John’s “No Room at the Inn”

John 1:11, CEB

The light came to his own people,

and his own people didn’t welcome him.

                By the time Jesus began his ministry in the land of Israel, the Hebrew religious establishment had been in place for thousands of years.  Religious laws were not only codified.  For the most part, most interpretations of the law had been settled by thousands of years of midrash (rabbinical interpretation and debate).  This religious institutional regime was in tension with the Roman Empire, but it was still firmly established with the Hebrew people and the leaders were mostly unquestioned in governing religious practice. 

                Enter the Rabbi Jesus, aka “the light.”  Jesus begins questioning not the law itself, but the agreed upon interpretations of the law at almost every turn.  He criticizes the establishment for being so far off the rails that Judaism no longer resembles the faith God intended.  In some cases, Jesus even suggests that it is the exact opposite of what God desires.  It is no wonder that the Light was not welcomed by His own people.

                And so, we read this and think to ourselves, “bad Jews.” 

                “Don’t they recognize Jesus for who He is?”

                No so fast.  The Jews have no monopoly on refusing reformation when’s it’s needed.  Just ask Martin Luther or one that was named after him, Martin Luther King Jr.. Ask John Wesley or even Wesley’s nemesis, John Calvin.  Ask anyone who has entered a long-established system and attempts to call it back to it’s original purpose from which it has strayed badly.  “Welcome” is the last word you will hear describing the reaction.

                I say all this because we live in a time when God’s church is need of reformation.  You could even say that the reformation is already underway.  What is also true is that the  resistance to this reformation is robust.  The biggest opposition to the needed transformation in the Christian church right now is Christians.  

                John’s gospel doesn’t just speak to what happened in the first century, but also the twenty-first century.  We are way too often, the people who do not welcome the Light.

Question:  How receptive are you to needed change, even when it threatens what you hold dear?

Prayer:  Lord, we are your people.  Help us see the ways we need to change in order to welcome what you are doing right now.  Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for the staff members of churches you are familiar with.

Song:  Welcome to Our World – Michael W. Smith