Words Of Christ Devotions

[nChrist]

August 8

Call and Answer

Luk_19:1-10

It is the simplest of stories, often sung by children.  It is but a call and an answer.

The call of Christ

The call is personal—Jesus calls Zaccheus by name.  The call of Christ is always person to person, and never collect.

The call is one of haste—he tells him to come "immediately."  So many of us linger in our doubts, now willing, now reluctant, always thinking that tomorrow would be a better day to answer.  Here we see the better way.

The call is one which humbles—"come down" says Jesus.  Get off the perch, stop looking at the parade, cease to be a church shopper—and come down to meet the Master.

The call is one of necessity—"I must" stay at your house.  To have such a guest was an honor;  but Jesus makes it clear that his presence is necessary.  Indeed, eternal life depends upon it.

The call is one which endures—he is to "stay" at the little man's house.  So we should expect our Lord to stay with us, all our lives.

Above all else, the call is powerful—for it changed this man from a despised sinner to a glorious saint.

The reply

Zaccheus received him speedily—"at once."  How many of us dawdle in reply to our Lord?

He received him gladly—how many of us grouse at his commands?
He received him sincerely—as is evidenced by his works.

The crowd

The crowd reacted as we might to the news that Billy Graham ate dinner with the head of the Mafia.  But our Lord has a purpose:  he came to seek and save the lost.  For that purpose he ignored public criticism and ate with the worst of sinners.  Do we have that same sense of purpose?  Perhaps if we gave the call of Christ as he did, and received it like Zaccheus, we would know the same results.

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[nChrist]

August 9

Responsibility

Luk_19:11-28

In this dark parable our Lord lays out the end of time and his return to earth.  It is a time of great reward and great punishment, and we would do well to hear the parable.

The citizens

There is a certain comic aspect to the citizenry.  This, after all, is a kingdom.  One of the defining characteristics of a kingdom is that it is run by a king!  If you don't like that, you revolt.  Those fond of American democracy may see the virtue in that;  but all depends upon whether or not your revolt is going to be successful.  If it isn't, the penalty is swift and severe.

Why, then, we have so many who think that a loving God would not condemn anyone to hell is rather beyond comprehension.  It's like asking if a loving government would refuse to imprison a murderer—because, after all, prison isn't a very nice place.  But note that, like the criminal, those who revolt against God make that choice themselves.  Hell is a result of their actions.

The servants

The servants, however, are given things in trust.  There are a few lessons here too:

First, when our Lord returns, our reward will be much greater than the sacrifices we have made for it.

Next, that our reward will be in proportion to the results we have achieved.
But—and it is a chilling thought—there will be some who will have earned punishment rather than reward.

These last are those given ability and opportunity by God—and who have carefully ignored it.  These are the ones who have done nothing for the kingdom.   The depth of this failure is seen in that they were so careful to do nothing that they prevented anyone else from using what they had for the kingdom.

The simplest example of this is money itself.  Some of us are greatly blessed with a substantial amount of money.  Suppose by honest hard work and the grace of God you have become rich.  You may conclude you have no abilities to render to God;  but you have the ability to empower others with your money.  It is a lesser thing, but at least do the lesser thing.  Even in that our Lord will be faithful to reward—or repay, as required by justice.

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[nChrist]

August 10

Anointing of Jesus
Mat_26:6-13

We live in a world which understands everything about prices and nothing about value.  The thought that anything—or anyone—could have intrinsic value not associated with a price tag is most foreign to our thinking.  We are the losers in this.
Here is an act which honors the intrinsic value of Jesus.  Does it matter the price of the perfume?  Any work done for the sake of Jesus should indeed be valued, whatever its price tag.

The disciples certainly see this action in a financial light.  They are indignant.  They have yet to realize that Jesus has but one last week with them before the Crucifixion.  They are indignant at such a waste.

