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