Week 36 Daily Dose of Love
#246 (9/3)
Continuing Division
John 10:19-21
Again the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a
demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” Others were saying, “These are not the words
of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
The Jews who opposed Jesus dismissed his work and teaching with one sentence: “He
has a demon and is out of his mind.” There are similar words and phrases in use
today (advertisers and political consultants have become particularly adept at using them). They are very
effective in cutting off further clarification or discussion. Dismissive statements close our minds to
additional input and create division while stifling opportunity for reconciliation. When we no longer see
others for who they really are and were created to be, we can easily reject, diminish, and persecute them without remorse.
Dismissive statements are very effective in achieving
short-term advantage but they leave absolutely no room for love.
Reflection/Discussion:
What can we do when we hear dismissive thoughts and statements?
Principles of Love:
Acceptance; Vision; Opening
Pray Through the Day:
Not my will
But yours be done
#247
(9/4)
Jesus is Questioned by the Jews
John 10:22-30
At that time the festival of the Dedication took place
in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews
gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify
to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of
my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s
hand. The Father and I are one.”
We must listen from the heart in order to hear one who speaks from the heart.
This requires acceptance and receptivity. It is likely that the Jews who questioned Jesus had nationalistic or political agendas that
Jesus did not wish to encourage. They had a fixed concept of how the messiah would solve their political problems
and were not open to Jesus’ message of love and compassion. Acceptance
and receptivity require that we set aside agendas and preconceived notions. Love requires us to acknowledge
that there is much we do not know so we can be open to the life and potential of another. The Jews wanted
a concrete answer so that they could pursue what they had already decided. Jesus gives a very clear
response, but it does not fit the frame in which they had enclosed their minds and hearts.
Reflection/Discussion:
How do we listen from our hearts?
Principles of Love:
Opening; Acceptance
Pray Through the Day:
Open our hearts
To your love
#248
(9/5)
Jesus is Accused of Blasphemy
John 10:31-42
The Jews took up stones again
to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these
are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going
to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus
answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the
word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— can you say that the one
whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though
you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.
The Jews who accused Jesus of blasphemy viewed God as a distant power to be honored and obeyed through strict adherence
to human interpretation of his law. Jesus describes an intimate relationship with his father that generates
compassion and healing. The works of Jesus bring health and love to people who were infirm and discouraged.
To believe in his works means to see the hand and heart of God in them. The Jews who confronted
Jesus did not understand God’s loving nature or realize the potential for a personal relationship with him.
Neither Jesus’ words nor his works fit their fixed perception of God, so they turned against him. Once our mind
becomes fixed, our heart closes. We become capable of turning against God, even while believing that we
are serving him. Reflection/Discussion:
How can we prevent our minds from becoming fixed?
Principles of Love:
Opening; Acceptance; Vision
Pray Through the Day:
Open our hearts
To your love
#249 (9/6)
Jesus Withdraws Across
the Jordan
John 10:40-42
He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained
there. Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John
said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there. In contrast to the Jews in the
temple, the followers of John the Baptist recognized the love of Jesus and were receptive to it. John had
prepared the way for them by opening their hearts and minds and they were able to share in the fullness of the love of Jesus. Believing in Jesus is only possible if our hearts are opening. Belief without
love reduces faith to an intellectual agreement that has no validity in the kingdom of God.
Reflection/Discussion:
What are the effects of faith without
heart?
Principles of Love:
Opening
Pray Through the Day:
Open our hearts
To your love
#250
(9/7)
Jesus Blessed the Children
Matthew 19:13-15
Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples
spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them;
for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and
went on his way.
Mark
10:13-16
People were bringing
little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But
when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it
is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom
of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on
them, and blessed them.
Luke
18:15-17
People were bringing
even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it.
But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such
as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
as a little child will never enter it.”
Children have few, if any, fixed perceptions. They are open, accepting,
receptive, curious, innocent, and vulnerable. The conceptual, reasoning part of our brain does not fully
mature until early adulthood but the emotional centers are fully intact at birth. Children operate more
from their hearts than their minds.
Jesus reminds us that we do not
think our way into the kingdom of God. The only entry is through our hearts, which, as children regularly
show us, is the most important part of life.
Reflection/Discussion:
What makes it difficult for us to “receive the kingdom of God as a little child?”
Principles of Love:
Opening; Acceptance
Pray Through the Day:
Open our hearts
To your love
#251
(9/8)
The Rich Young Man
Matthew 19:16-22
Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good
deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is
good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said
to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not
steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said
to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure
in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for
he had many possessions.
Mark
10:17-22
As he was setting
out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal
life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall
not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him,
“Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said,
“You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then
come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Luke 18:18-23
A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what
must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is
good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder;
You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’ ” He
replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There
is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
then come, follow me.” But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich.
The rich young man
was attached to his possessions –his possessions possessed him. Jesus drove out many demons during his
time on earth, but attachment to material well-being is a demon that Jesus does not drive out of us. We
must choose to let go of things we cling to for security, esteem, or pleasure in order to make room for love in our hearts. Attachments dominate our attention and focus. We see little else except
what we think we want. Yet somehow getting it is never enough. Letting go of attachment frees us to see
what is really there - Jesus inviting us to join him in a loving journey to eternal life.
Reflection/Discussion:
What are we attached to and how does that
limit us?
Principles of Love:
Acceptance; Opening; Unity
Pray Through the Day:
Not my will
But yours be done
#252
(9/9)
Riches and the Kingdom
Matthew 19:23-24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom
of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone
who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:23-25
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter
the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again,
“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:24-25
Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the
kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who
is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Self-interest is what does not fit through the eye of Jesus’ needle.
The rich have sufficient means to meet all of their worldly needs and wants making it very easy to bypass their hearts
and focus on self-interest. The sense of security and absence of need that wealth provides can easily distance
the rich from compassion for the less fortunate. They have endless opportunities for diversion to cover
up the emptiness that helps us realize our need for God’s love. Accumulating and maintaining wealth easily
becomes a preoccupation leaving little room for God’s love. Those who are wealthy often separate
themselves from the rest of humanity. They tend to live in exclusive areas and associate primarily with
others of the same status. When exclusivity, comfort, and luxury become priorities, our connection with the rest of God’s
creation easily slips into the background.
Love is willing to shrink and stretch;
to bend and squeeze; to let go and be uncomfortable in order to make it through the eye of a needle, if that is what is required.
The rich easily fooled into believing that they can simply buy a bigger needle.
Reflection/Discussion:
At what point does wealth limit our perspective
and begin to close our hearts?
Principles of Love:
Unity; Compassion; Vision
Pray Through the Day:
Bring us together
In your love
