Today’s scripture: Luke 14:1-6 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
My son is a copycat. He is at that age where he does and says everything I do and say. If I start laughing, he laughs even though he has no idea why I’m laughing. If I stand on a chair to change a light bulb, he pulls a chair next to mine to stand on it beside me. He is watching everything I do with eyes wide open. For the most part, that is a good thing. But sometimes it gets me in trouble.
We have two wonderful dogs in our family, Annie and Baxter. They both are my babies and I love them dearly, but sometimes Annie can drive me nuts. She is a very needy dog who can’t seem to get enough attention. It is not uncommon to hear either my partner or me shouting Annie’s name because she is in trouble for one thing or another. I didn’t realize how common that was until my son began to talk. I couldn’t understand what he was shouting at first, but after just a little repetition I realized he was shouting, “Annie!” as he pointed his finger at her in a way that said, “You are in so much trouble!” Once I knew what he was saying I was mortified. One of the first lessons I had taught our son was to shout angrily at his beloved doggy. He watches me closely.
In our scripture today we see another example of someone being watched closely — Jesus. The Pharisees were watching to see how he would respond in various circumstances. If Jesus had challenged their thinking, they could have found fault with him. If he had chosen not to heal on the Sabbath, Jesus would not have been faithful to his calling. So, he chose the only response he could — he chose to do what love would do.
Like my son watches me, someone, too, watches you. Each of us have someone in our lives watching to see how we act and react. Some people might be watching for us to fail, while others might be watching to learn from us. Either way, when we act out of love, we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Love is the only response that can leave our critics dumbfounded; it is the only response that can heal, bless, and empower.
Healing on the Sabbath sounds simple enough to us in 2013, but what that really means is choosing something against culture when everyone in that culture is watching you. It’s not so easily done. Love certainly isn’t a cultural norm these days; it takes courage to do what love would do when our critics are watching us. But in the end it is truly the only action that speaks for itself. The next time someone is watching you on the Sabbath, choose to do what Jesus did — choose love.
Thought for the day: What is the cultural norm that might be my “healing on the Sabbath”? Who might be watching me on those “Sabbath” days? God, help me always choose love no matter who is watching. Amen.
Thought for the day:
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.