Jesus is Clear: You Will Be Judged by What You Do – and Don’t Do (Lenten Scriptural Commentary #6)3/11/2019 by Erik Ritland Fully Alive’s Lenten Scriptural Commentary helps Christians get more out of Lent by taking God’s word seriously. Mostly avoiding personal stories and anecdotes, our commentary dives deeply into the scripture readings for each day and applies them to the broader context of Lent. We use the daily Mass readings from the Catholic lectionary. If possible, read each passage slowly, taking in each word. If you find that you’ve hurried through a reading, read it over a few more times. Let the words reverberate in your heart. After you’ve let it sink in, read our Lenten Scriptural Commentary. Monday of the First Week of Lent More than simply a set of rules, the laws of the old covenant taught the Israelites how to commune with both God and other people. In a seminal Lenten Gospel, Jesus forcefully tells of judgement and how to gain eternal life. Readings: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18/Mt 25:31-46 Click here to read the complete text from the USCCB website The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove him, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (cf. Lv 19: 11-18) In the first reading, God lays out the ways to act like Him: treat people well. Don’t steal, don’t speak falsely, don’t gossip, defend those who are being mistreated. The laws of the Old Covenant are sometimes misconstrued as being overbearing and cumbersome. In actuality, they teach us how to be free, how to act like God. During Lent, we are called to especially remember these ways that we are called to act like God – especially by focusing on creating a clean heart within ourselves. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (cf Mt. 25: 31-46) Jesus is not all rainbows and sunshine. He has high demands for everyone. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is clear about this. The parable of the sheep and the goats teaches us that we have to live our faith to be pleasing to God. We live our faith by actively serving “the least of these”: by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison. Jesus doesn’t mince words. We are judged based on our actions. As Christians, we are called to work for God’s Kingdom. If we don’t, we’ll be counted among the goats. Lent is the perfect time to re-ignite our passion for serving others. Erik Ritland is a writer and musician. The founder of Fully Alive Christian Media, he also created The Minnesota Sport Ramble and is a writer and copy editor for Music in Minnesota. He was Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blogs Curious North and Hometown Hustle. Reach him via email.
0 Comments
by Erik Ritland Fully Alive’s Lenten Scriptural Commentary helps Christians get more out of Lent by taking God’s word seriously. Mostly avoiding personal stories and anecdotes, our commentary dives deeply into the scripture readings for each day and applies them to the broader context of Lent. We use the daily Mass readings from the Catholic lectionary. If possible, read each passage slowly, taking in each word. If you find that you’ve hurried through a reading, read it over a few more times. Let the words reverberate in your heart. After you’ve let it sink in, read our Lenten Scriptural Commentary. For more information, click here. First Sunday of Lent The Exodus and the temptations of Jesus are two of the most important episodes in all of scripture. They teach us about Jesus’ mission and are foundational Lenten stories. In Romans, St. Paul emphasizes the importance of confessing Christ. Readings: Dt 26:4-10/Rom 10:8-13/Lk 4:1-13 Click here to read the complete text from the USCCB website He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. (cf Dt 26: 4-10) The Egyptian enslavement of the Israelites seemed hopeless. Even then, though, God was watching over them. Isn't this our situation as well? It can seem like it is hopeless that we can overcome the sin in our lives. "Sin" can seem like a harsh, condemning word, especially in our hyper-sensitive times. But it's a pretty basic, non-controversial thing. It just means the ways that we miss the mark, the ways that we aren't perfect. Most of us could benefit from thinking about the ways that we aren't perfect and trying to get better at them. Doing that is a good start. But we can't justify ourselves. We aren't God; thus, we need God. We can't lift the weight we feel about the things we've done wrong on our own. It's simply impossible. Christianity teaches that through the indeed “terrifying power” of Christ, in His passion and resurrection, we are free from sin. Again, this is a lot less complicated or convoluted than it might seem. It is simply God's invitation to do what you can't do on your own: take away the burden of individual guilt for things done wrong. "Catholic guilt" can be a punch line, but we all know that we do things wrong, and the more we face up to it and try to change for the better, the happier we'll be. And the better people we'll be. When you feel the weight lifted from the worst things that you've done, you understand what it is like to live in paradise while on earth. According to Christianity, that’s what Jesus does for us. For, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. (cf. Romans 10: 8-13) Catholics have a complex understanding of the eternal fate of non-Christians. While always confessing that the only way to God is through