How God Reaches Us: Luke 7:33-35

[Jesus said to the Pharisees,] "John the Baptist came, and he fasted and drank no wine, and you said, ‘He has a demon in him!’ The Son of Man came, and he ate and drank, and you said, ‘Look at this man! He is a glutton and wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts!’ God's wisdom, however, is shown to be true by all who accept it.” ~ Luke 7:33-35

In analyzing this passage, Frank Doyle writes that:

God speaks to us in so many ways and through so many people and situations. It is very easy to find ourselves excluding . . . the people or situations by which God is trying to reach us.

We cannot expect God to speak to us in ways which we find congenial. He may speak to us through a saint or a sinner. Through a conservative or a liberal. Through a man or a woman – or a young child. Through an old person or a young person. Through an educated or an illiterate person . . . . We have, at all times, to be ready to listen with an unprejudiced mind and heart.

Jesus' words, "God's wisdom, however, is shown to be true by all who accept it," have always puzzled me. But when we think about it, God speaks to us in some very unorthodox ways. Here is a case in point:

One of my son's friends texted me an incomprehensible, vulgar message regarding my behavior. In translation, he said that I was driving my son away by my overreacting, stubborn, closed-minded way of handling a conflict. And as much as I was irritated by this text (it was poorly written and full of expletives), I realized this kid was right. How did this child, one of my son's friends who I least trusted, posses such a clear understanding of the situation and put a finger on the core of the issue, my poor behavior and blindness? The only answer I could muster was that God's wisdom is boundless and comes to us in unpredictable ways. I was given the grace to listen and start the repair work for the damage I had done to our relationship. 

God speaks to us in unorthodox ways. But it is through Christ and his Spirit, that we are given ears to hear and eyes to see. Jesus points out that, instead of listening, the Pharisees chose to close their ears and stay rooted in their egos. What do we choose?

Avoid Judging Others -- Luke 6:41-42

 

Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Please, brother, let me take that speck out of your eye,’ yet cannot even see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." 

(Luke 6:41-42)

The late Frank Doyle, SJ, sums this passage up so well. He says:

The faults we so easily see in others are often trivial in comparison with our own shortcomings. Of course, much of the energy we exert in putting down others (the main staple of our gossiping sessions!) is sub-consciously to compensate for the shortcomings we are all too aware of in ourselves. Instead of lifting ourselves up by changing our ways, we try to drag others down.

And, so often our judgments are based purely on external behavior. We usually have no idea of the inner motives or intentions of other people or an awareness of their inability to behave otherwise than they do (Sacred Space). 

It is so easy to pass judgment on others, but when we really think about it, we are guilty of at least as much. Maybe our guilt comes in the from of other kinds of wrongdoings than that of which we accuse others, but what Doyle says is true: We are compensating for our own shortcomings, even if it is subliminal. I pray that I avoid this type of bad behavior (of which I am guilty), and through Christ's words, I focus instead on being a better disciple as a person of faith, hope, and love in this world. Amen.