No, Probably Not
Matt Frizzell, Director of Human Resources Ministries
Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. -Matthew 12:15b-18
Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Probably not.
Confession is a time of cleansing and embracing hard truths about ourselves and our world. Lent is such a time to wrestle with truth before the joy of Easter. Consider how the story goes:
- The lawyers interrogated him. (see Luke 10)
- The chief priests and elders questioned his authority. (see Mark 11)
- The Pharisees tried to entrap him. (see Matthew 22)
- The crowd yelled “Crucify him!”, choosing Barabbas-a rioter-over Jesus, the peaceful One. (See Mark 15, John 19, Luke 23)
- One disciple betrayed him. (See Luke 22)
- At a critical moment, other disciples avoided him and denied him. (see Matthew 26)
What makes me think I am different? Why would I think that moving toward Jesus or his peace is easy? These are questions I ask myself, searching for truth. The world I live is in not static. Its culture and structure are recreated everyday with social media and people’s actions. Do I really think that our world is designed to drift effortlessly into Christ’s peace?
To understand discipleship, I look to the Gospels. The Gospel of Mark depicts Jesus having to repeatedly explain his message and mission of the Kingdom to his disciples. Jesus’ interaction with them in Mark 4 is typical of the whole Gospel. It’s like the disciples are hard-headed. They just can’t seem to understand Jesus-what he says or what he does. Mark tells his Gospel this way for a reason. Hopefully, we see ourselves in the disciples. Grasping Jesus’ message and mission isn’t easy. The gospel may be simple. The message and mission might be straight-forward: proclaim, forgive, love, and believe. But none of this is easy. What makes me think I’ll avoid the traps that the Pharisees, lawyers, chief priests, crowd, or disciples fall into as they oppose, betray and deny him?
Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Probably not.
Facing the truth of our world and ourselves takes humility. As unpopular as it has become, repentance is the answer. Repentance and sin have become words of faith that cast a shadow of shame, guilt, and resentment. No doubt, people in authority use the label of sin and Christ’s call to repentance as a weapon of spiritual abuse. But shame and guilt aren’t the destination. Facing the truth of Lent-its fasting, reflection, and confession-is about humility. It is the doorway to move through toward the peaceful One.
Consider Mark 1:15; Matthew 3:2, 4:7, 10:7; Luke 3:3, 10:9, 10:11. Then read Luke 4:16 20.
Prayer Phrase
Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?
Spiritual Practice
Gospel Contemplation (John 2:13-22)
Each week during Lent, you are invited to pray with a different gospel story from the life of Christ. Use your senses and imagination to enter the text. Allow it to come to life in you, observing details, noticing interactions, even engaging in dialogue. Notice where you find yourself in the story and how you feel about what is happening. Notice what it evokes in you or invites of you. Take time to journal or enter silent prayer to reflect on your experience and to sense where the Spirit may be leading you through this scriptural encounter.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
