05-14-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 14, 2024
In the 9th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus was approached by a leader of the synagogue, fell to his knees, and begged Jesus to come and resurrect his daughter, who had died. In reading scripture, we tend to stereotype the religious leaders, viewing them as hypocritical and out to get Jesus, but that wasn’t necessarily true of everyone. Our tendency as human beings is to view the world in categories, but people rarely fit the categories we create. This religious leader, even if it was for selfish reasons, came and knelt before Jesus. He was convinced, or at least desperately hoping, that Jesus could bring his daughter back to life. Could it be that this religious leader had been, at one time, in complete agreement with other religious leaders in regard to Jesus? They did not like Jesus and wanted him out of the picture. And then, without notice, illness and death came to this man’s home. Suddenly, that event had the grieving man seeing Jesus in a completely different light. Even if it was only a slim possibility that Jesus could revive his daughter, it was worth a shift in how he viewed Jesus. It is strange how deep grief can have us looking where we never imagined we’d look and, even more surprisingly, discovering what we never imagined we’d find.

Create within me, Holy God, a capacity to see beyond the many categories that have been imposed upon our world. Surprise me, as you so often have, for I desire to see Jesus in a way that I have never seen him before. Amen.