Rigid Traditionalism and a Hard Heart

March 13

Jesus was in a synagogue on the Sabbath and encountered a man with a shriveled hand. The Jewish authorities wondered what Jesus would do. “Will He heal this man on the Sabbath?” they thought.

Given that the man’s hand was withered, he had probably been this way his entire life. The Mosaic Law prohibited those with disabilities from coming near the altar. (Leviticus 21:16–23) We saw a similar situation with a man born blind when we read John 9 on January 11. There’s no indication that this man’s infirmity was due to sin, yet this man had been unable to offer sacrifices his entire life.

Having invited the man to stand before them, He asked them the perfect question (of course): “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or kill?” In addition to the sixth commandment, the Jewish leaders had invented over seven hundred “fence laws” to prevent inadvertent breaking of the Jewish Law. (Exodus 20:9–11) In Luke 14:5, Jesus rightly reminded them that if a child or an ox fell into a well on a sabbath, any conscientious person would rescue the person or animal. Neither in the Luke passage nor this one from Mark 3 did any of the Jewish leaders respond to Jesus’ remarks. Jesus was grieved at the hardness of their hearts, so He proceeded to restore the man’s hand, simply by asking the man to extend his hand. His hand was immediately restored.

Application

The Jewish leaders were far more concerned about rigid obedience to the Mosaic Law and their own fence laws than they were about a man being able to enter the Temple and worship God.

They believed that God created man for the Sabbath. These leaders were seriously messed up in their understanding of God and the very purpose of their religion. They completely overlooked the two greatest commandments: Love God and love others. (Matthew 22:36–40)

As we saw on February 19, the religious leaders rejected the Law in favor of their traditions. Their entire religious system became a massive roadblock to knowing and loving God. And, as we read just yesterday, Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for people—not the other way around.

Religious traditions can be an important thing, but we run into problems when traditions become traditionalism. Are there any religious traditions that might hinder your walk with God?

© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman