A New Image of God

Jesus encourages us to look beyond rules (legalism) and to see the real person. In Jesus’ day the rule of keeping the Sabbath (at times) prevented folk from truly seeing the individual person and their real needs. In our own day legalism can also be a blinder and hinder us from truly connecting with the other person. What Jesus models in our Markan stories (Mark 2:23-3:6) is to “move beyond the rules and engage the person who stands before you.”