One in particular raises the most serious of objections—by John's account—and that's Judas.  It appears he was having some trouble balancing the books, and was short of funds.  By about thirty silver coins.  It is interesting that this ointment could have been sold for three hundred denarii.  That would be thirty sesterces—silver coins of the Roman empire.

The woman has performed an act of devotion.  Such acts have three common characteristics:

First, they are expensive to the giver.  John's account tells us this would have cost a year's wages for the common laborer.

Next, the world views them as wasteful and extravagant—a poor business decision.  Even if the business is charity, such an act looks like a poor investment.

Finally, such an act brings honor both to God and to the one who performs it.

God looks on the heart, and here Jesus proclaims this act of devotion to be her memorial.  He understands the act of devotion all too well;  consider the Crucifixion:
It cost our Lord his very life.

The world saw it as useless—a waste.  Salvation for sinners?

But it brought great honor to God—and to Jesus.

We, the Christians, are those who imitate our Lord Jesus.  He has prescribed the pattern for the act of devotion, and given us the supreme example.  Will we follow it?

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[nChrist]

August 11

Transportation

Mar_11:1-11

A glance at most Bible reference books will reveal an avalanche of footnotes beginning at this chapter.  The entry into Jerusalem is an event about which much prophecy was written.  In a small way Jesus adds to it—he tells the disciples where to find the colt;  that someone will object, and what to say about it; and that they will be permitted to take it.  Consider just a few of these prophecies:

Zechariah tells us that the King of the Jews would come riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The time of this entry can be derived from the prophecies in the book of Daniel.
The words chanted by the people are found in the Messianic prophecies in the Psalms.

Some of this can be arranged by humans; some by the providence of God.  All is foreseen.

His entry—King David would have entered the city in triumph in much the same way—is his presentation of himself as the peaceful king of Israel.  The people see it much that way;  reading from the events of the Old Testament we can see that the palm branches were a form of honor.  "Hosanna" means (roughly) "save now" - a cry to the deliverer king.  The phrases they chant bring honor to God.

The new colt has its meaning too.  It had never been ridden—making it fit for sacred ceremony.  It was the colt of a donkey—the animal a king rides when he enters the city in peace.  All these pieces dovetail to make the presentation of the king.

All is foreseen, including the rejection of the king.  But at this moment we see the offer being made.  Through it all, Jesus maintains the air of complete humility.  It is important.  Jesus, in his arrival as king here and in his arrival in our lives, forces no one.  There is no military presence;  there is no demand;  there is nothing but the offer of the rightful king.  What is that offer to us?  That he take his rightful place as ruler of our hearts.  That we take our places as citizens of his kingdom.

Some, when they see him come, shout hosanna and welcome him—for a while.  Others endure through time and suffering and share in the kingdom with their Lord.  Those who quit after the hosanna will miss the Crucifixion—and the Resurrection.

____________________

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[nChrist]

August 12

Stones Cry Out

Luk_19:39-40

Jesus shows a shocking casualness in the passage.  For a man of such great humility, this statement is tossed off lightly—and lands heavily.  The stones, it seems, are his in a manner like no other.

He has already told them that God could raise up children of Abraham from those stones.  By implication, so could he.  But this tells us, again, that man is made from the same stuff as the earth around, and the Creator is still the Creator.

Here he tells us the stones would cry out.  But does not the Psalmist say the same?  In the Psalms the rivers clap their hands, and the mountains sing.  The stars praise their maker;  is it not a little thing then for the stones to cry out in praise of their Creator?

Interestingly, stones are not to be made bread.  Cry out and shout, yes—but bread, no.  God is not the God of chaos and confusion, but the God of order and peace..

With our feeble imaginations we can see only what goes on day to day, in our own limited time.  God the Creator can see so much more.  But all must be done in accordance with His plan.

The plan?  The plan from the beginning was the coming of the Messiah, the Holy One of Israel.

In that plan he was to become the cornerstone rejected—the one center of the universe which his people would despise and crucify.

