Have you ever come across people who kept to the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law? How frustrating is it to work with such people? They are very exact in following the law but they forget why the law is there in the first place. For example, one time I was riding a city bus and there was a yellow line that passengers had to stay behind. However because the bus was packed, I had to put at least one foot on the yellow line. But the bus driver said he’s not leaving until all parts of the body are behind that yellow line! I had to pull a gymnastics move to hold onto the rail to have my feet inside the line. If anything, that was more dangerous to me and the bus driver, since I could’ve lost my balance and fallen on the driver!  The yellow line was there for the safety of the driver and the passengers – that is the “spirit” of the yellow line, the reason why that law is in place. However, following the letter of the law can actually cause more harm.

That was a point of conflict between Jesus and the pharisees. In Mark 3, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. But He did it on a Sabbath day. The pharisees were sticklers to the law. They believed that one should do no work on Sabbath day. And healing is considered work since you are doing something, and thus Jesus violated the law in their book. But Jesus says to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” (v. 3) 

Jesus was making a point. He was trying to get the pharisees to think about why God gave them the Sabbath law in the first place. It was for the good of the people so that they don’t tire themselves out. It was for them to set aside one day a week to see the goodness of God and to rely on Him so that He can provide for them for 7 days on only 6 days of work. But the pharisees kept to the letter of the law and thought that no one could do anything on the Sabbath day. And when they saw Jesus doing a good work, God-honoring work of making a person well, they had a fit!

Are you a stickler to certain ways? Do things have to get done in precisely a prescripted way? Do you come down hard on people who don’t seem to follow any laws or rules? Do you grade people secretly by how well they follow the rules and laws? You might be a pharisee!

Remind yourself why those rules and laws are there in the first place. It’s for people’s good. If people get hurt, discouraged, and especially fall away from the Lord because of your uncompromising ways, you might have to reexamine your heart.

Besides, you fall far short of God’s ways. Actually, you fall far short of your OWN standards and you know it! Repent. Be merciful. Be like God.

PH