Lent Meditation Day 19
In Matthew 21 we read of the chief priests and elders asking Jesus a simple question.
A Note from Ruth
These meditations are a reflection of my personal journey through Lent at a time when I was experiencing deep spiritual growth and learning what it means to grow in community as a student at the Academy for Formation and Mission. In part, I wrote them to process my own thoughts, but mainly to share those contemplations, because I felt they were meant to be experienced by others. My hope was to encourage others to go deep, to see God and Lent with a new perspective, and to self-reflect in a way that brings hope.
Of course with these religious leaders, it was never easy, but baited. They tried to trap Jesus by asking him who gave him the authority to preach and heal.
Jesus asked them a question back. He asked them if they thought John’s baptism was from heaven or was earthly. This became a trap for them. If they said heavenly, he would have asked why they hadn’t believed in it. If they said earthly, the people who followed John would be angry. They decided among themselves to simply say they didn’t know.
This was the easy answer, but it was not the one Jesus was looking for. Because of their dishonesty, Jesus refused to answer them.
It costs us something to tell the truth when we are in error. Our pride, our reputation, out feeling of well being. Yet the alternative silences God in our lives until we come to the place of admitting what we know to be true. Instead of hiding from our mistakes or misguided thinking, we can be honest, and face the consequences.
The thing is, God is always about forgiveness and reconciliation. We can trust God.