Our jump to the conclusion

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today reminds us of our tendency to jump to our own conclusions. This quick think may lead us to further confusion. Friar Jude Winkler tells of the difficulty voiced by Jeremiah as he calls on the justice of God to spare his life as the righteous servant of God and punish those who seek his death. The powerful leaders of Judah, who were urged by Jeremiah to accept the punishment of God for their abandonment of the Covenant with God, direct the blame for the situation to Jeremiah. Our natural inclination is to agree with Jeremiah, though the degree of vengeance we see in this passage and in the words of the psalmist may not sit well with modern Christian thought. Friar Jude reminds us that the justice of God is exercised over an eternal time frame. We are invited to be the ambassadors of Christ, Who offers forgiveness to His persecutors and Who creates changed hearts in those who follow Him. The Gospel from John describes the quick and faulty analysis of the people who try to resolve the question of the Messianic nature of Jesus. He is determined to be not from Bethlehem and not approved by the religious authorities so obviously He cannot be the Messiah. Our methodology of finding the evidence to suit our conclusions is at least as old as Jesus ministry in Jerusalem. The theme of the conversion of Nicodemus, which can be traced in the Gospel of John, is evidence for the impact of reserving judgement and allowing the grace of God to shine through situations.