Celebrate or Commiserate

There is always another side to the story.  While one person celebrates another person commiserates.

Matthew 27.45-56

Reference:  v.54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (NIV Bible)

Explore:  $440 million dollars worth of drugs were seized yesterday in Melbourne after authorities discovered a massive shipment of ecstasy tablets being transported from Italy.  There has been much to celebrate in the police force as this 4.4 tonne shipment was discovered and 19 people arrested in relation to their participation.  This is a huge achievement and rightly to be celebrated.  I did wonder, however, how this would impact those people who are addicted to drugs.  With less drugs on the street it is likely that the prices will go up.  For the drug addicted who can only afford to live one day at a time I can imagine they will struggle even more to make ends meet.  Will there be greater crime as those addicted do anything they can to find the money they need?  Stopping drugs from hitting the streets will not stop drug addicts from needing their next hit.  Please don’t hear me saying that stopping a huge shipment of drugs is a bad thing, it just made me realise that there is always another side to the story.
It’s interesting that when Jesus finally took his last breath on the cross the guards around him at the time saw him as ‘the Son of God’.  However how did the disciples, his own followers, view his death?  From most accounts it seems that they viewed Jesus’ death as the end, as a disappointment, a loss of hope.

Application:  There is always another side to the story.  While one person celebrates another person commiserates.  This passage made me realise that while the disciples were in dispair the guards around the cross were enlightened.  We never know how God can use a particular situation to impact someone’s life.  Our faith becomes very important to us when we go through a difficult situation. While it seems dark at the time we know that God can always make something beautiful even out of the ugliest moments.

Prayer: Lord, you don’t enjoy seeing us hurt and in pain but you  sit along side us .  Help us to always rely on you, even when we struggle to see our way forward.  Amen.

When has God used a low point in your life to have a greater impact on your faith or someone else’s faith?

Matthew