URC Daily Devotion 25 February 2025
St Luke 14: 1 – 6
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?’ But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. Then he said to them, ‘If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?’ And they could not reply to this.
Reflection
Sometimes, when you read a familiar Bible passage afresh, something different strikes you about it. For me that “something different” was the first part of the first sentence: “Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal”. A Pharisee offering hospitality to Jesus, and Jesus accepting! We often get the impression that Jesus had no time for the Pharisees, but obviously he interacted with them and dined with them too. No matter how much I tried to move past this and write a reflection based on the rules of the Sabbath, I found myself drawn back to this sentence.
It reminded me of a conversation I was having recently about social media. I have various friends on my social media, not all of them of the same religious or political persuasion as I am. From Brexit and the American elections through gun reform to transgender people’s involvement in gendered sporting events, some friends have some quite strong and differing views and don’t hold back when sharing them on social media…. so much so that I have often found myself hovering with my finger over the “block” or “unfriend” button. But many on my social media have similar views to me. I can easily convince myself that I am right because “everybody thinks the same – it’s a majority view”. It’s why Brexit came as such a surprise. The echo-chamber effect is unhealthy – it’s decidedly healthier to form one’s opinions through hearing all points of view openly and prayerfully, respecting people’s right to think differently. And if I block, unfriend or avoid people who think differently to me, how can I share with them what I believe or model to them a different way? Through the hospitality of the Pharisees’ leader, Jesus prompted them to question what they vehemently believed. Maybe I should do likewise.
Prayer
All-knowing and all-loving God,
there is room in your kingdom for all.
Nobody has it all right, or all wrong for that matter.
Help us to listen, to truly listen, even when we don’t agree.
Help us constantly to evaluate the opinions we hold.
Lead us away from the echo-chambers and open us to challenge.
And give us the confidence to share our beliefs with others, whenever the opportunity arises.
Amen.