Hearing Jesus

Luke 20:20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.

There’s something sad about this whole episode in Jesus’ great life. No matter what wondrous things He did or miracles that He performed, His enemies were just waiting for Christ to say something wrong. He walked among them as the holiest person on earth, divinely appointed and spiritually perfect. He healed the lame, cured the blind, and cleansed lepers. He provided food for the hungry and cast out demons. He did all of these amazing things and yet His foes waited to hear Him say something that they could use to arrest, try, and execute Him.

Whether it was treason or sedition, heresy or hearsay, they didn’t care. So long as they could pin something on Jesus was all that mattered. So long as they could stop His voice, break His authority, and halt His ministry, it didn’t matter what they heard. As long as it would stick and they felt justified, then Christ could be crucified and His enemies could celebrate. Taking care of Jesus would get rid of their problems. All they needed was a word, a phrase, or a sentence to hang Him. The truth didn’t matter – nailing Jesus was all that was important.

I feel sorry for those people. They were motivated by a hatred that extinguishes goodness and damages souls. They were filled with a prejudice that made grace powerless and forgiveness unattainable. It makes me wonder if their lives were so empty of good that they could not see Christ’s goodness. I feel so sorry for them and wonder if their souls are still wearily wandering the earth, looking for Christ to pardon their acts of betrayal.

Unlike us, Christ’s foes knew Him in person; but just like them, we can twist His words and turn His message into something to suit ourselves. I guess the question we need to ask ourselves today is this: are we ready to listen to what Christ actually says through scripture, or are we hoping to read and hear what we want Him to say?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us completely and we have no secrets that we can ever hide from You. You know our motives for all that we think, say, and do. We cannot claim to be wholly ignorant of our choices, nor can we escape from Your scrutiny. Forgive our foolish ways and lead us back on to Your path of righteousness, responsibility and restoration. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.