Friday March 31 Lent 5
Click here for simplified daily office prayers
Psalm 22
This psalm is one of the most dramatic expressions of extreme fear, moving into trust in God. God acted in the past, but is doing so no longer. Jesus quotes from this psalm while he is on the cross, (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). It is appropriately read on Fridays, mini-anniversaries of the day Jesus was crucified.
Many elements in this psalm may have influenced the early Christians’ understanding of Jesus: the taunt that Jesus should save himself and since he didn’t he can’t be God, Jesus being God’s in Mary’s womb, Jesus’ thirst on the cross, his garments divided and dice cast for them, his hands and feet pierced, and packs of dogs which likely gathered at crucifixions. The second half of the psalm proclaims God’s faithfulness.
Jeremiah 29: 1-14 What’s Jeremiah about?
Jeremiah writes to those exiled to Babylon that after 70 years God will bring the people back to their land and make them safe. They are not to trust other prophets who say God will act soon. In the meantime, they should start living normally in their exile, and raise families and live peaceably in the city so there will be a vibrant people to return and rebuild Jerusalem when the time comes. Some people may have been arguing that God had abandoned them but Jeremiah asserts this delay was actually planned by God, so they can trust God totally. Possibly the seventy years was understood to be a full week of ten year segments so that it parallels God’s creation of the world.
The administrative details about how the letter was sent are included in order to emphasize the letter’s importance and solemnity.
In fact, the people did return to Jerusalem after about 70 years and they began to rebuild the city and the temple. The re-built temple was the one that was still standing in the time of Jesus, and had by then been greatly enlarged by Herod the Great a few years before Jesus’ birth.
John 11: 1-27 What’s John about?
Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, has fallen ill, which means “gravely ill,” but Jesus dismisses this and deliberately delays travelling for three days in order that there be no doubt that Lazarus is really dead.
Since Lazarus, Mary and Martha live just outside Jerusalem, the disciples are reluctant to go there knowing the implications are that Jesus will be in danger of being killed. Indeed, a week today Jesus also will be dead, and three days later, just like Lazarus, he will be raised. When Jesus arrives at Bethany the conversation continues about what it means that Jesus is the resurrection.
As always in John, conversations have multiple layers of meaning, and this story is intended to lead us to trust that Jesus’ resurrection will be available for us all, regardless of how unlikely that may seem to us.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
your Son came into the world
to free us all from sin and death.
Breathe upon us with the power of your Spirit,
that we may be raised to new life in Christ,
and serve you in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Click here to share your thoughts on the web site.