THE LUXURY OF LENT
April 2nd
J.D. Penner
Texts:
John 12:20-33
Psalm 51:1-12
I must admit that I was excited by the performance of the Canadian athletes at the most recent Olympic Winter Games. Our family got hooked, and watched many of the events. Not being athletic ourselves (unless you include the non-stop energy of a five and three year olds), we admired the ability of the athletes. Whether it was skiing down a hill at the speed of cars on the 401, or being able to send a curling rock on a very narrow and precise trajectory to knock out three of the opponent’s stones, the events were truly thrilling. Of course, speed skating was a highlight, especially for Canadians. Clara Hughes, who has won medals in both cycling in the summer Olympics and speed skating in the Winter Olympics was great in her preferred event – the 5000M (that’s five kilometers, on skates!) And then there was Cindy Klassen whose five medals in one Olympics is a Canadian record. She now has six medals over two consecutive Winter Olympics – an unparalleled feat in most of the world. Now, if you had told me when I was a teenager that a Mennonite (an MB) woman was going to be the most decorated Olympic athlete in Canadian history, I would have suggested that the events would have to be platz-making, zwieback baking, knitting Oma slippers and making bath mats out of old nylons. Times change, and so do Mennonites, even MB’s from Winnipeg.
One of the characteristics that I most admire about great athletes is their dedication to their sport. They train year-round, constantly paying attention to diet, physical condition and mental strength. They are in tune with their bodies and minds. I envy the ability of athletes to retain their focus despite setbacks, bad days, or unfortunate injuries or events that give them pause. If I focused as much energy on my faith, as athletes do on their sport, maybe I would be a better Christian. If I spent more time thinking how to be a Christian, rather than how to be successful, where would I be today? Do we as Christians spend enough time considering the things that really matter? Certainly, the opportunities are there. We are now in the season of Lent – a time of preparation for the fulfillment of God’s promise to us, through Jesus. Lent – a time when we consider the events unfolding in the life of Jesus as he makes his way to the cross. His earthly ministry is almost complete. We have the opportunity to look back on these events and consider what import they have for us. That’s the Luxury of Lent.
You know, the disciples didn’t have that luxury. On more than one occasion, Jesus does prophesy his own death, but his followers either don’t understand him, or don’t believe him. But you know what, I wouldn’t have either. The passage from John which we heard today is actually preceded by Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Reflect on this for a moment – you’re a witness to the events at that time. You see a fellow who is an amazing teacher, who just raised someone from the dead, and then is lauded by the masses as he enters the city – you really think you would have expected that fellow to die? And it wasn’t that Jesus was going to die of old age either. He was thought to have been in his thirties. It’s like our three-year old son, Nathaniel, during family dinner with my parents one night recently. My father mentioned something about when Jesus died. With a look of shock and sadness/horror in his eyes, Nathaniel says “Jesus died?!” Jesus is a current character for him. All those stories in Sunday school, and he hadn’t heard that Jesus had died. For him the stories were real, as much in the present, as any other.
The unexpected nature of Jesus’ death is part of the story here, part of the drama.
Now, let’s take a look at the passage from John. [I have to admit something. This passage is the one found in the lectionary for this Sunday, and initially I found it difficult to understand. The sequence is this: The Greeks show up, Jesus immediately says it’s time for him to die, tells a parable about a grain of wheat, then says that whoever loves his life will lose it, and the passage concludes with “He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die”.] A bit intense, I’d say. But, with a little help from one of Gary’s Bible commentaries, and lot more thinking, the passage starts to make more sense.
What’s fascinating about this passage is that it’s the arrival of the Greeks, or Gentiles that seems to encourage Jesus to proclaim “The hour has come to for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Why the Greeks? The passage indicates that they wish “to see” Jesus. The phrase “to see” may indicate they want to meet, or visit with Jesus, but the Greek verb used for “seeing” here has more spiritual understanding here, consistent with other parts of John. It is thus likely, that “to see” is used more as a means of saying to “believe in”. Did the Greeks truly wish to believe in Jesus? Other than the opening here, the writer does not refer to them again. But Jesus does use this opportunity to say “the hour has come”. In John, the language using “the hour” always seems to refer to Jesus’ crucifixion. Prior to this passage, Jesus says the hour has not yet come, but here and from here on out, Jesus says the hour has come. It appears later in this passage as well. The fact that he picks the visit of the Greeks or Gentiles as the time to say it would indicate that it was not just a mere voyeuristic visit for the Greeks, but truly Gentiles coming to believe in Him. The word of God is meant for all, Jew and Gentile, including us.
