1 Corinthians 3:11-23 (NRSV)

The Second Sunday in Lent - Reflections on the Letters of Lent

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future-- all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" I wonder what kind of world this would be if everyone thought that, or even behaved like that. If we truly treated our neighbor and ourselves with the love and respect due to God (or at least tried to), then the world would be a better place, wouldn't it?

Paul is teaching the church in Corinth about building faith on the good foundation, Jesus Christ. A foundation that will survive. A foundation rooted in faith and trust that if anything happens, the foundation is still solid, ready for the rebuild. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the true temple is you and that God's Spirit dwells in you.

Corinth is a transient trade port city with many people from different areas of the Mediterranian engaging in commerce. The people would be exposed to many different religious influences and many different philosophies. All the riff-raff of the Mediterranian world came through Corinth at one time or another. Paul knew the audience he was writing to and he addresses those who think they are wise and those who follow human leaders that are not of Christ.

I think today's call comes from within the reading when Paul says, "do not deceive yourselves." How often do we think that we are better than someone else? Do they not carry the spirit of God? How often have we been deceived by false teachings that cause fear and division? Do we not know that we are God's temple? A place of sacrifice and thanksgiving, a place of connection and forgiveness? We wander around thinking that we are something other than that which belongs to God... than that which contains God...

Mark 11:12-25 (NRSV)

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it.  When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it.  Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.  He was teaching and saying, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'?  But you have made it a den of robbers.”  And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching.  And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.  In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.  Then Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered."  Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God.  Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you.  So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."

The word that stands out today is “forgive.”  Among all the talk about fig trees and driving the money changers and merchants out of the temple, Jesus tells the disciples to forgive anything that you have against anyone.

The meaning of the cursed fig tree is strange.  It almost seems that Jesus was "cruel" and unjustly condemning.  To see a leafed fig tree, even at an unseasonable time, warranted the assumption that there would be fruit on the tree.  But this tree was an oddity; the leaves were there, but it was fruitless.  This phenomenon, therefore, served as a perfect “visual aid” for an important lesson that Jesus wanted to teach.  Jesus has talked about fruit before and the responsibility to bear good fruit (referring to the believers obligation to spread the Good News).  The fact that the fig tree did not have any fruit, and then was withered, parallels Jesus teaching about those that don’t bear any “fruit.”  This was discussed on March 7, 2012

The fig tree incident surrounds Jesus driving out the moneychangers from the temple, saying that it is a house of prayer.  The placement may have an indication of the importance of the use of money.  If money or currency is used in a manner that doesn’t give glory to God, then it is accursed.  However, if it is used to assist in the building up of the kingdom of God, to care for others, to provide for the needy, to bring about social justice, to make sure churches and temples represent the best we can offer, then we bring forth “good fruit” for the kingdom of God.

We should always use all that we have all the time to bring glory to God.  That’s the call that I hear today.  We have a responsibility as believers to express our faith by the way we live our lives.  This includes how we use our resources.  If we give a tithe (10%) to our churches, then our churches are able to operate and help society provide much needed support to those in need.  This all boils down to what is in our heart.  Do we have a thankful heart of forgiveness or do we have a selfish heart?

Luke 19:41-48 (NRSV)

As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side.  They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God."  Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a den of robbers."  Every day he was teaching in the temple.  The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.

‘Rampart’ is the word that stands out.  I also feel that it is central to the reading.  Some people don’t know what a rampart is.  It is a fortified wall or barrier.  Jerusalem of antiquity is a fortified city with a wall around it to protect it.  Jesus has arrived at Jerusalem and the first thing he does is weep for the city and the people that he loves.  To me this is in direct contrast to the thought of “ramparts.”  I will say more about that in a bit.

Even though this isn’t the Gospel according to Mark that we have been reading through, it seems fast paced to me and gets very quickly from his arrival to him driving out the sellers from the temple.  I feel that Mark offers more detail even though Luke has the reputation for detail.

From the onset of this passage, Jesus offers a ‘prophecy’ of the destruction of the fortified city of Jerusalem.  He shows emotion, a deep sadness and weeps because the people are destroying themselves by turning away from God.  They fail to recognize that God is with them in the person of Jesus.  When he enters the temple, his sadness turns to anger and he drives out the merchants and moneychangers.  This confirms his feeling that the people are destroying themselves.

Sadness and anger are very deep human emotions.  Jesus opens up and displays these emotions, making him vulnerable to ridicule and persecution.  However, he doesn’t display them inappropriately.  He has every right to feel the way he feels.  I feel that in order to be receptive and learn we need to be open and a bit vulnerable.  The call for us today is to take down the barriers that we have put up in order to protect us from the things we fear.  We shouldn’t be afraid to be who we are and appropriately show emotion.

Luke 2:22-40 (NRSV)

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

 ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

   according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
   which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
   and for glory to your people Israel.’

And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

Simeon’s proclamation after seeing the infant Jesus for the first time screams to a place of prominence for me in the reading today.  One can feel the energy and joy that is expressed in Simeon’s “song.” 

In the content of the song, Mary receives good but challenging news about her new baby - that he is destined for greatness, and will bring about truth and redemption for Israel.  This proclamation was also witnessed by the prophet, Anna (yes, women can be prophets too!) who spread the good news to those looking for redemption.  

This is the reading for the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord (Feb 2).  In the church calendar, today marks 40 days since Christmas day (the birth of Jesus), and in Mosac law marked the time when Mary was to go to the temple to be purified after giving birth to a male child [Leviticus 12:2-8].  It also marks the time when Jesus is dedicated to the Lord by being presented at the temple where a ritual sacrifice is made [Numbers 18:15].  On this day the church celebrates Jesus, who is the light of the world, coming into the Temple of Jerusalem (or house of God).  To commemorate this event, the church has a solemn procession of Candles and singing the Song of Simeon or “Nunc dimittis” and several other tunes of joy and acclamation.  The day is called Candlemas. 

Yesterday, I wrote a bit about participation.  The ritual purification was the way that Mary participated in what was required of her becasue she lived under the Law of the Lord.  By following the Law, she received so much more than a blessing of purification.  Mary received affirmation that she was the mother of the Holy One of God who will redeem Israel.  Little did she know of the great sacrifice that he would make no only for Israel, but for the whole world.  By marking and following the life of Christ through scripture, the Christian calendar is one way that we participate and learn what significant the holy stories have to say to us today. 

A way to participate and bring the story of the presentation forward is by participating in a solemn procession of lit candles into the church.  It becomes the engagement of scripture on a physical level through the liturgical rite.  This can be a lifting experience and have much meaning for us as we witness the light being shared and processed by us who are now bearers of the light.