Self-Interest
Tuesday of Holy Week
Daily Reading: John 13:21 – 38
Focus Passage:
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me."
His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"
Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish. . . ."
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn. 13:21 – 26, 34 – 35)
Today’s longer reading begins with a disciple about to betray Jesus and ends foretelling that the disciple called “the Rock” will disown Jesus. Betrayal and disowning are two parts of Holy Week that are difficult to face.
It’s hard to admit that we are capable of these things. At one level, Peter speaks for how we feel: “Lord, I will lay down my life for you.” Yet, underneath the surface other things reside. The spirit to disown and betray does not necessarily live inside us.
But while we may not naturally be disowners and betrayers, a spirit of self-centeredness lives at the core of most all of us. The spirit of self-interest leads us to do things that are useful and good for ourselves. We take steps to assure our self-preservation, looking out for our own welfare. We learn through life that no one else will look out for us as well as we look after ourselves. Thus, most of us are very practiced at guarding our own lives.
We may not intentionally betray or disown another person, but when we live in a mode of self-preservation, our actions may look like betrayal and disowning. We are capable of laying aside any relationship or responsibility if we feel our self-interest is threatened. This is the human condition.
Judas had an eye on his own well-being. The money he was paid for the betrayal made it easier to sell himself, but mostly he was disappointed that Jesus did not fit his image of what a Messiah should act like.
Peter under-estimated his own needs for safety and security. He pledged devotion to Jesus when he felt secure, but then withdrew his loyalty to Jesus when he felt threatened.
The spiritual journey gives us ways to recognize our self-preservation tactics, to notice the intricate inner workings that keep us orbiting around ourselves. Further, if we stay at it long enough, God gives us the tools for dismantling that self-centered orbit. Then over time, we adjust to orbit around God more than around ourselves.
The ultimate goal is not to eliminate the betrayal and disowning (the symptoms), but rather to stop orbiting around ourselves (the source of our problem) so that we can orbit around God. In doing so, we will be less prone to betrayal and disowning, and more prone to live the new command Jesus gave in the focus passage:
“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
For Reflection:
Slowly read the focus passage found at the top of this post. Listen to it with your heart. Read it again another time or two, paying attention to the words or phrases that stir your heart. What is God saying to you through what you hear? What invitation is God extending to you?
Bring what you hear from God into your prayer.
Daily Reading: John 13:21 – 38
Focus Passage:
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me."
His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"
Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish. . . ."
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn. 13:21 – 26, 34 – 35)
Today’s longer reading begins with a disciple about to betray Jesus and ends foretelling that the disciple called “the Rock” will disown Jesus. Betrayal and disowning are two parts of Holy Week that are difficult to face.
It’s hard to admit that we are capable of these things. At one level, Peter speaks for how we feel: “Lord, I will lay down my life for you.” Yet, underneath the surface other things reside. The spirit to disown and betray does not necessarily live inside us.
But while we may not naturally be disowners and betrayers, a spirit of self-centeredness lives at the core of most all of us. The spirit of self-interest leads us to do things that are useful and good for ourselves. We take steps to assure our self-preservation, looking out for our own welfare. We learn through life that no one else will look out for us as well as we look after ourselves. Thus, most of us are very practiced at guarding our own lives.
We may not intentionally betray or disown another person, but when we live in a mode of self-preservation, our actions may look like betrayal and disowning. We are capable of laying aside any relationship or responsibility if we feel our self-interest is threatened. This is the human condition.
Judas had an eye on his own well-being. The money he was paid for the betrayal made it easier to sell himself, but mostly he was disappointed that Jesus did not fit his image of what a Messiah should act like.
Peter under-estimated his own needs for safety and security. He pledged devotion to Jesus when he felt secure, but then withdrew his loyalty to Jesus when he felt threatened.
The spiritual journey gives us ways to recognize our self-preservation tactics, to notice the intricate inner workings that keep us orbiting around ourselves. Further, if we stay at it long enough, God gives us the tools for dismantling that self-centered orbit. Then over time, we adjust to orbit around God more than around ourselves.
The ultimate goal is not to eliminate the betrayal and disowning (the symptoms), but rather to stop orbiting around ourselves (the source of our problem) so that we can orbit around God. In doing so, we will be less prone to betrayal and disowning, and more prone to live the new command Jesus gave in the focus passage:
“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
For Reflection:
Slowly read the focus passage found at the top of this post. Listen to it with your heart. Read it again another time or two, paying attention to the words or phrases that stir your heart. What is God saying to you through what you hear? What invitation is God extending to you?
Bring what you hear from God into your prayer.
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