Jesus, Catholicism defaults to God’s mercy when it comes to the ways that salvation in Jesus can be accomplished. In short, Catholicism doesn't believe that all non-Christians are automatically going to hell. God is the ultimate judge, and God is mercy. Regardless, even if non-Christians are saved, it is through the power of Christ. I sympathize with the idea that it seems arrogant for Christians to believe that it is only the power of Christ that saves. In actuality, it's no less arrogant (or exclusive) than basically any other truth claim. And we all make truth claims, whether they are "there is no God," "we can never know if there's a God or not," "I believe in Judaism," or "I believe in Islam." If any of those is true, then things that contradict them can't also be true. Muslims believe that the way to God is through Islam, Jews through Judaism, agnostics that we can never know, atheists that the entire endeavor is pointless. They all have the right to believe those things, and they're all making claims that they're right about how they feel. They're all saying that people who disagree with them are wrong. Christianity should have the freedom to do the same. In a mature society, we then discuss and even argue about who is right and who is wrong in a constructive way. This is what adults do. The gospel (Lk 4:1-13), as it always does for the First Sunday in Lent, highlights Jesus’ temptations. Christianity is the only world religion in which God Himself becomes one of us and suffers the way we do. In Christ, God puts His money where His mouth is. This is no passive God that doesn’t care. And what is the ultimate way to show that you care? Go to the depths of what you’d expect those you create to go to. When Jesus says “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” from the cross, He means it. He went to the absolute depths of evil and pain – to the point of god-forsakenness – to save us from our sin. His journey begins with the temptation in the desert. Erik Ritland is a writer and musician. The founder of Fully Alive Christian Media, he also created The Minnesota Sport Ramble and is a writer and copy editor for Music in Minnesota. He was Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blogs Curious North and Hometown Hustle. Reach him via email. Fully Alive’s Lenten Scriptural Commentary helps Christians get more out of Lent by taking God’s word seriously.
Mostly avoiding personal stories and anecdotes, our commentary dives deeply into the scripture readings for each day and applies them to the broader context of Lent. We use the daily Mass readings from the Catholic lectionary. If possible, read each passage slowly, taking in each word. If you find that you’ve hurried through a reading, read it over a few more times. Let the words reverberate in your heart. After you’ve let it sink in, read our Lenten Scriptural Commentary. For more information, click here. Saturday after Ash Wednesday Isaiah, in high poetic fashion, gives us more insight into how God wants us to live. Jesus acts this out by offering God’s love to those who need it the most. Readings: Is 58:9b-14/Ps 86/Lk 5:27-32 Click here to read the complete text from the USCCB website Thus says the LORD: If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails. The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; "Repairer of the breach," they shall call you, "Restorer of ruined homesteads." (cf. Is 58: 9b-14) Assume into your very being what God asks of us here: fight oppression (especially of those who can’t help themselves); protect the falsely accused; don’t speak harshly or in a foul manner; feed the hungry; comfort those struggling. Doing these things is how we live a life for God, of God, in God. Only poetry can come close to describing how God rewards those who live like this, as the latter part of this reading shows. Re-read it, taking in its beauty and meaning. Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. (Lk 5:27) Tax collectors had a reputation for working nefariously, for cheating people. They were also wealthy and successful. Matthew (Levi) leaves it all behind – immediately – at Jesus’ call, giving up all his wealth and prestige. Would we do this? Do we do this? Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." (Lk 5: 27-32) As today’s first reading shows, a major theme of the Hebrew prophets is helping those who need it most. Jesus does this by going to where they are and personally calling them. He doesn’t just party with these folks, though. He calls them to repentance, to give up their sinful lives and follow Him. This is what He asks us to do every day, and He is there with us to help us every step of the way. Consider the historical reality of Jesus, when He was on earth, dining with sinners. Then realize that he does this in just as real and intimate of a way today with us when we allow Him to guide our lives. Erik Ritland is a writer and musician. The founder of Fully Alive Christian Media, he also created The Minnesota Sport Ramble and is a writer and copy editor for Music in Minnesota. He was Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blogs Curious North and Hometown Hustle. Reach him via email. by Erik Ritland "Everything is a gift, and fasting reminds us that it is God that is most important in our lives, not whatever we are fasting from. By fasting, we show that we are controlled by God, not by our passions." Fully Alive’s Lenten Scriptural Commentary helps Christians get