Gospel: John 10: 31-42
"Many good works have I performed; for which of these do you put me to death?" This is the defense Jesus offers to his opponents. We find the question and the entire scene as obvious. Who could possibly put Jesus to death? How could anyone seek to execute someone who has done such good deeds, one who healed those in illness, freed ones held by demons, fed hungry multitudes, one who calmed the storms of people's lives?
And yet we do so everyday. Consider: we witness a religious group - or any group for that matter - different from our own feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, performing all sorts of good deeds. More often than not we see that group as a threat and not as a positive good in the world. We are jealous, we feel threatened, and we want them to stop. They are taking over the spotlight from our group. We act as if we have a monopoly on the good. So we seek to eliminate this threat, and by extension the good they are doing.
The disciples once complained to Jesus of a group of people doing good, but they were not of their group. Jesus rebuked his disciples for this jealousy, and he rebukes us today. For anyone who does good deeds to others is in Jesus' company. Let us rejoice in the good deeds being done by any and all in our world.
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