Kindness!

For Thursday, June 26, 2025:

Luke 14:3 NLT: “Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, ‘Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?’”

Jesus was a guest at the home of a Pharisee, about to be seated for the Sabbath meal. The Pharisees were watching him closely, hoping to catch Jesus doing something wrong. That was the Pharisee’s modus operandi, to catch people violating God’s commands and then call them on the carpet. Pharisees appeared to love nobody and were critics of everybody, and Jesus was no exception! How foolish they must have been to think that they could cite God’s Law against God’s own Son!

A man attending the feast suffered from swollen arms and legs. Pain made it challenging for him to move. Jesus saw an opportunity to make the man’s life better, and at the same time correct the Pharisee’s errant theology. He set up the lesson by asking: “Is it legal to heal this man on the Sabbath? You can see he’s hurting! Whaddaya say, guys? Should we heal him or not?”

Lacking a good answer, the Pharisees remained silent. Jesus reached out, touched the man, and instantly he was healed. Jesus turned to the Pharisees and explained, “Every one of you does work on the Sabbath. If a family member or one of your animals fell into a pit, surely you’d pull it out, even on the Sabbath!” The Pharisees remained speechless.

Lessons learned: We should worship God every day, but with special focus on the Sabbath. Because the Sabbath is the Lord’s day, it’s the perfect day to show kindness to our fellows. The Sabbath should never become an excuse for not doing the right things for the right reasons. If you’re loving your neighbor, God will smile on you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship