Tuesday: What Are You Going to Do, Scold Me?
WEEK 46
TUESDAY
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, SCOLD ME?
Luke 4:24-30
We are considering the mastery of prejudice. We get hold of a portion of truth about a thing and not the whole truth, hence the prejudice. For instance, the Jews who came to see Paul in Rome said, “But we think it’s important to hear what you think, for we know that people everywhere are speaking against this faction” (Acts 28:22). They made two mistakes in sizing up this movement. They wanted to know what Paul’s views were. They thought he was presenting good views when he was announcing good news. Then they looked on the Way as a way; they spoke of “this faction” as representing a section of life and not the whole. They did not comprehend what it was all about. Our prejudices are rooted in half knowledge.
I am writing this in Florida, where I have just put up a birdhouse, hoping that a mockingbird will come and occupy it, for a cat got the last nest it built in the shrubbery. The story goes that an expert builder of birds’ nests gathered the birds together and taught them how to build a nest. The eagle and the crow learned that sticks were required, flew off before getting further instructions, and made a nest of sticks. The swallow heard that mud is required, flew off, and made his of mud. The mockingbird stayed till all the instructions were in and made a perfect nest.
Stay in the presence of Jesus, long and often. Look into his face, feel his love, catch his mind, and you will know him as the Truth. Then you will go out to find truths everywhere and in everyone, but you will see them pointing in a certain direction, to him who is the Truth. Then you will be unafraid, for every truth takes you by the hand and leads you to him. As you love everybody, you will be led to him who is Love. An elderly lady stopped an alcoholic in his car and asked him to come in. “What are you going to do, scold me?” he asked. “No, love you,” she replied. Today he and his family are church members. She had looked into the face of Jesus and then looked into the face of an alcoholic and loved him into loving Jesus. She didn’t see prejudices; she saw possibilities and loved them into being.
O Jesus, your love went to everybody, everywhere. Help me to follow your love and love everybody, everywhere. In doing so, we see the unseen and make the unmade. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I belong to creative love, therefore, I shall create newness everywhere through love.