Devotion - Thursday, January 9

In John 8, Jesus challenges the Pharisees by telling them that they have failed to see the revelation which God has provided.  Using images of light and dark, he speaks of those who refuse to come to the light; those who continue to live in darkness.

The Pharisees (like the other groups in the New Testament) have become little more than a by-word to most of us.  We have put little thought into who these people are or to their larger theological framework.

The Pharisees where pious Jews, committed to the Law of Moses.  Their zeal exceeded that of the professional religious types (Scribes).  They were the super believers of their day.

Herein lies the catch:  the strength of one's commitment can sometimes blind us to self-critique.  To go "all in," means we abandon other options or pathways available to us.

We need to be totally committed to Christ and to his Word of salvation.  But we cannot allow the strength of our commitment to be the only plumb-line.  We must also look to the content of our devotion and consider the guiding principals to which we are committed.

Jesus calls us to more than an honorable code of ethics;  Jesus invites us into a relationship in which all of who we are is given over to the care and unfolding of God's preferred vision for the world.