Walking with Jesus through Lent: Week Six
Rev. Vera I. Bourne
6th Wednesday in Lent - Unshackled At Last
John 8:32: And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
Here is a statement we have heard a million times, and yet have our hearts comprehended it? The truth of which Jesus speaks is no ambiguous or debatable thing; it is the reality of God's relationship with us - betrothing us. Hosea 2: 19-20 states: "I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the Lord."
This promise is made to all who follow Jesus. Our walk with Jesus commenced the first moment we believed that he truly was God, and that what he taught was true. To believe in Jesus means we also believe in the love of God and the forgiveness and reconciliation God offers. Disciples pause in the ordinary business of their lives to hear the voice of Jesus, for Jesus is intimately interested in each aspect of our lives. The decisions we make will be sound if we have listened first to what Jesus has to say.
Listening is not enough, for we must also be prepared to learn of and from Jesus. Prayer needs to provide periods of silence so that, just as the first disciples, we may listen and learn from our Saviour. As we have discovered on this journey together through Lent, often the words Jesus uses have many layers of meanings. If we are to emulate the mind of Jesus we will need to ponder his words until the deeper meanings are revealed by the Holy Spirit.
But listening and learning are not enough, for we must be prepared to obey. The career choice Jesus has for us may not be the one we had planned, and the perfect spouse Jesus has decreed for us may not be the person on whom our fancy alights. Disciples obey their teacher, for they believe the teacher has wisdom and experience beyond their own. Jesus will constantly challenge us to enable us to see the values God places on possessions and life's opportunities. Those walking by his side will be constantly aware of this process. Those who truly believe in Jesus will manifest in their lives the fruits of justice and love. They will be freed from all that held them in bondage.
What is freedom? It has been described as personal liberty - release from slavery or bondage; the ability to enjoy civil and political liberties; the right to order one's own actions; the ability to talk frankly and honestly; ease and grace of movement. The freedom God offers falls within these definitions. Firstly, we are given freedom from fear. No matter how daunting the task or circumstances before us, we know that Jesus is with us through it all. It is this same awareness that changes our sense of loneliness into a peaceful aloneness, for we can never be lonely with Jesus by our side. We also experience freedom from sin as Jesus lifts the burden of our confessed sins from our shoulders and frees us from its weight. When we are tempted Jesus is there, and looking to him we are able to overcome such temptations.
God also frees us from ourselves and other people. We know we cannot change ourselves and break old habits, but Jesus can transform us so that we are truly new creations. In Christ's company we are freed from the domination of other people and their opinions. We refuse the views offered by others and heed only the words of Jesus. How many opportunities have we lost as we paused, swayed by the opinions of friends or neighbours, when Jesus had work for us to accomplish? When God pledged to us fidelity and love, did we really understand what we were being offered? God loves us so much; God has always loved us and will continue to love, us no matter how many times we turn away to our own devices. God came to live here on this planet to be one with us physically, so that we could never claim that God had not the same experiences in living as we do. This is the loving God has for us.
Prayer: Eternal God, you have loved us since before we were made, yet we did not realise how vast is your love. Enfold us again so that we may share your love with others. Amen.
6th Thursday in Lent - Stretching Into Eternity
John 8: 58: "I tell you the solemn truth," returned Jesus, "before there was an Abraham, I AM." They picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
There comes a time when the truth has to be spoken so clearly that no-one can doubt what was said. So often Jesus had declared himself to be the Son of God to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to harass him, and each time they chose to misunderstand his message. They qualified, quantified and modified his words, trying to catch him out from one day to the next, for they dared not hear the truth. To accept that he was the promised Messiah would have been to turn their world upside down, in much the same fashion that the concepts of those who believed in a flat earth were shaken by the truth that the earth was round. The next concern of flat earth believers was that all those on the underside of the earth would be standing upside down and would be in danger of falling off into space. That we are all drawn to this planet by the forces of gravity had not been a factor in their reckoning.
When Jesus claimed the same name as God, "I AM", the anger of the Pharisees and Sadducees could be contained no longer. What Jesus, a mortal, had done they considered blasphemy, and that was a crime punishable by stoning to death. Yet even in the midst of this seething, foaming crowd, Jesus managed to slip unnoticed into the background and so escaped from the fate planned for him. Truth telling is not a popular pastime; in fact it is one fraught with many dangers. Jesus never disguised even one aspect of the truth by innuendos; he spoke out clearly what he knew to be correct, even though he could see that at some time in the future he would pay dearly for exercising this right.
