Sitting in Death

Matthew 4: 15: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16: The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.17: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

Matthew pointedly pricks at our sensibilities.  Over time, we find ourselves so insensible to the stench of death that we conclude we are okay.  The gospel writer talks to those sitting in the region and shadow of death.  He is speaking to tribes of people, who have had the great news of redemption spoken and promised to them by prophets and even the direct voice of God for centuries.  He speaks to those that should absolutely know better.  Like us, they have sat near light all their lives.  Like us they have sat in darkness all their lives.  They have become insensible to the difference, just like us.

 

So what is it that makes light push through our insensible natures?  Watching a movie recently with massive graphics and then comparing that to the simple picture sets of an old Star Trec show, it impressed me how insensible we become to change.  The change in graphic and sets is beyond description.  Yet, we would not allow a current show to use the old methods.  They are too simple.  We like to live in a land of death.  The death is the deception.  The ability of the show makers to deceive us has increased many times.  Simultaneously, we crave the deception.  We lost touch with reality many years ago.  What is in front of us is really deception.  It is not real; yet, we purchase it and take it for entertainment.  Reality shows have no reality in them at all, but we choose the death of deception over the real life next to us.

 

Jesus walks into this scene.  Jesus walks into the daily lies we accept as real.  Jesus walks into the deceptions of accepting dark for light and confusing the light with darkness.   He pulls back the curtains on the act and gets us to face reality.  Then He preaches, “Repent”.  His message screams for us to step out of the deception that we have chosen to mask our pain and accept life head on.  He speaks for us to give up our lies of abortion and unkindness and mixed sexualities and gossip and absorption in sexual pursuits and rebellious attitudes and vulgarity for comedy and dedication to drugs as a means of alleviating simple attention to life pressures.  We sit in death.  He shines a light.  There is no degree in deception of better or worse.  Deception is death.

 

ACT!  What lie have you purchased and decided to sit with?  Abortion is okay?  Gossip is okay?  Feeding yourself on sexual pursuits of others as a daily diet is okay?      Vulgarity is acceptable?  What have you bought?  Can you write it out?  Can you describe it?  Has it become so common you are insensible to it?

 

PRAY!  Father of Love, Light, and Joy, open my eyes.  There is a death that surrounds me.  There is a frivolity and ignoring of the kingdom that surrounds me.  I confess I choose to sit in that death and let it mask reality.  I confess it is easier to ignore what needs done and sit in comedic relief based on deception than to step forward and pray and act with kindness.  I confess, I have too become one of those sitting in the dark.  Bring light to me.  Spur me to action.  Spur me to fill my thoughts with truth instead of the deception of the world.

 

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