A Year of Prayer: Season One Weekday DevotionalsSample

Catch. Trap, trick, trip up. The religious leaders of Jesus’s day wanted to find a way to embarrass Jesus and, more than that, to invalidate him.

If they could cause him to stumble, they could then throw everything else he’d said into question. Like a judge called into question for lack of integrity or ‘disbarred,’ all their previous rulings get interrogated.

If Christ’s opponents succeeded over him, they planned to use a ruthless lack of grace to sever all that Jesus had woven over his years of active ministry and priestly authority. Not only would they throw the baby out with the bathwater, but they’d also make sure to set the bath on fire!

What do you think drives such a demonic hatred in the heart of humanity to try and muddy truth in such a fashion? When has offence crept into your life in such a way that you’ve sought not only to correct, but to destroy the vessel who wronged you?

Hopefully, that is a rare or foreign experience for you, but humanity’s history shows that we have a weakness for devising ways to discredit our foes. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and still, people sought his undoing.

What is the antidote for this hatred, this distrust, and this suspicion? Only open-hearted faith, a curiosity that invites questions, and a spirit that seeks to be taught by the One who sees us. We must ensure we don’t make snares and traps or seek them where there are none.

Prayer: Jesus, words are tricky, and intentions are unclear. Help me to seek you and see you well.

Action: Pray and discern: Have you let others steal the truth of what Jesus has said to you?