Anger? Temper With Mercy

 

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. (Mark 3:5 KJV)

Most often, when people want to show when Christ became angry they choose the scripture where he drives the money-changers out of the temple. Seldom do we read Matthew’s account of the healing of a man on the Sabbath:

And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. (Mark 3:1-4 KJV)

Why, since God commanded we keep the sabbath holy, shouldn’t we? And if there were rules, why shouldn’t a man claiming to be God keep them? Those who had set themselves up as judges of what God wanted determined that this man, claiming to be God, was doing what God said not to do.

They accused Him, and Matthew’s account gives His explanation:

And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
(Matthew 12:11-12 KJV)

In Mark’s relating the event of disciples eating grain, we read:

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: (Mark 2:27 KJV)

People who see God as a judge of our actions, they are right. That occurs both now and before His throne. However, being perfect, His justice is, too. Tempered with mercy and knowledge, justice accurately sets people on a path leading to Him. It is easier to see that path when we understand another verse does not maintain a good path:

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. (Deuteronomy 12:8 KJV)

While Judges tells us when this was done, Proverbs tells us what happens when it is done:

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. (Proverbs 21:2-3 KJV)

In our world today, we do not seek God’s justice. It appears more often than not that we seek revenge. We see the oldest of laws, an eye for an eye. Yes, that is mentioned three times – in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy – but Jesus offers a different take on this in His Sermon on the Mount:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. (Matthew 5:38-42 KJV)

Please note that the facts above are that an original harm was done. The man suing at law is doing so because he was wronged by the man being sued. Resist not the original evil by returning evil, but understand the justness of repaying the person who originally lost by our action.  We know what God wants us to do:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40 KJV)

We have two questions to ask – Are we harming God? Are we harming another of His children – to understand whether we are doing right or not. Jesus was not harming God by helping the man with a withered hand on the sabbath. Justice was softened by mercy, just as God’s justice regarding our sinfulness is softened by the mercy extended by Jesus:

Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:23-25 KJV)

Remember the two questions when considering what you need to do. Temper justice with mercy, too, and expect mercy from God.