In that plan he becomes the stone of stumbling—over which the pride of men tumbles.

In that plan he becomes the chief foundation stone of the church, his body on earth.  We have the privilege of building upon that foundation.

He is indeed the living stone on which all else depends.  We are told that in him all things exist and have their being.  We borrow from him the very concept of existence;  as part of his church we are stones in his temple.

The plan included one more stone.  A rather large, prosaic rock, it had the original purpose of sealing off the tomb until the stench of decay was gone.  Christ's enemies set a guard on that stone, but no military force could alter the plan of God.  The stone was rolled away;  Jesus arose from the tomb, the atonement for sin was finished—and the stones still wait their turn to cry out for their God.

____________________

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[nChrist]

August 13

Triumph and Tragedy

Luk_19:41-44

Jesus, the Scripture tells us explicitly, wept.  He wept at the grave of Lazarus, and he wept here.  It is a remarkable event.

He wept

One might wonder how it is that the King of Kings could weep at all;  is this not a sign of weakness?

It is actually a sign of strength.  The truly strong care nothing for the opinion of others as to their strength—for they know what they are.

It is also a sign of integrity—the oneness of the emotions and the logic.  This seems like a triumph, but it is actually a tragedy. Jesus knows it.

He wept during the Triumphal Entry

It might seem strange that with the crowds shouting hosanna and hailing him as the Son of David, he wept.  Why?

Great moments—and this is certainly one—bring out emotion in those who genuinely care.

The tragedy is this:  that he is offering himself as king, and Jerusalem has but to accept to rise to triumph.  He knows this will not happen.

He wept over Jerusalem

He came over the Mount of Olives, which is slightly higher than the city.  As he did, he could see all of Jerusalem.  As God he could see it not only in the present, but past and future as well:

From ancient times it was the city of Melchizedek;  the city in which the name of God was placed, the most sacred spot on earth.    This is the city that stoned the prophets.

In the present, the city that did not know its opportunity.  What peace could be hers—"if only."

In the grim future he could see the legions of Titus, barely forty years away, slaughtering the inhabitants and leveling the city.  He could see the centuries of wandering.

Sometimes we don't know triumph from tragedy. We see ourselves as having Christ in our lives.  The real question is, does Christ have us in his eternal kingdom?  Does Christ lead your life, or is he only a parade, passing through an empty parade ground?

____________________

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[nChrist]

August 14

Praise of Infants

Mat_21:14-17

My wife works on the campus of the university across the street.  Often I have the pleasure of walking over in the evening and escorting her home.  As I do, I pass a man in a wheelchair.  His legs are nonfunctional;  his arms and hands palsied and his voice is weak.  But as I pass by, if he is not engaged in conversation, he will cry out, "Jesus loves you."

A little further on in the campus there is a table devoted to Islam.  The university, in its wisdom, forbids Christians to distribute literature—but all other faiths are welcome to do so.  Indeed, any form of Christianity is forbidden on campus, on the grounds of separation of church and state.  All other faiths are welcome in the marketplace of ideas.  The enforcement of this, I am told, is quite strict.  You know what evil people those Christians are.

The man in the wheelchair is usually occupied in conversation.  He takes on all comers;  his voice is feeble but his brain, it seems, is not.  It is not unusual to see him engaged in vigorous debate with other students.  He has no way of leaving until a friend comes to pick him up, so—win or lose—he cannot walk away from the conversation.

Now, you might ask why this man has not been arrested for his obviously illegal activities, done in such blatant defiance of the university's sacred policies.  It is not certain, but I suspect it is this:  would you want to be the policeman who arrests him?  Would it not be the very picture of repressive police brutality to arrest and (literally) haul away a paraplegic whose only crime is calling out, "Jesus loves you?"

The children at the Triumphal Entry were much the same.  Would you arrest a child for shouting "Hosanna?"  Christ tells the Pharisees as much in his quotation.  It's from Psalm 8:2.  Note the part that Jesus leaves out:  it's why God ordained such praise!  Why indeed?  "To silence the foe and the avenger."

