“When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, so they could hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way." (Luke 4:28-30)
Very early in his professional life, immediately following his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus clashed with the people in his home town who had been listening to him speak in their synagogue. Luke records the end of that experience:
Jesus managed to avoid death at the hands of an angry mob because his comments differed significantly from what the people expected. He escaped, at least that time. What I find interesting, however, is how soon that clash occurred following his entry into public life. From the very beginning the handwriting was on the wall so for anyone following him around, seeing and hearing what he stood for, his crucifixion would not have been a surprise. It was inevitable that his core values would be in opposition to those held in the society around him.
Likewise, when you and I follow his lead and champion his behavior and teaching, we get into a similar kind of trouble. On this Ash Wednesday, immediately after putting away the Christmas decorations and related joyful celebrations of his birth, it comes as a shock to experience the resistance that accompanies what we have come to call “discipleship.” It is appropriate, therefore, to pray for God’s help as we attempt to follow Jesus’ kind of leadership.
Prayer: Loving God, we pray that your love for us might show itself in a courage and tenacity that empowers us to enter a life congruent with that of Christ, your son and our leader. In what will surely lead us into times of darkness, grant us light to pursue your life and work wherever Christ's example will lead us. Amen.
Hank Borchardt
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