Devotion 

We Are Blessed

Frances Taylor 

The people had waited for a Messiah for millennia, not just years and now their prayers were answered. Jesus is telling his disciples how blessed they are, but I don't think that they understood quite what he was saying. Kings from the time of Saul and prophets in every age were waiting and hoping that the Messiah would come in their time, but they died without his coming. We, too, are blessed for we have been privileged to know the teachings of Jesus. We may not have been present when he walked the earth, but, in many ways, we are more aware of his works and his words than many of the people of his time. We forget how limited travel was during this time. Most people didn't travel much beyond their communities. People did come to know about Jesus, often from those merchants who did travel the countryside selling their wares, but that didn't mean that they actually had the opportunity to see Jesus. Even those who did see and hear Jesus in person didn't have the full story. If you lived in Galilee, you knew what happened there; if you lived in Capernaum, you knew what happened there; and if you lived in Jerusalem, you knew what happened there. But there were few who travelled with Jesus for his entire journey. Because we have the gospel accounts, we have a much better understanding of where he went and what he did. We also have the writings of Paul that give us even more information on how the early church interpreted the teachings of Jesus. This gives us insight that the people of his time didn't have. We truly are blessed, even more so than the disciples because of these insights.

Prayer 

Gracious God, we thank you for allowing us to live in a time that has knowledge of your gift of salvation, of the sacrifice of Jesus and his teachings that help us to live according to your plan. Amen.