For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
John 7
What does Jesus claim about his teaching? How can you know the source of his teaching? When have you judged “by mere appearances?” The Jews were amazed at Jesus’ teaching. And it wasn’t just what He taught. They wondered, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” (Jn. 7:15b). That made me think of Jeremiah’s prophecy. “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Jer. 31:34a). Jesus knew the truth because God’s Spirit of Truth was in Him. We now have that same Spirit in us.
Ironically, those who had been taught were the ones who missed the message. The Pharisees and rulers dedicated their lives to learning Scripture. They were proud of it. Thus they mocked those in the crowd who believed in Jesus, saying, “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in Him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law – there is a curse on them.” (Jn. 7:48-49). And that makes me think of Jesus’ prayer of praise to God, “because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Matt. 11:25b). They leaned into their own understanding and thus, their learning became their stumbling block.
Micah 3-4
For what sins does God take the leaders and prophets to task? A lot of people want to be leaders, but not many people actually want to lead. Leadership is tough! As a leader, you are accountable for people’s lives. You are responsible to judge righteously, teach wisely, and, whether you recognize it or not, to point people to God. But as I said, people don’t want to lead. What they want is to be in charge. They see it as a path to riches, power, and fame. Such was the case with Israel’s leaders. Micah called them out, saying, “Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money.” (Mic. 3:11a).
All of this is the same thing for which Jesus called out the Jewish leaders of His day. Jesus, however, did more than just call out the wicked leaders. He gave us a living example of what leadership really is. More than that, He brought true leadership to us. He is the true leadership God promised through Micah. He is God’s word to us, who teaches us to walk in God’s path and who judges with righteousness and mercy.
Prov. 29
Choose one proverb that speaks to you and text it to a friend. Explain why it spoke to you. I see parts of Micah’s message in some of these proverbs. “By justice a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.” (Pr. 29:5). This is the very thing for which Micah called out Israel’s leaders. Also, “Evildoers are snared by their own sin” (Pr. 29:6a). That’s exactly what I was talking about from yesterday’s reading of Micah.