Devotional of the Week

Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.

Luke 3:23

       There is a numbered square high up and just to the left of the entrance door to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona. The façade on one side of the great church designed by the Spanish architect Gaudi tells the story of the passion and resurrection of Jesus in a series of life size sculptures. Right beside the statue of Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss is a huge square with four rows of numbers. If you add the numbers up horizontally, vertically and diagonally they will equal 33, the number of years Jesus lived on earth.

        Jesus only had three years in which to carry out his public ministry yet in that time he left such an indelible mark on the world that today his followers are more than 2 billion strong. Jesus spent his short life healing people emotionally and physically, giving people hope and helping people draw closer to God. He sought out those who were leading lives that were purposeless and gave them a reason to live. He went out of his way to spend time with those who had been rejected by society and made them feel like they had worth and value.

        He offered a way for people to save themselves from a meaningless earthly existence by dedicating themselves to the building of God’s kingdom. He loved everyone and said those who did likewise qualified to be his friends.

            Anyway you add up Jesus’ life it was one worthy of our admiration and emulation. Most of us are given much more than 33 years on this earth. Jesus’ example challenges us to make the building blocks of our lives add up to something worthwhile. 

I want to make my life count in the ways that Jesus taught us were important. God may the words and actions of my life add up to something valuable.

“Now Susanna was a very fair woman and one that feared the Lord.”  Susanna 1: 2

       That Scripture passage comes from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. It’s from a chapter that was actually subtitled The History of Susanna. It was included in the Greek Septuagint; the most ancient translation of the Old Testament but for some reason has been omitted from more modern translations. Its message of courage in the face of injustice is inspiring.

       Susanna was a devoted mother, wife and daughter. Two church elders began to spy on her while she had her daily bath in her garden.  One day the elders confronted Susanna. They told her either she had to have sex with them or they would accuse her of having done so. Susanna felt trapped but she bravely stuck to her principles and refused to sleep with the elders. They carried out their threat and publicly accused her of infidelity. Susanna was brought to court. Daniel, a young lawyer at the time, came to her rescue and exposed the inconsistencies in the elders’ version of events. Susanna was saved and the elders brought to justice.

        In Rotorua, New Zealand, I saw a marble statue of Susanna created by Australian artist, Charles Summers. Visiting Florence, Italy a few weeks ago it seemed as if Susanna was everywhere. In the famed Uffizi art gallery I saw three different paintings of her by artists Lorenzo Lotto, Giovanni Piazzetta and Cristofano Allori. Walking through the Pitti Palace, another Florence art gallery, I took a picture of a sculpture of Susanna by Odoardo Fantacchiotti.

          It is easy to understand why the story of Susanna has resonated with so many artists. There are times in each of our lives when we find ourselves at a crucial crossroad like Susanna.  We have to choose to take the easy way out or speak the truth. Susanna told the truth and almost died for it. Would we have that kind of courage?

God make me willing to stand up for what I believe. May I be true to your principles even in the most difficult of circumstances.