Jeremiah 20: 10-11
All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not prevail.
Conniving and conspiring. Two words that have negative attributes. Sometime around grade school the mind starts planning things that might involve tricking people or setting them up to look bad. High school can be even more malicious. It can carry into the workplace and even in families and marriages. Those that maybe you once had good friendships with can quickly sour. New bosses that move in to the company, or new co-workers that try to put their best foot forward, can be quickly cut down by the long-time workers. Why is this? Threats of status, jealously, shaking up the comfort zone…all of this can be intimidating and frustrating. When we find ourselves in this position, instead of putting up walls and setting up for failure, maybe try to work with the person to help them fit in. Instead of having them conform to your ways, how about seeing things through their eyes and maybe meeting them in the middle. Look for some common ground to patch things up. Most of all, turn it over to God for wisdom and guidance.
Today's gospel has Jesus being confronted by the leaders of the temple. They are ready to stone him for his perceived blasphemy. They have been trying to set him up to fail, and their plan will come to fruition very soon. In a week's time, the crowds and followers would go from proclaiming him as a king on Palm Sunday to condemning him to death on Good Friday. The accusers were threatened…they didn't want their standing and authority taken away. Jesus was a threat, and the only way they thought to deal with it was death. How will you deal with those who threaten you? Pray for God's wisdom and peace today.
