Throughout Lent we are
looking at Jesus’ words in Mark 12, when he repeated the she-ma to remind God’s
people that a faithful life is one centered on the covenant that God first establishes with us.
We have said that, in Scripture,
“covenant” is a word used to describe how God interacts with us and enters into
relationship with us.[i] Each of the five
covenants or promises that we’ll study in Hebrew Scripture on Sundays is accompanied by a sign.
In the flood story,
God’s bow in the sky reminds God’s self and us of our covenant relationship; for
Abraham and his children, circumcision is the visible sign of the covenant
relationship between God and Israel.
Tonight’s Scripture is
from John’s gospel at the conclusion of what is called “the book of signs.”
Throughout his account of Jesus’ ministry, the Fourth Evangelist bears witness
to the many miracles that Jesus performed and interprets them to us.
“Signs are things that point beyond themselves. The miraculous actions that Jesus performs are called
"signs" because they point beyond [Jesus], to the power and the
presence of God (2:11) [ii]
And yet, as the text
tells us, many of the people who saw these signs did not recognize – or as John
says “they did not believe” – Jesus was the Son of God.
Like Monday morning
quarterbacks, we may be quick to judge their disbelief but then, John
continues, saying that many others did believe, but they
were afraid to confess it for fear of judgment. (v. 42)
How often in our own lives
do we see this same pattern repeat? We silence ourselves to avoid judgment. In
the liturgy we are using during Lent, we confess:
We were silent when we
should have said something.
We were still when we
know we should have moved.
Our faith in Christ
frees us to respond to the world around us, confident in God’s promises. Yet, too often, we allow disbelief and
fear to rob us of the good
that God has promised.
John’s gospel says
that those who were afraid to confess Jesus as the Son of God “loved human glory more
than the glory that comes from God.” (v.43)
Human glory is the
glory or honor that we receive from other people; it connects to our impulses
for esteem, affection and approval. It is the illusion of power or control that
we assert over others, instead of accompanying, or walking beside one another. It is the
self-centered life, instead of the God-centered life.
When Jesus repeats the
she-ma, he instructs his followers to “love the Lord with all your heart…..”
but when we treasure human glory more than the glory of God, we fail to follow
Jesus’ instruction. In Matthew and Luke’s accounts of Jesus preaching to the
crowds, he warns his followers, “where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also.[iii]
Jesus is calling us to
“come out into the open” and confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God, recall the
covenant with God, and return our focus, and our hearts, to God.
Let us pray.[iv]
O Lord our God,
Show us your
everlasting love that we may serve you from the obedience of our hearts.
Lead us in the way of
your peace, that our souls may be restored.
Guide us in the way of
the cross, that we might proclaim the strength of your love.
We pray in the name of
Your Son Jesus,
Amen.
[i]
“Covenant” in Crazy Talk. Rolf
Jacobson, Ed. Minneapolis: Augsburg Books. 46-47.
[ii] “John,”
EntertheBible.org, Luther Seminary.
[iii] Luke 12:34, Matt. 6:21
[iv] Adapted
from Sundays and Seasons Midweek Lenten Series: You Shall Love the Lord Your
God.
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