So often we hear statements we know to be inaccurate made by politicians, marketing agencies or those with vested interests in ignoring environmental issues. In fact some of these statements we know to be absolute lies. Yet by our own silence we allow these statements to breed and take hold in the minds of others until they are perceived as facts. Whether we begin a campaign of truth by writing to or phoning these individuals to challenge their claims with the truths we know, or whether we speak clearly to family members, friends and the press matters little, just as long as we expound the truth.
Into our church tradition there have crept small variations on the thinking of the early church and the truths Jesus proclaimed. For example, there are presently some denominations that would label St Francis of Assisi a heretic, one who worshipped nature rather than the Creator of nature simply on the grounds of his words "Brother Sun, Sister Moon." The stories of the early church as contained in the book of Acts contain references to women in positions of spiritual leadership, yet today this place is denied to many women. As disciples our duty is speak the truth so that all barriers are broken down and all differences removed in the household of God. To those who in past times have been refused membership of various churches or denied the sacraments, we respond, using the words of the apostle Paul: "It shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them 'Ye are not my people', there shall they be called the children of the living God."
Wherever we go we will find many who shy from the truth. Isaiah spoke of these thus, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving … Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." If we would love as did Jesus we need to take the word of life wherever we go, so that those whose hearts have become calloused may be touched by Jesus and turn, really hearing his words of love, forgiveness, healing and reconciliation.
Prayer: God of eternal life, your heart sorrows for all with deadened senses who do hear your truth. Strengthen us to carry love into a world marked by fear and darkness. Amen.
6th Friday in Lent - A Living Testimony
John 10: 41: A great many people came to him, and said, "John never gave us any sign but all that he said about this man was true."
Those who looked for signs and miracles found none in John, yet his message reached into the hearts of many. Each of us knows, however deeply memories may be buried, that we have erred many times and that we need to seek forgiveness. John, baptising at the River Jordan, offered those who would come a chance to discover in the baptism of water a symbol of God's washing away their sins. This baptism was the first step in their renewed relationship with God. Those who listened to and answered John's call to repentance knew from experience his word was to be trusted.
As the Passover drew closer and Jesus returned to the Jordan to preach, crowds flocked to hear and see him. Many of these had been accustomed to John's preaching, so that when they heard Jesus speak they recognised that here was truly the Messiah of whom John had been speaking. And, Scripture tells us, "Many believed in him." Each of us is given different roles by God and we are equipped for these roles by the Holy Spirit. Yet all of us are under the same direction, for we are to be people who speak the truth and whose lives are free of all forms of impurity. John's testimony about Jesus was believed because John had first proven himself to be a person whose word was trustworthy. To be able to present our testimony about Jesus, we must first know Jesus and then be a person who has proved trustworthy.
How do we know Jesus, deeply and on an ongoing basis? We discovered Jesus through the testimony of others or of Scripture. All our lives there have been incidents in which Jesus spoke to us but, so often, we were preoccupied with other things and his call went unheard and unheeded. Yet he broke through and we found our lives flooded with love, forgiveness and peace. But that was yesterday, and just as a crust of bread dries out with the passing of time, so our testimony becomes dry and unappetising while ever we rely on past experiences of Jesus. To awaken others to the tremendous love of God we must be radiating that love. We must be prepared to wait silently on God regularly so that, in the silence of our listening, God may invigorate our lives. Our relationship with God needs to be renewed daily, sometimes even hourly, so that in the midst of pain and suffering or other horrendous events we may speak confidently the words of Job, "For I know that my Redeemer liveth."
We trace the paths of our lives through hills and valleys, through sunshine and shadow, through grassy fields and across brier enmeshed copses, and it is in all of these circumstances that Jesus is our companion and our strength. In times of emergency and distress our faith in Jesus needs to be strong enough to sustain us so that we may share his love and compassion with others. While ever we are taking care of those events and people God lays on our hearts, God will take care of all the contingencies in our lives. Working in our own strength we will soon become exhausted and stressed, working in God's strength we are actually refreshed. Ministering in fields we seize on as our own we will be disappointed and disillusioned, for it is God alone who knows where our skills are needed most. It is only God who knows each of the gifts we have been given, and at the right time God will bring forth from our personalities such talents as will enrich the lives of others. These are talents we had never recognised, or had dismissed because someone had once belittled our efforts; God has a specific use for each of them. Listening to God daily provides the opportunity for God to transform our lives so that they become overflowing with love and acceptance. We begin to practise the art of listening to others each time we meet, until we begin to hear the unspoken words behind their conversation. It is then we are able to be God's channels of healing and love to them. Here is our true testimony to Jesus, as our lives reflect the transformation God's love can effect.