"My power is made perfect in weakness," says our Lord. (2 Corinthians 12:9)  So often we complain that we, in our weakness, can do nothing.  It is exactly at this point that we should realize the strength of God.  When we realize how utterly feeble we are, then we can see how powerful He is.  If we glory in our own strength and ability, we cannot see His greatness.

The man in the wheelchair seems so frail.  The sea is great and stormy, and the lighthouse a small and crumbling thing.  But its beam is sure and strong, guiding many to safe harbor.

____________________

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[nChrist]

August 15

Cursing the Fig Tree

Mar_11:12-14

This incident provokes a simple question:  Why?  Why would Jesus curse this tree for its failure to provide figs—which were not in season?  There are some interesting answers:

The power of God

Remember that Jesus has, up to this point, cursed no one.  He's pronounced much woe upon the hypocrites, for they pretend to be the agents of God when they are not.  But up to this point he has never pronounced doom upon anything else.  You can almost hear some theologian arguing, then, that only the hypocrites will go to hell—for Jesus never actually did anything to anyone else.  By this simple act, Jesus saved us from a great deal of poor theology.

It is fitting, however, that the act was performed not upon a man, nor even an animal (used in the Old Testament as a sacrifice), but a plant.  In his first coming, our Lord came to seek and save the lost, and it is his Father's will that none should perish.

The disciples' faith

Jesus is proceeding to his death.  It is important for the disciples to know that he has the power to crush those who would crucify him.  It is also important that they know he is capable of the willpower to crush and destroy such evil.  Knowing this, no other conclusion is possible:  Jesus went to the Cross willingly, in order to make atonement for our sins.

Symbolism

Perhaps the most significant way to see this is symbolically.  Jeremiah made the fig the symbol of the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 24).  We know that Adam and Eve made coverings of fig leaves to hide their sin.  So if we see the fig tree as the nation of Israel, and the leaves as covering for sin—we should expect to see figs, the fruit of the tree.  Fruit is often used by Jesus as a metaphor for righteousness.  Jesus is telling the disciples that the nation of Israel will soon be withered and gone, for it failed to produce righteous fruit.

Know this, then:  our Lord wants all to repent and be saved.  But if we will not, he has both the power and will to destroy.  He is patient for a time, waiting for us to repent.  But his patience will end.  Will we show the fruit of righteousness by then?

____________________

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[nChrist]

August 16

House of Prayer

Luk_19:45-48

One of the chief tactics of Satan is to attempt to deny the church either space or time in our lives.  From those who insist that a church building would ruin the neighborhood (think of the evil influence it would have on the sales of the nearby adult book store) to those who know the best time to schedule an event is on Sunday (too much competition on Saturday), the world knows it must deprive the Christian of time and place to worship.  Satan's objective is to see that you have no place to be with other Christians, and no time to spend with God alone.

We see an earlier version of this here.  In all the planet there is one spot—and not all that large—where God has placed his Name.  In that spot we find (for the second time in Christ's ministry):

The merchants of religion are working happily—selling "approved" sacrificial animals, changing common money into sacred money.  It's quite profitable, and look how convenient it is!  Right there in the Temple;  one stop shopping.

Indeed, the Temple itself has broad plazas.  Traffic is thick in old Jerusalem, and this is a convenient shortcut.

They, like so many of us, had forgotten the simple meaning of the phrase, "house of God."  It  means simply that the Temple is God's own possession, and subject to his command.  You can no more lead your donkey cart through it than you could through my house.

Time moves on.  Paul tells us that we are God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16).  So it seems fitting to ask if we, as the temple of God, are suffering from the same conditions:

Is our religion for sale?  We usually think of this in terms of a money-grubbing TV evangelist, but it applies to all of us.  Do you give up the command of Christ to make a buck?

