When I Am Lifted up - I Will
Draw All People to Myself
Introduction: May you continue to experience the ever-deepening covenant relationship and life that is possible in and through Jesus. The readings focus on a new covenant relationship that GOD desires to have with us. As we have experienced throughout Lent.
The readings
speak of different aspects of having a covenant relationship with GOD. Jeremiah
predicts that GOD will establish a new covenant relationship with the Chosen People
based not on laws written on stone, but rather on a covenant written on the hearts
of those who desire a closer connection with GOD. The psalmist also speaks about
a “heart” relationship with GOD that includes a freshness and closeness not had
before. The Letter to the Hebrews highlights the covenant relationship Jesus has
with His Abba-Father – one based on obedience, even in the midst of
suffering. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the specialness of His relationship with
His Abba and He describes it as being “the Hour of Glory,” which includes
both His death and resurrection.
Commentary: For
Christians, this reading from Jeremiah can be called the climax of the Old
Testament. It is certainly the climax of the history of Israel which we have
been following in the first readings of the Sundays of Lent/ The exile to
Babylon seemed to be the end of the road. Israel had lost its king, country,
Temple, and cult. They had been unfaithful to their Lord once too often, and at
last, the covenant was left in tatters. Paradoxically, however, this was the
moment of advance, the moment which brought Israel to be a world religion, by
which all humanity could benefit from the salvation promised to Abraham. The
covenant was to be renewed, not, as previously, dependent on the institutions,
Law, and cult of Israel, but open to every individual, an individual commitment
to the Lord, written on human hearts. ‘No need for everyone to teach brother’?
Yes, we must still learn from one another and accept the guidance of the
Church, but the bond is between God and the individual, no longer the race as
such. This is ‘the covenant in my blood for the forgiveness of sin’ to which
Jesus refers at the Last Supper. He sees it ratified in his blood, as the first
covenant was ratified in the blood of animal sacrifice. The forgiveness it
brings is the final forgiveness, pre-echoed in God’s forgiveness of the sin of
Israel down the ages.
Today’s psalm also speaks of a renewal of heart – metanoia
– a time of repentance and contrition, seeking forgiveness for straying
from GOD’s ways. With a cleansed heart, a new dedication to the covenant relationship
can begin. The sorrow and pains of the present will give way to a time of joy as
one realizes the gift of cleansing salvation that comes from GOD. It will also be
a time of renewed energy in sharing with others the benefits of being in a relationship
with GOD.
Commentary: The wonderful reading is the heart of
the Letter to the Hebrews which dwells on the priesthood of Christ. Here the
author prepares us for the coming celebration of the Passion by reflecting on
the double aspect of the human fear and pain of Jesus, and his complete, loving
obedience. It says his prayer was heard. What prayer? Not the prayer to be
spared death, for that prayer was not heard. Rather the deeper prayer, the
prayer which was at the heart of his burning desire to establish the kinship of
God in human hearts, bringing peace between heaven and earth by his perfect
obedience. How then did he ‘learn obedience through suffering’? The secret of
the Cross of Jesus is that here he reached the perfect obedience to his Father,
giving everything to his Father’s will. His whole life and ministry had been devoted
to the Father’s will, to establishing the Father’s kingship on earth. Now it has
reached its highest point. His perfect obedience overrode and expunged the
disobedience of Adam, that is, the archetypal disobedience of the whole human
race. So, by accepting defeat, pain, and humiliation, he obtained for himself
and all victory, bliss, and exaltation to glory.
Commentary: This
moving gospel reading is the immediate prelude to the account of the Last
Supper and the Passion. It is full of Jesus’ dread and confidence at what he
knows is approaching. In the gospel of John there is no agony in the garden
before Jesus’ arrest, for in John the story of the Passion is so shaped that it
is clearly the triumph of the Son of man. There is no mention of humiliation or
mockery. Jesus remains in control from the beginning, when he permits the
guards to take him into custody, till the end, when he calls out that he is
ready to die, ‘It is complete’. This is all the hour of the exaltation of the
Son of man, when Jesus is raised up in every sense. All the more important,
then, for John to show before the Passion that the cost for Jesus was real,
with this little dialogue in prayer between Jesus and his Father. This is
John’s equivalent of the prayer in the garden. The second reading from Hebrews
shows that there were in early Christianity strong but slightly variant
traditions of Jesus’ prayer before his Passion. All express his very human
fear, his unshakable commitment to his task and his loving confidence in his
Father’s care.
