Angry Grief

Today's reading: Mark 2:13-28, 3:1-6

'And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.' - Mark 3:5 ESV

How much of a planner are you? Do you find great pleasure in having your entire day (or life) mapped out? It is definitely helpful to be organized and to have boundaries for our days. Otherwise, we would never get anything done. We also need limits to keep us from making life-altering mistakes.

Yet this still can be taken too far. We can do so much planning, and our schedules and ideals can be so rigid that we don't have room for compassion.

Like we saw yesterday, Jesus made time for intimacy with his Father. Today we see that he also made time for people, and he thought it was ok to do this at the expense of the Pharisees' religious traditions.

It is wild because Mark records that he was angry but that he was also grieved toward these Jewish religious leaders' resistance. 

The word for grieved appears only here in the entire New Testament. It is the word syllypeō, and it can also be translated as to be "hurt" or "mortified."

This is what love sometimes looks like. We are angry when people don't get it, and we hurt because we know their lack of faith is killing them (spiritually).

"God, help us not to compromise when it comes to the compassion we show to others. For those who don't get it, may we not suppress our anger or our grief. May you use them to help us get a clearer picture of your heart. In Jesus' name, Amen."