“Let love be without
hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to
what is good. Be devoted to one another
in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind
in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Romans 13:9-11).Hey Gang, did you ever run into a book or a segment of a
book that screams to you, this is worthy
to be shared with all in your inner most circle, your outer most circle and all
that are not included in either.
The
book, Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus by Lois Tverbe. It is a ‘WOW’ book that is cover to cover
with experiences that Jesus encountered where, through his wisdom, he left
those who confronted Him standing in His dust with their jaws flopping. It is a book that drives you to makes sure
that you are on the Jesus Team.
Chapter fourteen is dynamite. It is filled with several incidents where
Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes on a point of law -only
to be amazed by the wisdom of Christ- who just wrapped their tongues around
their heads again.
Let me give you a fabulous, power-packed example in the
story of The Exceedingly Ugly Man. It
seems a famous second century teacher, Rabbi Eleazer, was ambling down the path,
having just completed a study session and was basking in the glow of his
victory. Rejoicing in the fact that he
had put three obscure passages together to win a heated debate. Only his donkey heard his soft chuckles of
self-congratulation.
As he came around a bend he came upon a bedraggled peasant,
an exceedingly ugly man with malformed face, with bulbous eyes and nose to
match. Recognizing the Rabbi, the
peasant bowed and with the traditional greeting saying, “Peace be upon you, Rabbi!” Rabbi’s response, “Raca, how ugly you
are! Is everyone in your village as ugly
as you?”
The peasant spoke back, “I don’t know,” But go and tell the
craftsman who made me, ‘How ugly is the vessel that you have made.” Is that not a fabulous response to an
ignorant question?
Remorseful the Rabbi fell from his donkey and prostrated
himself before the man. “I submit myself
to you, forgive me!” In this classic tale, “The Rabbi and the Exceedingly
Ugly man,” a great scholar is humbled by a simple man’s reply to his insult. The Rabbi had forgotten a very basic point, that
God is the creator of each and every one of us. God was the potter and man’s
features were God’s handiwork. To say
the man was ugly was to suggest God lacked artistic skills.
The peasant’s point, every human being should be treated as
a special creation of God, because all are precious in His sight. But there is also a hidden point here we do
not want to miss. Human beings are not
just clay blobs thrown randomly together on God’s pottery wheel to look like
whatever they will. Each person is the Master’s own self-portrait in physical
form. Not only did the Rabbi insult God
by saying He was a lousy artist but also that He, too, is ugly!
Is that not a lesson we all need to hear today? James put it this way, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse
human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9). – His very
image’. Is it not ironic to praise
God in church and curse out the guy who crosses in front of us on the way home?
Paul, tells us in Philippians 4:8: “…to
think on these things”. I think I
will close this Gramps Morning Message and do some thinking. Why don’t you join me?
Blessings,
Gramps
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