Mark 2-3

 We all have critics. I hope to leave that status behind but still find my negativity, cynicism and critique of others slide into my mind. Jesus experienced the judgment of professional critics among the Pharisees. They were searching for ways to discredit Him, to catch Him being dubious and a fraud. The evil one has done this from the beginning, creating doubt and suspicion, division and disappointment. Keeping the rules, following the law is important for our protection, not to condemn and eliminate people. May we be approachable, loving, and full of hope. 

 “The priority of human need was expressed in his second thought—a principle about the Sabbath. “The sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27). The purpose of the Sabbath was to address human need. People were never intended to be slaves of the Sabbath, serving the Sabbath through rigid rule keeping. People were of greater priority than the Sabbath. Thus, addressing human need on the Sabbath was more important that following the scribal interpretations about the Sabbath.” - Excerpt. Following Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark by Steve Langford

“God’s attitude, God’s spirit, toward you is one of unwavering fatherly-motherly love. You have nothing to fear from God. God is not mad at you. God has never been mad at you. God is never going to be mad at you. And what about the fear of God? The fear of God is the wisdom of not acting against love. We fear God in the same way that as a child I feared my father. I had the good fortune to have a wise and loving father, and I had deep respect, reverence, admiration, and, perhaps, a kind of fear for my father, but I never for one moment thought that my dad hated me or would harm me. God does not hate you, and God will never harm you. But your own sin, if you do not turn away from it, will bring you great harm. The wisdom that acknowledges this fact is what we call the fear of God. Sin is deadly, but God is love.” - Excerpt, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God by Brian Zahnd