“Lent is one of the oldest observations on the Christian calendar. Like all Christian holy days and holidays, it has changed over the years, but its purpose has always been the same:
self-examination
and penitence,
demonstrated by self-denial,
in preparation for Easter.
Early church father Irenaus of Lyons (c.130-c.200) wrote of such a season in the earliest days of the church, but back then it lasted only two or three days, not the 40 observed today.
In 325, the Council of Nicea discussed a 40-day Lenten season of fasting, but it's unclear whether its original intent was just for new Christians preparing for Baptism, but it soon encompassed the whole Church. It was then the idea was connected to the beginning of Jesus' public ministry right after his baptism and his 40 days in the desert where he was tempted. Matt 4:1-2 says:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights and afterwards he was famished.
How exactly the churches counted those 40 days varied depending on location. In the East, one only fasted on weekdays. The western church's Lent was one week shorter, but included Saturdays. But in both places, the observance was both strict and serious. Only one meal was taken a day, near the evening. There was to be no meat, fish, or animal products eaten.
The goal of which was to reorient our lives by focusing our lives on the disciplines of the Christians are urged to refrain from business as usual in order to attend to the body, spirit, mind, soul, and heart. It is a time set aside for worshipers to connect their faith walk with the ways in which they live, move, and have their being throughout daily life. Thus, the Lenten journey is a renewed spirit and a genuine desire to become an incarnational presence in the world.
To get us re-booted in the Spirit, Let’s dive into a traditional Lenten Scripture for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. It comes from John 12:20-33.
Background
Let’s jump into the letter by first reading this snippet once, and then we will dive in “old school”.
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Now let's dive in. It begins…
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
The aspect of this scene many miss is the presence of non-Jews coming to see the messiah. What an oddity. A non Jew showing up at a Jewish event. It would like a Muslim coming to Easter worship. In addition to being out of place, John was referencing a scripture every good Jew would know from Daniel. One that validities an old testament prophecy from Daniel’s dream reference in Dan 7:14, It says, “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him.” The writing of John adds witnesses to the event to confirm this moment in history because the testimony of at least two witnesses made it a fact or truth.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
We don’t know if these men got their audience with Jesus because it wasn’t the point of the story. Jesus’ answer is. The seed or seeds highlight two truths.
1) The paradox of death as a transition. All transitions have endings, neutral zones and new beginnings. They are rarely without struggle. In this case Jesus is preparing His followers for transition to come which leads us to the pathway to growth for every Christion.
2) Don’t just celebrate my arrival but replicate my teachings and actions so that the idea that started, (the seed) grows. New actions or in Christian-ese when repeated, will slowly change you so significantly, it will put you at odds with society around you. This new beginning is where God is truly glorified and honored - struggle and pressure are required to become strong. Amoeba’s need pressure to split. Baby chickens need to crack their own shells to survive. Weightlifters need to lift more and more weight to grow stronger. Why wouldn’t a spiritual person need spiritual pressure to really grow?
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. 30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Talk about authenticating someone’s position in the world. It’s a drop the mic moment. God speaks. Bam! The event almost overwhelms the words spoken again - “I, when lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself”. Who will He call to himself? - ALL.
So what does this mean for us?
The Christian disciplines of denying oneself are not for you to lose weight or stop swearing. They are offered to us so we can build our resolve to be more like Christ when our turn to carry the cross associated with being a Christian happens. It’s not “if it happens,” it's when it happens.
The cultural Christian looks at a tough situation and becomes depressed or saddened. The disciple knows this life will have trouble and is able to look through the troubling aspects of life and strives to to see them as Jesus might. By practicing the art of seeing all things as God sees them, we are humbled and exposed to our own ignorance so we will rely on Jesus to get us through. It was Jesus who said,
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." - Matthew 16:24
What does it mean to carry one’s cross as a Christian? As one of America’s best Christian pastors, authors and magazine editors - A. W. Tozer - once said,
“The cross is that extra adversity that comes to us as a result of our obedience to Christ. This cross is not forced upon us; we voluntarily take it up with full knowledge of the consequences. We choose to obey Christ and by so doing choose to carry the cross. Carrying a cross means to be attached to the Person of Christ, committed to the Lordship of Christ and obedient to the commandments of Christ. The person who is so attached, so committed, so obedient is a spiritual person. Again, a Christian is spiritual when he sees everything from God’s viewpoint. The ability to weigh all things in the divine scale and place the same value upon them as God does is the mark of a Spirit-filled life. God looks at and through at the same time. His gaze does not rest on the surface but penetrates to the true meaning of things.
The message of the cross was never sad or negative. The earliest Christians rejoiced in the idea, even in the midst of suffering. They were so in love with the One who died for them that the suffering they endured for His name was considered entirely worthwhile. They were not lovers of pain, but they loved God and knew the only meaning their lives could have was in Him. If the world, out of hatred for God or the message of salvation, caused hardship, they remained unfettered.
The Bible speaks of a complete identification of our lives with Christ, what He stands for, and what He wants to accomplish through us in this crazy world in which we live. The gospel of health, wealth and prosperity may attract some people by appealing to their desire for pleasure, comfort and success but it will not convict them of their sins. It does not cause people to long for a transition in one's life whereby we repent, relent and release our will for His. In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor who was executed by the Germans three days before the end of World War II, put it best: “When Jesus Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” The purpose of the cross of Calvary is to mature us to look like Jesus.
As we get closer to the great week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter morning, we’d like to challenge you to stay vigilant to the spiritual disciplines that we have invited you into this season of lent - fasting, prayer, confession and scripture reading so you will see God’s will for you, your families and the people you encounter in your daily life.
Onto communion...
