Grace tells us that we are accepted just as we are. We may not be the kind of people we want to be, we may be a long way from our goals, we may have more failures than achievements...but we are nonetheless accepted by God, held in his hands. Such is his promise to us in Jesus Christ, a promise we can trust.
—Donald McCullough
Daily Reading & Meditation
Monday (3/2): “As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me”
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
31 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.
34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Old Testament Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18
17 "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Meditation: Do you know God's love and do you allow the love of God to rule in your heart – in all of your thoughts, intentions, and attitudes – and in the way you relate to others? How we treat our neighbor – both those who bring us joy and friendship and those who cause us grief and trouble – has consequences both for the present and the future. If we harbor ill thoughts towards others and allow the root of bitterness to grow in our hearts, it will keep us from seeking their good and relating to them with selfless concern for their welfare. True love seeks the good of others regardless of how they treat us in kind. God loved us first – even when we were his enemies – when we ignored him, rejected him, and refused to believe and obey his word. That is why the Father sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world but to save it through the sacrifice of his son 's atoning death on the cross for our sins (John 3:16-17). Only God's purifying love and grace can free our hearts of pride, envy, selfishness, bitterness, greed, and hatred. Paul the Apostle tells us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). God's love has power to change and heal us and makes us whole. Do you believe that God is at work in you to change and transform you into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18)?
God will judge us, not on how much we have acquired or accomplished in this life, but on how much we have loved and forgiven others and shared with them God's mercy, kindness, and goodness. The one and only test that really counts is the measure to which we loved God in his truth and goodness and how much we shared that love with our neighbor as well. If we tolerate sinful attitudes and behavior, our hearts will become cold and hardened and unable to love and forgive others. The ultimate consequence of sin is eternal separation from God and the community of redeemed sinners who have been washed clean in the blood of the spotless lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ who gave his life for us upon the cross for our salvation. Just as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats at night so they can rest in peace, so God will separate those who have accepted his love and grace from those who have rejected it through unbelief and disobedience. Separation is an inevitable consequence of sin and judgment. The Day of Judgment will reveal who showed true love, compassion, and mercy toward their neighbor.
This parable is similar to the parable about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). The rich man, who let Lazarus die on his doorstep, was doomed to a life of eternal misery. Separated by the abyss of hell, he craved for drops of cold water he had not thought of giving to the poor man who had begged at his door. When Martin of Tours (who lived in the 4th century), a young Roman soldier and seeker of the Christian faith, met an unclothed man begging for alms in the freezing cold, he stopped and cut his coat in two and gave half to the stranger. That night he dreamt he saw the heavenly court with Jesus robed in a torn cloak. One of the angels present asked, "Master, why do you wear that battered cloak?" Jesus replied, "My servant Martin gave it to me." Martin’s disciple and biographer Sulpicius Severus states that as a consequence of this vision Martin “flew to be baptized.” God is gracious and merciful; his love compels us to treat others with mercy and kindness. When we do something for one of Christ's little ones, we do it for Christ himself. Do you treat your neighbor with mercy, kindness, and compassion as Christ has treated you?
"Lord Jesus, be the Ruler of my heart and the Master of my possessions. May your love burn away every selfish thought and bitter root that I may only think and act with charity and generosity towards all.”
Psalm 19:8-10, 14
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
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(c) 2009 Don Schwager
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Grace is Free, But It's Not Cheap
Second Sunday in Lent 2009
For Sunday March 8, 2009
Lectionary Readings (Revised Common Lectionary, Year B)
Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16
Psalm 22:23–31
Romans 4:13–25
Mark 8:31–38 or 9:2–9
St John's Crucifixion Plaque,
7th century Ireland.
In his book The Ragamuffin Gospel Brennan Manning describes a myth that flourishes today in our churches, the suggestion that Christian discipleship consists of one rousing victory after another. This myth has done believers “incalculable harm,” says Manning, because it misrepresents the way a Christian life is really lived. The myth goes something like this: "On the journey with Jesus I can expect an irreversible, sinless future. Discipleship will be an untarnished success story; life will be an unbroken upward spiral toward holiness."
Personal experience debunks this myth as patently false, but many Christians still chase it as their standard, goal or expectation. Thank God for Lent, and for Mark's Gospel this week, which shows another way. Lent reminds us that the road to Easter resurrection zig zags through the valley of the shadow of death.
Jesus modeled the way for us. After Peter confessed that he was the Christ, Jesus began to predict his death, much to the shock of his disciples who longed for a savior who would vanquish the Romans: “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31, NIV). Jesus repeats this prediction two more times in the next few pages (9:31, 10:33).
