9.15.23 - John 7:41b, 43
As you move toward this weekend, stay curious. And, when you no longer feel like being curious, take a moment to wonder why.
“But some asked, ‘Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he?’ So there was a division in the crowd because of him.”
Many people rejected Jesus because he did not meet the variety of expectations they assumed for a holy teacher or Messiah:
he was from Galilee, on the outskirts of the religious center of Judah,
he was from a poor working class background,
he did not echo rigid legalistic renderings of Torah,
he did not lead a messianic revolution or war.
People who were able to receive his living water were those who were willing to let go of expectations and be open to what Jesus revealed about himself and God’s vision of the world.
A life of faith is enacted not through closed expectations or conclusions (fixed mindset), but openness to discovering the ever-expansive mysteries of the living God (growth mindset).
How can you make space today for holy curiosity to encounter Christ in new ways?
--Evan Amo