“You are insane, Jesus!” the rabble replies. “You are possessed by a demon! No one is trying to kill you!” John 7:20 EFP
Perhaps the only thing more deadly than inconsistency is denial. Denial is at the heart of spiritual death. It is spiritual leprosy; a soul-deadening condition that degrades and ultimately destroys my ability to be honest with myself or anyone else for that matter. In the face of their exposure by Jesus to the truth on that fateful day, the Christ-conspirators respond, not with an admission of guilt, but with denial and by turning the accusations back on Jesus.
Jesus is the one demon-possessed? That’s ludicrous! It is obvious that the ones who live lives of public sanctity and social propriety, while veiling their contempt for justice and grace are the crazy ones. Their motives are fueled by demonic hate and prejudice. But they wouldn’t, and eventually couldn’t see it. But they could easily identify their shortcomings in others! It’s so much easier to transfer my guilt to anyone but me. It’s much less painful to condemn my neighbor for the sins I see in me. But denial is a sure-fire recipe for spiritual decay and ultimate death. Lord, deliver me from spiritual denial. Let me see myself in my true condition and find forgiveness and healing in you.
No comments:
Post a Comment