To Whom Do You Listen

"So they (the Pharisees) said to him, "Who are you?" Jn 8:25

It seems clear that the Pharisees were treating Jesus like a nuisance. They simply wanted to be done with him. He was upsetting the people, challenging their authority and forcing them to use more force to dismiss his claims than they wanted. Though Jesus kept telling them who he was, they thought of him as a madman and paid no attention. Hence, today's question: Who are you?, and apparently Jesus' answer convinces many to listen to him. That he was willing to suffer and die was not something anyone expected from him, least of all his disciples, but he finally had everyone's attention.

The clarity of Jesus' mission is beginning to come into sharp focus.  Though he does not want the sacrificial role to which he is called, he is committed to doing his father's will, and the full force of what he claims is too much for the Pharisees to acknowledge, much less accept. They will have to find a way to kill him. In their view, he is a madman who cannot be tolerated. He is upsetting the delicate balance of power the Pharisees had crafted with the Roman authorities. More painfully, his death does not seem to matter to the Pharisees. One less  braggart or healer is little to sacrifice to preserve their tenuous authority.

It is impossible for us to miss the point. How many people do we fail to take seriously because they are not educated, are not well connected, come from a different culture, or seem unable to express themselves in public? Ghandi once challenged Christians by saying, if you cannot find Christ in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking further.

Today, ask God to open you eyes and hearts to see Christ everywhere

Has anyone from whom you expected little surprised you?