Sun 9:30a Class; 10:30a Worship; 11:35a Communion
Bible Bites
A Whole Life
“Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one, for You are not partial to any but teach the way of God in truth.” (Mark 12:14)
A partial person is someone who only does part of a thing. We can be partial in our treatment of others when we show a kindness to one group, like our friends, but withhold kindness from others – we are only being partially kind.
We can be partial in our effort. Perhaps we show great energy when pursuing our hobbies or doing tasks we find enjoyable, but we put off doing the jobs we dislike even if they are our duty to do them. It’s amazing how much energy we have for a round of golf but how tired we are when it comes time to do tasks around the home! Inequality of effort is a type of partiality.
And we also can find that we can be partial in matters of truth. We listen to the ‘yes men’ of our lives who tell us what we want to hear but avoid any advice or evidence which would shake our world view. Rehoboam had this problem – so did Saul. I worry that, somedays, so do I.
But not Jesus. No, our Lord wasn’t a partial Man. He was as whole as they come. He treated everyone the same, did every task with His full effort, and He never shirked from the truth even if it lost Him friends or made Him unpopular. Jesus is all God, but He is also, most definitely, a whole Man, too.
