And it came to pass as He went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, that they watched Him. Luke 14:1
Nobody knew better than the Lord Jesus that He was being watched carefully for all that He said and did. In fact, that was part of the reason for His three years of earthly ministry, that He could, like the Passover lamb, be observed from the tenth to the fourteenth day, to show that He was the acceptable Lamb of God. In today’s text, He places Himself under the most intense scrutiny possible. In the house of a leading Pharisee, He would encounter other guests who were among Israel’s most knowledgeable scholars of the Scripture. They had the credentials to be the watchers of the Lamb of God. Those who watch you and me may not be so knowledgeable, but they are just as critical.
Today’s text reminds me of the old poem called My Neighbour’s Bible; I don’t know who the author was, but the poem goes something like this: I am my neighbour’s Bible; He reads me when we meet. Today he reads in my house, Tomorrow in the street. He may a relative or friend Or slight acquaintance be, He may not even know my name, Yet he is reading me. Although the Bible is still the world’s best-selling book, it is also the most ignored book. Very few read it. They depend on their reading of Christians to learn about God and His Gospel.
Shameful behaviour by some infamous televangelists has brought great reproach on the Gospel. Such public hypocrites have caused many to consider the Gospel to be irrelevant, or even repulsive. How sad! And how great will be the condemnation of such! But what about the more private hypocrites? What about the professing Christian who allows his language to slip into the gutter talk of fellow-workers or classmates? What about the believer who fails to speak up when someone is speaking ill of the Lord Jesus or is taking His holy Name in vain? What about the silent saint who never invites anyone to Gospel meetings or never hands out tracts or Seedsowers texts? What about the Christian who cuts corners on their tax account, or accepts work ‘under the table’, to avoid rendering unto Caesar that which is his due? The list goes on, but you can see that there are many of us who are being watched who do not project the image that we should.
We know that those in the Pharisee’s house that day saw nothing wrong as they watched the Lord Jesus. What about those who are watching you and me today? -Jim MacIntosh