Today’s reading was just one chapter in my chronological Bible reading plan, but what stood out to me was a verse dealing with the Sabbath. Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27, NLT). The Pharisees noticed Jesus’s disciples plucking grain heads from the fields as they walked and ate them, for they were hungry. Apparently, that was a big no-no!
What a picture of religion! Under the Pharisee’s direction, the Sabbath had become a needy, high-maintenance tyrant demanding that man conform to its many regulations. But Jesus says no; the Sabbath was given by God for man’s needs. In this case, His disciples were hungry. Do they not eat and go hungry, or should the Sabbath meet their needs and let them eat? Religion is just like this; it puts demands upon man and does nothing to serve his actual needs.
What is man’s actual need? He is born a sinner, separated from God, incapable of doing anything to make himself right with God. Jesus came to show us mercy, and He fulfilled the law and all that God demanded through His perfect, sinless life and atoning death upon the cross. Jesus did all of this so that God might forgive us for simply putting our faith in Jesus. In other words, the Gospel meets man’s needs, saving us by grace, through faith, in Christ alone. We were not made to meet the demands of the Gospel; Jesus has already done that.
Believers, we are set free to live unto God through the power of Jesus Christ. Our lives are not about meeting the endless needy appetite of a high-maintenance religion. Rejoice that you are free, free indeed to live holy unto Christ!
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Mark 2.