Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
THURSDAY, June 30
Luke 23:13-25. Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!
Jesus’ Passion is filled with ironies. An innocent man is killed while a man guilty of murder goes free. A man of peace dies violently while a man of violence gains freedom. The wise and the religious are blind to God’s hand while a pagan emperor can see nothing but travesty unfolding.
Yet these scenes are really no different from our lives. While we may not face such treachery, violence, and hatred, we often miss God’s will and movement in our lives. We see the guilty go unpunished while the innocent suffer. We hear of hatred being chosen over love. We experience the wise making foolish and selfish decisions. We know that at times while seeking conciliation, we fail to compromise.
But in these follies of our broken world, I recall the words of Martin Luther King Jr.: “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” We make our choices. We live with the consequences. Yet God’s will and love will have the final word.
PRAY for the Diocese of Orlu (Province of Owerri, Nigeria)
Ps 131, 132, [133] * 134, 135; 1 Samuel 13:5-18; Acts 8:26-40
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True wisdom is never wrong, true right never loses, true evil never wins.
Jesus did not die in violence. He died by embracing his suffering with love and compassion. He tranformed death and brought with that the promise of the resurrection.
Barabbas did not win freedom, he only avoided imprisonment.
Those who crucified Jesus were not "wise and religious", and the pagan emperor was no better for allowing to proceed something that he made the pretense of saying was unjust. Our actions speak louder than our words.
That's why Jesus said "they will know you are Christians by your love".
The reading in Acts is instructive. Faith abounds everywhere, and we must be open to it to be examples of Jesus to others.