Sunday
April 6th 2019 5th Sunday of Lent (Cycle
C)
Making It All Better
The tie in
between today’s readings: Restoration
There
is a big difference between discipline and punishment. Discipline’s purpose is
for training in order to achieve a more mature behavior. It focuses on the
person with an attitude of love and concern. God, our Father, disciplines His
children for example. Discipline ends with restoration and a new start for all
parties involved. Punishment is much different. It is totally hindsighted. It
is reciprocation springing from wrongs suffered: an eye for an eye. The
statement that, God the Righteous Judge, will punish the wicked in hell, shows
that punishment ends the relationship with the balancing of the scales. There
is no coming back. That’s why comic book character, Frank Castle is called the
“Punisher” and not the “Disciplinarian”. Today’s readings highlight two
different episodes of God’s loving discipline and restoration.
After
many years of lip service religion and outright disobedience, the nation of
Judah finally achieved a truly difficult milestone. They wore God out. Prophet
after prophet came time after time with the same message from the Almighty, “Don’t
make Me come down there!” Apparently, they weren’t going to be happy until they
got their beating. And a beating they got along with total devastation with a
one way ticket to subjugation in Babylon. But there was a glimmer of hope
recorded by the prophet Jeremiah in Lamentation: “It is of the Lord’s mercies
that we are not consumed, because His compassion does not fail” (Lamentations
3:22). Here the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob graciously holds out the
promise that there will again be a “someday” for them. They were, after all,
still His children. He sat them in the corner of Babylonian exile for seventy
years and now it was time for them to come home.
There
is a special joy in restoring a relationship. We see it in a loving parent’s
hugs and kisses for their crying child after a time out, the junkie returning
to an understanding and supporting home post rehab, or the makeup sex that
follows a young couple’s quarrel. It’s the cheers after the tears. With God, it
is no different. In Isaiah 43:16-21, one of today’s readings, the Lord in a
great gesture of “Welcome Home” comforts His children with a forgiving, forget
about it! Then goes further in a parent’s excitement to describe the “You ain’t
seen nothin’ yet!” fantastic future that He planned for them. Psalm 126
responds with “pinch me I must be dreaming” excitement when God performed the
miracle of bringing His exiles back to Jerusalem to rebuild. Joyful shouts and
crying gladness filled their hearts as well as the streets when the walls of
Zion were completed. With one tough job finished, they looked forward to the
next challenge of restoring the Temple. They proceeded with confident optimism
because God was with them and the joy of the Lord was their strength.
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At the
beginning of today’s gospel reading in John 8:1-11, Jesus is teaching in the
temple. Suddenly, a loud commotion erupts. The street crowd parts in an
undulating wave to allow a cluster of harden men to pass. They are barely
discernible against the mob which gathers behind them as if drawn by a magnet.
A young woman’s panic stricken screams grow like a siren in intensity as they
approach the Master. They break through and two husky brutes throw the crying
girl to the ground at His feet. Her scantily clad body adds to her humiliation
as she looks up at Jesus from her hands and knees. She is shaking, she is
exposed, and she is terrified. An older man, a Pharisee, accuses her of
adultery and demands a death sentence judgment from Jesus as he points to her
quivering frame with a righteous boney finger. Jesus understands their trap.
The Law of Moses requires stoning to death for the woman and the man, who
apparently got away. Only Rome could authorize an execution, though, and they
certainly would approve of this one. Jesus seems to be between a rock and a
hard place. He, however, is more concerned about this poor daughter, who's next
intimate contact could very well be a fatal shower of Palestinian landscape.
Fortunately, Jesus has a finger all His own. He gets down on the ground next to
her and writes in the dirt. Pressing Him for an answer, Jesus straightens up
and challenges the most moral among them to throw the first stone. She
flattens, shrieks into the ground, covers her head while she puddles the dust
with her tears, and waits for her imminent pummeling. Nothing happens as Jesus
gets back to the dirt to continue writing. The accusers become convicted and
leave one by one along with the crowd. Show’s over. Jesus lifts the young girl
up. She is overwhelmed by her escape and barely comprehends His question.
“Where are your accusers?”
“They are gone, Lord.” she replies, astonished.
“I don’t condemn you, either.” Then Jesus added,
“Go and sin no more.”
More tears and sobs as the young lady turns and
disappears back into the indifferent crowd that would have just as soon seen
her dead as alive. But these are tears of joy, of relief, of mercy received and
restoration given. Her time had not yet come and because of the love of her
Messiah, whose own time was fast approaching, she was determined and able to
make a new future.
The
Apostle Paul picks up this theme of restoration with a personal note in
Philippians 3:8-14. He sees that he cannot keep the Ten Commandments as he is
supposed to, no matter how hard he tries. Punishment for his sins looms ahead.
So he gives up on his own merits and, by faith, takes Jesus’ righteousness
offered by God through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. Jesus is the key
to the contradictory image we may have of a God who holds a club over our heads
and at the same times says, “Don’t you know that I love you?” Having had his
punishment removed by the blood of Christ, the Apostle can own his
imperfections and leave the guilt of them behind. He can, as a child of God,
focus toward the future and the Lord’s upward calling for him. With guidance
and discipline from the Father, he will achieve it. This offer of salvation and
restoration is for you also. Come to the cross. Come clean. Come to Jesus.
Leave reconciled. Leave restored.
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