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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion March 17, 2005 ASKED AND ACCUSED |
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Frontline Devotion for Thursday, March 17, 2005 By Pastor
Dave Sonnenberg
Matthew
27:11-14
“11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, ‘Are
you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said, ‘You say so.’ 12But when he was
accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 13Then Pilate said
to him, ‘Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?’ 14But
he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was
greatly amazed.”
What does it mean to “ask” a person about something?
What does it mean to “accuse” a person of something?
A quick glance at today’s text invites us to consider the difference between
those two questions. I suspect that when we are “asked”
something; it registers in a different part of the brain than when we are
“accused”. If I am driving up the highway going 75 miles an hour and
my wife gently asks me, “Dave, do you realize you’re going a little
fast?”, I will likely not be overly emotional. I will likely slow down
because of the way she asked. Because of the way she asked, I am not as
emotional and we can have a dialogue. However, if I am driving 75 and the
first thing out of her mouth is, “Dave, you are an idiot”, I have no doubt
that my blood pressure will rise because I’ve been accused. I have
little doubt that I will be silent. It is more likely that I will say
something to further escalate the emotions if I am not careful. (*)
The way she phrased her first question, “do you realize. . .?” leaves room
for a conversation. It shows that she has communicated something to me
without raising the emotional level. On the other hand, when she calls me
an “idiot”, the emotional bar has jumped very high and there is little room
for dialogue. We process things in our brains in different ways.
Without being scientific, there is no doubt that some things trigger our
emotions quickly- namely accusations.
I look at today’s text and can’t help but see how Jesus is asked a question
and also accused. He responds to the question of his identity yet when
accused, offers no response. I find it interesting that Jesus is able to
stand beyond all human emotions and not give in to them. He maintains the
focus and reminds us that he is open to the questions that we have.
Jesus never said, “accuse and it will be given to you.”
Jesus said, “ask”.
In our prayer lives and in our daily lives of faith- we might want to look at
these verses and remember that many blame God for the problems of the world.
Many “accuse” God for not bringing peace, for allowing certain things to
happen- in doing such, they cut off openness to discovering more about God and
the many ways God reveals himself in this world. When we begin to learn to
“ask” God about what’s going on in the world and in our lives- (i.e.. “can
you tell me Jesus what this means?; “why is this happening?”; “I’m
angry, will you help me through this?” ) we invite God to respond. We
allow room for a relationship and a conversation to happen.
There is a fine line between “asking” and “accusing”. May we
learn to “ask” instead of “accuse”.
Lord Jesus, we give you thanks that you are above all human emotion and you
respond to our many questions. Help us to be people who invite you in
rather than accuse you of wrongdoing. Please connect with us and allow us
to do your will- this day and in all the days to come. Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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