Overcoming dread

Religious authorities were afraid when they saw the rising popularity of Jesus, afraid their Roman colonial overlords would see his spiritual leadership as politically threatening, with damaging consequences for Jews and their home land. Their own high priest thought it was expedient to do away with Jesus and eliminate the risk of losing the privileged identity they struggled and suffered to preserve as God's chosen people. Thus they began to look for ways to arrest him, try and execute him for blasphemy. What they most feared happened anyway forty years after the time of Jesus, when Jerusalem was razed, the Temple destroyed and the inhabitants dispersed, if not killed.

Fear of annihilation distorted their perspective and their vision for the welfare of Jewish people and their religion. Fear undermined the trust that God alone deserved to receive from them. Fear robbed them of confidence in dealing with change and new opportunities to glorify the God of their ancestors. Fear could only spur them to actions destructive for themselves and others. This can happen to anyone, no matter how strong and active they are in believing or praying, unless their prayer life embraces the fact of fear as a force to reckon with. St John, in his first epistle declares

'There is no fear in love, perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment.' (1 John 4:18a)

Punishment is the painful consequence of actions which others consider wrong, whether justifiably or not. Fear of punishment although intended to deter someone from repeating the offence doesn't always have the desired effect, unless some learning about the nature of the offence and the reason for punishment has occurred. Such is the pervasive nature of sin that perpetrator, victim and those who pass judgement may not fully understand or learn from the experience of suffering which sin causes. Reality can be terribly painful. Healthy human beings instinctively flee pain, just as they seek to avoid punishment. 

Faced with adversity and suffering it is not unusual for people to dread this as divine punishment. Persecution by enemies is often regarded as something permitted by God as punishment for sin in Hebrew scripture. This also carries over into the Christian era. 

'My heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness.' (Psalm 55:4-7)

'LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.' (Ps 6:1)

'O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in Your burning anger. For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me.…' (Ps 38:1)

One word is used both for reverence and for fear in Hebrew language. Disabling fear is too easily associated with God. It needs to be overcome, trusting 'God is love' (1 John 4:8). Only by God's grace can the depth of truth about the human condition be addressed, In prayer, we expose ourselves to the unique healing, learning process which God's love effects in us.

'By grace you have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works (i.e. our own efforts) so that no one may boast.' (Eph 2:8-9)

Following the oracles of the prophet Habakkuk comes an unusual prayer declaring awe and wonder at God's power, expressed in nature and in the rescue of his chosen people from enemies. It concludes, voicing trust in God despite the worst calamity of nature - famine - with rejoicing and praise. Loving trust in God, by grace, can triumph over the worst fear.

Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls; nevertheless, I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.' (Hab 3:17-19)

God's children

The people of the Exodus and some prophets of Israel were at ease regarding themselves collectively as God's sons (in effect God's children), and God as their father,

'Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord, "Israel is My son, My firstborn. "So I said to you, 'Let My son go that he may serve Me' (Exodus 4:22)

'Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine, even the shoot which Your right hand has planted, And on the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself.' (Psalm 80:14-15)

'Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, "Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.' (Isaiah 1:2)

When his contemporaries heard Jesus speak of his intimate relationship with his Father, they regarded him as going beyond how they thought about themselves in relation to God to the point of blasphemy. 

He quotes to them verse six of Psalm 82, somewhat provocatively, as the Psalm is about divine moral judgement against lesser divinities, exercised by the one who is 'A great king above all gods' (Psalm 95:3b), and Author of the Law. These gods do not inhabit eternity, but are mortal, for they are projections of human imagination and ignorance.

'They do not know, neither do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you will die like men And fall like any one of the princes."…' (Psalm 82:5-7)

What is said of lesser divinities also applies to human beings. Yet despite being born to die, human beings are held in special regard, called to partake of divine life in eternity.

'What are human beings that you are mindful of them, morals that you care for them? You made them little lower than a god and crowned them with glory and honour.' (Ps 8:4-5)

For Jesus, whether anyone can truly be regarded as a son of God depends on whether or not they do the Father's work, keep his commandments, believe and trust in him. His critics see what he does and the way he does it, but find this too demanding of them challenging their actions and attitudes, and so they reject the evidence of his life, and end up denying any sense in which he could be regarded as like them, sons of the Most High.

