11th Sunday after Pentecost

Should we sometimes put systems before people or, at least, get people to fit in with the systems we have carefully devised?  In the Gospel passage for this week, the answer Jesus gives is no!  A crippled woman comes for healing on the Sabbath.  Jesus proceeds to heal her of her crippling disease.  This breaks the system of rules and so the president of the synagogue is critical of Jesus’ actions.  Jesus’ reply is to point out that this same system of rules permitted an animal to be rescued but did not allow a human in crippling pain to be healed.  Lest we become overly critical of the views of the religious leaders in Jesus’ time we need to reflect on our own churches today.  Most of the arguments that happen in the modern-day church concern rules and systems of church government.  We need to continue to pray that God will save us in all senses of the word from the schemes of the devil.  This includes being saved from a system which puts rules and procedures above the value of a human life.