Good Morning Friends,
We have all heard it said that pride comes before the fall, and we get a sense of this in today’s scripture readings that both hint that there is greater hope in humility than puffed up conceit. C.S. Lewis, in the book Mere Christianity says, “True humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.” Pride can be a serious problem. In today’s Gospel reading the disciples were so focused on who was greatest that they were failing at doing their job. They were caught up in the seeking of power even as Jesus was setting his sights on Jerusalem and the sacrifice to be made on the cross. Because the disciples were focused on the wrong things, they were unable to cast out demons. They were afraid to ask for help. They were preoccupied with self and position, and they were seeking an exclusivity that diminished the kingdom. Today we look at this situation through the prophetic and priestly eyes of Zechariah and ask, When Faced With People Who Are Intolerant and Prideful,
Will We Still Be Humble Servants?
Scripture: The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.
Zechariah 8:1-8 (NRSV)
An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.” John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.”
Luke 9:46-50 (NRSV)
Message: The eighth chapter of the book of Zechariah is the last chapter that scholars attribute to the prophet, rather than one of his disciples. It was written after the Babylonian exile, when the people of Judah had returned to Jerusalem and were in great danger. What had been a great and prosperous people under the early kings of Israel and Judah was now weakened by the effects of their ancestors’ sins and their own. The Jews had turned away from the Lord in the centuries before the exile, but–Zechariah hoped–they would be embraced by the Lord and would again be His prosperous and faithful people. Zechariah rekindled this hope in the hearts of others by focusing on the importance of right living with the heart of a humble servant who faced up to a lot of stiff-necked people. In his two-year ministry his focus was on the greater good and not feathering the nest of the priests. It was a new ministry in a way formed by the exile that continues in worshipping communities today. And even though his hope and image of prosperity was not fulfilled in Zechariah’s day nor even up to the time of Our Lord, the hope remains alive today in the face of our own denominational divides and is a strong image that may have been in Jesus’ mind when he saw his disciples arguing about who was the greatest. For the disciples were playing the children’s game of King of the Hill, instead of assuming a childlike faith in Jesus and spending their time and energy pursuing His kingship. Indeed, as Jesus pointed out in today’s Gospel story, the disciples were working against Kingdom purposes. So, this morning, imagine Jesus holding up a mirror for the disciples to see the negative aspects of their childish behavior as he helps them to once again be servants that do not seek the personal profit that is to be God’s alone.
And So, I love Zechariah’s image of a healthy community and the dramatic way Jesus confronts the failure of the disciples in division that would work against this great hope. Both use children and the child in each of us as a visual aid and a teaching tool for something that can glorify God. Indeed, Jesus loved the little children, but it is important to understand that in Jesus’ day, children were viewed as a nuisance. Jesus however felt the opposite, so in response to the challenge of the disciples jostling for position and power he takes hold of a child’s hand as if holding up a mirror to the situation and future hope and says, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me.” Jesus is telling them that there is power and purpose in being a humble servant. Jesus is telling them that immaturity always causes us to think about ourselves and not others.
Pray we focus on the hope of Christ. Pray we compare ourselves with Jesus and not others. Pray we do not create boundaries by rejecting people who are not like us. Pray we understand the importance of humility and service for the cause of Christ. Pray we realize that Jesus is the standard of a humble servant we are to seek in our own lives. Pray therefor for faith on the path of service. Pray we have an attitude of service. Pray we resist temptations to choose profit over benefit…money over value. Pray we have praise for a God that does not leave us in our foolishness but rebukes us and nudges us into lives of fruitful service. Pray we covet the abundant life of service to community. Pray we are not good for nothing but good for a purpose. Pray we repent and turn from our foolishness and live in God’s love. Pray we have faith enough to do great things with God and for God. Pray we avoid the sin a pride.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 