What follows this is the parable of the grain of wheat falling into the earth. [Read v.24] If it remains a single grain, it does not become productive. However, if it falls into the earth and dies, it bears much fruit. There is a similarity here between this parable and the one of the mustard seed found in the other Gospels. The mustard seed parable ends with the tree “so great, that the birds of the air can nest in it.” There is no limit to who can accept God. Given that the context here is the Greeks, and Jesus saying that his death is imminent, it stands to reason that Jesus is talking about His own death here. If Jesus dies, there is redemption for many, his death bears much fru
it.
There’s another part of the passage that is intriguing. In verse 27 Jesus says:
Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.
Jesus soul is troubled? Jesus is expressing doubts about the events that are about to unfold? I think that here we see the human side of Jesus. He really was struggling with what he knew was the will of God. The fact that there is a voice from heaven saying that God will glorify God’s name again is a reassurance for Jesus that the death and resurrection that follows is part of God’s plan. This is, in fact, the only place in John that God actually speaks directly. The passage in John regarding the baptism of Jesus does not refer to the voice from heaven, as opposed to the account found in Mark. I kind of like that. Somehow, the fact that God chooses to speak directly with God’s own voice to the one who is struggling, and only on those occasions, indicates a very personal relationship is possible and necessary with God. So often, we find ourselves needing reassurance about a choice we need to make, or the direction our life is going. But, there is a real need and opportunity to allow God to speak directly, rather than taking direction from others. The fact that Jesus was tempted, like us, to look for a way out, just makes Jesus’ whole life and ministry more relevant. The fact that God chooses to reassure directly at that moment, shows us that God is at the centre of that struggle – God is there even when facing death.
The disciples were not prepared for Jesus’ death. However, we have the opportunity to be prepared for it, and for our own. But how prepared are we really? It’s not a question one asks very often. So much of what we do in Western society is a way of trying to avoid death, or at least an early one. Whether it’s eating right, exercising more often, looking for the genetic code that is involved in the aging process, always improving health care so that we can live longer, we are constantly looking at ways to continue this life. We’ve all had experiences of death, some more recent than others. If we allow ourselves to seriously consider our own death, we begin to think about this life a little differently. One of the courses I took at University of Manitoba was “Death and Concepts of Afterlife”, taught by a Jewish rabbi who was quite an earthy type fellow. One of the exercises we had to complete was to prepare for our own death. We had to prepare a living will which discusses what was important in this life, prepare an actual will, prepare our own funeral ceremony and our own eulogy. In fact, the rabbi, Rabbi Rose, said “Who knows you better than you? You’re the best person to write about yourself, and can brag about yourself, so you should write the eulogy yourself.” It was a very interesting exercise and I found it very stimulating. It made me think about what was really important.
What about the next one? The next life, that is. Eternal life. The Scripture here is also instructive. [Read v. John 25 and 26]. Now, the whole loving one’s life/hating one’s life is said in different ways at different times in each of the four Gospels. John’s use of the verbs of loving and hating life here, though, provides a starker contrast than some of the other passages. Part of the reason for that is that for John, there is more of an interest in denouncing the evil that exists in this life. I’ve always thought of the book of John as having more to do with focusing on the spiritual life, one that honours God, and less of a narrative. We would do well to heed the message of paying attention to our Spiritual life, and loving this life a little less. How do we do this? “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will also.”
It’s at this point that I think Psalm 51 has a way of talking about being spiritually clean; about being prepared for death. [Read Psalm 51] What are the decisions we make which are part of healthy living? Are we prepared to stand and be faithful even when times are difficult? The disciples certainly didn’t know Jesus was going to die, but they were being faithful in the best way they knew. I was recently reminded about what it means to be faithful during preparation for a concert with Voices, a chamber choir in which I sing. We sang a Bach motet, “Jesus, meine Freude”. In part of the motet, there is a chorale which reflects on the struggles in this life, the suffering in this world, and the suffering around us. At the end of one of the phrases, Bach sets the words “Jesus steht mir bei” – “Jesus stands with me” with finality. It recalls to me the story of Martin Luther on trial at Worms, and saying at one point, “Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir…” – “Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me.” That’s always stuck with me – about a faith that is so strong, that despite anything that we face, any challenges or trials for us or around us, our faith will not fail. And yet, at times we will fail. But for this we have a redeemer; for this Christ came. “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to me.” One line of thinking here is that this refers to Jesus being raised on the cross – the crucifixion. Thus, the sentence “He said this to indicate what kind of death he was to die” makes more sense. Being crucified was a part of God’s plan – drawing all people to God, Jew and Gentile alike. The redemption in the crucifixion was meant for all.
The trial and death of Jesus is witnessed as a first-time event by the disciples, but for, us we have the opportunity to look at the context, to witness the events in retrospect and reflect on them. We can do that from here today, but the disciples didn’t have that luxury. What are we prepared to do to see Jesus through to his death and ultimately to his resurrection? What are we prepared to say in this life to be prepared for the next? Are we prepared to stand and be faithful and have a new and right spirit within us?
Amen.