Seeing Through Our Biases - November 24

Today’s Readings -  Psalm 106:1-18; Joel 3:1-2,9-17; 1 Pet. 1:1-12; Matt. 19:1-12

Today’s gospel is another example of how difficult the Pharisees could be. They were notorious for asking questions only to test Jesus rather than sincerely seeking to understand. They wanted to trip Jesus up so they could discredit him in the eyes of his followers and in the eyes of the religious authorities. His rising popularity, his teachings and the healings he performed had undermined their authority and influence in the Temple. If they could catch him violating the law then they could have him arrested, and better yet if they could turn the Roman authorities against him then they were assured of being rid of him. Jesus, however, never fell into their trap. He was able to sidestep their accusations, leaving them speechless, sometimes awestruck by his wisdom and other times angry that they had been outwitted.

If there is anything to learn from their example, it may be that Jesus is not someone to underestimate. I wonder if we might be guilty of that? We withhold our deepest needs, our most egregious sins thinking that we won’t be forgiven, or we don’t matter. We lack the courage to risk for the sake of our faith. We close off our hearts, so we won’t be hurt, and we lack the trust that faith requires. Even Moses knew how unforgiving, how hard-hearted people could be, how we would be, but Jesus wants to forgive, he leaves the door open.

What if the Pharisees, could have seen who Jesus really was? What if they could have seen through their prejudices and false assumptions? Cast their biases away? What if they had seen the amazing, sincere man he was? What if we could?

Advent is the beginning of a new year in the church. It’s an opportunity to take a breath, to reevaluate our disciplines or lack of and to prepare our hearts for a holy peace. It’s a time to take a fresh look at the world around us. As we approach the beginning of a new year, perhaps we can approach with a new openness, a fresh spirit of hope, a spirit of generosity with an abundance of forgiveness and trust in the infinite grace of Christ.

 Faithfully,

Sally+

Questions for Reflection and Challenge - When was the last time you honestly assessed your biases? Your prejudices? What might you change?