KJV Mark 3:4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

Did you ever have someone trying to trap you in your own words? Our Lord did. But Jesus did not cower down. He confronted wrong doctrines with wit, wisdom and vigor.

“Okay, you want to accuse me of breaking God’s Law? Let me give you something to chew on.”

They remain quiet. Swallow hard.

” Come on! You snakes in the grass. Answer some questions yourself if you are so knowledgeable.”

They look around for someone to hide behind…No way to escape.

“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?” Everyone there knew the answer to that one.

Trapped! The word cage clapped shut. If they answered “no” then he could contradict them with the same law that required an animal in the ditch to be rescued on the Sabbath. If they answered “yes” then he could say, “Why do you rush to condemn me for doing good?”

“I am required by law to do good to this man whose hand is withered, even on the Sabbath.”

Now all the people could see what Jesus was saying. Even the accusers!

So, they held their peace. This means that they did not speak to answer his questions. Really, the word says,

“The mouth speaks from the abundance of what is in the spirit of the man.” If they had spoken, it would have been a quite disturbing and self-condemning verbal flow. The real people would have probably laughed them to scorn. If these accusers thought they were going to escape the appearance of hypocrisy by being quiet, they were wrong. Check it out. We are reading and writing about those fools even now. So self-righteous! What pride of the natural mind! How destructive.

Look, you cannot hit a ghost with a broomstick! Neither can you fight spiritual power with natural reasoning. Flesh and blood is not our enemy. Spiritual wickedness in high places is the architect of destruction. Jesus came to destroy their works. When we hear his call and respond, we also will be empowered to do dominating battle with the unseen but real enemy. The devil convinces men to speak his words. (You can see the flesh and blood man, but you cannot see the driving demonic spirit.)  Jesus convinces men to speak his words. We make the choice of who will be the lord and master of our words and who will be our chosen enemy. Whichever one you choose to serve, you will love with all your heart and immediately hate and despise the other one. No middle ground.

Jesus was no slouch concerning the law. He was determined to set the record straight. Bad men had twisted the law and put people in bondage. Jesus had a mandate from heaven to tell the Truth and make men free. Those who come to Jesus find victory over the devil and peace for their souls. Old bondages fall away. What is the deal about the Sabbath that Jesus want to correct? What, then, is the truth about the Sabbath?

This Sabbath is a more perfect Sabbath than that under the Old law of Moses. That Sabbath was a type and shadow of the real Sabbath to come. That Sabbath is here and Jesus is Lord of the true Sabbath. Just like His priesthood is an eternal priesthood, His Sabbath is also everlasting, not just for one day of the week.

The Sabbath that Jesus taught is an eternal rest or eternal Sabbath. We rest in him 24/7. Every day is the Sabbath. Let no man judge you about new moons and Sabbaths. Get the message? Do not let men beat your spirit with Old Law broomsticks. Peace like a river floods our soul when we rest in Jesus, trusting him to meet every need and circumstance with provision from his riches in glory. Remember we are soldiers in the army of the Lord, at peace within ourselves because we are assured of victory. No man goes to war at his own charge. God is my provider. Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (lack anything). Trusting him is spiritual warfare. Toiling in our natural abilities is fighting with a broomstick.

Do not be satisfied with the traditional religious bondage. If you will preach with power, then you will run head-on into religious demons. Probably they will raise their serpent heads in church or possibly in your home. Get the revealed word of God, proclaim it and stand fast. Let the crowd see them swing their broomsticks at you. They have no power over you. “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” You are assured of victory if you stand fast. Do not waver from the truth. The Holy Spirit opened the Word of God to you. His truth is powerful. It indeed beats their outdated weapon of choice…let’s call it their broomstick.