Thursday, 12 March 2026
Friday, March 13, 2026 - Will your love for God show in your love for at least one person today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Hosea 14:2-10; Mk12:28-34
In
Matthew 22:35, the lawyer asks the question about the great commandment in
order to test Jesus; in Mark he is not hostile and does not intend to test
Jesus. As a matter of fact, Mark mentions at the beginning of the incident that
the lawyer thought that Jesus had answered the Sadducees well and at the end of
that response, he commends Jesus for his answer. Jesus responds to the lawyer’s
question in the words of the “Shema”, which speaks of love of God (Deut 6:5-6),
but adds also the love of neighbour (Lev 19:18). The scribe’s response to this
is to acknowledge Jesus’ answer as correct and to add that following these
commandments is greater than sacrifices and burnt offerings. Jesus concludes
the dialogue by stating that because the scribe has recognized what his
priorities are, he is not far from the kingdom of God.
Love
of God cannot really be separated from love of neighbour. The two go together.
Our love for God is made manifest and tangible only when we reach out in love
to someone else. While Paul gives a
beautiful description of what love is and what it is not in 1 Corinthians 13,
my own definition of love is that in love there is no “I”.
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Thursday, March 12, 2026 - Which is the demon that has possessed you and does not leave you free? Will you attempt to get rid of that demon today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Jer 7:23-28;Lk11:14-23
The
onlookers respond to the exorcism of a demon that made a man mute, in different
ways. While there are some who are amazed, others attribute Jesus’ power to
cast out demons to Beelzebul and still others ask for a sign from heaven. This
is an indication that no one doubted Jesus’ power to exorcise and heal. They
attributed it to different sources. In his response to this charge and test,
Jesus says that since exorcisms represented a direct assault on Satan’ power
and kingdom, it is clear that he cannot be on Satan’s side. Also, if Jesus’
exorcisms’ were performed by the power of Satan, the same would have to be said
of other exorcists belonging to their community. Instead Jesus’ works indicate
that the kingdom of God has indeed arrived. Through his exorcisms, Satan’s
power is broken. In the simile of the strong man and his castle, Jesus
explicates that he is the stronger one who overpowers Satan who had guarded his
kingdom well till this time. Finally Jesus invites his listeners to take a
stand for him. The saying here is strong. If one does not positively opt for
Jesus, one has opted against him. The time now is for decision and choice.
Once
he has answered his critics (11:17-23), Jesus moves on to exhort his listeners
to fill their lives with the kingdom of God, because it is possible that
despite the exorcism, if a person persists in his old ways, he will be
possessed once again and this will be ever worse than before.
While
there is no doubt that Jesus did exorcise people who were possessed by demons,
we must avoid getting caught up with exorcisms ourselves. Rather, today there
are many subtle forms of “possession” which are more dangerous than “external
possession”. Some of these are consumerism, selfishness, ignorance and a better
than thou attitude. We need to ask the Lord to exorcise these demons from our
lives.
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 - When was the last time you performed an action without any expectation of reward? Will you perform one today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Dt 4:1, 5-9; Mt 5:17-19
These
verses contain what are commonly known as the “theme” of the Sermon on the
Mount. In these verses, the Matthean Jesus makes explicit that he is a law-abiding
Jew. His attitude towards the Jewish law is fundamentally positive. However,
Jesus also makes explicit here, that he has come not merely to confirm or
establish the law, but to fulfill or complete it. This means that he will go
beyond a purely legal interpretation to a broader perspective. He will remove
the focus from the mere external and concentrate on the internal. The focus
will be more on the attitude than merely on the action.
While
laws, rules and regulations are necessary and help towards order, it is also
possible that they can become ends in themselves and not as they are meant to
be, means to an end. We might follow in some cases the letter of the law, but
miss out on its spirit. We might even follow the rule or law only because we
are afraid of getting caught and punished and not because we are convinced of
it.
Monday, 9 March 2026
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - What would be your position if God kept a grudge against you for every sin you committed? Will you give up all your un-forgiveness today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Dan 3:25,34-43; Mt 18:21-35
The
text of today is the conclusion to Matthew’s “Community Discourse” (18:1-35).
It begins with a question from Peter about the number of times one is expected
to forgive. While Peter proposes seven times, Jesus’ response far exceeds that
proposal. The number seventy-seven can
be understood in this way or even as four hundred ninety (seventy times seven).
