Another dangerous animal that should be avoided like a viper is a pretender. Why should they be avoided, you ask me? Like poison, they can kill. That is the simplest answer!
A priest once told me how a marriage he witnessed ended the same day of the wedding. The whole tragedy began when the bride found her husband cheating with her best friend who happens to be her chief bridesmaid in the same hotel where they had their celebration. The shocking thing is that this friend of her’s introduced her to him some years back but unknowing to her, the lady was also having affairs him. Sometimes we have friends like this around us or we pretend ourselves. Today the Lord teaches us how to handle this vice. If you wish to know read slowly…
John 12:1-11
Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at table. Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was full of the scent of the ointment. Then Judas Iscariot – one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him – said, ‘Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contributions. So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.’ Meanwhile a large number of Jews heard that he was there and came not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well, since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
1. Pretence is a way of behaving intended to deceive people to believe something that is not true. The pretender’s tools are lies and sugar-coated words. In the gospel, this is expressed in the persons of Judas Iscariot whom John the evangelist described as a thief, and the Jews who visited with hidden evil agendas not because they wanted to see Jesus or lazarus, but like the military on mission to attack a city, they came to spy the area.
2. ‘Leave her alone!’ is the rebuke by Jesus to Judas. You have to rebuke pretenders, though respectfully, before they get you entangled with their lies. Like the chief pretender- the devil, the pretender’s task is to lure you into error or sin as he (the devil) lured Eve to disobey God’s command. Hence like Jesus rebuked Judas respectfully, and as the bible tell us that even Archangel Michael rebukes satan respectfully (Jude 1:9), we must rebuke pretenders with respect. By this we free ourselves from their poison and make them know we understand their schemes. Remember, whatever you know, you have power and control over it, for knowledge is power! Rebuke the devil and he will flee from you (Jas 4:7)
TASK: There’s a reason why God allows enemies, pretenders, etc around you: so that his word in Psalm 23:5 be fulfilled: He will prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. What that mean is that such persons have a role to play on your day of victory. Their role is to be confounded and disgraced, to be sorrowful and weep in tears of shame.
Pray Psalm 27 now asking the Lord to fill you with wisdom to discover pretenders and the power to overcome them. May the Lord hear your prayers in Jesus name. Amen.
Amen. Lord God I have confidence in You, bestow upon me Your Spirit of wisdom.
Thank you Fr. Simon. God bless you
Amen. Holy Spirit of God please grant us wisdom. Well done Fr
Thanks dearest daughter of Zion
Thank you dear. AMEN to your prayers
Hmmmm, holy spirit please fill me with the gift of discernment so I may be able to see& know the truth, amen