We think of the
healings of the blind, the raising of the dead and the removal of the Assyrians
from Jerusalem as first order miracles when in fact they are minor supernatural
events compared to the matters of the heart.
Jesus' demands of us are plainly beyond human capabilities and yet He
still holds them up to us as how we are to live. He warns us that anyone who murders is
subject to judgment and none of us would argue that point. But then he goes on to say that if you are offering your gift at the
altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave
your gift there in front of the altar. First be reconciled to your brother
before returning with your gift.
Above all else, we are to keep our lives free of conflict with our
fellow children of God. This seems
absurd and even unnatural but that is the normal pattern of behavior within
God's Kingdom. How can we manage such
expectations? We can't. We must operate within the sphere of Christ
where inside the human heart, both in its conscious and unconscious parts He
breaks apart the barriers between people.
At every turn we are to pray and be guided by the Holy Spirit in how to
respond to what we face with our fellow broken human beings. We may lack the faith needed for
reconciliation but God does not excuse our spiritual laziness. Get back up, pray for Christ to heal the
psychological wounds and eventually the relationship will be restored. There is your part and there is God's
part. Your part is to forgive the
offence you hold. His part is to take
out of the hearts of others the weight of your offending actions. The great miracles are always the ones that
put people back together into a love relationship based in forgiveness and
reconciliation. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter
the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 NIV
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