As usual, Jesus is more concerned with the root of a problem than the fruit of a problem. He is more concerned with the causing of sin than the committing of sin. It’s easier to focus our concern upon the sin committed rather than the cause. We frown upon the pregnant teen but fail to address the emotionally-absent father whose absence drove the daughter to look for male companionship.
Read More sin, holiness, discernmentI suspect that for most of us, being cruel brings to mind aggressive, perhaps even violent acts. We think of cruelty as being assertive. But here Jesus links being cruel not with what we do to others, but by what we fail to do for them. Cruelty is associated with the apathy that would fail to look for a lost sheep. It is cruel to be passively content with ninety-nine knowing that one has gone missing.
Read More cruelty, getting involved, joyI’ve never met anyone who enjoys confronting others. Even calling it by the more positive term, admonishing, doesn’t make the task any more enjoyable. Telling another person that we have been hurt by them, slighted, felt abused or sinned against is just an unpleasant, difficult conversation to have; a conversation that most of us would prefer to avoid. It is as if we feel that we have a duty to “suck it up”; to absorb the pain of the other. We may even feel as if we are at fault for feeling slighted.
Read More sin, love, confrontationVery often we respond to others in ways we have been treated. When someone is kind to us we are more apt to be kind to others. If someone gets mad at us, we are likely to be in a poor mood and pass on anger to others. The truth is we reflect how we perceive we are being treated. In this parable the man who refused to forgive showed a greater lack than just financial poverty, he lacked pity.
Read More grace, forgiveness, kindnessJesus tells his brothers that he is not going to the festival but a few verses later we read “he went secretly, without telling anyone.” Jesus lied! This was the only conclusion I could see. Early in my Christianity this passage almost caused the undoing of my faith. Jesus had told a lie and if he had, than he had sinned and if he had sinned his death could not atone for my sin! It was a very emotional struggle. It was a wiser believer who finally brought clarity to my dilemma.
Read More time, trust, yetMany of us have heard and tried to practise the proverb, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” We like when things fit neatly and nicely in their place. We shy away from obscurity and ambiguity and so when Jesus enters a room, or a culture, a life or our world it can be unsettling. Jesus has a tendency to colour outside of the lines, to live, move and think outside of our categorical boxes. He won’t even stay buried when he’s been crucified!
Read More confusion, understanding, ambiguityThe Pharisees think that they have Jesus in a Catch 22 situation. If Jesus fails to have the woman caught in adultery stoned he will be disobeying the law, but if he does have her stoned his message of love will be compromised in the eyes of the people. They’re sure they have him. But Jesus does something that turns the tables.
Read More compassion, judging, hypocrisyHave you ever felt “in the dark” about some issue? Darkness is a metaphor for ignorance and naiveté and here Jesus shines his light upon the ignorance of the Pharisees. He reveals that they lack perception in their judgments (v 15), they lack knowledge of who God is (v 19) and they are blind to their own earth bound perspective and allegiance (v 23).
Read More light, darknessWhen I was young I would often want to attempt things that were beyond my ability. My mother’s predictable response was that I wasn’t allowed, to which I would reply, “Why? I know how.” My mother would always say, “Knowing how and being able are two different things.” Her retort was simply an acknowledgement that some things are learned only through time and experience. There are some lessons which books and teachers simply cannot impart.
Read More obedience, knowledgeIn most of my readings about this passage the person commentating focuses upon the claim to divinity that Jesus makes in using the sacred name “I am” to describe himself before Abraham existed. But there is another intriguing insight that comes from this passage.
In response to the accusation by the crowd that Jesus is demonic, Jesus replies by saying he honours his Father.
Read More obedience, demons, honour