more out of Lent by taking God’s word seriously. Mostly avoiding personal stories and anecdotes, our commentary dives deeply into the scripture readings for each day and applies them to the broader context of Lent. We use the daily Mass readings from the Catholic lectionary. If possible, read each passage slowly, taking in each word. If you find that you’ve hurried through a reading, read it over a few more times. Let the words reverberate in your heart. After you’ve let it sink in, read our Lenten Scriptural Commentary. Friday after Ash Wednesday Isaiah explains that a “day acceptable to the Lord” is one filled with compassion and mercy for those who need it most. Jesus scandalizes by not having his disciples fast, but it’s for a very important reason. We draw closer to the image of God the more that we fast, pray, and give to the poor. This is an important way to become intimate with Him. Readings: Is 58:1-9a/Mt 9:14-15 Click here to read the complete text from the USCCB website This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! (Cf. Is 58: 1-9a) Social justice is a bedrock of being a Christian. When we do what is asked of us in this reading – fight oppression, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked – we are living “a day acceptable to the Lord.” God calls us to do this – to do! Only then will we receive those beautiful promises stated so poetically: vindication by God, protection by God, God answering our prayers. The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." (Mt 9: 14-5) Fasting is for those who are mourning. Jesus is God in the flesh; His presence in the world is no time for mourning. Therefore, Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast. We fast to remember our reliance on God. Everything is a gift, and fasting reminds us that it is God that is most important in our lives, not whatever we are fasting from. By fasting, we show that we are controlled by God, not by our passions. Erik Ritland is a writer and musician. The founder of Fully Alive Christian Media, he also created The Minnesota Sport Ramble and is a writer and copy editor for Music in Minnesota. He was Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blogs Curious North and Hometown Hustle. Reach him via email. by Erik Ritland Fully Alive’s Lenten Scriptural Commentary helps Christians get more out of Lent by taking God’s word seriously. Mostly avoiding personal stories and anecdotes, our commentary dives deeply into the scripture readings for each day and applies them to the broader context of Lent. We use the daily Mass readings from the Catholic lectionary. If possible, read each passage slowly, taking in each word. If you find that you’ve hurried through a reading, read it over a few more times. Let the words reverberate in your heart. After you’ve let it sink in, read our Lenten Scriptural Commentary. Thursday after Ash Wednesday In today’s readings, Moses emphasizes the importance of following the rules that God Himself has revealed, the Psalm promises that those who do good will prosper, and Jesus predicts His death. Readings: Dt 30:15-20/Lk 9:22-25 Click here to read the complete text from the USCCB website We don’t usually equate rules with freedom, but if they’re given by God, the rules will only help us prosper. Even this early in Lent, we are reminded of the reason why we celebrate the season: to remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Jesus’ suffering and death is as scandalous today as it was when it first happened. We’re as shocked by it as the disciples must have been. Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish. I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. (cf. Dt 30: 15-20) We all know the story of the Exodus, how God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt. This story is a foreshadowing of Christ. Just as God delivered the Israelites from slavery to the Egyptians, so Christ delivers us from slavery to sin. Similarly, this speech was given to the Israelites, but it is equally applicable to all of us today. We have the choice to either obey his commandments and walk in his ways, which will lead to truly being alive, or to reject Him, which will lead to death. This doesn’t simply mean our ultimate death, but little deaths every day when we don’t live the good life that God wants us to live. If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself? (cf. Lk 9: 22-25) Following Jesus doesn’t simply mean “letting Him into your heart” via a simple prayer or lip service. It means actually following Him, as this verse makes clear. The reading from Deuteronomy promises that we’ll be blessed if we follow God’s commandments and walk in His ways. This reading makes it clear that this doesn’t mean worldly blessings, but a profound peace of mind that God gives even when we are dealing with our daily crosses. Erik Ritland is a writer and musician. The founder of Fully Alive Christian Media, he also created The Minnesota Sport Ramble and is a writer and copy editor for Music in Minnesota. He was Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blogs Curious North and Hometown Hustle. Reach him via email. by Erik Ritland "Fixing ourselves on the outside is never enough. God knows our heart. We need to focus on our hearts the most, our deepest longings and most inward selves, to become the people God wants us to be." Fully Alive’s Lenten Scriptural Commentary helps Christians get more out of Lent by taking God’s word