Sometimes the most faithful choice feels like disobedience, and the most obedient choice feels costly.

We live with laws, rules, and boundaries that give structure and safety to life. Yet Scripture repeatedly presses us to ask a deeper question. What happens when strict obedience to a rule collides with compassion, mercy, and life itself? That tension lies at the heart of the gospel.

The Law given by God was holy and just, but even within it there were moments when mercy took precedence. In Ezekiel we read of priests forbidden to approach the dead, yet permitted to do so for close family. The law itself made room for love. Jesus later exposed how easily rules can become shields that excuse indifference. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, religious men passed by suffering because they feared defilement more than they valued life. Jesus made it clear that this was not righteousness.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus was repeatedly accused of breaking the law. He healed on the Sabbath. He allowed his disciples to pluck grain. He touched those considered unclean. He was not careless with God’s commands, but he revealed their true purpose. The Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath. Law was never meant to suffocate life but to serve it.

Nowhere is this clearer than in Gethsemane. Jesus prayed with raw honesty, asking if the cup could be taken from him. His will recoiled from suffering, yet he submitted himself fully to the will of God. There was no denial of fear, no pretence of strength. He chose obedience that led not to safety, but to sacrifice.

Here the deepest mystery unfolds. The law declared that sin leads to death. Yet Jesus, who did not sin, was allowed to die. God permitted what the law itself condemned, because the situation was one of life and death. Not for Jesus, but for us. In mercy, God crossed the red light of judgment so that humanity might live.

This teaches us something vital. Faithfulness is not measured by rigid rule keeping, but by alignment with God’s purpose of life, restoration, and love. When laws are observed without compassion, they become hollow. When mercy is embraced, the heart of God is revealed.

As we remember Jesus, we remember one who gave himself willingly, trusting that God’s will, though costly, would bring salvation. May gratitude shape our lives, and may we show that same mercy and love to all our brothers and sisters .