em>Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 3, 2024 (Lent 3B)

Christ driving the money-changers from the Temple (c.1570), oil painting on canvas by El Greco (1541-1614). Minneapolis Institute of Art. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17

So far in Lent we have heard the ancient stories of God’s covenantal promises to Noah and Abraham. Now we come to the great covenant with Moses and the people in the desert at Mount Sinai. God promises that the people will become a holy nation, that they will live and prosper in the promised land. In return, the people agree to walk in God’s way, making a covenant that they will live in accord with God’s commandments. Now they hear those commandments uttered for the first time, echoing over the throng as God’s thunderous voice shakes the mountain. These ten simple principles sum up the way in which the people shall live, detailing how they are to love God and love each other.

Psalm: Psalm 19

“The heavens declare the glory of God.” This familiar hymn of praise and thanksgiving sings in exultation at the beauty and wonder of all God’s creation. In beautiful poetic language it shouts with joy about God’s gift to all the people of the world and to all the span of the universe. And within that creation, the hymn rings on, God’s laws and statutes – the great commandments – give us wisdom and joy and lead us to righteousness.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Paul’s first letter to the people of Corinth in northern Greece is listed among his greatest epistles. Throughout its 16 chapters we see him offering loving pastoral advice to a distant community that has been splitting into factions over a variety of issues. In this passage taken from near the beginning, Paul clearly expresses the overarching theme of this letter: The Cross unites us as one! We may appear foolish to both Jews and Gentiles for worshiping as God a man executed on the brutal Roman cross, a symbol of pain, shame and degradation. But their opinion doesn’t matter, Paul writes,because we prefer God’s “foolishness” to mere human wisdom. We celebrate God’s weakness over the limited power that humans consider strength.

Gospel: John 2:13-22

For the remaining Sundays of Lent we turn from Mark to John’s Gospel, beginning with the familiar story of Jesus throwing the money-changers out of the Temple. This narrative appears in all four Gospels, but curiously, while Matthew, Mark and Luke all place it at the beginning of Holy Week, in John we find it near the beginning of the Gospel, during an earlier trip to Jerusalem for Passover that none of the others mention. Moreover, John alone tells of Jesus not merely throwing over the money changers’ tables but fashioning a whip of cords to lash them in his anger at their exploiting the poor in the name of God. Then Jesus foreshadows his own passion and death, likening his own body to the Temple and declaring that he will “rise up” three days after his body’s destruction.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 7, 2021

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17

During the first three weeks of Lent we remember God’s three great covenants with the people: God’s promises through the ages given to Noah, Abraham, and now Moses.

Christ Driving the Money-changers from the Temple (1626), oil painting on oak wood by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669). Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow. (Click image to enlarge.)

God’s thunderous voice shakes Mount Sinai as the awed people hear the Ten Commandments that sum up the principles by which we live with love for God and each other. Hear God’s voice and follow these commandments, God has told Moses in the verses just before these bedrock principles, and you will be God’s treasured possession among all the people.

Psalm: Psalm 19

In an appropriate sequel to the first reading, we hear this familiar hymn of praise and thanksgiving, sung in beautiful, poetic language, exulting at the beauty and wonder of all God’s creation, God’s gift to all the people of the world and to all the span of the universe. Within that creation, the hymn sings on, God’s laws and statutes – the great commandments – give us wisdom and joy and lead us to righteousness.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Paul’s first letter to the people of Corinth begins with a simple but challenging pastoral issue: The community is splitting into factions, each following a different leader. Paul urges them to stay united by following the Cross, Paul urges them. Never mind if their Jewish and Gentile neighbors mock Christians as foolish for worshiping a man who was brutally executed on the Roman cross, he says. The cross was a symbol of pain, shame and degradation, a seemingly foolish conclusion in the eyes of people who were expecting a warrior Messiah who would overthrow Rome with power and might. But that doesn’t matter, Paul writes, because Christians prefer God’s foolishness to mere human wisdom. God’s weakness far outweighs human strength.

