Experiencing God - Living Power of God 25

"We constantly thank God because you accepted God's message, not as some human thinking, but for what it really is - a living power of God among you who believe it." 
Thessalonians

I grew up during the time when television first came out.  Very common during those early years of  television programming were western shows and movies.  Many Saturday afternoons I spend with my brothers and cousins watching Western Theatre.  During these midday matinees on Saturday afternoon, eight or ten of us would be sitting around the living room watching these shows.  And of course, these shows always had the good guys, the heroes, and the bad guys.  As children, it was never difficult for us to pick out good guys.  There was never any question who they were, and we would be all cheering for them, and certainly siding with them and wishing to emulate their qualities as they fought against injustices and rescuing those in distress.  What made them the good guys to us children?  Why were we attracted to them? 

Mainly it was because they were interested in justice, particularly for the little guy:  For the kid who didn't have a home, for the poor struggling rancher who was in danger of losing his property, for the old man or widow who couldn't defend him or herself.  The heroes were there to defend them, protect them.  They were more interested in others then in themselves, while the bad guys were only interested in what they could get for themselves.  Children can pick up on these differences very easily.  As adults, we seem to struggle more with seeing this as clearly.

When Jesus walked about Israel, he noticed the virtuous in places where one would not ordinarily expect to find them.  From these unexpected places, we hear stories like the "Good Samaritan", the "Roman Centurion", the "Samaritan Woman at the Well", the "Woman of questionable reputation who visited Jesus at the home of Simon the Pharisee". 

But Jesus also noticed the "lack of virtues" in places where one would normally expect to find them.  Some of these places were the centers of leadership in churches and synagogues.  The Scribes and the Pharisees were often described in the Gospels as the bad guys.  Were they all like that?  Probably not.  But there was enough that it became noticeable to Jesus.  What was it about the Scribes and the Pharisees that disturbed Jesus so much?

It was in their actions, and in the way they lived.  They were so much more interested in themselves and how they appeared, then in others.  Jesus called them hypocrites which means "actors".  They looked good on the outside, but inside they were empty of the virtues that comes from God; compassion, love, care and concern for others.  This can happen to any of us, even in church, particularly if we become more concerned with maintaining appearances or the status quo rather than serving the people in our communities. 

Children are not drawn to emulate those who only want to maintain appearances, or who are only interested in themselves and what they want.  They see through this very quickly.  But they are drawn to the virtuous, those they see as heroes, fighting against injustices, reaching out to those in need.  St. Paul addresses this in his letter to the Thessalonians:

"We constantly thank God because you accepted God's message, not as some human thinking, but for what it really is - a living power of God among you who believe it."