Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste,
and no city or house divided against itself will stand. [Matthew 12:25 ESV]
Once again Jesus is confronted by pejorative religious unbelief.
A man is miraculously healed by him and the means of the man's healing is questioned.
Sadly everyone was amazed by this miracle except the religious leaders.
How could the hearts of these leaders be so hard and lacking compassion?
It seems that jealousy has taken hold of them and blinded them.
In this state of jealousy they begin to rationalize that Jesus is in league with Satan.
Jesus mocks their logic and says that only one stronger than Satan could cast him out.
He then confronts their opposition saying that they should be with him and not he with them.
This is where I fear many are at today in their faith.
Many today do not understand how God may be working in the world today.
As such, they find themselves mocking things that they do not understand.
In the end they choose to divide instead of finding common ground.
So heartbreaking the way that believers in God argue with each other.
These see people, who think differently, as their enemies.
In reality, these will never cast out demons or heal the sick.
Religious divisions embrace an unhealthy inward focus that ignores hurting people.
Instead of uniting Christ's body to do the work of the kingdom, they separate it.
In contrast, healing can come when we see past our differences and find common ground.
Come Holy Spirit. We need you. Unite us in the love of Christ.
... this devotion is part of the Red Letters series. Click here to read more.
Amen Bob! Great post!
ReplyDelete