January 25, 2018
“Therefore Pilate went out to them and *said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” John 18:29-30 New American Standard
Just what evil did this Nazarene jewish rebel commit? He touched a leper and made him whole. He let a disreputable woman wash his feet with her tears. He invited a tax collector to join his ministry. He fed 5000. He blessed a wedding without drawing attention to himself. He healed paralyzed .. lame .. blind .. bleeding .. sick .. and spiritually diseased men and women. The broken .. rejected .. lost .. shamed .. fear-filled .. and terrorized all found Him to be a friend. And when He could have shut down all his accusers, He turned instead to His Father in complete trust. This is the One you’ve staked your life upon. His life is to become your way of life. You’ll face some of the same accusers .. whispers .. and false condemnations. He hasn’t left you alone to your own devices. He’s given you His Spirit to guide you .. lead you .. strengthen you .. and assure you as you face a hostile world. It is an illusion to think that the world you live in is peaceful and accepting of this Nazarene troublemaker. He acceptable as long as you make Him equal to everyone else. But let Him be made visible through your life with grace and forgiveness, and you may face the same crowd He faced. The same path is open to you: to trust the Father who sees you in the life of His Son … made whole by His scars. As you go out today … it only takes a moment …
“This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, Not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right.” 1 Peter 2:21-23 The Message
