Exodus 9:7 Pharaoh
sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the
Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the
people go.
Like
most movie goers, I went to see the new production of “Les Miserables” on the
big screen. It’s part of a Christmas tradition with the Stuarts. On Christmas Day,
we go to the latest blockbuster in the morning and then sit down to dinner when
we get home. We usually discuss the movie at the table which helps us
strengthen our bonds of commonality and love.
“Les
Miz” was an amazing movie in so many different ways. The computerized special
effects made it appear as if it was actually being shot in the Paris of 1832.
Some of the songs were wonderful and the acting was first class. It was,
however, a bleak tragedy at times, and the amount of misery that was displayed
was harrowing.
I’ve
always been intrigued by the character ‘Javert’ and I thought that Russell
Crowe played him almost perfectly (Robert Newton has always been my favorite
actor to portray Javert). Javert is a police inspector who lives his life
devoted to the Law. Justice for him is served by applying the Law clinically
and perfectly. Javert has no compassion for anyone. He idolizes the Law and is soulless.
His lack of mercy and unswerving dedication to fulfilling the Law is what ruins
him in the end. He cannot abide being weak and cannot live with himself when he
allows the hero, Jean Valjean, one act of mercy. His dispassion destroys him,
causing him to leap to his death into the cold waters of the River Seine in Paris.
Both
Bible passages for today (Exodus 9:1-7 and
John 8:1-11) involve dispassionate
people whose merciless judgments lead to their subsequent destruction. When Pharaoh
stubbornly refuses to let the Hebrew go free after the death of livestock, he
is choosing to selfishly follow a hard-hearted path that will eventually lead
to the death of his son, the destruction of his army, and the end of his reign.
In
the Gospel, we come across religious fanatics who want to stone to death a
defenseless woman. They are self-righteously full of vengeance and seek to dispassionately
destroy a sinner in their midst, in order to preserve the illusion of
perfectionism in their religious community. It’s only when Jesus intervenes
with some home truths and close to the bone remarks that their attitude
changes. However, within a short time, the same kind of religious fanatics are
going to go after Jesus, baying for blood, and eventually seeking to have Him
crucified. The religious community perfection that they try to harshly maintain
will be destroyed within a generation.
We
are on the threshold of a New Year. We each will be faced with many different
choices. Some of them will be good, but at other times we will make mistakes.
Depending upon what we do, our good choices may outweigh our poor decisions,
but at the outset of the New Year, we need to be aware of this: all of our
choices have consequences.
Question for personal reflection
What are the
main choices that I have ahead of me in 2013? Am I willing to listen to Christ’s
Voice as the prime directive for my decisions?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, a new year lies ahead of
us and none of us knows what kind of journey we will experience. We have dreams
and goals, as well as choices and decisions that can bring goodness into our
lives and those of our loved ones. Guide us with Your wisdom; lead us by Your
love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s Mackintosh Rose drawings. It’s called “Lo, How a Rose E’r
Blooming” in the style of the renowned Scottish art nouveau artist Charles Rennie
Mackintosh. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please
click on the following link:
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