16 Mar 2018
The situation between Jesus and “the Jews” gets tenser as we
move toward Holy Week. And, with that,
the Scriptures can become less and less relatable. It’s as though we step back and we become
just somebody in the crowd; somebody who’s standing by, watching things unfold
between Jesus and “the Jews,” but we’re not really a part of it.
And so, it can be hard to get either guidance or reassurance
from the Scriptures. It can be hard to
see the “good news” in the gospel, and to even see the gospel as relevant;
after all, none of us is running the risk of being crucified. But there is “good news” in the gospel, and
it is relevant.
And the good news is that Jesus (and the Book of Wisdom)
gives us a foreshadow of what we can expect if we’re trying to be like him, if
we’re trying to take the “high road” and be good disciples of the Lord. That’s the good news: that foreshadow.
“The Jews” grumbled against Jesus; they tried to discredit
him; they attacked his character; they were jealous of him; they couldn’t stand
the sight of him. Now, if we try to
share the gospel of love and forgiveness and so on, we might ruffle some
feathers. But getting others annoyed
with you isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Having your children annoyed with you because you keep
reminding them (gently) about the faith you brought up in; having others be
jealous of you because you try to take that high road and follow the ways of
God; having others think you’re nuts because you actually try to live your
faith...none of those things are necessarily a bad thing.
It depends on how we’re practicing our faith. You know, we don’t want to be “snooty” in taking
the high road...we just want to be genuine in trying to follow Christ and his
ways. So, assuming we’re being genuine
and humble in how we live our faith, having others annoyed at you, or jealous
of you, can be a good thing. It can be a
good...sign.
It can be a sign that we’re actually sharing in the life of
our Lord. It can be a sign that we’re
actually carrying our cross. And that
can be a wonderfully reassuring thing; to know that our life is becoming
intermingled with his.
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