Prayer: Remind us, God, to draw close each day so that we may listen to your spoken words. May our lives be such that those who know us will also recognise Jesus in us. Amen.
6th Saturday in Lent - The Law Of Expediency
John 11: 49-50: You plainly don't understand what is involved here. You do not realise that it would be a good thing for us if one man should die for the sake of the people - instead of the whole nation being destroyed.
The Sanhedrin were meeting that day, with Pharisees and Sadducees gathered together to determine what should be done. At Bethany Lazarus had been raised from the dead, and the word of this miracle was spreading faster than a firestorm. No longer could Jesus be ignored, for his reputation and influence were spreading throughout the country. He was being spoken of as the long awaited Messiah, the deliverer of Israel. The Pharisees were aware that they had lost their monopoly as religious leaders, for here was a man who could answer any question that had been put to him. The Sadducees, who held positions of political importance and were appointed by the Roman occupation force, could sense a swift blow being dealt to themselves and the nation if Rome were to hear of a plot to overthrow its power.
Through all the twittering that took place that day, one thing was clear; something had to be done. Caiaphas, who was high priest for that year and therefore considered to speak for God, made his pronouncement - in the words of today's text. When Caiaphas insisted that Jesus should die to save the nation, his meaning was far different from the salvation God had planned for the nation, and indeed for the whole world. Caiaphas was in fear of Rome, and so reasoned that to destroy a troublemaker and thus keep the nation secure was an eminently sensible solution. From that day forth the die was cast, means would be found so that Jesus would die and the status quo remain untouched.
Through history this same decision has been made many times whenever persons whose spoken or written view differs from the view of those in authority. Whether it be a simple matter such as examining funding for road works, expecting accountability for donations collected by charity organisers, or querying why electoral promises have not been kept, such checks have always been taken as personal affronts designed to unsettle those in authority. The same can be said even in our churches where those who are comfortable with the old words and liturgies often do not regard new scholarship with favour.
We learn very early in life that certain subjects are taboo in polite circles. In fact of late we have increased the number of taboo topics. Though we are aware of abuse and violence in relationships, of children who are not cared for properly and of the effect of addictions on families, we have discovered it is unwise at times to mention these things. Yet, if we who are friends of Jesus remain silent, then by our silence we help to perpetuate these situations. When environmental destruction is caused by spillage of oil from tankers, the whole nation is distressed. Yet when industrial giants dispose of their effluent illegally through stormwater channels or other devices it appears officialdom finds the situation too difficult to handle.
As disciples it is our responsibility to tell the good news, that God has always loved us, that Jesus came to earth to lift the weight of our sins and set us free. It is also our responsibility to address concerns we find in which love has been overlooked. Perhaps we need to speak on behalf of refugees, asylum seekers from lands torn by warfare. Others may be called to speak on behalf of indigenous communities, asking they be granted equal rights with their white invaders. Some may speak on behalf of children, some for the aged and infirm, some for single parents, others for homeless and friendless people. Each of these is God's beloved child; each needs our attention and support. Speaking out for justice and God's love will make many uneasy, and we too may discover that it is far easier for us to be silent than to take appropriate measures to alleviate or ameliorate the situation we present in Christ's name.
Prayer: God, when there is a need to shine the light of truth on matters that have been hidden, grant us the courage to stand firm as we attempt to obtain justice for others. Amen.
6th Sunday in Lent - Palm Sunday - Hosanna
Mark 11: 10: God save him! - God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the coming kingdom of our father David! God save him from on high!
"Hosanna" rang out the cry from the crowds gathered in Jerusalem that day. It was not a tribute of honour but translated it means "Save us." The Messiah was promised as a saviour for the people and as Jesus rode upon the young ass that day, the crowds saw in him that promised Saviour. At last their hopes were raised that the rule of Rome would be broken and they would be a freed people again. Not only would they be free, but also it was foretold that they would again be a mighty nation. So they pinned their hopes and dreams on this man riding into Jerusalem in the same fashion as did Simon Maccabaeus one hundred and fifty years earlier when he had destroyed Israel's enemies in battle. The words called out by the crowd have their origin in Psalm 118, a psalm thought to have been written to commemorate the battle Maccabaeus had won and the great day the Temple was again purified. To Jesus was given the welcome a conqueror would expect; yet they had no inkling of the type of conqueror he would be. As the crowd shouted "Hosanna" they were in fact calling for God's hand to move, now that the Messiah had arrived in Jerusalem.