Gospel: John 2:13-22

During the first weeks of Lent we quickly touched on Mark’s narrative of Jesus’ public ministry, from his baptism and prophetic teaching to Peter’s recognition that Jesus is the Son of Man, the Messiah. Now we turn to John’s Gospel for the rest of the season, beginning with John’s colorful account of Jesus throwing the money-changers out of the temple. This narrative appears in all four Gospels, but curiously, while Matthew, Mark and Luke all place it at the beginning of Holy Week, in John we find it near the beginning of the Gospel, during an earlier trip to Jerusalem for Passover that none of the other Gospels mention. Moreover, John alone goes into such detail: Not only did Jesus throw over the money changers’ tables, but he made a whip of cords to lash them in his anger at their exploiting the poor in the name of God. At the end, Jesus foreshadows his own passion and death. To the outrage of temple leaders, Jesus likens his own body to the temple and declares that he will raise it up three days after its destruction.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 4, 2018

Mosè (Moses) with the Ten Commandments, 17th century painting by Pietro Novelli “Il Monrealese” (1603-1647). Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo, Sicily. (Click image to enlarge.)

So far in Lent we have read the ancient stories of God’s covenantal promises to Noah and Abraham. Now we come to the great covenant with Moses and the people in the desert at Mount Sinai. God promises that the people will become a holy nation, living and prospering in the promised land. The people agree to walk in God’s way, living in accord with the familiar commandments that they now hear told for the first time in God’s thunderous voice that shakes the mountain. These ten simple principles sum up the way in which we are to live, loving God and loving each other.

Psalm: Psalm 19

“The heavens declare the glory of God.” This memorable poem of praise and thanksgiving has been arranged as a popular 18th century hymn by Isaac Watts, although it’s regrettably not in our 1982 Hymnal. In beautiful poetic language the Psalm celebrates God’s gifts to all the people of the world and to all the span of the universe. Within that bountiful creation, the Psalm continues, God’s laws and statutes – the great commandments – grant us wisdom and joy and lead us to righteousness.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Paul first great pastoral letter to the people of Corinth opens with a simple but important pastoral issue: The community is splitting into factions, each following a different leader. Stay united by following the Cross, Paul urges the people. Never mind if their Jewish and Gentile neighbors mock Christians as “foolish” for worshiping a man who was brutally executed on the Roman cross. Outsiders may view the cross as a symbol of pain, shame and degradation when they were expecting a powerful warrior Messiah; but their opinion doesn’t matter, says Paul, because we prefer God’s “foolishness” to mere human wisdom; God’s “weakness” far outweighs human strength.

Gospel: John 2:13-22

For the remaining Sundays of Lent we turn to John’s Gospel, beginning with the familiar story of Jesus throwing the money-changers out of the temple. This narrative appears in all four Gospels, but curiously, while Matthew, Mark and John all place it at the beginning of Holy Week, in John we find it near the beginning of the Gospel, during an earlier trip to Jerusalem for Passover that none of the others mention. Moreover, John alone tells of Jesus not merely throwing over the money changers’ tables but fashioning a whip of cords to lash them in his anger at their exploiting the poor in the name of God. Then Jesus foreshadows his own passion and death, likening his own body to the temple and declaring that he will “rise up” three days after his body’s destruction.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for March 8, 2015

Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple, Cathedrale d’Amiens.

In the first three weeks of Lent, we read of God’s great covenants with the people: God’s promises to the ages through Noah, Abraham and now Moses. God’s thunderous voice shakes the mountain as the awed people hear the Ten Commandments that sum up the principles by which we live with love for God and each other. Hear God’s voice and follow these commandments, God tells Moses in the verses just before these bedrock principles; and you will be God’s treasured possession among all the people.

Psalm: Psalm 19

This familiar hymn of praise and thanksgiving sings in exultation at the beauty and wonder of all God’s creation. In beautiful poetic language it shouts with joy about God’s gift to all the people of the world and to all the span of the universe. And within that creation, the hymn rings on, God’s laws and statutes – the great commandments – give us wisdom and joy and lead us to righteousness.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Paul’s great pastoral letter to the people of Corinth begins with a simple sermon to a community that seems to be splitting into factions: The Cross unites us as one! We may look foolish to both Jews and Gentiles for worshiping as God a man executed on the brutal Roman cross, a symbol of pain, shame and degradation. But their opinion doesn’t matter, because we prefer God’s “foolishness” to mere human wisdom; God’s weakness to the limited power that humans consider strength.

Gospel: John 2:13-22

During the first weeks of Lent we quickly touched on Mark’s narrative of Jesus’ public ministry, from his baptism and prophetic teaching to Peter’s recognition that Jesus is the Son of Man, the Messiah. Now we turn to John’s Gospel for the rest of the season, beginning with John’s colorful account of Jesus throwing the money-changers out of the temple. Then John sets us on the path toward Jesus’ passion and death as Jesus likens his own body to the temple, declaring that he will “rise up” three days after his body’s destruction.