Jesus confronted the Pharisees with their own law when they brought an adulterous woman to Him. Jesus, the one true judge, forgave her: “Go and sin no more,” He said (John 8:11). Whenever we confront, condemn, and correct wrong, we must demonstrate humility, righteousness, and a spirit of forgiveness.
The Pharisees reacted to Jesus over His claim, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Their hostility escalated from opposition to insult to violence, displaying traits of those who reject Jesus—a lack of knowledge, perception, and humility.
At one time, I assumed that “victory in Christ”—or living a victorious Christian life in the middle of our sinful, messed-up world—meant having victory in my own life, as I chose to define it.
The Pharisees wanted to stone Jesus because He claimed equality with God and they rejected His claim. We do the same thing; we either accept or reject Christ. There is no middle ground.
We want to be right (as we see it, of course) more than we want to love our neighbours as ourselves. At that point our personal preferences eclipse any evidence of love. I am of the firm conviction that where grace exists, so must various areas of grey.
Have you examined your spiritual eyesight lately? Only by facing your blind spots and bringing them to Jesus can you hope to have your vision corrected. Pretending you’re OK will keep you in the dark.
Want to make this Christmas season one to remember? Let’s consider how to move into the neighbourhood with our celebration. Let’s help people know God’s love this season by being generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
When Jesus, the Light, healed a man born blind, the Pharisees condemned Him for breaking the Sabbath. They were the real blind men who live in the darkness of their spiritual pride and wouldn’t admit their need for Jesus.
An allegory is an extended metaphor in which the characters are symbols representing other things. While a typical parable is told in order to teach one important matter, an allegory teaches numerous hidden truths throughout the story.
If you could be any animal, which one would you choose? No one ever chooses to be a sheep, and yet that’s how we’re described in the Bible. We are all like sheep needing a shepherd. And we have one—Jesus Christ. He guides, protects, and keeps us in the right rut.
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