Preconceptions
One of the reasons Jesus was crucified was that He was perceived as leading people away from the Jewish traditions. He was also speaking as an authority on faith. This was unacceptable.
To be an authority regarding faith you had to be born into the right family. If not, you were not a religious leader, at least not a creditable religious leader. Jesus was explaining God’s Word in a new way with authority.
Perhaps today we would explain His authority as grace from God. No matter what He is seen as a threat. The Jewish people were blind to who Jesus is because of their preconceptions of whom the Christ was to be.
In their lives they hated the Roman authority that oppressed them and made life miserable for them. Jesus acknowledged their plight but changed it by accepting suffering by offering it to God and loving the perpetrators. The religious leaders could not accept the teaching of Jesus because this was not their preconceived notion of how to handle their situation.
Do our preconceptions influence us in negative ways? Do they prevent us from seeing Jesus as He is? Or do we try to put Jesus in our little box? Set your preconceptions aside and live in the moment, this beautiful octave of Easter.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen