06 April 2025 - Lent 5, Year C

 

Theme

We do not live as separate individuals isolated from other generations. It is good to be reminded of our history while still looking forward to a hopeful future. This tension of living in the present in light of the past and future seems to flow through our scripture readings for this week. Isaiah reminds the Israelites of God’s past goodness and encourages them to remember that God will continue to work for their good. The psalm reflects on the Israelite’s joyful return from exile and implores God to restore their fortunes in the future. Paul looks back at his earlier life before meeting Christ and then declares his desire to press on towards perfection. In our gospel reading, Judas misses the eternal significance of what was going on around him by (hypocritically) worrying about his own concerns.

Scriptures

Isaiah 43:16-21 - The prophet Isaiah reminds the Israelites of God’s deliverance from Egypt and promises that God will do greater things - making a pathway through the wilderness and providing water in the desert. Because of God’s goodness to Israel, they will one day honour God before the whole world. 

Psalm 126  - A psalm reminding the Israelites of their return from exile and asking God to restore their fortunes and joy.

Philippians 3:4b-14 - The apostle Paul writes about his earlier life as a Pharisee and persecutor of Christians. He was circumcised and obeyed the law without fault. He now considers these matters as worthless compared to knowing Christ. We are made righteous not by obeying the law, but through faith in Christ. Paul then talks about pressing on towards the perfection that Christ Jesus first possessed in him. 

John 12:1-8 - Mary and Martha host a dinner for Jesus and his friends. Martha served and Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with a jar of expensive perfume. Judas complains that the money could have been used for the poor, but Jesus rebukes him and claims that Mary did this in preparation for his burial. Jesus then claims that “you will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Personal Application

How can we remember God’s past blessings for ourselves and our ancestors? I am not speaking here of material “blessings.” Rather, how has God blessed our past so that we have come to know God’s love and grace today? For example, I am thankful that my parents had a divine experience of God’s love and chose to share that same love with me as their child. Because of their experience, I have come to know and experience God’s love myself. 

Furthermore, how can we press on towards perfection and look ahead with hope to the promises that God has for us? Many folk have been disheartened by Jesus’ statement that “the poor would always be with us.” If this is the case, what is the point in trying to alleviate poverty? Is Jesus saying that it is a hopeless cause and we should just accept that the poor will always be there? I do not believe so. Could Jesus have been addressing the systemic issues that will ensure that the poor will always be with us? Certainly Jesus’ other teachings and actions show us the importance of caring for the needs of the poor and oppressed in our world today. In fact, Jesus’ vision and promise of God’s eternal kingdom coming to earth should inspire us to hurry the process along. We should be confronting these systemic issues that are furthering the economic divide and ensuring that there will always be poor among us. This is the vital work that Jesus calls us to do as we declare together that “God’s Kingdom come, God’s will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.”

Communal Application

I have always struggled with our gospel story for this week. Judas seems to make a statement in righteous anger: “what a waste! That perfume could have been sold and given to the poor.” Surely this is a sensible claim that supports Jesus’ call for us to care for the poor? Why then does Jesus rebuke Judas and commend what Mary had done as good? We are told that Judas was a thief and would have had other intentions with the money made from selling the perfume. He therefore had his own selfish desires at heart in making his statement. Furthermore, Jesus had been trying to prepare his disciples for his imminent departure, but they kept on denying the fact. Mary, on the other hand, understood that Jesus would soon be leaving them and her final act of utter devotion was pleasing to Jesus and acknowledged accordingly by him. 

In light of this story and our scripture readings for this week, how can we as a church honour God before the whole world as the prophet Isaiah declared that God’s people would? How can we live with utter devotion in the present moment in light of God’s past blessings and future promises?