Reflection: How
does God bring us into an inseparable bond of love and unity with himself? God
is a covenant-maker who draws men and women to himself in a bond of peace and
friendship. God established a covenant with his people when he freed them from
slavery in Egypt and brought them to his holy mountain at Sinai. "I will
be your God, and you will be my people" (Exodus 6:7; Leviticus 26:12). But
his people time and again broke covenant with him and did not follow his ways
(Jeremiah 31:32) - "each did what was right in his or her own eyes"
(Judges 17:26 and 21:25). God, nonetheless, continued to send his prophets to draw
his people back.
A new and everlasting covenant: When the prophet Jeremiah was sent to the exiles to offer them a message of hope and restoration, he spoke of a new covenant that would surpass the previous covenant which God had made. God intended to establish a new and everlasting covenant that would wipe away the sins of his people and open the way to God's throne of mercy and grace (his undeserved favor and blessing). This new covenant would be sealed with the blood of the perfect sacrifice that Jesus would offer to the Father when he died upon the cross to atone for our sins. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry John, the Baptist prophetically pointed to Jesus as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, was sent from the Father in heaven to become a man for our sake so he could as man offer the one perfect sacrifice that would unite us with God and give us everlasting life.
Jesus' hour of glory: Shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover, Jesus announced to his disciples that the "hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified" (John 12:23). The Son of Man is a prophetic title for the Messiah recorded in the prophecy of Daniel (see the Book of Daniel 7:13-14). In Jesus' time the Jewish people were looking for a Messiah who would set them free from the oppressive rule of Rome. Jesus came to set people free from the worst oppression of all - the tyranny of endless slavery to sin, Satan, and death. Jesus came to bring us into a new covenant relationship with God that would not end with death but lead to eternal life.
Jesus announced
to his followers that when "he would be lifted up from the earth, he would
draw all people to himself" (John 12:32). What did Jesus mean by the
expression of being "lifted up" and "drawing people to
himself"? When a great leader won a complete and decisive conquest over
his enemies and brought freedom and peace to his people, he was crowned and
given a new title, as Victor, Savior, and Deliverer of the people. A conquering
ruler was robed in royal splendor and raised up and enthroned on high in the
sight of his people.
Victory through suffering and the cross: How did Jesus fulfill his mission as the Anointed (Messiah) King who came to bring victory and freedom for his people? Jesus knew that the only way to decisive victory for God's kingdom on the earth would be through his voluntary suffering and death on the cross. Jesus described his willingness to go to the cross as his "hour of glory" (John 12:23) when he would fulfill his Father's will and accomplish the mission entrusted to him. Jesus saw his death on the cross as triumph over the powers of sin and Satan's forces of darkness. The real enemy that Jesus came to overcome was Satan who tempts the human race to rebel against God and his commands in order to create their own destiny through sinful pride and disobedience. Jesus took our sins upon himself and nailed them to the cross to set us free from condemnation to death and destruction, and the eternal consequence of separation from God.
"Unless the grain of wheat dies...": How can suffering and death bring life and freedom? Jesus used the illustration of the "grain of wheat" to show how God brings life from death and good fruit through patience and suffering. Seeds by themselves are worthless and lifeless. Only when the seed is destroyed by burying it in the ground, can it rise to new life and bear fruit.
What is the
analogy which Jesus alludes to in the image of the grain of wheat that must
first die in order to rise to new life and bear good fruit? Is this simply a
veiled reference to his own impending death on the cross and to his
resurrection? Or does Jesus have another kind of "death and rebirth"
in mind for his disciples as well? Jesus, no doubt, had both meanings in mind.
Jesus' obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom and new life in
the Holy Spirit. His cross frees us from the tyranny of sin and death and shows
us the way of perfect love and readiness to lay down our lives in sacrificial
service for the good of others.
A new "creation" in Christ: If we want to receive the abundant new life and the fruit of the Spirit which the Lord Jesus freely offers us, then the "outer shell" of our fallen sinful nature must first be broken and be put to death. In baptism our "old nature" which was enslaved by sin is buried with Christ so we may rise to new life with Christ through the cleansing waters of baptism. Paul the Apostle describes this death and rebirth in Christ as a "new creation" which Christ accomplishes in us through the power of his saving death and resurrection (2 Cor 5:17).
This process of
death to the "old fallen self" is both a one-time event which occurs
in our baptism, and it is also a daily, on-going cycle of growth in which the
Holy Spirit buries us more deeply into Jesus' death to sin so we might rise
anew in the power of God's love, righteousness (moral goodness), and holiness.
