Mary’s Lent Diary (Day 35)

I am so cross. I have had to take a few deep breaths before beginning this diary entry….Jesus’ brothers have been having a go at him.  Honestly, they are old enough to know better.  Mocking him for not going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast? And so missing an opportunity to show his miracles off to people.  Why do they have to behave like this?  Even they don’t seem to believe that he is special…

Anyway, they went on to the Feast on their own but, as it turns out, Jesus did go.  Pretty much everyone goes, but Jesus kept it a secret, sneaking in without telling anyone.  But the people there were looking out for him.  It seems that opinion about Jesus is divided – some say he is good and some say he is bad.  Jesus managed to keep them from finding him until about half way through the Feast.  Then he went to the temple and began teaching.  Everyone could see him!  It seems a bit strange to me – why go to all that trouble to not be seen and then stand up in public view?  But that’s what happened.

And there’s that sword piercing my heart again: The people were amazed at his teaching, as they always are, and were hanging on to his every word.  Suddenly, I heard Jesus ask them why they were trying to kill him.    My heart missed a beat.  Kill him?  What’s that all about?

The crowd were confused too.  They began to say that he was crazy, and they wondered who was trying to kill him.  Then someone, who must have heard on the grapevine that the authorities were trying to get rid of someone, wondered aloud whether that ‘someone’ was Jesus.  Others picked it up, and soon the crowd were trying to seize Jesus!  It was awful.  Then the Pharisees got wind of it.  When they realised that the general opinion towards Jesus was changing, they were pleased.  They have not been able to arrest Jesus, because public opinion of him has been so high, but now things were changing – so the Pharisees sent guards to arrest Jesus.

When they got there, Jesus spoke to them, and all the people listened.  And, after hearing him, the opinion swung back, and people began to say that Jesus must be a prophet, or even the Christ.  So the guards did not arrest Jesus, but went back to the Pharisees and said that they had not arrested him because they had never heard anyone speak as Jesus does.  Then the Pharisees got mad and said that the guards had been deceived and that the crowd were cursed….Then Nicodemus stepped in.  Remember him?  I am so pleased that he was there – he calmly pointed out that it was not really fair or legal to condemn Jesus without actually verifying things first.  The others realised that Nicodemus had a point and so they asked him to look into it and report back.  After sarcastically asking if he, too, came from Galilee! But they were convinced that Jesus could not be a prophet because, apparently, a prophet does not come from Galilee…

I was so scared for Jesus today.

Police men standing guard

 Jesus said that people wanted to kill Him.

The crowd didn’t believe Him.

They dismissed it.

How do we respond when Jesus puts things on our hearts?

Do we dismiss them?

Or do we take time to consider them with Him?

The Pharisees sent guards to arrest Jesus.

The guards went but, when they met Jesus, things changed.

When we meet Jesus, things change.

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

Is He changing you?

Meet Him, every day, and see what happens.

The Pharisees were convinced that Jesus was not a prophet, because he came from Galilee.

Galilee was looked down on by the elite religious society.

Prophets couldn’t come from Galilee.

Do we have a ‘Galilee’ today?

Personally, locally, globally, in our churches?

A person or group or place that is looked down on.

Do we make people feel like ‘Galilee people’?

Feel as though they are inferior?

Or do we affirm people, by word and action, of their worth?

Who could you affirm today?

What about within ourselves?

Do you have Galilee areas?

Areas you overlook?

Don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
Matthew 10:31

When Jesus came to this world, He chose to be associated with Galilee.

He valued Galilee.

He still values and chooses to be associated with Galilee: with the weak, the marginalised, the overlooked, the struggling.

With me.

With you.

The Pharisees made assumptions.

And they were wrong.

What assumptions might we make about people?

What assumptions might we make about ourselves?

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away--look, what is new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NET)

Nicodemus essentially suggested getting all the facts straight before rushing in and condemning Jesus.

What about us?

It can be easy to judge others, but do we take time to see the whole picture first?

The bigger picture?

How can the Christ come from Galilee?

John 7:41b

Jesus did come from Galilee.

Which means He spent time there.

May we meet Him in our Galilees.

Lord Jesus,

Please help me to recognise you in places where I might not expect to see You.

Places around me and within me.

Places I might think you won’t want to go.

Galilee places.

I’ll meet You there.

Amen

Mary’s Memo Meet Jesus

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