Wanting to bring charges against Jesus, they were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. Mark 3:2
The Pharisees were trying desperately to catch Jesus in a religious crime so that they could bring up charges against Him. However, there is more to the story than that. What was their real motivation? Whatever it was, it was sapping their souls.
Quite possibly, their motivation was fear. This radical person named Jesus was challenging their Jewish religious beliefs. He was doing things that seemed against the rules put into place for centuries. Do we cringe in fear of newly implemented plans and ideas in our church? Do we become weary in our non-stop activities for God because fear is driving us to follow the rules instead of love motivating us to follow Christ? Are we letting fear sap our soul?
Maybe the Pharisees were motivated by their pride, anger, or resentment. After all, how could the lowly Jesus even insinuate being the Son of God? Shouldn't they, who were higher in status, be a more likely candidate than a carpenter's son? They asked the question of Nathaniel, "How can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Does our pride, anger, or resentment sap our souls?
Quite possibly, desperation was the basis of the Pharisees’ actions. They were longing and mourning for a Messiah King to come and sit on His royal throne, thus blinding them with anxiety and despair. Do we let anguish sap our souls of seeing our answered prayers in front of us?
It's easy for us to point fingers at the Pharisees, but we are all motivated by the same things: fear, pride, anger, resentment, desperation, anxiety, and grief. Just like a leaching parasite latching onto its host, bad motivators can latch onto us, by sapping our soul of true peace, love, and joy, making us blind to the truth and deaf to the words of life.
In your love of God, has your exuberance turned into apathy? Has your faith vitality changed into listlessness? Has your cheerfulness of service become more like discouragement of dread? Precisely what is sapping your soul today?
Forgive me, Father, when I let other things get in the way of your true peace, through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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