There is a great paradox here. Death leads to life. When we "die" to ourselves
- to our rebellious sinful nature and willful rejection of God's commandments -
we receive God's forgiveness and the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit
which frees us to love and serve others and follow God faithfully. It is God's
free gift of grace (his blessing and favor towards us) and the transforming
power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to live and serve joyfully as sons and
daughters of God.
Pruning and bearing good fruit in Christ: How can I practically "die" to myself so that the Lord Jesus can live in me and transform me into his likeness and holiness? It certainly means that what is contrary to God's will must be "put to death" within me. God gives us grace to say "yes" to his will and the strength we need to reject whatever is contrary to his commands and plan for our lives. The Lord Jesus promises that we will bear much "fruit" for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake and embrace his will for our lives.
Jesus used
strong language to describe the kind of self-denial he had in mind for his
disciples. "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in
this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25). What did Jesus
mean when he said that a follower of Christ must hate himself or herself? The
expression to hate something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says that
nothing should get in the way of our preferring him and the will of our
heavenly Father above all else. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "what is
sown in the earth is subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible" (1
Corinthians15:42). Do you believe in the power and victory of Christ's saving
cross and resurrection? And are you ready to reject whatever is contrary to
God's commands and to trust him for the strength and joy to embrace his will
for your life?
Lord Jesus, let
me be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for you. I want to follow
wherever you lead me. Give me fresh hope and joy in serving you all the days of
my life.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Love
what is in the image of God, by Caesarius of Arles (470-543 AD)
"Whatever
you love is either the same as yourself, below you or above you. If what you
love is beneath you, love it to comfort it, care for it and to use it but not
to cling to it. For example, you love gold. Do not become attached to the gold,
for how much better are you than gold? Gold, indeed, is a shining piece of
earth, while you have been made in the image of God in order that you may be
illumined by the Lord. Although gold is a creature of God, still God did not
make it according to his own image, but you he did. Therefore, he put the gold
beneath you. This kind of love should be despised. Those things are to be
acquired for their usefulness, but we should not cling to them with the bond of
love as if with glue. Do not make for yourself members over which, when they
have begun to be cut away, you will grieve and be afflicted. What then? Rise
from that love with which you love things that are lower than you, and begin to
love your equals, that is, things that are what you are... The Lord himself has
told us in the Gospel and clearly showed us in what order we may have true love
and charity. For he spoke in this way, 'You shall love the Lord your God with
your whole heart, and with your whole soul and with your whole strength. And
your neighbor as yourself'' (Luke 10:27). Therefore, first love God and then
yourself. After these, love your neighbor as yourself." (excerpt from
SERMONS 173, 4-5.25)
EASTER IS ONLY FOR THE DEAD: “The man who loves his life loses it, while the man who hates his life in this world preserves it to life eternal.” —John 12:25
There are two
more weeks until Easter. We are on the threshold of one of the most significant
moments of our lives. Do we expect to meet the risen Christ this Easter? The
risen, glorified Jesus is about to come to us in a special way. However, to
experience the resurrection, we must be willing to die. Only the dead can come
to life.
“I solemnly
assure you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains
just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 12:24). We
must accept the deaths of repentance, sacrifice, obedience, suffering, and
persecution, or we do not have the prerequisites for resurrection. “Continually
we carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life
of Jesus may also be revealed. While we live, we are constantly being delivered
to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal
flesh” (2 Cor 4:10-11).
The old song
says: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” We might
paraphrase it: “Everybody wants the resurrection without the crucifixion, the
glory without the cross, Easter without Lent.”
Prayer: Jesus, may the next two weeks be a
real-life “way of the cross.” “I will place My law within them, and write it
upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” —Jer
31:33. Praise and honor to You, forgiving and merciful Lord Jesus Christ.
The personal
action for today: When I think of giving my heart to the
Lord Jesus, do I realize that it implies more than just my emotions, for it includes
giving of my desires and will power to doing GOD’s will? In what ways do I still
need to be more willing to give myself to doing the will of GOD? Have I experienced
a deeper relationship with GOD during times of suffering and dying to myself? What
place has prayer been in my hour of giving glory to GOD? How can I use my dying
to self as a means of enabling others to experience a closer relationship with GOD
Who is Abba? During this Lent, have I grown in my “knowledge” of (personal
relationship with) the covenant relationship that GOD has been offering to me –
in and through the life, ministry, teaching, death and resurrection, all in the
unity of the Holy Spirit?