Saturday, January 14, 2023

 

Saturday, January 14, 2023


Psalm 34

Genesis 4:17-5:5; 5:21-24

John 7:25-36


Observance: Sava, first archbishop of the Serbian church (d. 1235)


Taste and see that the Lord is good.


What a dramatic scene Jesus is causing in the Temple! Everyone is just trying to have a nice time at the festival, sacrificing some animals, catching up on the village news from around the area, maybe sharing a nice cup of Jerusalem tea. But here comes this absolute stirrer, getting up and claiming that He has a special connection with God!


The crowds are saying that because they know the village in which Jesus was raised, He cannot be the Messiah. This is because they were going off some lines in the prophets which they had misread to say that the Messiah would suddenly appear in their midst as if from nowhere. Jesus cannot help but respond with biting sarcasm: they know where He is from, but they do not know Who sent Him. In other words, they know Him superficially as a miracle worker from Nazareth, but they do not know God, and therefore cannot know Him as He truly is.


The crowds are divided; some want to laugh at Jesus. Others believe, but still aren’t ready to take the plunge into complete surrender. Yet others want to kill Him. It is a sad indictment on the human condition that we see the greatest cooperation between the Pharisees and their political enemies, the scribes of the Saducees, in their plan to have Jesus arrested and executed.


We cannot expect Jesus and His words to go down smoothly among the general population of the world. This incident which occurred during His time on earth has been played over and again ever since His resurrection and ascension. Some will laugh, others will falter, yet others still will look to erase His name altogether.


Whatever else we know about Jesus and His words, we can hold on to the fact that they are spirit and life. We know this from three witnesses: it is what the Bible teaches us; it is what the Holy Spirit confirms for us; and it is what we experience as people fully committed to loving the Lord Jesus. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” is such vivid phrasing by the Psalmist. Don’t be like the crowd. Don’t scoff, or delay, or fight against it. Write it on your heart, and take it out for a walk. Ask Jesus to prove these words to you. He will, because His attitude towards you is of pure love.



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