For Jesus, a man whose fate had been determined by the Sanhedrin, to ride into Jerusalem in this fashion was completely unexpected by the authorities. They were anticipating that he might enter secretly and his whereabouts be kept secret. But for Jesus this was the last time he would publicly present the message of God's love to such an audience, it was love's final appeal. He knew such an entrance would bring his appearance to the notice of the authorities, but he had moved past such restraints. His time was short, and his heart ached for those he would leave behind. They deserved one more opportunity to be challenged, to hear the voice of God's love and forgiveness his life presented. How often had he called them saying, "Come to me all of you who are tired, and in me find your rest"? He had invited all who were overburdened with the complications of life to exchange their burdens for the light one he would supply, yet there were so many who had not heard, or had not understood.
As he rode into Jerusalem, across the strewn palm branches, he knew he was moving into a trap, for as a devout Jew he would be required to spend the time of the Passover within the limits of Jerusalem and certain surrounding villages. Though the authorities would not take long to locate him wherever he went, he still had work to complete and he was intent on that. He had friends to see, disciples who had many lessons yet to learn, and there would always be those who sought healing for physical and spiritual ills. With the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears, he went up to the Temple to address the sharp trading practices there.
So often we need to cry out "Hosanna" to Jesus, asking he come and save us from the events in our lives, from the confusion some decisions cause, and from endless calls on our time and patience. We need to find our peace and security with our Saviour, a place where we may rest in confidence, knowing that Jesus has our affairs in hand. We need to be saved from addictive habits, including our inclination to waste time. We need to be saved from the racking tears that throb through our body in times of separation and grief. We need to be saved from our complacency when we believe that we were meant to live in a comfortable society, and forget that there are many who have no food, no home and no future. We need to be saved from our habit of judging our own behaviour against those of people around us rather than judging it by God's perfection. We need to be saved from excuses that prevent us offering forgiveness to those who have harmed us. Jesus alone can save our souls and present them spotless before God. Jesus alone can heal those relationships we have splintered and start the healing our lives require. Today let us echo "Hosanna" with all our hearts.
Prayer: Jesus, you came not on a war charger but on a donkey, offering peace to the world. Teach me today that I cannot live without your peace, healing and love. Amen.
6th Monday in Lent - Love's Generosity
John 12: 3: Then Mary took a pound of very expensive perfume and anointed Jesus' feet and then wiped them with her hair.
There are two examples in the Gospels of extravagant giving; this is one of them. The other occurs when Jesus and his disciples are watching as those going into the Temple present their offerings. One woman has but one mite to offer and this, Jesus says, is worth more than any other donation, for it consists of all she has. There is nothing left in her purse, no cushion of funds or any other supplies upon which she can fall back. As far as she is concerned God deserves all she has, her fate is in God's hands. She has no doubt that somehow God will see her through, and no matter what hardship befalls she will not regret giving God all she owned.
The Mary of today's text has been allocated several identities. I don't believe it makes any real difference just who she was for her story is connected to our very own. She had sinned, just as we have sinned, and so to Jesus she came with the very best she had, a jar of expensive ointment, and gave it to him. Perhaps her method was a little startling, but here was a woman who felt she could not reach higher than his feet, and so she anointed his tired, dusty, road worn feet and brought him comfort. But first she washed those feet, not with the basin of water usually supplied for guests, but with her tears. Then taking her long hair she wiped them dry. Where you live, how would such an incident be received at a dinner in either a private home or public place? Surely it could be described as scandalous! And to top off the story we find that Jesus reproved not the woman for her behaviour, but his host for his lack of care and his criticism.
When we first came to answer Jesus' invitation to follow him, did we not offer him all we had? Did we not state, or imply, that we willingly handed over our life, our possessions, our time, and energy - in fact all our resources? Jesus asked the rich young man if he would be willing to sell all he had and follow with the other disciples, but the rich young man couldn't face life without his material securities. The disciples left their occupations as fishermen, a tax collector and who knows what else to follow Jesus. Between then and now many people have commenced their journey with Jesus but far too many have looked over their shoulder at the sights that used to fascinate them, and turned back - the price was just too high. When we offered Jesus our all, did we ever have secret reservations, certain things we hoped Jesus would not notice, things we could keep? Or did we genuinely offer our lives, our possessions and our pleasures, all to his keeping?
