Word to the Wise
Friday, December 11, 2020 - 2nd Week of Advent - Fri
[Isa 48:17-19 and Matt 11:16-19]"To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works. [Matthew]
Jesus' rather wry comment is something any pastor can identify with. "There's no pleasing some people!" A big theme in the gospels is "rejection." No matter what Jesus (or John the Baptist) said or did, the religious authorities and others refused to believe in him and rejected him. This even extended to his own family! To the Pharisees and scribes, he was a violator of the Mosaic Law. To the chief priests and elders, he was a threat to their position because they relied on the Roman authorities to maintain their status quo! And to those who expected a political messiah who would end the Roman occupation, he was just the son of a carpenter who had no troops or army, and his kingdom seemed more like pie in the sky!
As we gaze with devotion on the nativity scene, for which we sing "Come, oh come, Emmanuel!" over and over again in Advent, we can find more than devotional comfort. Jesus was born into a hard world, the world we live in. He lived (and lives) in our midst in the person of every human being. He certainly did not live up to the expectations of the righteous Pharisees, the fearful religious authorities or the political zealots. Will he "live up" to ours? What do we expect of him as we see him lying in that manger? AMEN