Jesus had just performed yet another miracle in raising Lazarus from the dead, garnering more believers with each miracle. When this news reached the Pharisees and the chief priests, a meeting of the Sanhedrin was called. Instead of being open to what God was revealing through his son, these leaders felt threatened.
In life, it is easy to see matters through “our worldly lenses”. We can start to think that God will follow our formulas and ways of thinking rather than being open to the Lord’s plan. When life doesn’t go our way, we can become anxious, stressed, and even dive into depression. We can push God away. Yet, we’re called to press into God in these moments – into his promises, his embrace, his offer of salvation.
Today's reflection is for anyone who's ever felt lukewarm about their faith. It must have taken a certain amount of desperation for this royal official to seek Jesus out. A few biblical commentaries say that he was probably a pagan, so right away, he’s not initially going to be open to the idea of a Jewish Messiah. We don’t know how long his son was ill, but we do know that it had become so serious that he begged Jesus to come and heal him.
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Parents have great hopes and dreams more often than not when they bring a child into the world. What will he or she become? We pray for health and for happiness, surely. But many pray that the gifts God bestows on them will be used well and appreciated by the child, that the gifts will be used to glorify God. Whatever the hopes and prayers, things don’t always turn out the way we expect.
To be seen through the eyes of God, even in our lowliness, is a true blessing. As women we know we can be our own worst enemies. We do not need others to put us down because no one does that better that we do. Unfortunately, we often see ourselves as if we were looking at a fun house mirror full of distortion. We see every perceived imperfection and we focus on those. Can you imagine how sad God must be with how we look upon his creation this way?
