Lent 2022

Pray through the truth found in John 3.1-21.

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[d]

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.^[e] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,^[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”^[g]

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9.36

Matthew 9.36 tells us so much about Jesus. We see how He loves, how He cares. We are drawn to His compassion, His tenderness, His comfort. The crowds saw all of that too, and they continued to follow Him.

The next two verses in Matthew’s Gospel say this, “³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9.37-38

The focus of the text shifts from Jesus being compassionate toward the crowds to calling His disciples to care for the crowds, and for those that would come after them. The Kingdom of God would advance as His disciples took on His character, His will, His way. This message wasn’t limited to the twelve disciples. Matthew ensures his readers understand all who believe the Good News are also grafted into the fold of the Good Shepherd.

At Sanctuary, we often say we are “In Christ for the sake of the world.” It’s important to note the difference between being “In Christ for the sake of the world,” and “being in the world for the sake of Christ.” The difference is more than subtle. It’s staggering.

Being in the world for the sake of Christ:

            I pursue my own agenda

            I live on my own schedule

            I am in control

            I control my own relationship with God

Being In Christ for the sake of the world:

“As He is, so are we in this world.” 1 John 4.17

            I am broken bread and poured out wine for the sake of others.

            I become the manifest presence of Christ.

            I live out a radically other-referenced love

            God is in control of our relationship

When we are rooted in anything other than Christ, we are…

            Protective

            Defensive

            Manipulative

            Possessive

            Preserving of our fleshly nature.

When we are rooted in Christ – our identity is in Christ alone. Our call is first inward and then outward. Our work in the harvest becomes a natural and normal response to God’s love in us.

You are the manifest presence of Christ in the booth at Chick-Fil-A, or at the ball field at Oregon Park. You are actually the Body of Christ while you check out at Publix, or clock out at work. Whom you forgive are actually forgiven in heaven. This is the truth we believe!

Here’s the crazy part. The great invitation of God to be in Christ is not something that needs to be acquired; it just needs to be realized and embraced. We’ve spent most of our lives building our own kingdoms, designing and developing strategies and structures, generating processes that lead to desired outcomes, and fighting against those who get in our way of achieving and accomplishing our goals. We’ve done this in our work, in our families, and in our relationship with God.

On a deeply theological as well as an extremely practical level, God is inviting us to live life fully and completely “in Christ.”

Reflection:

1. What does it actually look like for you to be “in Christ”? Give an example.
2. Jesus says, “ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Knowing that He has called you, enabled you, and empowered you, would you ask Him to send you into His harvest field?
3. “In Christ for the sake of the world.” How might you fully live into this truth today?

Pray through the truth of Colossians 3.1-4.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3.1-4

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9.36

We read on Tuesday about the miracles that precede this summary statement of Matthew 9.36. One of those miracles included a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. Before we jump to the text, pause for a moment to think about the implications of bleeding for twelve years.

This woman would not be allowed in church. She would be considered “ceremonially unclean.” Anyone she touched would also be considered unclean. Twelve years of constant bleeding. Twelve years of not being touched. Twelve years of suffering.

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. Matthew 9.20-22

Somehow this woman knew of the compassion of Jesus. Somehow she knew she wouldn’t be condemned if she touched Him. Somehow she had faith.

She touches the edge of His cloak and Jesus turns to see her. He speaks tenderly to her “take heart, daughter,” and her faith in His love heals her.

She stops bleeding. It happens right away. She’s healed. Jesus knows it and she knows it. The text says Jesus moves on and heals again. Mark 5.29 says, “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”

What must that moment have been like for the woman? After twelve years no more suffering. After twelve years she’s healed. She’s whole, and now ceremonially, she is holy. Twelve years. Healed, whole, and holy.

A few years ago, a group from Sanctuary traveled to tour Israel. One day was spent near the Sea of Galilee. Not too far from the Sea of Galilee is where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. It was on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus restored Simon Peter. Our tour stopped at a Magdala Chapel located in a first-century town believed to be the hometown of Mary Magdalene. In the Chapel was a life-sized painting of the “Encounter” between the woman bleeding for twelve years and Jesus.

As we walked toward the painting, tears flooded our eyes and gratitude overwhelmed our hearts. For because of Jesus we too are healed, whole, and holy.

Think about it for a moment. You are at once healed, whole, and holy, and you are learning to live in your healing, wholeness, and holiness. It doesn’t mean physical healing, although Jesus still does heal the body, mind, and soul. But you are healed. You are whole. You are holy.

The sting of death does not have the final word. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. You are perfect in His sight. What if we lived as if this truth were true?

I can only imagine the life that woman had in front of her. What did the rest of her day sound like? How would she tell the story of her healing to her neighbors? How tightly would she have hugged her family? After twelve years, no more suffering. What a Savior!

Reflection:

1. What kind of faith does it take to be spiritually healed?
2. What’s the single biggest difference in your ordinary life because of His extraordinary compassion toward you?
3. “Your faith has healed you.” How might you fully live into this truth today?

Pray through the truth of Jude 1.24-25

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9.36

The verse that precedes verse 36 says, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.“

What is the Good News of the Kingdom? Maybe it would be better to separate the question into two questions. What is the Good News? What is the Kingdom?

We at Sanctuary say Jesus came to teach a new way to live and a new way to love. The Sermon on the Mount gives us a description of how Jesus people live and love. Jesus teaches how Jesus people deal with anger, and worry. How Jesus people handle persecution and betrayal. Jesus even teaches Jesus people how to pray. You know the prayer. Gosh, you might even know the song!

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation
    but deliver us from the evil one.

When you are praying the prayer and get to that part about the kingdom, what do you pray? What images come to your mind? And what about the part that you pray “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? What do you think about during that part of the prayer?

The prayer puts the Good News in the context of the Kingdom. The Good News ushers in the livable reality of the Kingdom – on earth as it is in heaven.

The Good News of the Kingdom is just as available today to everyday ordinary Christians like you and me. “On earth as it is in heaven” is our reality.

Let’s put Matthew 9.35-36 together.

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Reflection:

1. In your own words, define the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
2. What would you like to see or experience “on earth as it is in heaven”? What does the “Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,” desire for you to experience on earth as it is in heaven?
3. “On earth as it is in heaven.” How might you fully live into this truth today?

Pray through the truth of Matthew 6.9-13

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation
    but deliver us from the evil one.