Friday of the Second Week of Advent - Matthew 11:16-19
Today Jesus says to his listeners:
“To what shall I compare this generation?” He then states that this
generation is “like children who sit in the market place and call out to one
another: ‘We played the flute for you but you did not dance; we sang a dirge
for you but you did not mourn.’’ Jesus then shifts gears. He
talks about John, who was holy and ascetical. However, the people
criticized him, saying: “He is possessed by a demon.”
Jesus then says: ‘The Son of Man
came eating and drinking” and they accuse Him of being a glutton and
drunkard. They also criticize Him for being a friend of tax collectors
and sinners. Then Jesus quietly says: “But wisdom is vindicated by her
works.” No matter what Jesus did, in the eyes of the Pharisees, they
criticized him. Everything he did was wrong.
Jesus’ words to the Pharisees must
have angered them and perhaps solidified their belief that this man needed “to
be taken care of.” How dare Jesus criticize them publicly! Yet I
wonder if one or two or three of the Pharisees took Jesus’ words to
heart? Did Jesus’ critical words penetrate into their minds and
hearts? Did his words stay with them and prompt them to look deeply into
their lives, their motivation, and perhaps their superiority?
It is so very easy to criticize
another person. We see their actions, we hear their words and we read
their expression. However, we cannot see the individual’s heart. We
do not appreciate it when another person criticizes us. Thus what a great
gift it is to catch our criticism of an individual and release our criticism of
the person. In this process, we not only give a gift to that person, we
also give a gift to ourselves. Today may we strive to be non-judgmental,
loving, and gracious. Who knows? We may receive a similar gift!
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