Wednesday 11 January 2017

Response?

And they could not reply to this.                                          Luke 14.6


The day is the Sabbath. And, yet again, Jesus heals in the presence of lawyers and Pharisees. He asks them two questions. Firstly, whether it is lawful or not to cure people on the Sabbath. They are silent. Then He asks them whether they wouldn’t pull a child or an ox out of a well if it had fallen in on the Sabbath. Again they have no answer for Him.

Many times the critics of Jesus were unable to answer Him. Many times He confounded them with His ways. And it is no different today. Jesus is often criticised and maligned, yet people are tongue-tied when confronted with the real Jesus and the truth of His message.

Sadly, a lot of the reputation that is attributed to Jesus belongs, instead, to the church. Through the ages the church has committed unwise and often damaging acts in the name of Jesus. At times the effect has been devastating, and very long lasting.

How does God view the actions and activity of His church? I suspect it grieves Him. And who is the church? I am a part of it! And I can work for a good, merciful and loving church by seeking in myself to be Christ-like. I may not be able to change the face of Christendom, but I can possibly influence those around me as I seek to follow Jesus more closely, to give myself to becoming more like Him, and to fix my sights on Him. May others do likewise. And, please God, may the church become the body of Christ as He would have it!





Lord God,

I pray for myself, that I may follow You more truly. I pray for the church, that we may really get hold of, and live, the way of Christ. And I pray for the world, that they might receive and respond to the message of Your love.             Amen.



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