HOW
DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
Mark
3:5
5
And
when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved
for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine
hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the
other.
Three
times in the Gospels
we find the word “grieved.” All three translate a form of the Greek lupeo
which means to be sorrowful on account of the actions or attitudes of another.
Only in Mark do we see the word sullupeo which adds the emotion
of anger! The occasion was a question from the religious leaders regarding the
healing of a man with a crippled hand on the Sabbath day. They cared more for
the Sabbath than the sinner. Jesus’ emotion was anger and
sadness but His response was ministry.
One
of the things
that make ministers so unpopular is that we are constantly offering unsolicited
advice and counsel. We try to interrupt wrong and thwart evil. It grieves us
and sometimes angers us as well. Jesus did not allow His emotions to hinder his
ministry. He healed the man’s hand.
Do
not conclude
that because a minister appears at your side to comfort you in your distress
that he is any less grieved at your attitudes and actions which caused your
distress. Inside Jesus felt both sadness and anger but it did not hinder Him
from saying “stretch forth thine hand.”
Dear
Lord, help me to be practical in my ministry today. AMEN
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