The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad indeed!
Do we perceive what God is doing right here, right now?
When you’re living in exile under foreign domination, it’s hard to imagine things can get better. But God sends the Prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel in Babylon to encourage them to pay attention to God’s activity right here and now. See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? The people mistakenly believed that the God of Israel had no power outside of their land, but Isaiah sets them straight: God has not abandoned them and will not abandon them in the future. If they pay attention, if they are aware right here, right now, if they are sensitive to God’s activity in the present moment, they will see that things are changing, the world is transforming. God is at work in their lives right now -- do they not perceive it? It’s hard to imagine that they will soon be home in their own land, praying Psalm 126: The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy! They will be grateful for all God has done and hopeful that God will continue to work in their midst, filling the empty wadis with water and helping the seeds to be sown to prosper. God will be at work then, too. Will they perceive it?
Certainly the woman who had been caught in adultery in Luke’s Gospel will quickly become aware of what God is doing in the present moment. The scribes and Pharisees who bring the woman before Jesus feel challenged by him, because Jesus challenges Judaic law in ways that none of them can argue with. What they don’t perceive, however, is that God is at work even in their bringing the woman to him; it is an opportunity for Jesus to reveal God’s love and compassion for God’s people – even the scribes and Pharisees themselves. But do they perceive it? If they continue to pass judgment, reserving judgment for themselves, they are not going to see God at work. And so Jesus commands, Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Jesus hopes to change their perception, not only of God but of themselves, for they too are sinners! And once all the scribes and Pharisees have left, the woman herself has an opportunity to see things differently: Has no one condemned you? Jesus asks. Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more. It is hard to imagine that her perception could possibly remain unchanged after such a stunning intervention by Jesus in her life!
St Paul himself had a similarly stunning conversion moment. Having been sold on the tenets of Judaic law, Paul was ready to defend its finest details and force others to obey it. In his Letter to the Philippians, however, Paul looks back upon that part of his life as so much rubbish, because it kept him from recognizing Jesus and finding salvation. Like Paul – and the woman whose life is saved by Jesus – we need to pay attention to what God is doing in our midst, right here, right now, and strain forward to what lies ahead. We have gained Christ; let us now be found in him, that he might take possession of us and continue to transform us, as we dwell in his grace and in his presence. For he is at work at us, if only we make the effort to perceive it!
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
