Harry Potter & the Mediating friendships – Devotion for
In the book (and movie) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there is a particular moment where Harry and his best friend Ron have had a disagreement and are not talking to each other. Not getting into all the details for all you non-Potter fans, Ron has some information that he needs to pass along to Harry, but because of their dispute, he refuses to tell him himself. So Ron recruits another one of their friends, Hermione, to go and tell Harry what Ron has found out. As Ron and Harry are standing no further than 20 feet apart, Hermione is going back and forth delivering one another’s messages as they both refuse to speak directly to each other. Finally, Hermione is frustrated at the two and tired of delivering one another’s messages and proclaims, “I’m not an owl!” (In the books/movies, owls are used to deliver messages/mail).
Have you ever been caught as the go-between with friends who are in a dispute? There you are, caught right in the middle, almost afraid to say anything that would be understood as you taking a side. Yet, because of the friendship you have with these 2 people, and the friendship that they used to have, you do what you can to mediate between the 2 so that the friendship can be restored. And yes, sometimes we too can get to that point of frustration like Hermione and just want to give up. If you’ve ever experienced what it is like to be in the middle – the go-between – the mediator, then you have at least a slight understanding of what Jesus is doing for us as He sits at the right hand of God.
Hebrews 8 speaks of Jesus as the “high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” (Hebrews 8:1) The term “priest” literally means one who serves as a mediator between God and man – the go-between, so to speak. Through our sins, we have created a dispute with God, as our actions stand in opposition to Him. As Jesus sits at the right hand of the throne, He is serving as our priest, our mediator, dare I say our attorney representing us before God, working to reconcile each one of us with the Master. With understanding Jesus as our priest, He has offered an acceptable sacrifice to God the Father on our behalf – His own blood. And now, because that sacrifice was accepted by God, the Father is willing to offer a new covenant to all who come to Him via the mediation of Jesus Christ – salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.
So today, maybe you’ll find yourself in the middle of 2 friends who have a dispute. Put yourself in Jesus’ sandals, and be willing to find a way to mediate that friendship. And when you do, maybe consider how great the friendship of Jesus Christ is, that He would go so far as to lay down His life so that you may be reconciled with God.
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