Jesus was unafraid to stir the pot, flip tables, or offend religious naysayers. He wasn’t a peacekeeper, He was a peacemaker.
So often we are concerned about keeping conflict at bay and harmony on the horizon.
But the truth is, the Prince of Peace is not concerned with pleasing people, instead, He is concerned with making peace. Sometimes that means offending the crowd to ensure that His Father is pleased.
Jesus knew and lived out the truth of what it meant that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). He cut through cultural and religious barriers in order to bring the Truth about who God is to the hearts of men.
Over the last couple of years, we have seen the deep destruction of division portrayed across cultures, nations, and political propositions.
The cultural climate has felt turbulent and tense to say the least. Yet, the truth is, often it’s not the storms of life that create the conditions of our hearts, they simply reveal them.
It might be easy in our own frustration and offense to decide that the decisions, sins, or outcasts of society rightfully deserve to be treated differently. But, it’s the beautiful humility of Jesus portrayed in John 13 that rocks the cultural concept of justice, unravels our perceptions of people, and transforms the condition of our hearts.
Moments before what Jesus knew would be the greatest and most grievous day in history, He knelt on His knee, poured water into a bowl, and washed the filthy feet of His disciples; knowing that two of the twelve would betray Him, He still invited them to take a seat, displaying a true act of humility.
extract for a blog by Kris Vallotton 22.03.2023