URC Daily Devotion Monday 17 February 2025

St Luke 12: 57 – 59

‘And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.’

Reflection

About 40 verses earlier and a week of Daily Devotions ago Jesus was asked to settle a legal case between two brothers. “Who sent me to be judge over you?” asked Jesus, who talked instead about the futility of greed. Several stories have followed about using our knowledge and weighing up ideas for ourselves, and now the legal theme returns. “Why do you not judge for yourself what is right?”

Is Jesus still speaking to the same brothers? He is speaking to the same crowd who have been considering the indolence of flowers, the servant wisdom of being ready for the return of a master, and the folk wisdom by which we could forecast the weather.  Can they not, also, use their own judgement in knowing right and wrong? We are the descendants of the first Adam, and Eve, who ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Can we dare to admit their legacy and apply some wisdom?

And there is the problem. As those who are able to tell right from wrong, we have to admit we are in trouble. “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8) and tempting though that self-deception is, it does not satisfy even self-examination. And if we know we are in the wrong, then we should imagine ourselves as the debtor who would be wise to settle out of court rather than face the enforcement of a debt, and legal costs on top.  

Fortunately, we do not have to reckon with an accuser/ Satan figure/ or holy prosecutor to acknowledge our debt burden before God. We reckon with Jesus, who was indeed sent to be judge over us, but will also be the one to plead our case. We may dare to admit our truest assessment of ourselves to Jesus, and receive his forgiveness, if only we will let him.

Prayer

God of all goodness,
be with us as we reckon with right and wrong.
Help us to honestly account for ourselves before you and with others, 
and to make amends with those whom we have wronged.
Amen