Scripture: Mark 14:1-2
It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”
Thought for the Day: Though the scriptures often focused specifically on the religious authorities, in fact, there were many others who would have found Jesus and his teachings unnerving disruptions to the system as usual. How can a carpenter’s simple words about sowing seeds, praying quietly, serving others, sharing bread and neighborliness get him in such trouble?
Jesus was a calculating agitator, not in a scheming or conniving way, but in the way a foreign object irritates the lining of an oyster and produces a pearl. Of course, many would rather maintain the old system as it was; clinging to the security of the known instead of allowing an alternative message to trouble us into transformation.
Let us be cautious not to kill the messenger or the message, even when it irritates us. Know that Jesus seeks to make a pearl of great value (Matthew 13:46) which all will seek..
Prayer: You are not irritating, Lord, but your message can cause a great deal of irritation. Help us to respond, not in anger or frustration, but with an openness to what your Spirit can produce. Amen.
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