The Good Life

Luke 19:41-48

          Even if Jesus had not been the son of God, he surely was, at the very least he was a wise, leaned and holy man. I mean, every day he was teaching in the temple. What I find so sadly disturbing is that at the same time he was recognized as a holy man, the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him. Yes we love to hear him speak, yes we we are spellbound by what he says and oh, yes, we'd simply love to kill him? What ??

          Have we learned anything as people, as faithful people? as humans?  Yesterday one of the earliest reports about 'black friday' was that a man had been stabbed in the early mourning bargain melee at a shoppers mall, not too far away. A friend posted it on FaceBook and I had to comment (with intense sarcasm ) that ' I am glad to see people are getting into the holiday spirit so early this year'. 

          Have we learned anything? On yet another FaceBook posting, there were incremental postings of pictures about PTA meetings, voter locations on election day and black Friday. Which picture was most ( and least ) crowded? 

        Where are the priorities in our life?  We mouth one thing as the Jewish elite did about Jesus. We love him ( but we hate him ). Not too different from "Keep Christ in Christmas" and then ruining family time on Thanksgiving to get a great deal and battle crowds in the wee hours of Friday morning, if not on Thanksgiving evening itself. 

        I am not one to explain how everyone else is a hypocrite ( except me ).  My heart actually warmed when in 1973 was I speaking about the topic of hypocrisy with my Dad and he noted matter of factly "Aren't we all?". It's true. But that statement does not excuse us as humans or individuals from living the malaise and malicious lives we seemed to have lived even way back in Jesus' time?  Shouldn't there be some growth? 

         Shouldn't there be more personal atonement and a call to action on our parts to live out our professed beliefs? Can we legitimately spend the time and money we do on the holidays ( Holydays ), celebrating the birth of our Lord while 'killing' people in the streets, literally and figuratively all season long? This then is a call t action, it is not too late.  Amazon ships books on spirituality overnight, a decision to pray at the dinner table each night in Advent is easily accomplished and we can all easily asses how we are progressing on our journey wholeness and happiness and living the good life God intended for us. Hint, the Good Life has almost nothing to do with material stuff.

         

           

As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.’

Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, ‘It is written,

“My house shall be a house of prayer”;

but you have made it a den of robbers.’

Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.