D on't allow yourself to be tossed around by your emotions any longer. Instead, choose to be stable-minded. Focus your thoughts on the Word of God so you can confidently move forward into the good plan He has designed for you!

Third Tuesday of Easter

Acts 7:51—8:1a

Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab

J ohn 6:30-35 So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? (31) Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" (32) Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. (33) For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world." (34) They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always." (35) Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."        

Meditation by Brian Kokensparger

In the first reading, we have a similar situation.  Stephen, a man of God, was preaching to the people, dishing out some good old fashioned humble pie.  They were infuriated.  But then when Stephen mentioned seeing Jesus: that was too much for them.  Like children, they “covered their ears,” then rushed him and stoned him, and set about planning his execution.

Having had a direct personal experience in the matter, I know fear when I see it.  Stephen tapped into the people’s fear, and they reacted violently to protect what they had.  They obviously felt threatened at a deep level, and responded to that threat by obliterating its source.

We all assume that the Good News is uplifting, calming, and assuring.  But it’s a shock to us that – to some – it could also be . . . scary.

What is it that scared Stephen’s listeners?   Certainly his scathing attack on their ancestry left them a bit miffed, but they did not become riled to action until Stephen mentioned seeing the “Son of Man” in the heavens standing at the right hand of God.

My suspicion is that there were many people at that time that preferred a dead Jesus to a risen one.  A dead Jesus is a historical figure, an episode of the past.  A risen Jesus is a continuation of the message that he preached, and a deepening of it.  Now, no longer tied down to human mortality, a risen Jesus is at the same time the Truth and the verification of the Truth.  He’s not just words any more:  He’s proof.  We cannot ignore the risen Jesus, because in His rising from the dead He has guaranteed a new world order.

So the Good News might be seen as bad news by those who find comfort in the old world order.

That’s why Stephen’s prayer that this sin not be held against them makes sense.  He wasn’t forgiving them.  He was recognizing their entrenched fear.

Now that Lent is over, it is still not too late to look at our own comforts.  Do we find comfort in our current “world order?”  Do we hold our hands over our ears (figurativ ely or literally) whenever someone broaches a certain subject?  Maybe it’s time to admit that there are some ideas that are just plain scary to us.  Knowing what those ideas are and perhaps why they scare us is the first step towards acknowledging that a risen Jesus is much better than a dead one.

Supplementary Reading

Be Stable-Minded

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind -- James 1:6

If there's one thing that can lead you down a road away from your potential and seeing the awesome plan God has for your life, it's your emotions. Emotions are God-given, but oftentimes, people allow their circumstances to dictate their emotions and thoughts instead of the Word of God.

When we allow our circumstances to dictate our emotions, when we get upset by what we see or hear, it opens the door for doubt and fear to come in. The Bible says that when we allow doubt and fear in, we become unstable. We are tossed back and forth. But understand that the way you feel today has little to do with what God is actually doing in your life. He's working behind the scenes whether you realize it or not! Don't allow yourself to be tossed around by your emotions any longer. Instead, choose to be stable-minded. Focus your thoughts on the Word of God so you can confidently move forward into the good plan He has designed for you!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word which is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I choose to meditate on Your Word knowing that it is the source of strength and faith. Help me to be stable-minded, and I set my focus on You. In Jesus' Name. Amen. (Joel & Victoria Osteen)

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