Our kids’ brown and white hamster traveled around the living room floor inside his clear plastic exercise ball, tiny legs a blur. The round cage bumped against chair legs, the couch, and an end table and finally rolled along the wall.
The hamster’s erratic journey was comical but somehow sad. The hamster probably believed his efforts would eventually pay off as the ball hurtled around the room. But as fast as he ran, he remained confined inside his plastic prison, unable to experience true freedom of movement. In reality, the little creature went nowhere fast.
Jesus teaches the scribes and Pharisees (the Jewish experts in God’s law) that they are slaves to sin because they practice sin. Jesus also proclaims the gospel’s good news to them: the Son of God can forgive people of their sins and set them free.
Tragically, many religious leaders didn’t receive Jesus’ offer of forgiveness with joy. But why wasn’t the gospel good news to them? These two powerful parties had created a closed religious system of self-made righteousness and human authority, which they believed was airtight. The scribes interpreted God’s law as they saw fit, and the Pharisees supported them.
This uncontested bubble of authority rolled along smoothly until an obscure rabbi from Nazareth confronted their hypocrisy and hard hearts. Ironically, those claiming to be experts in the law did not recognize the Son of God, the lawgiver, when He looked them straight in the eye. They rejected Jesus and His offer of forgiveness in favor of their self-righteous, airtight prison of sin.
It’s easy to criticize the scribes and Pharisees for running inside their self-righteous bubble and rejecting Jesus’ offer of forgiveness. But what’s our bubble? Gossip or envy of what others have? Thinking we’re better than someone else? Not forgiving someone who’s wronged us? Justifying ourselves is easy, but it always lands us inside the hamster ball.
If needed, ask Jesus to forgive you today. He’s ready and willing to set you free from your sin.
Grace Assante has enjoyed various writing projects over the years, and after attending the 2022 Asheville Christian Writers Conference, she was inspired to learn the craft of writing well and not to give up on her dreams of publication. She and her husband live in Brooklyn, New York, and are blessed with three grown children, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and three adorable grandkids. She enjoys traveling, reading, taking long walks with her husband, and meeting friends for coffee.