Today's Devotional
I never heard the phrase “Holy Week” until I was an adult. As a child, there was Palm Sunday, then a week of activities, prayers and evening readings.
Each day of that post-Palm Sunday week, one of us got to select the meal. Wednesday was my day. I would get my favorite meal, my grandmother would wash and braid my hair and I would try on the new dress she’d made for me to wear to church on Easter Sunday. She would also read Luke 22 and tell us how, on this day, Jesus was still teaching and preaching despite what he knew was going to happen. And, at the same time, others were scheming against him as if he didn’t know what was going to happen.
She would not just focus on the actions of Judas as most do but would lift up the motives of the priests and the scribes. She’d remind us that the scripture tells that they “did not fear God,” they “feared the people.” She would explain that they “feared the people” because they knew what would happen if the people did believe in Jesus and with that believe in God.
Jesus was a threat to the life they had known, he exposed the corruption, he welcomed and invited all types of people into his inner circle and treated them all with love and respect. He was, in their eyes, a troublemaker. More importantly, as the people grew to love Jesus more and more, the priests and the scribes saw themselves losing power and authority over the people.
This scripture teaches us about real love and true faith, the dangers of jealousy and how the fear of change can lead people to do things totally out of character. This is a lesson I take with me daily, one that seems to be alive today. So, on this “Spy Wednesday,” ask yourself … are you a troublemaker? And, if not, do you want to be?
— Darlene R. Alfred, Conference Lay Leader, CTC
darlenealfred@ctcumc.org
