Pondering the Word
A Lenten Journey
By June Mears Driedger
We return to fifty days of entering into the wilderness with Jesus. We move with Jesus from testing and temptation through the diligent work of discipleship until we are face him as he dies on the cross. Each Lent we are invited to enter into the depths of a life of discipleship and obedience. We move deeper into the wild of the upside-down kingdom.
Lent One
Our journey begins in the same place—in the desert with Jesus as he faces temptation. In Matthew 4:1-11, the for the first Sunday, Jesus is tempted directly by the devil. In the synoptic Gospels, there are two tests of Jesus. The first one is here, in the wilderness, before his ministry begins. The second test is in the garden, before his death and resurrection.
Everything flows from entering into the relational depths with Jesus.
In the Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible, the editors note that verse 1 says it is the Spirit that led Jesus out into the wilderness to be tested. But, “by definition God tests (intending to strengthen the believer’s moral character) and the devil tempts (intending to destroy the selfsame character).” Paradoxically, the same set of circumstances can be taken either as a test or a temptation depending on the response. And Jesus responds to this paradox by relying on scripture. Jesus does not taking shortcuts to victory but instead follows the path of discipleship and obedience.
Lent Two
The second week we explore Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisee, Nicodemus, in John 3:1-17. John notes the darkness surrounding this nighttime visit by Nicodemus and Jesus himself uses the images of darkness and light as he spoke with his visitor. These images of darkness could imply that Nicodemus is an unbeliever and yet, he calls Jesus “Rabbi.” He continues: “We know that you are a teacher come from God, because no one can do these miracles which you are doing unless God is with him,” (vs. 2). The issue is not that Nicodemus is an unbeliever but instead that Nicodemus is a believer, facing Jesus Christ, and not comprehending exactly who Jesus is. The issue is not really converting from no faith to faith, but converting from one kind of faith in Jesus to another. Nicodemus appears two more times in John, each time asking, “Can I follow this Jesus?” Indeed, by John 19, Nicodemus aligns himself publically with Jesus by removing Jesus’ body from the cross. Nicodemus chooses Jesus and a life of obedience.
Lent Three
We move with Jesus to Samaria during the third week in John 4:1-42. In verse four, we read, “But he had to go through Samaria …” where he crosses multiple layers of boundaries—ethnic, religious, social and gender. Jesus’ revolutionary journey initiates a new, inclusive community of salvation. By verse 9, when the Samaritan woman asks Jesus: “How is it that you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” Jesus has acted in disregard of the prevailing taboos and prejudice.
Each Lent we are invited to enter into the depths of a life of discipleship and obedience.
Her questions, “How is that you ask me for a drink?” shows her recognition of the barrier-breaking significance of Jesus’ request for water. She was astonished because his question was so unlikely yet she saw the eternal rightness of his request. For Jesus, a life of obedience required him to break prejudices separating people from one another.
Lent Four
The fourth week we are challenged to reconsider our understanding of sin. In John 9:1-41, Jesus purposely defies ritual purity laws with the use of both saliva and dirt while healing a blind man on the Sabbath.
As one writer noted, “Sin is no longer as simple as keeping God’s rules, one through ten, or a matter of scrupulous following of the Levitical codes of what to eat or what to wear. … It is about being in relationship with God.” This relationship or discipleship, is about discerning what is pleasing to God and seeking that relationship first and foremost. Everything flows from entering into the relational depths with Jesus.
Lent Five
By the fifth week we listen in while Jesus has conversations about death and resurrection in John 11:1-45 with Mary and Martha, sisters to Lazarus, who died but was subsequently raised back to life by Jesus.
Lent Six/Palm Sunday
As we follow Jesus in diligent discipleship and obedience, we discover that our journey in the wilderness does not follow a familiar route of moving from a low-paying job to a better paying job, from illness to health, or from misery to happiness. The temptations at the beginning of Lent mirrors Israel’s experience as a pattern of our struggle as we move into the depths of Jesus’ upsidedown kingdom of God.
June Mears Driedger is managing editor of Leader. She is a member of Michigan State University (MSU) Mennonite Fellowship in East Lansing, Mich.