Posted on 03/27/2020 9:15:32 PM PDT by Salvation
I knew their plot because the LORD informed me;
at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.
Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,
had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will be spoken no more.
But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge,
searcher of mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause!
R. (2a) O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lions prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
This is truly the Prophet.
Others said, This is the Christ.
But others said, The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of Davids family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.
So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, Why did you not bring him?
The guards answered, Never before has anyone spoken like this man.
So the Pharisees answered them, Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?
They answered and said to him,
You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.
Then each went to his own house.
St. John of the Cross
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, |
Never before has anyone spoken like this man. (John 7:46)
Theres a lot of confusion in this passage. Some thought Jesus was a prophet. Others thought he was the Messiah. Others doubted that he was anything special because of his place of birth. And still others thought he should be arrested because his words scandalized so many of the religious leaders.
But there was one group of people who wasnt confused: the Temple soldiers. They decided not to arrest Jesus. Their reason for disobeying direct orders? Never before has anyone spoken like this man (John 7:46). Something about Jesus and his way of speaking made them pause and question themselves. Jesus words had found a way into their hearts, and those words took them by surprise and challenged them to think differently about the Lord whose Temple they were sworn to protect.
We all get confused sometimes. We have questions about our faith. We may struggle with a particular Church teaching. Sometimes we read Scripture without truly understanding what is being said or why. Sometimes its the events of our own livesdifficult periods of waiting, grieving, or watching people sufferthat leave our heads spinning. So what should we do? We can learn something from these Temple guards: listen to Jesus in his word.
There is power in the word of God. And we can experience this power when we are open and listening to it. Anyone can hear a Bible passage being proclaimed, but those who are thirsting for God will hear it address them personally. So will those who are eager for truth, those who know how empty their hearts are without the Lord, and those who are tired of living only for themselves. In each of these situationsand countless othersthe Holy Spirit finds open hearts, and he comes to them. He gives glimmers of Gods love and invites them to keep pursuing him.
We dont know what ultimately happened with these guards, but we do know one thing: their lives were upended that day, and they couldnt go back to living as before. And neither can we.
Come, Holy Spirit, and speak Gods word to my heart.
Jeremiah 11:18-20
Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12
Daily Marriage Tip for March 28, 2020:
Would your spouse describe you as a good listener? If youre not sure, humbly seek out their opinion, and be willing to grow.
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