Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, January 26, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
It seems Jesus has struck a nerve. Did you notice that the Pharisees were more shocked that Jesus forgave than that he healed? Jesus showed that forgiveness is more powerful than healing, yet easier to attain and to give.
I had an interesting conversation today with one of the youth that hang out at our house. He had gotten in a fight with one of his friends. He was trying to decide what to do – he wanted the friend to know that the friend was wrong. I suggested that he step into the shoes of his friend for a moment and try to see what the friend sees. I talked him through the scenario, and together we concluded that the friend was probably lashing out from pain and fear. The friend was likely feeling the pain of the argument, and fear that he was losing a close friend. Once he was able to see from the friend’s perspective, he felt compassion for the friend, and no longer desired to fight to be right. He learned that being right was not as important as expressing compassion and love for his friend. He reached out with kindness and understanding, and the friend apologized for his role in the fight. This brave youth’s willingness to extend compassion gave the friend courage to seek forgiveness.
Maybe this is our Achilles heel. Where the Pharisees were surprised to learn that forgiveness was more powerful than healing, perhaps we have a hard time learning that forgiveness is more valuable than being right.
Do you need to “be right?” How do you get out of that habit?