The point is not so much about numbers but about forgiveness from the heart. If
one has to count the number of times one is forgiving, it means that one is not
really forgiving at all. The story that
follows in 18:23-35 about the king who forgave his servant a debt of ten
thousand talents (a talent was more than fifteen years wages of a labourer).
The combination of “ten thousand” and “talents” is the greatest possible figure
and indicates the unimaginable sum of money owed. An indication of how large
this sum was can be seen when compared with the annual tax income for all of
the territories of Herod the Great which was 900 talents per year. The point is
that the debt is unpayable. The servant in his desperation asks for time to pay
back the debt. Though the king knows that no matter how much time is given to
the servant he will never be able to pay back what he owes, forgives him all
the debt in his magnanimity and generosity. The debt of the fellow servant to
him pales in comparison with his own debt to the king. Yet, if given time there
was a clear possibility that the money could be repaid, because though by
itself it was a large sum, it would not be impossible to repay. The servant who
had been forgiven by the king will have none of it. He refuses to listen and be
convinced. When the matter is reported to the king be the fellow servants, the
king takes back his forgiveness because the one who was forgiven could not
forgive in turn. This indicates that he had closed himself to the forgiveness
of the king and not received it completely. The conclusion is frightening
because it will be impossible for the first servant to repay the debt. This
means that he will be tortured for eternity.
How
easy it is to say “I am sorry” when we know we are in the wrong or have done
something that deserves punishment. We expect to be forgiven by others when we
do them harm after we have said sorry, and sometimes if they do not forgive us,
we get upset with them even more. We need to apply the same yardstick to
ourselves when others ask for forgiveness from us.
Sunday, 8 March 2026
Monday, March 9, 2026 - Have you set limits on where, when and in whom God can work? Will you leave God free? Will you let God be God?
To read the texts click on the texts: 2 Kgs 5:1-15a; Lk 4:24-30
The
text begins with the words “Truly I tell you” which is used six times in the
Gospel of Luke and always to introduce a solemn statement. Luke alone uses it
here to introduce the proverb that follows. This proverb is found also in Mark
(6:4), Matthew (13:57) and John (4:44), but in a different form there. In Luke,
the proverb is given in a negative form and “hometown” may also be translated
as “home country”. This leads to the interpretation that Jesus will be rejected
not only by the people of Nazareth (his hometown) but also by the whole of
Israel (his home country). The references to Elijah and Elisha are to reinforce
the statement made namely that the blessings of God were not restricted to one
particular group or community but were available to all peoples. No one was
excluded from the graciousness of God and from his bounty. This statement of
Jesus enraged the people who were listening to him and drove Jesus out of their
town. Though they were hostile to him, Jesus did not let that deter him, but
continued to do what he was meant to do.
This
scene suggests that the basis for their hostility toward Jesus was a difference
in the way they read the Scriptures. The people of Jesus’ hometown read the
Scriptures as promises of God’s exclusive covenant with them, a covenant that
involved promises of deliverance from their oppressors. Jesus came announcing deliverance,
but it was not a national deliverance but God’s promise of liberation for all
the poor and oppressed regardless of nationality, gender, or race. When the
radical inclusiveness of Jesus’ announcement became clear to those gathered in
the synagogue in Nazareth, their commitment to their own community boundaries
took precedence over their joy that God had sent a prophet among them. In the
end, because they were not open to the prospect of others’ sharing in the
bounty of God’s deliverance, they themselves were unable to receive it.
Not
only is this scene paradigmatic of Jesus’ life and ministry, but it is also a
reminder that God’s grace is never subject to the limitations and boundaries of
any nation, church, group, or race. Those who would exclude others thereby
exclude themselves. Human beings may be instruments of God’s grace for others,
but we are never free to set limits on who may receive that grace. Throughout
history, the gospel has always been more radically inclusive than any group, denomination,
or church, so we continually struggle for a breadth of love and acceptance that
more nearly approximates the breadth of God’s love. The paradox of the gospel,
therefore, is that the unlimited grace that it offers so scandalizes us that we
are unable to receive it. Jesus could not do more for his hometown because they
were not open to him. How much more might God be able to do with us if we were
ready to transcend the boundaries of community and limits of love that we
ourselves have erected?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)