Have pity on me, at least you my friends.

Friday, 3/23/12

In the Gospel Jerusalem’s people spoke of Jesus as the “one they are trying to kill.” If those common people knew about the plotting against Jesus, we can be sure that Jesus knew about it. Unfortunately, the Gospels do not let us into the mind and heart of Jesus in those trying times. We know him to have been a highly sensitive man, so  we can be sure that all the hatred wounded him.

We are not let into his thoughts, the Bible, however, makes up for that lack. It lets us listen to Jeremiah venting his hurt when a similar group were plotting his death. We hear Jeremiah speaking for Jesus as well as for himself:

I hear the whisperings of many, terror on every side: “Let us denounce him!” All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. They say, “Perhaps we will be trapped; then we can prevail and take vengeance on him.” 

Even away back then Jesus had us in mind. He was actually appealing to us to stand by him. To each of us he was repeating the words of Job: “Have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord is on me.”