Slanderous Stones

Scripture/Bible:  The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?" 33 The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God." 34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came (and scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." 39 Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. John 10:31-39

Reflection:  What if words were stones, the word that slanders, and the word that maligns?  Then the effect of what we do would be much more visible and the ones who are involved in such acts would be much more exposed and the people would feel for the victim too since they would be seeing things visibly.

Stoning for certain wrongs was a legitimate exercise in keeping with Jewish laws, and blasphemy was one such act which could justify such an action.    

He who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him; the sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death. Lev 24:16; Dt.13:10

But in our times we could have situations of verbal stoning by way of slander, gossip, maligning and yet legitimize our actions through modern ideological orientations and deceitful cogent arguments.

The actions of the Jews in all respect seems legitimate by the law by which they were governed but a close look at what Jesus communicates to them takes away their legitimacy; "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?" They should have given a close and second look to his justification, which was his many acts of goodness and was fully done, visibly, in their presence.

This in a way is a lesson for our learning so that we may not walk in the ways of fools who act in order to assert their superiority and authority over others.

Prayer:  Lord, deliver my soul from death and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. (cfr. Ps 56:13)

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