Conscious of our faults and frailties, we come to prayer in humility, taking our confidence to approach despite our limitations God from St Paul's words 

'For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.' (Galatians 3:26)

And from St John

'Beloved we are God's children now. What we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.' (1 John 3:2)

This is a good and sufficient reason pray as Jesus taught us saying - 'Our Father ... '  

I am love

God acknowledges Abraham's faithful trust and promises that he will be regarded as the common ancestor of generation after generation to come among the peoples of the promised land and its surroundings. Jewish people spoke then as now of 'our father Abraham'. Jesus seems to be claiming a special relationship with Abraham in his conversation in the Temple with his contemporaries, reported by St John. It takes a strange turn when he says 

"Whoever keeps my word will never see death." (John 8:51) 

They challenge him: who is he claiming to be? Jesus claims nothing for himself. He speaks only what his heavenly Father gives him. The Father declares loving mercy and compassion, as the ultimate power to deliver humankind from the annihilation of death. Jesus makes this timeless word his own. Physical death is natural, unavoidable, but in relationship to God, there is hope of an utterly different kind of existence. As St Paul later says 

'The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life' (Romans 6:23)

Jesus speaks of Abraham as if they were contemporaries. All those who have ever kept faith with God are equally alive to him, and equally looking forward to the great day when God's work will be realised in the coming of the Messiah. But his living sense of perspective makes no sense to them. Their imaginations are limited. 'Our father Abraham is dead. The prophets are dead too.' so how can he have personal knowledge of Abraham. He responds

'Before Abraham was I AM.'

Jesus doesn't just declare God's words, he embodies the divine Word, ever present. This is the ultimate prophetic utterance, and it is taken as blasphemy by his audience, people who are unconvinced of his standing as a teacher of faith, let alone a spokesperson of God. This phrase 'I AM' is the same as that uttered by God in revelation to Moses (Exodus 3:14, 6:2). It becomes the divine name, so sacred as to avoid direct invocation lest it be called in vain. Also it appears in a celebration of divine sovereignty in the Psalms, in a phrase that is key to deepening the inner journey of prayer.  

'Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted upon earth.' (Psalm 46:10)

In John's Gospel however it is used boldly, linked with seven images, through which Jesus builds an accessible picture of the divine nature - I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the gate, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way the truth and the life, I am the true vine. Also in the Revelation to John 'I am the Alpha and the Omega' (Rev 1:18 and 21:6, 22:13), also 'Here I am, I stand at the door and knock' (Rev 3:20). 

In the development of human consciousness and speech, the personal utterance 'I am' marks the emergence of distinct individuality, derived from the creator's own uniqueness. In prayer meditating on the phrase 'I am love' can serve to remind us of the relationship for which we exist. It both declares what God is, and what we his children are called to be.

'Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.'  (1 John 4-7)

     

Defiant praise

The story in the book of Daniel of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being burned alive for refusing to renounce worship of the one true God, yet miraculously protected from their fate by an angel, is about defiance in the face of persecution. Even if it is considered on face value to be an unlikely tale, it has served to inspire the faithful in times of trial. Even in the face of certain death God will not forsake them. A hymn of praise and worship is attributed to the men at the heart of the fiery furnace.

'You are blest Lord God of our fathers, to you glory and praise for evermore'   (Dan 3:52)

Even if physical life is lost, confidence is expressed that their souls will be protected and saved by the One whom they worship. Stories of twenty-first century Christian martyrs in North Africa tell of them facing execution singing defiant Hallelujahs. Although there is no rescue, the resistant spirit defies death to put an end to their life in God. In the portrayal of heaven in the Book of Revelation, martyrs have great prominence.

'These are the people who have come safely through the terrible persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb. That is why they stand before God's throne and serve him day and night in his temple.'  (Revelation 7:14-15)

Speaking about true discipleship, Jesus warns of the risk and possible cost of following him: 

'Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?' (Mark 8:35-36)

Such courageous freedom of spirit doesn't come natural to fallen human beings with the self preservation instinct coded into our constitution, but it isn't the only driving force that gives shape and vitality to our lives. The hunger for meaning and purpose empowers us to look up and beyond ourselves and survival. Jesus says

"If you make my word your home, you will indeed by my disciples and the truth will make you free ... if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:31-33)

From the free offering of our lives to God's service comes a heart that desires above all else to worship and praise God. Being less than perfect, less than whole, our offering of self is more of an aspiration than a reality, as the opening of Charles Wesley's hymn states

'O for a heart to praise my God, a heart from sin set free!'

It is out of habitual longing to perfect self-offering in ordinary everyday existence that the purging and refining of the self takes place, little by little.

'I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.' (Psalm 40:1,3)

      

Gazing at the cross

In the wilderness, Moses wards off an attack by poisonous serpents on the children of Israel, by using the power of suggestion to mitigate the impact of their fear of being bitten, fear more deadly than the poisonous bite itself. The bronze image of a serpent raised above the people will rescue them if they will keep looking at it.

