John 7
Jesus Teaches Openly at the Temple
14 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. 15 The people were surprised when they heard Him. “How does He know so much when He hasn’t been trained?” they asked. 16 So Jesus told them, “My message is not My own; it comes from God who sent Me. 17 Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether My teaching is from God or is merely My own. 18 Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. 19 Moses gave you the law, but none of you obeys it! In fact, you are trying to kill Me.” 20 The crowd replied, “You’re demon possessed! Who’s trying to kill you?” 21 Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. 22 But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) 23 For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with Me for healing a man on the Sabbath? 24 Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
How many times have we judged on outward appearance? We label people based on out judgements. We place them in categories. Weird, lazy, drug user, angry, rude.....the list goes on.
Many years ago David and I were driving cross country and stopped at a taco resturant to get dinner. I saw a young man there with oversized pants hanging down on his hips. He looked a little dirty and disheveled. I thought to myself "That poor homeless boy can't even find clothes to fit him." A couple of weeks later I saw another boy dressed this way and realized it was a fad. I had labeled that boy at the resturant. I placed him in the category of "homeless".
That's because we only look at the surface. We don't look at the person underneath. Aren't you glad Jesus looks beneath the surface? He judges by our hearts. What is your heart revealing to Jesus today?
Lord, help us to not judge on outward appearance. Let our hearts reveal Your love today to all around us. Help us be pleasing to you beneath the surface. Amen.
Blessings, Cecilia
No comments:
Post a Comment