What kind of people should you find in a gathering of people who believe in God? It seems to me you should find people with caring hearts. But that is NOT what Jesus found when He ‘went to church.’
Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Mark 3:1-5, NIV
When Jesus left that meeting, one withered hand was healed but several stubborn hearts were still calloused and hard.
This raises some questions in my mind. How many stubborn hearts are in a typical church gathering at Westside? Is mine one of them?
To do surgery on a stubborn heart, does Jesus have to get a signed permission slip (like they ask you to sign before an operation at the hospital)?
Do I ever ask God to heal a ‘withered hand’ part of my life when I should be asking him to heal a ‘stubborn heart’ part?