Piercing the Ear

View daily reading plan: Exodus 21.1-6

He was a marked man, marked for life. One memorable day, this slave had been given the offer of freedom, away from the responsibilities and duties which had been his for seven years. But if he went, he had to leave behind him his wife and children, and the master he had grown to love.  He had to choose.
 
He said clearly, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free.” So his master took him to the door and pierced his earlobe with an awl, marking him as a willing servant “for ever”. This evident mark of his devotion was also the clear declaration of his love - a picture surely of the devotion of our Lord Jesus. The piercing of His hands and feet, those wound marks, declare His eternal love for us.
 
What about us though? What do we choose? Freedom from duties (sometimes too many?), from responsibilities (sometimes heavy?), from restrictions (sometimes irksome?). Is love for Christ and those who belong to Him in the assembly, and to those who belong to us in our own family, clearly seen and never abandoned?
 
My Master, lead me to the door;
Pierce this now willing ear once more.
Thy bonds are freedom, let me stay
With Thee, to toil, endure, obey.
(Hanley C G Moule)

Wednesday, 17 April, 2024