Lent Week 5

Psalm: Psalm 51:1-12 or Psalm 119:9-16 
Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:31-34 
Gospel: John 12:20-33 
Epistle: Hebrews 5:5-10

Today is the last Sunday of Lent before Palm Sunday next week (Which is still during the season of Lent as well). We have been exploring the theme of wilderness this Lent, partially because that is what our church's theme is this Lent. But this week, we move away from the wilderness and are invited to explore what God has done for us through Jesus.

In Jeremiah 31, the prophet sees a day coming when the Covenant will no longer be written on stone tablets and placed on doorposts and foreheads, but will be written on the heart. The old Covenenant had its time and place, but it was never effective in removing sin once and for all. Indeed, the history of Israel shows it wasn't really effective in bringing God's people closer to him.  It tried to do so, but Israel and Judah never truly lived up to the obligations of the Covenenant, and thus never fully received its benefits. Verse 34 is also an interesting note that nobody will need to be taught about God because everyone will know him already. In a sense, this vision is a renewal of the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve knew and were known by God because God walked with them. Jeremiah sees a day when his role as a prophet from God would no longer be necessary. We understand that the new covenant Jeremiah is talking about is initiated in Jesus, but has not yet been realized even today. So here Jeremiah is predicting a future that even we haven't yet seen.

This paragraph has nothing to do with our reading this week, but I just thought about it when looking back at God walking with the Adam and Even in the Garden. We all know that after Adam and Eve sinned, God was walking in the "cool of the day" when he confronted them. The word for "cool" is actually ruach in Hebrew- the same word that is translated "Spirit" in Gen. 1:2 to describe the Holy Spirit. Ruach can mean spirit, the Spirit, wind, or breath. I don't think it is a coincidence that God was seen walking and "ruach" was used. If no one can see God, it leads us to question how he would have been walking in the Garden.  I wonder if it was the Spirit who was present in the Garden that day. I don't know, but it was realization I just had today. 

 So, back to our readings. Psalm 51 is the classic cry for repentance and forgiveness from David after the prophet Nathan confronts him with his sin in the Bathsheba incident. He prays that God would create a clean heart again in him and renew a right spirit in his life. He is praying for a personal encounter and renewal with God, not too unlike what Jeremiah was visioning for all of God's people.

Our 2 readings from the New Testament bring Jeremiah's vision into reality in the life of Jesus. Both explore why Jesus came and what his death accomplished. John 12 is the chapter before the Last Supper and Jesus spoke these words from inside Jerusalem and during the last week of his life. He foretold his death and said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." Jesus understood that his death would bring life to many. (v. 24)

Finally, in Hebrews we have an explanation of why Jesus was a better high priest than what was under the Old Covenant, and why he was a better sacrifice than what was offered under the old system. These ideas, as well as other juxtapositions between the Old and New Covenant, are what Hebrews explores. But particularly in our verses today, I think the words are used to evoke the image of Jesus' crucifixion: his prayers, loud crying, and tears directed to the one who could have saved him from death. Because Jesus was obedient and made perfect, he was able to provide eternal salvation to those who obey him. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, he ushered in the New Covenant of God's relationship to humanity.

God has continued to reach out to humanity and draw us to himself. From Adam and Eve, to Abraham and Jeremiah, God has reached out to find ways to build relationship with his creation. The Old Covenant and now the New were and are God's way to reach humanity where they are. It is up to each person to reject or accept God's call. May we be faithful to answer God's leading and call others to do the same.

Grace and Peace.