| “Christian” circles often sing and speak of bonds that cannot be broken.It is a touching sentiment. In the church, relationships are thicker than blood because they are united by Jesus’ blood. If there ever was the perfect place to “make friends,” it is the ecclesia (church). God’s people should be our people.But even if Jesus anchors the friendship, not every bond should last. Not every relationship is aligned with His will.In my devotional reading the other morning, I ran across a verse in the Gospel of Luke that I have read countless times. But this time, it was as if the words reached off the page, grabbed me by the collar, and pulled me in to listen closely.Allow me to set the scene.It is Passover Weekend. The number of hours before Jesus’ execution has dropped to single digits. He is dragged from Caiaphas, to Pilate, to Herod, back to Pilate. Each leader “passes the buck” on the fate of this rabbi carpenter from Nazareth. Herod mocks him and sends him back to Pilate dressed in a robe.Yet Luke provides the following detail, “That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.” (Luke 23: 12, NIV) Could there have been a worse bond than uniting to execute the Son of God? Two men who could not stand each other found common ground. Pilate and Herod let “by gone be by gone” by telling the Savior of the World to “be gone.”So, the question is not just who we are connected to, but why. A friendship that pulls you away from Jesus is not a gift. A bond that stands against Him is not sacred. |