'And if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.'  (Num 21:9)

It's an image Jesus draws upon in cryptic reference to his own fate, being lifted up on the cross, first in his night time conversation with Nicodemus

"And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up." (John 3:14)

Later, in conversation with his critics among the Pharisees he alludes to his death again with the same cryptic image, suggesting it is the point of reference for revealing who he is

"When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realise that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as my Father has instructed me." (John 8:28)

And, he says it again in the Temple to the disciples, when some Greeks have asked to speak with him

"Now judgement is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:31-2)

John the evangelist explicitly states that 'lifted up' refers to his execution.

'But he was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which he was to die.' (John 12:33)

The cross is not yet mentioned, but John prepares those hearing the Passion story to look straight at his coming death, and find in it an image of healing and rescue.

When the method of his execution is revealed, it comes as a shock, a traumatic event that affects all who witness it. Death by crucifixion was regarded as a shameful curse, not only on the person but all associated with them, something nobody could live down. 

Paradoxically, this worst possible scenario, confronted in earnest, will reveal the immensity of divine love and mercy for all humankind. This gives meaning to the phrase 'Look and live'. Thus the act of gazing on any image of the crucified one, or the cross itself, no matter how elaborate or simple it may be, no matter how realistic or abstract it may be, becomes a path to prayer and communion with God.

'When I survey the wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died,
me riches gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.'

'Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul my life my all.'
     

How to search conscience

One of the additions to the book of Daniel featuring in the deutero-canonical writings of the Apocrypha is the story of Susanna, falsely accused of adultery by two men whose evil advances she refuses. She is saved from condemnation to death under the Mosaic Law by the insistence of the young Daniel on the interrogation of the men separately. 

They condemn themselves by the inconsistency of their lies, although it is clear that without Daniel's intervention, she would have been executed without a hearing on the untested evidence of two men alone. Normally in that setting, the testimony of women was disregarded, and that of men alone to be relied upon. Daniel reveals the unjust and foolish nature of custom and practise, but in spite of this, such a travesty of inequality under the law can still be found in our times.

Susanna, accused and automatically condemned cries out loud to God about the false accusation, and God arouses Daniel to act and speak out with authority on her behalf. Even though he is young, his reputation for wisdom commands the attention of the crowd and leads to Susanna's acquittal.

In the Gospel story about the woman taken in adultery from John 8:1-11 (or after Luke 21:38), it is not a matter of proving her innocence, but rather how she is rescued from certain death under the same Law of Moses. To those who have put her on trial, those who have presumed the power of life and death over her, Jesus says: 

"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." 

And nobody can. 

He has invited them to search their consciences, and they admit to themselves that they too sin and break God's law. None of them would want to be punished for whatever their consciences accuse them of. Their honesty spares a life. Jesus will not condemn her either. 

"From now on, do not sin again." 

is all he will say.

When we're honest with God about the state of our consciences, God doesn't condemn us. These words of Jesus apply also to us, whatever we've done or failed to to. If we think of sin as causing suffering to anyone, including ourselves, it is easier to search our hearts honestly than it is to trawl through the catalogue of religious and moral rules to identify a breach. The greatest moral evil is not to care at all about the impact of our actions on others.

'Happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! Happy is the one to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit!'  (Psalm 32:1)

   

Outpouring of love

The Sunday preceding Palm Sunday and Holy Week is called Passion Sunday. The liturgical colour changes from penitential purple to the red that at any other time of year distinguishes a feast celebrating a martyr of the church. From now until Good Friday the use of the colour red points to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Together the church is 

'... looking to Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.' (Hebrews 12:2) 

Today's Gospel tells of Jesus being anointed by Mary the sister of Lazarus in their home at Bethany. It is an act of extravagant generosity that draws attention to her. The traitor Judas starts arguing about the appropriateness of her gesture but his indignation gets deflated by what Jesus says

“Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 

You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” (John 12:7-8)

Despite references to his possible fate Jesus had been making lately, none of his disciples had taken this to heart. Here again, he tries to warn them of an approaching disaster which will try them to the limit, but this has no impact on them. 

Mary's action expresses the deep love she has for Jesus. Whatever feeling she may have had for him as a man, it was her love for what he taught, and her gratitude for having raised her brother to life is what her action expresses. Could she have anticipated how Jesus was going to interpret her deed?

Down the ages, people have expressed gratitude to God for blessings received in offering the most extravagant gifts - money, treasures, entire buildings etc, making the church wealthy on times. Some have prefered to be generous to the poor instead. Who can ultimately judge the appropriateness of their actions, but God alone, who knows the secrets of our hearts?

Another story tells of Jesus being anointed by a woman weeping penitential tears, and when his host protests about this Jesus says

“Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."

(Luke 7:44-47)

Gratitude for the mercy of forgiveness, and thanksgiving for blessings received give prayer its vitality. If penitence leads to sober humble self-estimation, praise renews confidence and hope abundantly. These are inseparable dimensions of relationship with God.