Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Monday, 17 November 2014 “The ultimate servant leader"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Monday, 17 November 2014 “The ultimate servant leader"
Today's Scripture: Matthew 12:11-14 He replied, “Is there a person here who, finding one of your lambs fallen into a ravine, wouldn’t, even though it was a Sabbath, pull it out? Surely kindness to people is as legal as kindness to animals!” Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” He held it out and it was healed. The Pharisees walked out furious, sputtering about how they were going to ruin Jesus.
In Charge of Everything
15-21 Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on. A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah:
Look well at my handpicked servant;
    I love him so much, take such delight in him.
I’ve placed my Spirit on him;
    he’ll decree justice to the nations.
But he won’t yell, won’t raise his voice;
    there’ll be no commotion in the streets.
He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings,
    won’t push you into a corner.
Before you know it, his justice will triumph;
    the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even
    among far-off unbelievers.
No Neutral Ground
22-23 Next a poor demon-afflicted wretch, both blind and deaf, was set down before him. Jesus healed him, gave him his sight and hearing. The people who saw it were impressed—“This has to be the Son of David!”
Jesus enemies were plotting to destroy him. Jesus just moved elsewhere, and continued to serve and heal. Matthew quoted Isaiah 42:1-4 to describe Jesus’ approach: “He won’t argue or shout, and nobody will hear his voice in the streets. He won’t break a bent stalk, and he won’t snuff out a smoldering wick, until he makes justice win.” We might think that’s no way to make justice win. 
But people respected Jesus, even asking if he might be “the Son of David,” a title for the Messiah.
• Just before today’s reading, Matthew showed the Pharisees criticizing Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, which they saw as work. How did Jesus’ way of dealing with his foes live out the attitude Isaiah said God’s servant would have? Have you ever seen a situation where it was more effective to withdraw or speak gently rather than trying to loudly prove a contentious point?
• Matthew probably wrote mainly to Hebrew Christians, but he quoted parts of Isaiah’s poem that said God wanted to save Gentiles as well as Jews. Even as Matthew wrote, early Christians were actively preaching to Gentiles. What are some ways you can live out Christ’s life, making “justice win” so that “Gentiles [whoever is their equivalent in your world] will put their hope in his name”?
Prayer: O Jesus, you walked this earth, not as an arrogant, demanding ruler, but as a gentle, healing servant. Guide me as I seek to live into your brand of greatness. Amen.
Insight from Ginny Howell
Ginny Howell is the Connections Mobilization Program Director at Resurrection.
A few years ago, my friend was taking her little boy, Seamus,  to explore at Shawnee Mission Park. Seamus was curious about the world around him, and enjoyed spending Sundays at “dirt church” connecting with the Almighty through nature.  On this particular day, he took his Razor scooter with him, which he was just barely big enough to ride. While he and his mom were down by the creek checking out tadpoles or skipping rocks, someone took the scooter from the side of the trail. Seamus was devastated, and had a hard time understanding at that young age why someone would do something like that. He was a bright boy who had been listening when his parents were talking about right and wrong, and he knew that stealing  was wrong. So imagine how long the walk back was for Seamus with no scooter, and for his mom with no way to explain the why, only consoling words that didn’t quite remove the sting and certainly didn’t bring his scooter back.
After reading about this disappointment on Facebook, my husband was troubled. He knew what a great kid Seamus was, and he didn’t want Seamus to lose that precious outlook about the good there is in the world, and that good is what everyone should be doing. He went by Toys R Us and then dropped off a new Razor scooter at Srazoreamus’ house with this anonymous (until now) note:
I heard that someone took your scooter when you were playing the in the creek. That’s not fair!!! Here is a new one because nice things happen to nice people. Have fun and always wear a helmet
(Photo courtesy of mom’s Facebook page)
Justice isn’t a concept that is only tough for our little ones, it can also be a huge challenge for those of us with a bit more life experience. Living in a time of non-stop information overload where the bad stories often outweigh the good, it is easy to lose focus of how we can practice justice. Each one of us can claim our own role as an agent of justice in this world. Because we take action- protecting those in need, caring for those without, healing hurts and righting wrongs….justice becomes reality.
Jesus didn’t fixate on the injustice that he knew was about to happen (which surprisingly for those in that time became the ultimate justice in the resurrection). He stopped thinking about what had been foreseen and healed those  closest to him, in the present. How many times are we so focused on the big injustices that make us feel helpless and lose hope that we miss the opportunity to bring justice to those walking with us each and every day?
Open your eyes to those around you. How might you practice justice this week?
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