Is your temple a shortcut for earthly desires?  If the church is nothing but a good place to meet girls, or to make business contacts, then you're leading that donkey through God's house.

Be warned:   If you do not make him the sacred center of your life, you are risking the scourge of Christ.  He will come to you and drive out all that does not belong.  How much better that you should examine yourself, and throw out what does not belong in your temple!  Then when your Lord returns, he will come to his temple and, finding it in order, praise the one who kept it that way.

____________________

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[nChrist]

August 17

We Would See Jesus

Joh_12:20-26

It is one of the curiosities of the New Testament.  We don't know who these Greeks were;  we're not even sure if the answer given here was actually delivered to them.  They are standing just outside the Temple in the Court of the Gentiles—as far as a non-Jew could go.  Jesus is most likely teaching in the next court, the Court of Women.  So these Greeks catch a disciple with a Greek name (Philip) and ask for an interview.

The traditional history of the church tells us that these men were ambassadors from the king of Edessa, bearing an invitation to Jesus to visit that country.  (Edessa was in what is now eastern Turkey).  If so, Jesus declines their invitation in a magnificent way.  In doing this, he lays out three principles for us:

Sacrifice for God brings great fruit.  Christians often ask why they have to sacrifice.  After all, God doesn't really need whatever it is we are offering, right?  But our Lord makes it clear that God takes that sacrifice and multiplies it.  As a father will push a child in a swing, so our Father pushes us to greater heights.  He's just waiting for us to get started.

Sacrifice to God brings honor.  We understand this from our earthly experiences.  We honor those who sacrifice for the good of others.  We award medals to soldiers who sacrifice.  Is it so surprising then that God honors those who sacrifice on his behalf?

There are no half-way Christians.  The temptation for those facing sacrifice is to do the job half-way, keeping back a portion for personal pleasure.  Our Lord draws us a picture here:  can you plant the grain of wheat half-way into the ground?  If you do, it is neither fit to eat nor will it grow.

There is an old saying:  you cannot jump the canyon in two leaps.  The Christian life is just that:  a leap across the canyon of this life into the table land of heaven.  Some of us have a wide canyon to leap;  others are fortunate enough to have a narrow one.  But all of us must leap it in one bound.  If you do not commit your all—heart, soul, mind and strength—to your Lord, it is not worth the time and trouble to commit anything.  He will accept nothing less than all of you.  In return, you will receive all of Him.  His love, His life, His grace—all these are yours when you commit yourself entirely to him.  But do not be timid about it.  You don't want to change your mind half-way across the canyon.

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[nChrist]

August 18

Troubled Soul

Joh_12:27-33

It is exceedingly comforting to see that Christ was troubled in his soul.  It tells us that he is completely human as well as completely divine, and therefore understands the agony of pain foreseen.  It is easier to talk to someone who knows your pain.

We see here the true nature of courage:  Christ is well aware of what is to happen, and he is (naturally) quite distressed by it.  He is also quite determined to go through with it.  Indeed, the voice from heaven is not for his comfort but for the disciples.  In this he makes three statements:

He tells us that judgment is on this world.  At first this seems strange, for we know that judgment is to be made at the last day, when he returns.  But the matter is simple.  We know how difficult it is to be the accuser when your own hands are dirty.  For this reason we have the state render justice to our criminals.  If we had the victims try this, we would have revenge, not justice.

Now the man of clean hands is to be sacrificed, and now there is true judgment.
He tells us that the prince of this world—Satan—is driven out.  This too seems curious, but think of this:  for the next 18 centuries or more, any new religion which arose (including Islam) was essentially a heresy of Christianity or a "new revelation" which was added to it.  No one suddenly discovered the gods of the rocks and trees again.  Idol worship is cut off at its roots and has lost its power.

He tells us that he will draw all men to him—if he is lifted up.  By "lifted up"
he means the Cross, the Resurrection and the Ascension.  These things show him to be God, and bring to us the atonement of God.  Anyone can find a local god to promise earthly blessings, but salvation from sin and eternal life are found only here, and they attract men powerfully.

Christ says this, evidently, in the presence of those Greeks who wanted to see him.  This is a way of proclaiming the fact that the Gospel will reach far beyond Israel into the whole world.  The Greeks represent the world outside Israel, knocking on the door to see this one who raises the dead.

How can we obtain such seekers after Christ in our day?  In the same way:  by lifting him up.  We need to proclaim him, and in particular to proclaim his death and resurrection.  If he is lifted up, he will draw all men to himself.

____________________

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[nChrist]

August 19

Walk in the Light

Joh_12:34-36

Most of us have had the dilemma at one time or another.  We see a dear friend, or relation, making a serious mistake in their life choices—and somehow we just can't find the words to tell them what an error it is.  Perhaps it's a friend, going into a marriage that you know will be a disaster.  One of the most frustrating things about the situation is that you have so little time to persuade that friend to think again.  You feel like shaking them and yelling, "Wake UP!"  But you know that will do more harm than good.

You feel obliged, however, to at least say some things that will be grounds for, "I told you so."  So perhaps you make some cryptic remarks, or ambiguous statements.  You're saying, "He's a very handsome man," and thinking "and a first class rat."  You hope your friend catches on;  it seems they never do.

Jesus has something of the same problem here.  The crowd has their idea of a Messiah—an earthly king who will throw out the Romans and rule the world.  He sees them not willing to change, and having so little time—less than a week is left before the Crucifixion.  So he gives them this answer.

In doing so, he shows us another frustration for Christians.  Some of the passages in the Bible make perfect sense to the Christian—and no sense at all to the world.  This might be one of them.  But in this passage Jesus gives us the key to understanding such passages:  faith and obedience.

We understand this principle in a worldly way.  Have you ever been involved in a discussion, related to your own special field of employment, when someone from "outside" starts asking questions?  You know that anyone in your field would understand what you said, but it can be difficult to explain to outsiders.  (Computer people have this all the time).  Unless you have experience, you don't understand.

The way a Christian obtains experience is to "walk in the light" - to trust in Jesus and obey his commands.  When you do, you become "children" of the light.  That means you begin to understand what would have puzzled someone outside.

But — as Jesus points out—you have that light only for a short time.  While He was with us, He was the light.  Now we are the light of the world.  But for those outside, the time is short.  We need to do everything we can to persuade them to become children of the light—before the darkness comes at Judgment Day.

____________________

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[nChrist]

August 20

Riding the Fence

Joh_12:37-43

The business world has a phrase for it:  "what goes around, comes around."  By this we mean that by whatever methods you deal with the world, you will suffer the consequences, good or bad.  If you are a kind and generous person, you will discover that the world is kind and generous.  If you are stingy and rude, the world is full of nasty people who are tight with their money.  My father worked in the movie business for many years.  The motto there, often given to would-be stars, was:  "Be nice to the little people on the way up.  They'll be nice to you on the way down."

But what happens if you've been living your life in the stingy and rude way—and then something comes along to tell you that you've been doing it wrong?  God arranges his universe that way, you know.  He wills that all should repent;  so he made his universe such that the ordinary, natural consequences of sin should tend to produce repentance.  The question is, how do we react to those consequences?

Those who made up the crowd here reacted by sitting on the fence.  "Maybe this Jesus is right;  but on the other hand, if I say so, I'll be thrown out."  So they tried to have it both ways.  We often want to do repentance half way.

The Bible here gives the answer to that.  Consider the example of Isaiah:

He saw—and what a sight! He saw the glory of the Lord, a scene in heaven itself.
It was a scene of majesty and power, of awesome holiness and righteousness.  His reaction?

He spoke—the true words of repentance.  He recognized immediately that no half-way measures would do;  in fact, he thought this was his death.  But by acknowledging his sin, and the sin of his people, God allowed him to be purged and his sin atoned for.

