Week 39—Thursday John 7:25-27
Week 39—THURSDAY
“LORD, DO NOT HOLD THIS SIN AGAINST THEM”
Stephen was not supposed to be a speaker—he was supposed to serve tables, but he made the longest speech made in the New Testament. But we do not remember the long speech, we remember a single sentence. Amid a shower of stones “he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’” (Acts 7:59). That “loud voice” drowned out his own speech and shook the ages. The word of forgiveness became flesh. And even this “loud voice” was not as loud as this account: “And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). When they were lying about him, the lies falling upon him burst into light—the lies became light. This was the word of victory become flesh.
An equally great revelation of the Universal in the particular was seen in the story of Ananias going into the room where the blind Saul was staying in Damascus. Ananias had hesitated to obey the command of Jesus to go to Saul, “How can I? He has come down here to murder us as he did the saints at Jerusalem” (see Acts 9:13-14). He trembled, but he trembled bravely and went and said two words, but those two words opened the gate of life to the greatest Christian of the centuries. He went into him, laid his hands on him, and said, “Brother Saul,” and when he said that, Saul’s frame must have shaken with sobs: “My God, they’re calling me ‘brother,’ I who have come down here to murder them.” Through this human forgiveness Saul saw the divine forgiveness in Jesus Christ—saw into the heart of redemption and was converted. I say “converted,” for Saul was stunned and blinded on the Damascus Road, but not converted. He was only converted when he saw through the two words, “Brother Saul,” the meaning of redemption. He saw the universal through the particular. He saw the universal not through a discourse but through a deed: The Word had become flesh in Ananias.
O Lord and Savior, help me this day to open the gates of life to someone by some deed, some words, some attitude. I may do it as hesitatingly and tremblingly as Ananias did, but help me to do it as sincerely and lovingly. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: When I can’t do anything else I can always love.