We end this week looking at the "Lamb"—the one who is innocent yet faces the fury of those who refuse to listen. Lamb. Jeremiah s...
We end this week looking at the "Lamb"—the one who is innocent yet faces the fury of those who refuse to listen.
Lamb. Jeremiah says, "I was like a trusting lamb led to the slaughter." This is the image of the suffering servant. It touches the heart because it speaks of vulnerability. Jesus is the ultimate Lamb. He doesn't fight back with violence; He fights with the truth of His identity. In our lives, we often want to be the "lion"—to win every argument and crush every foe. But today, the Lord invites us to the strength of the Lamb: the strength of vulnerability, the strength of silence, and the strength of trusting God to be our defender.
Listening. The temple guards were sent to arrest Jesus, but they came back empty-handed. Why? "Never before has anyone spoken like this man." They actually listened. The Pharisees were too busy checking their law books and their geographical requirements to hear the Voice of God. We can be "religious" and yet totally miss God because we’ve stopped listening. This weekend, let us ask for the grace to be "arrested" by the words of Jesus, letting them stop us in our tracks and change our plans.
Loyalty. Nicodemus makes a brief appearance, trying to stand up for fairness. He shows a quiet loyalty to the truth. In a world that is "divided" (as the Gospel says the crowd was), where do our loyalties lie? Are we loyal to our "group," our "pride," or to the Truth? To follow Jesus is to be loyal even when it’s unpopular, even when the "authorities" scoff. It is a loyalty that looks past the confusion and says, "Lord, I hear Your voice, and I will follow."
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