Thoughts for the Day

Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We're coming to the end of Jesus' journey to the cross, in Luke's Gospel. Having travelled from Galilee to Jerusalem on foot, Jesus and the disciples spend each day in and around the Temple, teaching the people. We see the effect this has on two different groups - on the leaders and on the people. The first, the chief priests, the scribes, and rulers, had had enough and were seeking to kill this blasphemer who broke the Law of Moses and threatened their own position and their relationship with the Romans. But, they were foiled by the crowds of people that surrounded Jesus. If a riot occurred it would force Pilate to intervene with soldiers. Of course a few days later they were to find Jesus in the quietness of the Garden in Gethsemane with only his disciples present!

The second group is the people. The Greek word translated in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, as 'spellbound', means literally to 'hang'. We might say the people 'hung on his lips'. It's a descriptive word saying that the people were transfixed by the words of Jesus. His teaching was new and fresh, and they followed him everywhere. The new Church would largely be composed of the lowliest in society: outcasts, slaves, widows, and tax-collectors. Whereas the guardians of God's people: the chief priests, the scribes and rulers, were to seek is death and ignore his message.

Can we say we are spellbound and transfixed by the parables of Jesus? Do we hang upon his teaching? Or do we feel we have heard them too often? Can we read them again and find new lessons within them?

Lord Jesus Christ,
help us to become spellbound once again
as we did the first time we heard Your teaching.
Help us to find new lessons to take to heart;
to hear the messages You have for us;
and to continue learning more about You each day,
Amen.