Tuesday July 4th, 2017 Matthew 11:16-24
"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'" (verses 18-19)
There’s just no pleasing some people! John the Baptist and Jesus have both come as heralds of God’s kingdom. Their ministries have been quite different and yet both have been rejected. The people have refused to heed John’s call to repentance; they have refused to welcome Jesus. They are like spoiled children who don’t know what they want and are never satisfied. John, who practised a lifestyle of rigorous self-denial in the wilderness, was dismissed as being demon-possessed. Jesus, who didn’t follow that lifestyle, was labelled a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
Nothing pleased the people to whom Jesus spoke. Does anything please us? Will we heed John’s call to change the direction of our lives? Will we honour those who proclaim the gospel among us? Will we welcome Jesus, the one who brings God’s salvation into our lives, our homes, our churches and our world?
Open our hearts, Lord Jesus, to your presence among us, that we will welcome you always as the bringer of God's salvation. Amen. — DLK
Contributed by Pleased with Jesus?
There's just no pleasing some people! John the Baptist and Jesus have both come as heralds of God's kingdom. Their ministries have been quite different and yet both have been rejected. The people have refused to heed John's call to repentance; they have refused to welcome Jesus. They are like spoiled children who don't know what they want and are never satisfied. John, who practised a lifestyle of rigorous self-denial in the wilderness, was dismissed as being demon-possessed. Jesus, who didn't follow that lifestyle, was labelled a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
Nothing pleased the people to whom Jesus spoke. Does anything please us? Will we heed John's call to change the direction of our lives? Will we honour those who proclaim the gospel among us? Will we welcome Jesus, the one who brings God's salvation into our lives, our homes, our churches and our world?