Whatever our first response, something has changed over time. There are parts of our lives we do not discuss with God, decisions we make without consulting Jesus. When did we become more knowledgeable than God? Have we perhaps slipped into old habits, or returned to those things we put aside once because they interfered with our relationship with Jesus? Do we ask Jesus to bless all our relationships, yet there is one we attempt to hide from him? If we do not exhibit the joy, peace and confidence we once knew in our relationship with Jesus, what has caused them to be absent? We need to examine our relationship with Jesus if, even for one second, we suspect that we have lost the intimacy we once knew, and the absolute assurance that all in our lives in God's control. While ever we withhold a single part of our lives from Jesus, while ever there is something or someone that draws our attention away from our Saviour, God cannot bless us richly, for we will not open our lives fully to be blessed. If we are no longer sure that God is there in each circumstance of our lives, we need to get back to God and discover what has caused us to doubt this fact. We may believe that we too have offered all we have to God, but by whose standards do we make this judgement, ours or God's? This Lent let us experience the rich generosity of the love God has for us.
Prayer: Loving God, we cannot ever experience the fullness of your love while we withhold any part of ourselves. Teach us to be as generous with our love as you are toward us. Amen.
6th Tuesday in Lent - Loved Yet Denied
John 13: 38: "Would you lay down your life for me?" replied Jesus. "Believe me, you will disown me three times before the cock crows!"
When we love deeply and unconditionally we want to sweep that special person up within the protection of our love. In those moments as we declare that love we may state that we would be prepared to die for that special person. Jesus, hearing such a statement from his disciple Peter asked, "Would you lay down you life for me?" One of the basic instincts of all animals is self-preservation, yet we note that in nature as well as in humanity love over-rides self-preservation. Heroes emerge in every society across the world, those who put their lives in jeopardy to save others. From fire fighters and rescue crews we hear stories including those of parents protecting their children and those detailing the love and loyalty shown by animals to their human friends.
Peter impulsively had stated that he would be prepared to lay down his life for Jesus. Yet that cold night as he huddled in the background in Herod's courtyard, Peter denied three times that he knew Jesus. When the realisation of his words hit him he wept - this big, muscular fisherman was so ashamed he sought the cover of darkness as he wept. There are still lands in which being a Christian places one's life and possessions in jeopardy, this has been the case since the first disciples walked God's roads. Yet it is not mostly in the face of danger we find people denying their knowledge of (or love for) Jesus, for Christianity has always grown more rapidly in times of persecution than at any other time. It is in times when Christianity is accepted and widely practised that the church diminishes in size and relevancy.
Was Peter a coward or perhaps a faithless follower of Jesus? As we read the details of that night we discover that Peter had followed the arresting party right into the enclosed courtyard of Herod's palace. He placed himself virtually in the lion's den, so great was his love for Jesus and his concern for his fate. Even so, his courage failed, not just once but three times. On Easter Sunday, when Mary of Magdala found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre, it was to Peter and John she ran in her anxiety. Just a short while later, when he met Jesus on the seashore, after Christ's resurrection, we see that Peter's denial had not altered the love with which Jesus regarded him. Instead Peter is given a special name and commission.
Mark's Gospel, which contains the first recorded details of the incident in Herod's courtyard and is widely accepted as the written version of the material Peter preached, has this story in greater detail. Far from trying to hide his denial, Peter used it as proof of Jesus' love, that even when in such bitter circumstances Peter had let his Saviour down, Jesus forgave him. This is a love that even those who are ashamed of their actions may use to demonstrate the healing, cleansing and forgiving power of Christ's love. Peter's denial was impulsive, yet many of our denials are not. Peter was ashamed; we often refuse to admit our failures.
We may deny Jesus with our words, our actions and our silences (or indifference). We may try to qualify our lives as Christians so that those who have been hurt by representatives of the Church may more easily accept us. We may refute any suggestion that Jesus has changed us, has in fact transformed our lives, because we don't really want to appear different from those we are trying to impress. We may claim to be disciples, yet our actions belie our words, and so we become stumbling blocks to those who would seek our Saviour. Finally, by our very lack of action in the face of injustice and oppression, we deny the commission to be those who are responsible not only for their neighbours but also for the entire world. Disciples are called to be witnesses to Jesus, to attest that here indeed is God incarnate, whose love for us is beyond measure, and whose power to recreate our lives is immeasurable.
Prayer: Loving God, though we want to love and serve you, we often deny you by our words and actions. Forgive and strengthen us as we follow the footsteps of Jesus. Amen.
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