Coptic icon.
Resurrection would triumph, but not before suffering, rejection and death. The disciples, who so often in the Gospels misunderstood Jesus and were afraid to ask him questions, got the message loud and clear, for Jesus “spoke plainly about this.” So plainly that Peter rebuked Jesus. “This can never happen to you,” he objected. In perhaps the sharpest rebuke in all of the Gospels, Jesus characterized Peter’s well-intended misunderstanding as satanic.
A second shock then followed when Jesus insisted that this pattern of self-denying suffering was incumbent upon anyone who wanted to follow him. After predicting his own suffering, rejection, and death to the disciples, he then turned to the larger crowd: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:34–35).
God’s grace is free, but it's not cheap, for it demands everything. This is a high price to pay, Jesus admits, and the risk-reward logic should pierce your heart: “What good is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a person give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36–37).
Paul Gaugin, The Yellow Christ, 1889.
There's a remarkably parallel incident to this Gospel story in the life of Paul. Luke writes that Paul was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost. When their ship landed for a short stay at Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus warned that the Holy Spirit had told him that if Paul went to Jerusalem, he would be bound and handed over to the Gentile authorities. Just as Peter rebuked Jesus who had predicted the sufferings that awaited him in Jerusalem, Paul’s companions begged him to avoid troubles in Jerusalem. His rejoinder is instructive: “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:8–12). About a week after they landed in Jerusalem Paul was arrested, the first step toward his eventual martyrdom in Rome.
Paul’s post-conversion life imitates Jesus’s model of self-denial and cross-bearing. When Corinthian believers demanded proof of his apostolic authority, he resorted to biting irony. “You want proof,” Paul asked? “Then I will give it to you. I have suffered more hardship, suffering, weakness, persecution, conflict, beatings, imprisonments, sleep depravity, hunger, hard work, lashings, and shipwrecks than anyone else.” Three times he then tells the Corinthians, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30; 12:5, 9). Even his one moment of glory when he was "caught up into heaven" was accompanied by a “thorn in the flesh.” Paul boasts about his weaknesses, he says, because it is in those weaknesses that he most experiences the grace, love and power of God.1
Man of Sorrows: Christ with AIDS
by W. Maxwell Lawton.
Jesus describes bearing your cross as a necessary part of discipleship. What does that mean? It's understandable that the world promotes self-indulgence over self denial, but oddly enough sometimes the church does too. Martin Luther made a helpful distinction when he contrasted a “theology of glory” (theologia gloriae) with a “theology of the cross” (theologia crucis).
A "theology of glory" is characterized by a triumphalistic posture which seeks to know God only or especially through His mighty acts of power, victory, miracle, and glory. If you pick up almost any popular Christian magazine you will find many examples. The book The Prayer of Jabez, for example, promises you “a front row seat in a life of miracles.” In language of the Old Testament, this mindset lives only for exodus and forgets about exile.
It’s true that we read about God’s mighty acts of power in both the Old and New Testaments, but it was Luther’s great contribution to remind us that beyond all His mighty acts of power, God’s ultimate act of love and self-revelation was through suffering on a cross. A “theology of the cross,” in contrast, insists that we know the Father’s love not so much through awesome miracles or startling outbursts of power, but through times of self-denial, suffering, testing, trials, and human weakness.
White Crucifixion, Marc Chagall, 1938.
The language of Jesus has passed into our modern lexicon as a sort of joke, when we tease about having to “bear our cross.” But Jesus meant to tell us something essential rather than trivial about his kingdom. Luke put it this way, after describing an incident when Paul was stoned and left for dead outside the city of Lystra: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:25). The early desert monastics left us with a wise aphorism: "expect trials until your last breath."
Language like this is almost impossible to understand for western believers in the so-called "first" world, but for the first three hundred years of the church it was the status quo. Lent reminds us that Easter's resurrection victory over sin, death and the devil is certain and on the way, but the journey that Jesus took passes through the via dolorossa.
For further reflection:
* Consider the place of self-denial in a culture of self-indulgence.
* Distinguish between healthy and unhealthy ways of self-denial and self-affirmation.
* Consider the meaning and implications of Luther's contrast between a theology of glory/cross.
* Why are books like The Prayer of Jabez so popular?
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[1] The three key passages here are 2 Corinthians 4:7–12; 6:3–10; and 11:1 to 12:10.
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Image credits: (1) FaithCentral.net.nz; (2) The Christian Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt; (3) Carol Gerten-Jackson; (4) www.theotherside.org; and (5) Carol Gerten-Jackson.Sphere: Related Content
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