Readings: 1 Samuel 24:3-21; Psalm 57; Mark 3:13-19
In today’s first reading we have an account of how Saul re-launched an attack against David, David had the opportunity to kill Saul but he wouldn’t. David would not revenge, even though David is also the Lord’s anointed but he won’t dare to touch Saul because of his anointing.
The first reading focuses our attention on the example of David, how he refused to revenge Saul despite pressures from his followers, how he has taught us a great lesson on how to treat those who bear us ill. However, today, I will rather like to reflect on the cause of Saul’s hostility.
The fundamental cause of Saul’s hostility to David is envy, however, the immediate cause is what David said to Saul- ‘why do you listen to the men who say to you, “David means to harm you?” ‘
Saul’s animosity must have been fuelled by what he was told about David. Some talebearers must have been selling hoax to Saul about David with the aim of estranging them and to curry favours with Saul.
Dear friends, four categories of people you must be careful of what they tell you
I. Those who flatter you, massage your ego, sing your praises and see nothing wrong in you.
In most cases, these people are neither true, genuinely loyal nor helpful to us. Continuous praises without honest correction does no good to anyone.
II. Those who see everything wrong in us and nothing good in us.
People who always find faults with us and no matter how we try, they always think we are not good enough. These people most times project the frustration within themselves to us, they lack self esteem and are intent on impeding it in others, they try to re-define us and make us lose faith in ourselves while they appear to have good intention. Beware of such people, it is very stressful when we live our lives trying to impress someone or dying to look good enough for another person who is unable to identify, appreciate r celebrate goodness in another.
III. Those who always tell us something bad about other people.
There are people who say terrible things about past boss, past parish priest, past leader. There are people who tell awful things about others to us, they tell how false and evil they are, there are some who only tell us how someone despises us and criticises us, we need to relate with people like this with caution, apart from planting fear, worry, sadness in us, they also set us against others as well and can prompt us to offend the innocent and sin against right sense and charity.
IV. We should be careful of negative people.
These are people who see evil in everything, sometimes they confuse spirituality with misery, and they are people whose immediate disposition to anything is negative. People like that poke happiness and spread their misery.
In today’s gospel, Jesus prayerfully and carefully selected those he wanted as his disciples; we can also learn to carefully select those we allow to contribute their views, ideas, counsels and prophecies into our lives. However, no matter how careful we are, let us also know that there will always be some “Judas Iscariots” among our close company.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on January 24, 2020