Luke reported that Jesus was going through one town and
village after another on his way to Jerusalem.
He wasn't winning over folks with preaching like this, “There will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all
the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrown out . . . Indeed
some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
And now these religious authorities warn Jesus that Herod,
the ruler whose regime was propped up by the Romans and who had murdered John
the Baptizer, was after him, too. Were
they truly concerned about Jesus—we do see a few Pharisees reaching out to
Jesus in the gospels— or were they just trying to provoke anxiety in him? Or, even in a more sinister way, were they
interested in reporting what an angry Jesus might say to get himself into
further trouble with Herod?
Jesus did give them more ammunition, because he didn't run
away; instead he doubled down. Jesus'
calling Herod “that fox” insulted Herod.
Jesus' saying that he had done his healing ministry—and would continue
to minister—on his own terms threw Herod's threats back at his face.
Jesus wasn't intimidated.
Jesus sought to care those to whom he had been sent just as a hen
protects the brood entrusted to her: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . How often have
I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her
wings, and you were not willing.”
Not willing to trust Jesus was who he said he was. Not willing give up destructive traditions
and look for what God might be doing now in their own time. Not willing to ponder the prophetic words
spoken by Jesus. Not willing to put hope in God's promises and God's protection.
We have heard the words of several who made a different
choice in their relationship with the Holy One. The writer of Genesis described visions Abram
had in which he and God dialogued: Will you keep your promise to me? . . .
Count the stars, if you can, for I shall keep my promise to you with such
abundance as the stars in the heavens.
And the writer says, “And he [Abram] believed the Lord; and the Lord
reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Or
as a contemporary translation puts it, “ . . . the Lord recognized Abram's high
moral character.”
We also heard these words from the psalmist: “The Lord is my light and my salvation whom
shall I fear? . . . What if I had not believed that I should see the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the living. O
tarry and wait for the Lord's pleasure; be strong and he shall comfort your
heart; wait patiently for the Lord.”
Indeed, the psalmist trusted that God will be the source of strength and
courage despite the difficulties of the present moment. He trusted in hope that God will keep God's
promises.
And finally St. Paul, writing from prisons, told the
Christian community in Philippi about his hope in Christ to return and restore
a right relationship between God and humanity:
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are
expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will transform the body of our humiliation [imprisonment, oppression
by Rome] that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that
enables him to make all things subject to himself.” In other words, Jesus Christ will transform
the difficulties and sufferings of our lives into a truly life-giving
relationship with God. Paul asks these
Christians—and asks us—to “stand firm in the Lord.” By this he meant to trust in hope as the
basis of their faith in God.
So Jesus' lament and the faith in God we have heard
expressed in our readings this morning puts the question squarely in front of
us: Do we trust in hope of God's promise
to us as Abram, the psalmist and St. Paul did?
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ embodies God's promise
to us that there is more than what we see, feel, and experience in the
moment. If we trust in hope, our faith
will be strengthened by God who loves us and who wants to gather us under a
protective wing.
So this morning as we worship, let us ask ourselves these
questions:
· Are we willing to trust Jesus was who he said he was?
· Are we ready to give up destructive traditions and
look for what God might be doing now in their own time?
· Can we agree to ponder the prophetic words spoken by
Jesus—even when they challenge us?
· Are we willing
to put our trust in God's promise to love us and God's protection as we face
whatever threatens us?
And onward during this season of Lent, let us resolve to
prepare for Easter by continuing to ask ourselves these questions. [Repeat the questions.] Then our Easter
celebration will indeed be a joyful “yes” to the life God in Jesus Christ has
called us to live.
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