Accusations All Around

Hosea 9:1-9
Acts 24:1-23
Luke 7:36-50
In each of our readings today someone is being accused of something by someone else. In Hosea, Israel is accused by the prophet of “playing the whore, departing from (their) God” (Hosea 9:1), and of being deeply corrupted (v. 9). In response, the people find fault with God’s messenger. “The prophet is a fool,” they say, “the man of the spirit is mad” (v. 7). In Acts, Paul stands accused of being “a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). Paul, of course, denies any of this to be true (vv. 18-21). And finally in Luke, Simon the Pharisee is convinced that Jesus must not be a prophet or else he would have known the nature of the woman who was anointing his feet with ointment and tears (Luke 7:39). Jesus, for his part, points out Simon’s inhospitality and relative lack of faith (v. 41ff).

What are we to make of all these charges and countercharges? Is the Christian faith really all about arguments, litigation, and controversy? As often as it may seem so, the Christian faith is not about such divisive activities. Indeed, the call of Christ is to become a part of the community, his body at work in the world. The fact is that human sin makes this call far more challenging than it ought to be. As a result contentiousness arises, accusations are made, tempers flare. But notice that in each case God’s word is active, providing an alternative to human wrangling. In Hosea, God judges the people but continues to offer direction and hope. Paul is able to make a defense because, as we’ve seen earlier in Acts, he has the courage of conviction (Acts 23:11; see the previous entry, “Courage!”). Jesus offers forgiveness of sins to those who accept him and his message of salvation.

This does not mean that it is easy to follow the path of discipleship, nor will this eliminate all conflict from our lives. But if we are willing to listen for God’s word, to pray for guidance, to open our hearts to God and to each other, we will find—in time—that God offers us a new way to think and to understand our circumstances. Then we, like the woman with the ointment, may go in peace, (Luke 7:50) for our sins and our inhospitality will be forgiven and we will have another opportunity to live to God’s glory.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see past our conflicts and our controversies to the peace that you alone offer in Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.