seriously. Mostly avoiding personal stories and anecdotes, our commentary dives deeply into the scripture readings for each day and applies them to the broader context of Lent. We use the daily Mass readings from the Catholic lectionary. If possible, read each passage slowly, taking in each word. If you find that you’ve hurried through a reading, read it over a few more times. Let the words reverberate in your heart. After you’ve let it sink in, read our Lenten Scriptural Commentary. For more information, click here. Ash Wednesday Readings: Jl 2:12-18/2 Cor 5:20—6:2/Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Click here to read the complete text from the USCCB website On Ash Wednesday, we are called to remember our frailty as humans: we are dust, and to dust we shall return. This is a solemn reminder of reality, not a morbid emphasis on death. Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. (from Jl 2: 12-18) Life is complex. Fittingly, so is the Church year. Sometimes we’re called to rejoice, as on Christmas and Easter, and sometimes we’re called to solemnly remember our failings and our perpetual need to return to God. We are called to the latter throughout Lent, and especially on Ash Wednesday. Fixing ourselves on the outside is never enough. God knows our heart. We need to focus on our hearts the most, our deepest longings and most inward selves, to become the people God wants us to be. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. (from Jl 2: 12-18) It is important to remember that we are sinful, that we are always in need of God, that every day is a conversion. Lent is the time to do that. This might seem grim or negative, but it’s merely realistic. Plus, there’s the ultimate bright side: God is gracious, merciful, “slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.” Consider how wonderful those three things are! Coming to grips with what we do wrong is realistic, counting on God for forgiveness and redemption is the only way to be truly free. Throughout redemption history, God has called his people to gather at specific times for specific purposes. “Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly...” These are typical words of God in the Old Testament. The Christian God is the God of the Old Testament, which is why it only makes sense to do the same thing today. It is important to remember our sins and turn back to God every day, but doing so with fresh eyes yearly, as we do during Lent, is like re-charging our souls. It vividly helps us to remember our dependence on God’s mercy and grace. Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. (from the Ps 51: 3-4, 5-6AB, 12-13, 14, and 17) The responsorial for Ash Wednesday is Psalm 51, a beautiful poem of repentance. The entire Psalm is said every Friday in Morning Prayer in the Breviary, the prayers that priests and Deacons pray every day. It is easily accessible to anyone (in book form, for free online, or with an app) and is incredibly spiritually edifying. Reciting Psalm 51 every day during Lent is a wonderful idea. Or, even better, do Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer in the Breviary. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (from 2 Cor. 5:20-6:2) This short reading is Lent in a nutshell. During Lent, God calls us to be reconciled to Himself through fasting, prayer, and remembering our brokenness. Our redemption, our freedom despite our faults, comes through relying on Jesus. This becomes more vivid in our lives the more we cultivate our personal relationship with Him. Another idea for Lent is to take any amount of time, even 15 seconds a day, to simply talk to Jesus to help cultivate that relationship. Meeting Him sacramentally in the Mass, or at Eucharistic Adoration, will make this practice even more fruitful. In today’s Gospel, Jesus lays out exactly how we should act when we pray, fast, and give in charity. His message: attitude is everything. Be pure in heart when you do these things, and do them for God, not yourself or worldly notoriety. God isn’t stupid; he can see through a haughty show, through a vain display. Purity of heart is the heart of Jesus’ message. We show purity of heart by not loudly seeking recognition for our charity, making a self-absorbed public spectacle of our prayers, or making our fasting obvious so people give us credit for it. If we do those things, we’ve already received our reward, and it is fleeting and ultimately worthless. The entire Gospel is worth reading again and again. Do so with fresh eyes, like it’s the first time you’ve ever read it: Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you." (from Matt 6: 1-6, 16-18) During Lent, we focus on returning to God with prayer, fasting, and giving to charity with purity of heart. This extended reminder of our brokenness, our reliance on God, and the limitlessness of God’s mercy and grace helps us recharge and bring our lives back into focus. Erik Ritland is a writer and musician. The founder of Fully Alive Christian Media, he also created The Minnesota Sport Ramble and is a writer and copy editor for Music in Minnesota. He was Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blogs Curious North and Hometown Hustle. Reach him via email. |
Authors
Erik Ritland received his MA in Theology in 2017. He's the founder and content manager of Fully Alive Christian Media and Rambling On, copy editor and writer for Music in Minnesota, and an acclaimed songwriter. Archives
April 2019
Categories |