“Paradigms are powerful because they create the lens through which we see the world.”-Stephen Covey. What lens do we use to view the Savior of the world? Do we choose not to see or opt for a paradigm shift in perspective?

Gospel – Luke 11:29-32
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! - The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection
We might have heard the story of a lady who constantly complained to her husband about her neighbor. As she looked out of her window daily, she criticized her neighbor’s dirty windowpane and kept calling her lazy, a bad housekeeper and so on. One day, her husband, who couldn’t take it anymore, got up, took a cloth and started cleaning their windowpane. To her astonishment, she realized that the dirt was on her own window and in fact the neighbor’s window was sparkling clean. That’s when her perception about the lady changed completely.

Though Jesus the Light of the world was right there in their midst the people couldn’t recognize Him. Despite all that He was saying and doing before them, the curtains of darkness that covered their eyes and ears prevented them from seeing His Light and Truth.

Jesus faced opposition throughout his ministry; people kept asking for signs and wanted Him to prove himself repeatedly. Even when He was crucified on the cross, they jeered and challenged him to come down from the cross to make them believe in Him. Just before He ascended into heaven, there too he encountered skepticism as some still doubted; even His death and resurrection was not good enough for people to believe!

Believing in Jesus means a complete transformation in attitude inside-out which is difficult to say the least. Jesus always stressed on the importance of getting the internals right first while not negating the externals - our outer self is wasted away but our inner self is renewed daily. However, the authorities were so caught up in all the external adherence of the law that they lost sight of the core essence of the law which was love, since God is love. Over time, people began adapting the law to suit their convenience. So now when Jesus came on the scene and began to preach about love, it did not quite fit into their limited beliefs, so they were hostile towards him as they felt he had come to destroy their law. Therefore all his signs and wonders, teachings and witnesses had no effect on them.

Like the lady who found clarity after her vision and outlook cleared, if they had opened their inner eyes, ears, hearts and minds to Him, His light would have shone through. Since they knew the law so well, they would have been able to recall the many prophecies made about the Messiah, connect the dots and easily recognize Him.

Someone who is able to see but unwilling to see cannot be helped. As Stuart Chase says, ‘For those who choose to believe, no proof or signs are necessary; for those who do not, no proof is possible’. No wonder Jesus refused to give them any further signs – no amount of signs or wonders would change their already made up mind so there was no point.
Furthermore Jesus never performed signs or wonders as a response to a challenge or to prove a point but to help & cure people out of compassion and as per the will of His Father.

When we refuse to see Him for what He actually is, we try to fit Him into our own limited mindset or preset mold; it's like trying to fit an entire ocean inside a tiny pot of water. Jesus today beckons us to break all our pots and swim in the ocean of His endless love. What is our response to Him?

(Reference verses: Matthew 12:38-42, 13:9-16, 16:1-4, 28:17, Mark 7:9-13, 15:30, John 8:12, 14:6, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 4:16, 1 John 4:16)
Let us pray
Dear Lord, we thank you for your wisdom and discernment that help us interpret your signs and point us towards you. Just as you never gave up on us, give us the grace not to give up on the ones who refuse to recognize you. We believe that in your time, you will open their heart and mind, and every knee shall bow, every tongue will confess that you are our Lord. We ask this in the mighty holy and precious name of Jesus - Amen.
God bless you!
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Audio: Ms. Melissa Dixon