"Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. And Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard." // Luke 7:20-22
“It doesn't matter what you say, if your actions don't reflect your words.”
I wasn't sure what to say in response, which is ironic because I am not often at a loss for words. I have always been a fairly verbal communicator. My mother and sister are talkers as well. We process things verbally and communicate with a lot of words. More words than others perhaps, but speaking and writing is how we figure things out.
And now, this guy, who very well could be The Love of My Life, was telling me that what I said was not particularly important. At least it wasn't as important as what I did. What I did mattered more.
Throughout Jesus’s ministry, He was asked questions which He did not answer with words alone. His detractors and attackers sought to trip Him up and find fault in His words. In today's Gospel, we see followers of Saint John the Baptist ask a very direct question and receive a very indirect answer. The two disciples of Saint John the Baptist asked Jesus directly, and He responded by pointing out the miracles as evidence of the answer. He showed them the truth rather than telling them.
The truth of Jesus' identity is not revealed by what He claimed to be. It is revealed through His life and actions. What Jesus did, how He lived and how He died, are what saves us because we are redeemed by His life, death, and resurrection, not by His words alone.
Are you a sayer or a doer? Perhaps as we enter more fully into Advent we can focus less on what we say, and more on what we do.
He showed them the truth. // @maryruthhackettClick to tweet
Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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