That experience—with the revelations given to him—made him write the words quoted here.  Looking into the future he saw this generation, and knew their heart-problem.  He knew that all God had to do to secure an appropriate punishment for their evils was to let them go on being what they were.

But see how God brings good out of evil!  Out of their failure to see and hear came the spread of the Gospel to all nations.  This too is part of how God constructed his universe.  Both the consequences of sin and the triumph of good are the will of God.

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[nChrist]

August 21

Ultimate Choice

Joh_12:44-50

Have you ever watched a construction site barricade being assembled?  Workers come out and place those brightly colored sawhorses about.  On the top you will usually find a blinking light.  That light is designed to blink for a very long time.  I know, because I had a college roommate who stole one.  Did you know there is no switch to turn them off?  It's hard to sleep in a room with a light like that.

That light is designed that way for a purpose:  to warn you of danger.  It flashes to get your attention so that you will not come to disaster.  Note too that we trust these lights because they are put in place by those who know what's going on.

Jesus Christ is telling us the same thing about himself here.

He, personally, is the flashing light warning of danger.  By listening to him, you can avoid it.

He is flashing to warn you of the dangers of hell and judgment.

He was put in place by the one who knows best:  God.  He is in fact God in the flesh.

Even though we might not clearly see what is behind the barricades, we know that those flashing lights are to be taken seriously.  It is the same with Christ.  We do not really know how things will be when the Lord returns;  it is likely enough that the glory and terror of that day are beyond our mortal comprehension.  But we know enough to trust the Light set out for our warning.

The Light warns us of judgment to come.  Of that judgment we know a few things:

It is a judgment by God—the righteous one, who knows all things (including our thoughts) and who judges justly.

It is a judgment brought through Christ—who now warns us about it.

For those who believe, it is a judgment at which our Lord will intervene for the true believers, on the basis of his Atonement.

For those who believe, we know that our good works on earth will be rewarded then.

For those who do not believe, it will be a day of terror.

A flashing light is a small thing pointing out a big danger.  Jesus is the ultimate "flashing light" for the ultimate danger.

____________________

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[nChrist]

August 24

By What Authority?

Luk_20:1-8

For some time in our state, politicians ran for office on a platform of  "law and order."  They vied with each other to see who could promise the most vigorous (and harsh) prosecution and treatment of criminals.  People expect our government to deal with crime swiftly and severely.

That was true in this day as well, and the "law and order" types have come around to Christ to check his credentials.  After all, the man has been cleaning out the Temple of some "honest" merchants;  so it would be best to see if this man has the proper authority to do so.  At least, that's the cover story.  His righteousness and their hypocrisy have conspired to prevent an arrest—so far.

Jesus takes up the question of authority somewhat obliquely.

He brings to their mind the late John the Baptist, and asks about his authority.
John, of course, testified to Jesus.  So if John's authority is valid, then (by implication) so is that of Jesus.

This was not the answer they wanted.  If they say John had authority from God, then so does Jesus.  If not, the people will stone them.  They're caught between the fear of stoning and the fear of the truth.  They take neither.

It is still true:  who you are determines how you see Jesus.  As David said in Psalm 18:26, "To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd."  Their reaction to Jesus shows us what they were.  And our reactions to Jesus show us what we are:

Some of us are in denial.  It can't be true, therefore it isn't true.  Miracles can't happen, people don't rise from the dead, and therefore no evidence will convince me.  I don't want to hear the truth.

Some of us are fence-sitters.  Maybe it's true, maybe it's not, but I'm just going to sit back and wait, hoping for something else to come along.  No commitment, no glory.

But some take Jesus in the honest man's embrace.  An honest man, confronted with the facts, takes action.  Even if the facts don't fit his preconceived notions, he does what is right.  And when that honest man finds Jesus, he knows the pearl of great price when he sees it.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________