No Stepping Down

Have you ever done something you know is right, but others believe it is wrong?

Jesus answered them, "I performed one work, and all of you are astonished.  Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man's whole body on the sabbath?  Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:21-24

The basic story is one we may find familiar.  Jesus has been accused of healing on the Sabbath, the day reserved for God, the day when no work is to be done.

But here he stands before the entire body of men, in the temple, and he challenges them to explain how it is a man can be circumcised on the Sabbath, but not healed.

Jesus makes sense with his argument,as he usually does in the stories John tells us, but he doesn't stop there.  He goes on to challenge them on a deeper level, telling them he is from God and where he will go they cannot follow.

As followers of Jesus, we Christians believe he is not talking about us.  We are on board.  We are followers and know where he is going, where he has gone.

But I think John is not telling us this story to have us see ourselves as different from the crowd.  Yes, he makes a point that the leaders are threatened by Jesus.  There is politics involved, but the real story is how the people, the men in the temple se Jesus.  They wonder if he is the Messiah.

Some want to follow.  Some want to believe.

That is the real story here.  Sharing who Jesus is and what Jesus does for the children of God is what leads people to him.

So, what is the lesson for us?

I believe it is two fold.  First, we should not shrink away from telling the truth and doing the right thing, even if others believe we are wrong.  We should stand for our convictions and be prepared to defend them.

Second, we should let people know about this Jesus, the one who stands for what is right and true, the one who, unlike most men of his day, has the conviction to be who they say he is.

There are so many young people today who have no idea what Jesus was up against, standing up for the weak and against the bullies, defending the poor and shaming those who walked by and did nothing.

This is the Jesus they need to hear about, for so many of them are like the men in the temple, led by the wrong people, taught the wrong things.

Of course, not everyone will agree with me, and that is the point, isn't it?  It shouldn't silence me or make me afraid.

So, let me tell you why I follow...

More to come...