June 10th - Luke 7:22
Luke 7:22 John the Baptist was in prison when he sent his disciples to check out Jesus. He asked them to go and ask him whether he really was the Messiah or whether they should be looking for someone else. John had prepared the way for Jesus’ coming by telling the people that the Messiah would judge people severely. He preached that the Messiah would “clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire” (Luke 3:17). Perhaps John was surprised that Jesus didn’t seem to be preaching judgement in the way he had expected. Jesus responded by pointing to his ministry of mercy and love. He had come to bring healing and good news to people in the way that had been prophesied in Isaiah 61, which Jesus had read in the synagogue in Nazareth. Here was the evidence that he really was the Messiah. It’s good when people ask questions. People often ask very critical questions of the Church, and we should always welcome that. They want to know whether there is anything of lasting value there, or whether it is just an out-of-date institution that ought to be scrapped. Our answer, like the one that Jesus gave, needs to focus on our output. When people see churches bringing peace and hope to their communities, reaching out with sacrificial love and care, then they will get a true picture of what our God is like. QUESTION What are the outputs that your community would see flowing from your church? PRAYER Lord God, help us to live out the Good News of Jesus in a way that blesses our communities. Amen