Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending Timothy’s graduation from German school having achieved his ABI. The
graduation took place on the Friday, but on the evening of the following day we attended his Abi Ball. It took place outside Hameln. All the guests were dressed and the food was great. Timothy was partnered with another student for the first dance of the evening which was reserved for the graduates only. There after followed the meal which was excellent and then the dance floor was opened up to everyone. The DJ was pretty enthusiastic
and the dance floor soon filled up, but try and imagine a situation where despite the earnest entreaties of the DJ not a single guest got up to dance. The DJ would probably gone mad with frustration, stayed for as little time as possible then packed up and gone.
This was the kind of reception that Jesus had in many of the places he visited. Sure the crowds wanted to see miracle and have their
loved ones cured of sickness, but few if any actually desired change in their own lives and despite the joy-filled transformed life he was offering few wanted to join with him on the dance floor of true faith and put their trust in him.
The very people who should have been rejoicing at the coming of the Messiah became his enemies instead. They scoffed at the tax collectors and sinners
instead, because they danced with Jesus. Not only that they ridiculed Jesus’s dance moves and anyone who copied them.
“Isn’t this the carpenter? (They sneered) Isn’t this
Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here
with us?’ And they took offence at him.”
Mark 6:3
“‘He is possessed by Beelzebul!”
“By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”’
Mark 3:22
‘This fellow is blaspheming!’
Matt 9:24
Instead of rejoicing with a crippled who Jesus healed after 38 years of sickness and suffering on the Holy day of
rest and restoration they scoffed saying:
‘This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.’
John 9: 15
And in our Gospel reading today there was clearly a rumour being passed around that he was a party animal.
“Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”
Matt 11:19
It would seem that his enemies were so fixated by their interpretation of Jewish law and Jesus’s apparent cavalier attitude to it, that they ignored the joy of those who were healed.
By working through human jealousy, lust for power, pride
and arrogance, in other words his own character, satan is still to this day preventing more and more of God’s precious children from stepping on to the dance floor.
In our faith let us not be too afraid to dance with Jesus. Let us find and demonstrate real life-transforming joy in our faith, and perhaps those watching us, our unsaved neighbours, family members and friends will get out of
their seats and join in the dance.
Amen