ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 6, 2021
Scripture: John 11:7-8
Then after this Jesus said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?”
Thought for the Day: This is part of what we know as the Lazarus Story. Jesus has received word that his friend Lazarus is sick, and the sisters of Lazarus have requested the help of Jesus. Lazarus died as Jesus was on his way. But note how Jesus does not avoid potential violence that might be brought against him. He knows very well the risk involved, and there are those who are ready to provide him permission to wait or not go at all. We all have found ourselves in similar moments. It might not have been the threat of physical violence, but there was a risk of some sort. Maybe it was a risk pertaining to our job, a friendship, our status, our comfort level or our way of life. And there was probably someone giving us full permission to avoid the risk. I do not believe we are always to throw ourselves into danger as there is often a better alternative for everyone involved. Yet in this situation, Jesus demonstrates for us how a commitment to the wellbeing of others requires us to no longer look for the easy way out. Where might God be inviting you to walk into a potentially hazardous situation for the sake of someone else’s wellbeing? There will be many who will say to you, “It is not your problem” or “They brought it upon themselves,” yet Jesus politely listened to those kinds of comments and then gave a short lecture on what it means to walk in the light instead of the darkness. And with those words, the path forward became well lit.
Prayer: I may not always have within me the courage to do what is right for the sake of others, but I pray for your Spirit, O Lord of Light, to help bolster enough holy resolve for the doing of what is right when I need to be doing what is right. Amen.
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