The Second Sunday of Lent 16 03 25
OLD TESTAMENT READING: Genesis 15:1-12,17,18
NEW TESTAMENT READING: Philippians 3:17-4:1
GOSPEL READING: Luke 13.31-end
Making someone feel not welcome can be a very hurting experience. Especially if the person is good and does good and means good. This can be done by one person or sometimes by a group of people. For the person who is made to feel not wanted it can be a painful experience and deeply hurting. This can happen in subtle ways or in a blatant manner.
There may be various reasons why this happens, there are usually people with vested interests who may feel insecure or fear becoming insignificant or redundant and therefore they would create a scheme to eliminate the person who they feel is a threat to them.
Another reason is the reluctance to change. People get used to certain ideas and certain ways of doing things. They would rather get rid of the person from whom the challenge comes to change than see the necessity to change or try changing themselves.
We all experience this at some point in life. The easy option would be to simply leave and avoid the people and the place. This can happen in workplaces, in community groups and sadly even in churches. We heard from the gospel what to do in such circumstances. To fear and walk away or face the situation and see how demonic people can get because of their desperation for self-preservation and protect their interests.
Jesus, the son of God had to face such an experience many times. He was the son of God and he came to fulfil the will of God yet he was dismissed and was made to feel you are not needed here.
It is quite a irony that the place where the son of God was not wanted was in Jerusalem, and specially in the temple. The ones who were scheming to get rid of Jesus were the so called religious leaders, the Pharisees. They were used to promote a particular spirituality which kept them as the centre of attention. Here comes Jesus teaching a new spirituality where people can approach God and access Gods grace and mercy by themselves. There were the ordinary people who were fascinated by Jesus teaching about God and they thronged him. He not only taught he also offered healing.
It is in this context the religious leaders cook up a story saying that Herod the king is plotting to kill him so he should escape. The Truth was that more than Herod the Pharisees and the Scribes do not want Jesus around in Jerusalem.
Jesus does not fear, he tells them he is not going to flee in fear and says, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.
Jesus then makes a very sad statement about Jerusalem which was considered as a holy city governed by so called religious people. Jesus tells them, ‘it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!’ Jerusalem that claims to be a holy place is in reality the most unholy place constantly getting rid of prophets and hurts people by stoning them and driving them away.
Soon we are going to observe palm Sunday, that was when Jesus knowing fully well what the religious leaders are going to do to the son of God, he goes to face them. He did not fear them, he did not fear torture, he did not fear crucifixion. He gave his life freely on the cross of calvary to raise a new movement of faith, the church, to raise a people who will not fear evil people by the power of the cross.