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Pharisees on Facebook
Yenny Kartika Official Writer
1679John
13:34-35
A new command I
give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Bible
Reading for a Year
[bible]psalm144[/bible]; [bible]0john4[/bible]; [bible]iisam15-16[/bible]
I have a friend who
loves starting debates. Every once in a while he'll post an article or question
on his Facebook page, then send out a request asking people to share their
thoughts. These questions can cover every topic from politics to pop-culture,
and typically generate good discussion. There was one post however, where
things got pretty grim.
It all started when
my friend posted an article about a group of Christians who went to a pub to
reach people there. Personally, I was pretty touched at the article, but as you
might expect on such a hot button issue, not everyone felt the same way.
It didn’t take long
before the whole discussion exploded into a big honking argument and I remember
leaving the thread in disgust, both by what others had written and how I had
responded. The most unnerving part however, happened three days later when I
picked up my Bible and read a passage where the Pharisees interrogated a man
Jesus had just healed. ([bible]0john9:26-34[/bible]).
We like to think we
are different from the Pharisees, but the truth is we're not. The Pharisees
were the religious elite of the day, but they were so full of pride at their
own self-righteousness, they could not even see the work of Christ when it was
literally standing right in front of them. Instead, they argued and hurled
insults at their enemy, a man who had done them no harm at all.
As Christians, we
must remember that everything we say and everything we do reflects the presence
of God in our lives. If we respond to others with cruelty, should we be
surprised when their perception of Jesus is twisted? But if we respond in love,
than perhaps they’ll begin to understand how Christ sees them. So ask yourself,
how does the world see Christ when they look at you?
The
world will see Christ when the believers’ life reflects His love.
