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
We are praying for this country. We realize that there is a deception and that many who are cursing and mistreating us have been deceived. We are praying for them.
29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
I am all for BLM protesting, but I will protest in a way that I would have them protest as well. For six months I was disturbed by them allowing their protests to devolve into violence. So I am very happy that we can protest in a way that sets a positive example, where we could do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
