1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
Have you ever been under the microscope of criticism? As someone who has been there, it is not the most comfortable thing in the world. And living under that microscope can be crippling. I know some spouses who feel like they walk on eggshells at home. They feel as if they can never do anything right, that their husbands (usually) always find fault with whatever they do. It is almost as if they are tortured verbally, emotionally. Expectations change at a whim. What was acceptable the day before suddenly becomes unacceptable. The passage today tells us that Jesus goes to eat a meal in the house of a leading religious leader. These religious leaders are generally not on Jesus’ side. This leader might have been one of the genuinely seeking leaders. He might have invited Jesus to eat with him because he was protecting him from harm. He might have been one of those talked about in the previous verses who warned him about Herod’s desire to kill him. We don’t know for sure. We do know as we continue to read that not every person invited is on Jesus’ side. Some on the guest list are clearly scrutinizing Jesus every move. In fact, they are seeking cause to arrest him and kill him. I can honestly say that I don’t think I have ever been the object of direct threat like this. I read this morning as part of my devotions a newsletter from Samaritans Purse, the missions organization headed by Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son. In that letter was the story of the Church in Sudan rebuilding after the slaughter of their pastors & members during the civil war. The Christians were chosen as objects of wrath. Many of their church buildings were burned, sometimes filled with people. Samaritans Purse is helping to rebuild the churches and has built a Bible School to train pastors and evangelists. These people are under scrutiny like Jesus. Every move they make is watched, and there are people looking to kill them if the opportunity arises. I want to encourage you to check it out for yourself. Then begin to pray and see what God would have you do to help. (Sudan Churches) Just because we are relatively free of this type of persecution does not mean that we will always be.
The Arnold Journey 