Thursday 23 January 2025
Hebrews 7:25 – 8:6. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will – Psalm 39(40):7-10, 17. Mark 3:7-12.
Trustworthy messengers
In today’s reading, word of Jesus’ healing has passed from place to place, and drawn a large number of people to him. He ministers to those people, but he’s also wary of the testimony of unclean spirits, even if those spirits understand his true nature. We might surmise that Jesus doesn’t want to be made known at this time, but I wonder if it’s something different to that.
Jesus understand that who speaks for us can matter as much as the truth of their words. Shortly after this reading, Jesus anoints his disciples as his messengers. They are authorised to preach on his behalf, to tell others about him, because they themselves are striving to follow a righteous path. Their righteousness makes them trustworthy messengers; the testimonies of the unrighteous cannot be trusted, even if they hold some truth.
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