Jesus came to open our eyes to see things differently. Different means change, and change , even change for the good, is hard for us to deal with. It raises questions of all kinds: how do we know change is needed; what is wrong with the way we have been doing things; how do we be certain this is the right change? The Pharisees in our gospel for today were in a quandary. “Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man [Jesus] is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath.’ But others [also Pharisees] said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided.” The Pharisees of Jesus day were strict observers of the Law as tradition had handed it down to them from the time of Moses. They were certain they were on the right track, serving God, pleasing God, living a righteous life. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, along comes Jesus to upset their applecart. He says, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath” (Mk.2:27), and goes around doing all sorts of good things, like healing the blind, on the sabbath. In reaction, some huddled their wagons, holding on to their certainties about their understanding of how things were supposed to be. But some, a bit more open, perhaps, began to question, to see things from a different perspective, to hear the Word of God in a new way. And through Easter eyes, we know the rest of the story. We recognize that motif in all sorts of venues today—something new happens and how do folks react—they become divided. I notice that division in myself—do you? When my eyes are opened to see God’s love in a new way, from a different perspective, what changes are required in my life? What from tradition do I need to let go in order to embrace my new understanding? My equilibrium is disturbed; what does it take to bring my spiritual life back into balance? As I’ve said so often before, trusting in God’s love to see me through the chaos is the only way forward.