God works in hidden ways and places. Abraham was blessed by Melchizedek the priest of the Most High God - and we have no idea who he was or why he was in 'Salem'. He was not a Jew and this was before the giving of the law at Sinai. Jerusalem did not even belong to Israel until much later. Legends and later traditions associated him in some mysterious way with Christ. It should make us pause and reflect on how vast and wonderful God's design for the world is - God will work in places and through people that we never imagined. Let us be careful about passing judgments on individuals and on groups, especially those of other

By healing the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, Jesus broke the rules in order to exercise compassion and mercy. Jesus was not immune to being hurt for we are told that he was greatly grieved at their hardness of heart. Hardness of heart describes an inability and unwillingness to understand - we might say a rigid, narrow, and inflexible mind. The Hebrews believed that in order to understand we have to use not only our minds but also feelings and emotions. Religious people can be convinced that they are being faithful or doing the right thing and yet fail to exercise God's fundamental commandment concerning love, compassion, and mercy. There is too much hardness of heart today!