Lent 2022

This is the first of two scriptures we’ll be living in this week…

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” Romans 2:4 (NIV)

This scripture starts with the word “or”, which means we should back up a few verses for some context. Michael Card gives us some context in his book, Inexpressible. Here, we’re introduced to the word “hesed”, which is a Hebrew word for God’s kindness. We’ll discuss this further tomorrow.

The context of Paul’s reference to hesed in Romans 2:4 is the previous discussion of sin in the Gentile world. In the opening verses of chapter 2, Paul is insisting that the church must keep from the sin of being judgmental, especially given the pagan environment. For when they judge others they are really judging themselves. In that context, Paul makes an extraordinary statement that relates to the hesed character of God: “Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness [chrēstotēs] is intended to lead you to repentance?”

The best motivator to keep the Roman Christians, both Jew and Gentile, from becoming mired in their sinful pagan surroundings and also to keep them from judging each other in the process, is to remember the revelation of God’s character that goes all the way back to Exodus 34. He is a God of hesed. It is not fear that drives us to Him, but rather His unexpected and extraordinary kindness that provides a pathway along which we are drawn to him (2018 by Michael Card. Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com).

Isn’t it wonderful that in the middle of such a heavy chapter, we find God’s kindness… intended to lead us to repentance?

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us! This is God’s kindness towards us!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Ephesians 1:3-4

He had us in mind BEFORE the creation of the world, and not only that, made us ready to receive His salvation!

Reflection:

1. How have you seen God’s kindness in your life?
2. In what ways has God’s kindness affected your life?
3. Has His kindness caused you to move in a different direction than you were previously headed?

Pray through 1 John 1:5-9.

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Pray through the truth found in Psalm 139.1-18

“You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.”

“While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ⁹ ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ ¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’” Matthew 26.6-13

We have read this week of the woman of Bethany coming to Jesus just before He will be betrayed, have the last supper with the disciples, be denied by Peter, pray in the garden, and soon be arrested and crucified. This woman has faith and love to see Jesus. She offers the highest honor in these days, the anointing of the head as an expression of pure love. Where true love is offered towards Christ, nothing would be considered to be too much love or not enough.

What was seen as beautiful, as attentive, as good and right in the sight of Jesus was seen as a “waste” in the sight of His very own disciples. Still with Jesus in their very midst, there was great misunderstanding of how to live out love. Perhaps one way to live out such love is to release the need to judge how others are expressing love and service in the name and honor of Jesus Christ.

What had the disciples missed seeing? What are we missing? Maybe better yet, why? Author Roberta Bondi says, “Loving is natural; it is unnatural not to love. Of course, most human beings fail to love or love badly a lot of the time. This is because we are dominated by the fear of death and of our own physical and emotional vulnerability, and by our ways of compensating for this fear. We need power over other people. We are afraid of the future. We suffer from envy, resentments, depression, hyperactivity, and boredom.”

Today, we live on this side of the cross. Today, the preparation that we read of in Matthew 26 has taken place. The death of Christ has taken place for every sin of all humanity. It’s happened. Resurrection has come, offering us the very act of love to believe in. We believe this truth is true. This is such a beautiful thing He has done for us. May we live in the belief that we are loved, and then allow love to pour through us.

Reflection:

1. What would be your perception of this woman had you been on the scene?
2. Where do you see the beautiful expression of Jesus’ love in your life?   
3. “There is no fear in love.” What would it look like to live more fully into this truth?

Pray Colossians 3.12-17

^“12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

“Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matthew 26.13

The woman of Bethany pours out her alabaster jar of costly perfume. Jesus gives a response that does not turn people from giving to the poor but ensures that we are not overlooking or judging love in action right in front of us, for His namesake. Jesus declares that this woman will be remembered as the Gospel is preached throughout the world. Here we are today, still remembering the action of love taken by this woman as she fixes her eyes on Love Himself.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.” I Corinthians 13:4-8

In this season of Lent, we continue to lean into these truths. We are returning to the Lord, rending our heart to Him, with no fear yet deeper faith.

“Rend your heart
    and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
    and he relents from sending calamity.” Joel 2.13

In the scene this week in Matthew, we witness a woman in an act of honor, sacrifice and deep tenderness as she turns toward Jesus. Turning towards Jesus often calls for such a response as this. We also have on the scene some disciples who are looking at the woman. These disciples’ eyes may have been turned towards this woman in possible judgment, criticism, or analyzing her with spiritual justifications.

As we return to our God, turning to seek Him releases us from the power of our control and releases us from the power to control others. There is no fear as we turn towards Him.

Let’s live into the truths we know are true.

Reflection:

1. What is right in front of you, beckoning for your heart?
2. What do you see first: the circumstance to fix or the heart to hold?
3. “Return to the Lord your God.” How might you fully live into this truth today?

Prayer:

Colossians 1.9-14

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”