Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

We have a lot of churches in our country and Idaho, my home state, has a really high number, per capita. As I have served the Lord and ministered in churches, some have been great about building authentic community. Others have played favorites or created cultures where questioning leadership or authority was not allowed.

One church in particular went to such lengths, that they sent sentinels out to make sure no alternative opinions were expressed on a particular Sunday.

Jesus experienced this type of divisiveness in his ministry within the Jewish churches, called Synagogues. He comes into this church and heals a man on the Sabbath (Saturday, the day the Jews went to church), and he is ridiculed and persecuted for it.

Have you ever done something good and right, prompted by God’s Spirit, and been rewarded with anger, envy, or ridicule for it. It brings to mind the saying, “No good deed goes unpunished.” While this is intended to be somewhat “tongue in cheek” and humorous, some truly believe it. They turn their experiences into pessimism — the glass, it seems, is alway half empty.

Jesus had another strategy to combat this type of behavior: Call out the hypocrisy and keep on serving God and doing his good works. Here he compares a person to a sheep, and says something akin to this: “Which one is more valuable? So how can you help a sheep on a day of rest and not a person?”

It takes more boldness and courage than we often have inside us to operate this way. This is where God’s Spirit will fill us up with these traits, if we ask him. Filling our minds with the Bible and praying will keep us close to God and allow us to act in a manner that reflects him, even in the most challenging circumstances.

How can I view ridicule and punishment for doing good in a different way? What if I saw that when the darkness seems darkest, it is a greater opportunity to shine a brighter light?

Lord, thank you for modeling your truth. You desire for me to allow your Spirit to shine through me. May I keep aiming for the target of perfection in all I do, and stay close to you to allow your Spirit to enable me to be a pure and loving vessel in your hand. May I bring joy and encouragement into dark places of fear and depression, I pray.