Luke 7:31-35
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Re-read Luke 7:28-30 before you read today’s passage, Luke 7:31-35.
It is very difficult to lay down our preconceived ideas and beliefs because we tend to evaluate new information based on whether or not it aligns with what we already think. If it supports our beliefs, we call the new information fact. But if we encounter information that calls our preconceived ideas into question, we generally believe it to be faulty.
The crowds around Jesus include many people who occupy the lower rungs of the societal ladder. There are the sick, the lame, those with moral failures, and those who, by their profession, are traitors to their own kinsfolk. These desperate people are looking for something more in life and they had found a glimmer of hope in John’s fiery prophecies. Now in Jesus they have found their hope. These lowly ones recognize Jesus’ words as fact.
Take some time to center yourself in the presence of Jesus. Then consider how satisfied or unsatisfied you are with your life as it is today. Share your thoughts with Jesus.
Read Luke7:31-35 again.
John’s ministry was a ministry of the old covenant. He called people to turn from their sinful ways and return to God and to the covenant God made with Israel. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus will usher in a new covenant in which sinful people can be made whole by trusting him and placing their lives under his authority.
John came as a fiery prophet who lived away from society and eschewed the pleasures of the world. Jesus came in divine love to live among humanity and experience the pain and pleasures of the world. For those entrenched in their own ideas and structures, and for those holding on to their own version of God, neither was appealing.
For the last minutes of this time of reflection, meditate on Jesus’ words below, and then get quiet and listen to him.
“… wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.”
What is Jesus saying to you today?
What will you do about that?
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