21/07/11

Sitting with the enemy

Luke 14:1 - And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

The word Sabbath if translated in its true sense in English would simply mean holiday. It was a day of rest like we do on a holiday. According to Jewish practise the seventh day of the week which was a Saturday was celebrated as a Sabbath. They also called the days of festivals as a Sabbath and at some places termed it also as high day or high Sabbath.

In today's message Jesus went to the house of one of the chief Pharisees. The term Pharisees was originally used to those revolutionaries who revolted during Israel's exile. They were like heroes and John son of Simeon in Apocrypha book of Maccabees was their leader. Latter this group took the role of becoming religious policemen.

The Last Supper which Jesus celebrated with His disciples was the Feast of the Unleavened Bread which was a few days before the real Passover, and was also a Sabbath (holiday). It was exactly a year before the Last Supper that Jesus celebrated this same day with the very people who would be the main people behind His death on the crucifix. It is written they watched Him closely, but let us ask ourselves what was going in Jesus' mind? Did not Jesus know that these very people would next year be the people behind His death?

Jesus knew in great details about His death on the crucifix and it is written in the books of the Prophets as to who would be the people to put Him to death. Yet we see Jesus sat with these very enemies of His to celebrate the feast.

At the enemies camp Jesus did not just lay back and smile. His behaviour was congenial with them but yet He became a stumbling block for them. Jesus could have chosen to just sit and talk with them and be in good books with them but then we see on seeing a man suffering of dropsy Jesus questioned their understanding. He not only questioned them but by healed the man on the Sabbath which according to them was breaking the Jewish law. He openly confronted these religious policemen and the religious intellectuals who were along with them.

In yesterday's message the Lord instructed us about our attitude towards the false and in today's message gives us an example in Himself as how He did it. We Christians calling ourselves peaceful people land up doing the opposite to what Jesus taught us. If a Christian does not have anger inside them he or she is not a Christian. This anger is not against the person but against the understanding of the person.

Towards the person we are to be merciful and gentle but against the belief of the person we have to be firm and confronting. Our war is spiritual and not in the flesh.

Jesus gives us a beautiful example in today's message and let us all learn from His example. Let us not be quiet Christians but be Christians who bring down the strong holds of the enemy. Let the enemy worry every time a Christian approaches or even passes by.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord Jesus, You became our corner stone. In You we see the perfect example of being man according to the heart of God. Satan and his army feared You but yet You did not go after them but focused on your mission. You came to save and set free those who chose to believe in the Truth. You are Truth and it is by You that man has come to know God's Word and understand the Truth. Lord, give us the wisdom, courage and gentleness in heart to be like Jesus...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Luke 14:1-6, 12-14
1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.
2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer him again to these things.
12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.
13 "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.
14 "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

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