Today’s Reading: John 5
Optional Readings: Matthew 12:1-12, Mark 3:1-19, Luke 6:1-16
Second Year of Ministry: Jerusalem, Galilee, Questions over the Sabbath
Have you ever watched a group of middle school students brainstorm for a group project? Or perhaps you’ve watched your kids deciding what to play together? Arguments are bound to happen because no one likes it when their ideas are questioned or rejected. We can become very defensive about our ideas, because, well, they’re ours.
When I first discussed this devotional idea with my husband, he offered some different ideas. How do you think I initially responded? Defensively. Was I right and he wrong? Of course. (That’s a joke.) Regardless of what he said, I immediately felt a swell of (what I now recognize as) pride rise up in me because my ideas were being challenged. Ironic, huh?
Being this attached to our own ideas is not only prideful, it also limits us. It’s like a horse wearing blinders. If we are only focused on one way of doing things, we are blinded to the broader perspective that offers other, maybe better, ideas.
When Jesus asked the invalid at the Bethesda pool if he wanted to get well, his mind could only consider the one means of healing with which he had become familiar. He didn’t even answer Jesus’ question, “Do you want to get well?” but presumed to skip to the bottom line. “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Pharisees are offended. The traditions of the Sabbath conflicted with the healings that Jesus performed on the Sabbath. For the Pharisees, the spirit of the Law was sacrificed for the letter of the Law. Their ideas regarding the Sabbath were being challenged. The law given to Moses did forbid work on the Sabbath, but over time, the Pharisees added many of their own ideas about how that looked. Jesus was challenging their ideas.
Jesus acknowledges that the Pharisees “study the Scriptures diligently.” So what went wrong? All through the gospels we see learned people totally missing the point. Even Jesus’ closest circle, his 12 disciples, failed to understand the full picture until after the resurrection.
Regarding the faith, here’s the takeaway: Be willing to sacrifice anything for the certainties of Scripture, and be humble about those things for which we don’t have certainty.
Core doctrine (like salvation through Jesus alone, for example) is worth fighting for, worth dying for. Peripheral issues (perhaps like whether today’s woman should cover her head when she prays) should be handled with humility. There is a tiny chance that maybe, perhaps you could be wrong. Can we admit that it is possible?
Defending our own ideas reveals our pride.
Even if your idea is the best one, is your relationship with your colleague worth it?
Even if “everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” is it really necessary to create conflict to prove your point?
Even if we are correct about Biblical doctrine, is our approach so arrogant that it pushes people away from Jesus rather than drawing them closer?
Consider others [ideas] as better than yourself.
Or better yet, maybe restrain yourself from even voicing your opinion unless it’s necessary.
Lord, this one is difficult for me. I wish I didn’t argue about the “right” way to load the dishwasher or load luggage in the trunk or organize an event. I wish I didn’t feel defensive when I make a suggestion, and it's not taken. I repent of my pride in this. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit who can teach me humility. I am relying on Him. Amen.