Having just come through the Easter season, I was reminded once again about the unexpected actions of Jesus of Nazareth. His unpredictable and unanticipated actions often left His followers and His enemies picking up their jaws from the dusty floor!
Jesus was the ultimate radical and revolutionary. But, His methods were never lowered to include violence toward any person who might have disagreed with Him. To be sure, His teachings contradicted many of the teachings of the religious leaders of His day. And sometimes, His actions spoke louder than words. Unlike the religious leaders and teachers, He was often found actually practicing exactly what He had preached! For example, in John 13:14, Jesus said, “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.” This is one of the most amazing scenes in all of scripture – Jesus Christ, Messiah, Master, Lord, Creator and Sustainer of the universe …. God Himself – knelt down and washed the dirty feet of his disciples. And, what is most amazing is that He even washed Judas’ feet with the full knowledge that he would betray Him to His death! But here Jesus lived out His own teachings in the Sermon on the Mount by commanding His followers to do the following in Matthew 5:44 – “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”. Jesus practiced what He preached. Unlike the Pharisees of His day, Jesus lived His life based on the principles He asked others to keep. This is so refreshing and a great example of what Jesus also said, that the “greatest among you, must be a servant.”! Lord, Jesus….help me to live this out in my life and to always practice what You preached!!!!
PL