Thought for Today
Numbers 15:25 The priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the Israelites, and they shall be forgiven; it was unintentional, and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the LORD . . .
Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: As I have designed, so shall it be; and as I have planned, so shall it come to pass:
John 11:53 So from that day on they planned to put him to death.
Acts 2:23 This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. (NIV)
Lent (Middle English lente, “spring,” from Old English lengthen, “to lengthen [daylight]) The period of forty weekdays prior to Easter, beginning with Ash Wednesday. It was originally a time to prepare candidates for baptism and became a period of penitence for those who have been baptized. (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, pg. 159)
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. We are now officially in Lent. Mardi Gras is over. Most of those Christians who participated in an Ash Wednesday Service have probably washed away the (vaguely) cross-shaped figure on their foreheads. Now Christians are in the beginning of our longest liturgical season.
For some faith traditions, maybe especially those of us of the Reformed Tradition, those original Lenten elements of preparation and penitence have faded away. My Catholic friends have (mostly) at least vowed abstinence from some favorite food during Lent. What am I doing, outside of my regular, usual routine during Lent to prepare myself for Easter? What element of penitence have I incorporated into that routine? What are you doing during Lent?
This morning, my mind is focused on one aspect of Lent that is far too often lost in the fog of Mardi Gras parades, Easter parades, Easter Egg Hunts and the most common elements and aspects of Lent and Easter. Luke was correct. Everything we will hear and read, all of the scriptures telling us this story are the result of “God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge.” This Lent and Easter, as you listen, as you read, notice that Jesus is never surprised by what transpires. Jesus is never ‘caught flatfooted.’
I’m not sure about the exact moment Jesus became fully aware of the only possible outcome. Was it during that visit to Jerusalem when he was 12? Was it when he was baptized by John, saw the dove descending and heard God’s voice? “Jesus predicted His death at least three times in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), and the book of John offers even more predictions.” (www.gotquestions.org) Obviously, Jesus could see the inevitability of the Crucifixion. Yet Jesus deliberately persisted in obeying God.
It is easy to forget that Jesus knew, Jesus understood. Yet, Jesus continued. The Gospel of John captures much of this for me. “10:15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . 15:13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.” Maybe especially in “15:15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.”
Jesus told his disciples what was to come. Jesus continued to follow God’s path. Jesus tells us each and every day what is to come. Ultimately, we pray for the final victory in The Lord’s Prayer. Jesus called those disciples ‘friends.’ Jesus continues to call today’s disciples, those of us who call ourselves Christian, by that same appellation, “friends.” Jesus demonstrated his own love by laying down his life for his friends. We are those sheep for whom he died. Deliberately. On purpose, with full knowledge of the inevitable outcome of his actions. Hopefully, you are hearing in your own minds right now, and throughout Lent and Easter those other, most well-known words from John 3:16-17. Maybe along with the words of that favorite, childhood hymn, Jesus Loves Me.
Stay safe, be aware of the purposefulness of Lent, trust God,
Pastor Ray