Dust Bowl of Faith

Father, though life is often a rollercoaster – full of ups and downs – I am grateful that You are directly in our sights – constant and rock-solid. I take hold of Your words conveyed through the author of Hebrews.

Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 _AMP

John 7:45-53 (<<click here to read the passage)

If there ever was a perfect storm it was a combination of circumstances that took place in the 1930s in the Southern Plains region of the United States. From Texas to Nebraska, people and livestock were killed and crops failed in what would become known as The Dust Bowl. Poor farming practices of the time exposed hundreds of acres to erosion as drought and high winds came together to strip the land bare of the top layers of soil. The Dust Bowl coupled with the crushing economic impacts of the Great Depression drove many people to desperation.

At this point in the Gospel narrative of the Apostle John, Jesus has reached the height of His popularity. As we’ve already acknowledged, the tide is turning but our story informs us the Pharisees and leaders of Israel are unaware of this turn of events, and they are getting desperate. A drought of sorts was upon them, for it was obvious that they were losing ground.

In these few verses, the Temple guards who had been sent to find some evidence for which to arrest Jesus, returned to the leadership empty-handed. They were asked with intense exasperation, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” Their response? “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” vs45-46 _NLT

And then, Nicodemus, one of their own, risked his reputation and high position even though he only spoke up indirectly of Jesus when he asked, “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” v51 NLT

With that one question, he confronted the Pharisees with their failure to keep their own laws. Yes…they were losing ground.

In the historical record of farming techniques before The Dust Bowl, they removed the deep-rooted acreage of prairie grass so they could plant their crops. That prairie grass was what was keeping everything together and once removed, losing ground was inevitable…literally.

With all that the Pharisees and religious leaders had added to God’s Law and then when they started pulling out those things that didn’t support the results they desired, they began losing ground, for they were pulling out the deep-rooted parts of the Law that were keeping everything together.

The mighty winds of Truth exposed their hypocritical motives, and as their prestige began slowly eroding, they began to move to protect themselves.

The notes from my study Bible* continue,

Pride would interfere with their ability to reason, and soon they would become obsessed with getting rid of Jesus just to save face. What was good and right no longer mattered.

Lord Jesus, active pride in our lives is a great cause of spiritual erosion. What we hold as holy and sacred in our lives, if not founded on Truth, begins to crumble and we end up with our own Dust Bowl of faith. When we begin to lose ground, nothing is safe, and we will sacrifice just about everything to save face. Help us to fend off the great temptation of pride and may the good and right prevail. Amen.

*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation

June 20^th, 2021, Sun, 9:37 pm