King of the Hill - July 28
Today’s Readings - AM Psalm 61, 62; Judges 2:1-5,11-23; Rom. 16:17-27; Matt. 27:32-44
It can be one of life’s greatest temptations to use our influence, to flex our muscles, or to try to prove our worth even when we know we don’t need to. It usually happens when our back is up against a wall and we feel trapped, defensive, with no way out. It’s not pretty when it happens and I honestly can’t remember a time when I’ve witnessed someone resort to this when I’ve been impressed or when the situation wasn’t made worse.
As I try to understand why we fall into this trap I’ve come to believe that the root of behavior meant to intimidate someone by impressing them with our worth may be insecurity. When we resort to these types of tactics it’s usually because we feel threatened. I’ve seen children do this while playing especially if one is getting the best of another. Bullies quite often resort to this type of behavior, puffing themselves up to appear more powerful, more threatening, when underneath their intimidating persona is a frightened child who just needs and wants to be accepted and loved.
It can be exhausting to be “King of the Hill.” Just getting there isn’t enough. Once you’re there you need to defend your title, your right to the real estate or reputation you’ve acquired.
Those who persecuted Jesus and the men who carried out the execution were for the most part bullies, cowards hiding behind false accusations and taunts, behind the demands of others and fear of retaliation. Jesus knew he had nothing to gain by responding to their threats. What he had come to do he had accomplished in how he lived and how he was choosing to die. He regarded his devotion to God as a higher calling than any earthly title or crown. Ultimately through his death he knew he would be granting the children of God a kind of freedom that no one had ever experienced.
It may not feel like it, but we answer to that same calling. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice so we too could die to sin, with him, in our baptism. As a result, we live with a covenant we made to God at our baptism and are bound by our baptismal vows. We live with the security of knowing that our lives don’t depend on proving our worth. Our worth in the eyes of God is all that matters.
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for Reflection or Challenge - How often have you become subject to someone else’s taunts or provocations? How did you respond? What might you have done differently? How often do we consider our lives in relation to our baptismal vows me made or were made for us?