HOCF SERMON 2023

Mark 3 Hard Heart/Rebel Heart

MARK 3 :1-6 HARD HEART/REBEL HEART

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."

4 Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.

5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Sa liwat nagbalik si Jesus sa simbahan sang mga Judio kag may tawo didto nga pingkaw[] ang kamot. 2 Tungod nga ang mga Pariseo nagapangita gid sang kabangdanan nga maakusar nila si Jesus, ginabantayan nila kon bala ayuhon niya ang ato nga tawo sa Adlaw nga Inugpahuway. 3 Nagsiling si Jesus sa tawo nga pingkaw, "Magpalapit ka diri sa atubangan." 4 Pagkatapos nagpamangkot siya sa mga Pariseo, "Ano bala ang ginatugot sang aton Kasuguan sa Adlaw nga Inugpahuway: ang paghimo sang maayo sa mga tawo ukon ang paghimo sang malain? Ang pagluwas sang ila kabuhi ukon ang pagpatay?" Pero wala gid sing may nagsabat. 5 Gintulok sila ni Jesus nga may kaakig, pero nasubuan man siya tungod sang katig-a sang ila balatyagon. Dayon nagsiling siya sa tawo nga pingkaw, "Untaya ang imo kamot!" Gin-untay niya, kag nag-ayo ini. 6 Pagkatapos sadto nagguwa ang mga Pariseo kag nagpakigkita sa mga sumulunod ni Haring Herodes. Nagplano sila kon paano nila mapatay si Jesus.

SERMON:

The Word today tells us about the time when Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand on a Sabbath. He was at the synagogue and there were people there who were closely watching what he was doing. They were intentionally looking for anything that they could accuse him with. Even when Jesus was doing something good, by healing and helping the man, there were people who were out plotting to kill him.

Just like Jesus, have you ever been in a situation when all eyes were on you, waiting for you to take a fall so they could have something to destroy you? It's a very difficult situation to be in, because you don't know what others have on you that they may use against you. You would need to be careful at what you do because you don't know what may trigger a situation. It feels like you are walking on eggshells that anytime, could break and ruin you.

Or have you ever been in a situation when you were already painted as the bad one that even when you try hard to do everything right but people still see it in the negative? It is like for them, you have not done anything good and just waiting for you to make another mistake so they could prove that you are what other people say you are?

Is there a time that you would really try to go out and do your best to make a good relationship with people but because they already have this prejudice towards you, they already made up their mind about you, they will never acknowledge your effort? People jut keep going hard on you because from the inside, their hearts are already hardened for you.

In our Word today, Jesus was not only distressed but was also angry with these people because of their stubborn hearts. Even when Jesus was doing good healing people on a Sabbath Day, they chose to think that Jesus was breaking the law. They ignored the good thing that Jesus was doing adn they focused on what they think is wrong that Jesus is doing.

You see, a person with a hardened heart is like that. He doesn't focus on what is good, but always looks for what is wrong. No matter how much good you show them, they will not see it. Their eyes are blind to the good things that you do because in their hearts they already have decided to hate you.