Holy Week. 2016 - Judas could not see the act of love

21st March

Francis rejecting the world

Scripture John 12: 1-11

1 Then six days before the Passover, Yeshua came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2 So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. 3 Therefore Miriam took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Yeshua’ss feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. 4 Then Judah Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said, 5 “Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?” 6 Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it. 7 But Yeshua said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you don’t always have me.”
9 A large crowd therefore of the Judeans learnt that he was there, and they came, not for Yeshua’s sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Judeans went away and believed in Yeshua.


Reflection:

Judas could not (or would not) see the act of love, he saw only a waste of money. So he castigated Mary, perhaps expecting Jesus, or the other disciples at least, to support him. Imagine then, his surprise when Jesus defended Mary. Have you followed a course of action, certain that yours was the “correct” interpretation, only to discover you were wrong? What caused you to be “wrong”? Pride, arrogance, stubbornness, or narrowness of mind? Would you do it again?

Your thoughts:

Lent 5, 2016 14th March - an excuse to condemn

14th March

(C)Br Luke 2010

Scripture John 8: 1-11

1 but Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle, 4 they told him, “Rabbi, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now in our Torah, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?” 6 They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of.
But Yeshua stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 7 But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin amongst you, let him throw the first stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger.
9 They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Yeshua was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. 10 Yeshua, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
Yeshua said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”


Reflection:

Those gathered were looking for an excuse to condemn, both the woman and Jesus. Have you ever wondered what Jesus wrote with his finger? Could it have been the sins that the people standing around had committed? We are not comfortable when confronted by the reality of our sins? We often try to avoid taking the blame, always finding some excuse or reason why it happened? Jesus asks us to admit, face them, and then, filled with grace and forgiveness start again. The crowd dispersed when faced with their own sins. Jesus forgave the woman and us - if we let him! Will you?

Your thoughts:

Lent 4.2016 7th March-Jesus had healed his son

7^th March

(C)Br. Luke Efo 2010

Scripture John 4: 43-54

⁴³ After the two days he went out from there and went into Galilee. ⁴⁴ For Yeshua himself testified that a prophet has no honour in his own country. ⁴⁵ So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also went to the feast. ⁴⁶ Yeshua came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water into wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Yeshua had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him, and begged him that he would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸ Yeshua therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe.”

⁴⁹ The nobleman said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” ⁵⁰ Yeshua said to him, “Go your way. Your son lives.” The man believed the word that Yeshua spoke to him, and he went his way. ⁵¹ As he was now going down, his servants met him and reported, saying “Your child lives!” ⁵² So he enquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him.” ⁵³ So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Yeshua said to him, “Your son lives.” He believed, as did his whole house. ⁵⁴ This is again the second sign that Yeshua did, having come out of Judea into Galilee.

Reflection:

John tells us that the nobleman believed Jesus had healed his son, and started his journey home.  To trust that what we ask for, we will receive, can be hard to do. We, like the people of Jesus' day, want proof. We look for some sign (in many ways like a receipt for an item purchased) to show us that we will get it. When we don’t (or it doesn't come fast enough) then, we are tempted to think asking is waste of time, or that it is not coming. When you think like this, remember the nobleman and his son.

Your thoughts:

Lent 3. 2016 29th February-A prophet calls out to us

29^th February

(C) Br. Luke 2010

Scripture: Luke 4: 24-30

²⁴ He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. ²⁵  But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land. ²⁶  Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷  There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian.”

²⁸ They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things. ²⁹ They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he, passing through the middle of them, went his way.

Reflection:

A prophet calls out to us. The Prophet asks us to face, and look at, that which we do not want to see, or hear. A prophet will make us uncomfortable, perhaps even angry. But these are our reaction to the prophet – not the prophets. When we strive to live a gospel centred life our actions can be seen as prophetic and we will then naturally present a challenge to those who see us. No wonder then, that as prophets we are often not welcome.  Do you agree?

Your thoughts:

Lent 2. February 22nd Therefore be merciful

(C)Br. Luke Efo 2010

Scripture: Luke 6: 36-38

³⁶  “Therefore be merciful,
even as your Father is also merciful.
³⁷  Don’t judge,
and you won’t be judged.
Don’t condemn,
and you won’t be condemned.
Set free,
and you will be set free.
³⁸  “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”
Reflection:

“Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful”. When we want some rule, or our own sense of justice, to be applied, then mercy will not be seen or even considered. I’m sure we can all cite examples where mercy was viewed as unimportant when some dogma or doctrine was being defended or proposed. The impact this dogma/doctrine would have on human lives and relationships, was not considered, it did not matter than we were not being merciful?  Perhaps this is because we like to focus on the negative, on the bad, on the sensational, on the error, or failures of others. We don’t concern ourselves with what measure we may get, we just want to limit the measure given to the others. Notice anything wrong with that approach?
Your thoughts: