Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, February 10, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Jesus had no interest in being an earthy king. The things he was doing—healing, teaching, working miracles—made him loved. A lost and oppressed people were desperate for someone who actually cared about them to take power so they could have justice. But they didn’t understand the nature of Jesus’ reign. Had they made him king by force, he would have been taken out by Rome immediately. And anyway, Jesus was trying to make them understand that earthly kings would always fail them, when God never would.
Sometimes we put too much faith in our political leadership. We vote and then think we’ve done our part and they’ll make sure we get everything we want. That’s not how it works. Never has. The only way real change has happened is when mass movements of individuals have put pressure on the powers that be. Our leaders will always fail us if we do not hold them accountable.
Our trust needs to be in God, for it is God who calls us to this work of justice, and God who sustains us in the struggle.
Do I put too much faith in my elected officials?