14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
Can you imagine wanting to kill someone because they healed someone’s hand? That is exactly what the Pharisees did. You see, Jesus had the audacity to do the healing on the Sabbath day. It was considered work to heal someone, and of course we all know that you don’t work on the Sabbath! But Jesus had just demonstrated their hypocrisy. They were all willing to do work, to lift a fallen animal on the Sabbath. But they were not willing to allow a person to be healed. They valued animals more than people. I see this same attitude today in the ads on TV for animal rescue. For about the same amount of money you could keep a child alive. I am not against animals, but I am for people. The Pharisees were putting thought and energy into this plot. Can you imagine if they put their energy into something productive? Do we do this kind of thing? Do we fight against something simply because we did not do it, or we didn’t come up with the idea, or we won’t get the credit? Are our energies focused on tearing down rather than building up? Sometimes we get twisted backwards. We get so invested in a project that we miss the changes around us that make the project obsolete. But we keep pushing the project. Jesus calls us to see where He is moving and move with Him, even if it means breaking one of our long held religious practices. Jesus is moving. He is working in people’s lives. Are we going to get on board with Him, or plot how to impede what He is doing? It is our choice.
The Arnold Journey 