No one speaks like you do Jesus. You have the words of eternal life (cf. Joh. 6:68). Only your word is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword (cf. Heb. 4:12). We begin to realize the difference between the normal words of men and your word which alone is the word of God. Only this word can actually work in those who believe (cf. 1 The. 2:13). This is the word which does not return to you void but instead accomplishes your works (cf. Isa. 55:11). This is the word that made the world (cf. Gen. 1:3, Joh. 1:3). This is the word which sustains it (cf. Heb. 1:3).
Let us not harden our hearts to your word as do the Pharisees. They feel important because they know the law. It makes them think they are better than the crowd whom they consider "accursed". They harden their hearts to the words of Jesus. They don't want to acknowledge that even though they know the law their hearts are just the same as the rest of the crowd. They don't want to acknowledge that they need saving just as much as anyone. Jesus, you strip them of their apparent competitive advantage but only so they can find the only truly advantage this life has, the advantage of knowing you (cf. Phi. 3:8).
Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?
Keep our hearts open, Jesus. Help us to find out what you are doing. You want to show us that you are the Christ. The thing you are doing is not simply shaking us out of our comfort zones although you do this. It is not simply striping from us our false pride although you do this. What you are doing is saving us.
Let us avail ourselves of this salvation. Help our hearts to say, "O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge."
We take refuge in you rather than our own knowledge of the law. We take refuge in you and not in any strength we possess.
The world wants to keep you silent, Jesus. The world is challenged by your word and hardens to it. It wants to destroy you so that your name will be spoken no more. And if we entrust ourselves to you the world wants us to silence us as well. When we entrust ourselves to you we can't help but stick up for you. We have to tell the world that your words are different from any other words. We have to insist that the world wait and see who you are before condemning you.
No matter the opposition we face help us to trust in your desire to save us. Help us to trust in the power of your word within us. Help us to let this word overflow until we fearlessly proclaim you as the Christ.
Help us to say, "to you I have entrusted my cause!" We find in you all the strength we need.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
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