Tasting of the Inheritance
(Free Version) The Fourth Sunday in Lent- Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
You can find this Sundays’s readings here. This week in our “Deep Dive,” we look at each of these readings in detail and include quotes from St. John Chrysostom, Augustine, and some of the work of Tim Keller on The Prodigal Son passage. We also look at the history and purpose of circumcision and Passover, including how they relate to the Christian sacraments.
As is common in the season of Lent, and with the Christian faith in general, our readings this week lead us to recognize our dependence on God, his timing, and his heart.
Our Old Testament reading (Joshua 5:9-12) is about a new covenant ritual, a new trust when there has previously been no trust. Israel steps into the land, commits themselves to physical acts of trust (circumcision, eating from the land, celebrating Passover, naming the land), even as they await their full possession of their inheritance. These moments of physical trust are important. For Israel, it was circumcision and the eating of unleavened bread. For Christians it is baptism and the eucharist meal. These physical rituals of trust do something in and to us.
Our epistle reading (2 Corinthians 5:16-21) challenges us to see Christ and the world through new eyes. Because of Jesus, everything has changed. We see that our reconciliation has been brought about in Jesus. Rather than a symbol of being conquered, the cross is a sign of love. Up is down and down is up! This changes how we see our neighbor. Every person you meet is loved by God, and God desires their reconciliation with himself. God is the reconciler and we are ambassadors of reconciliation.
In some sense, all of us are the older brother of Luke 15 (1-3, 11b-32). All of us are subconsciously afraid that there is not enough to go around, that God is not really just.
The younger brother did not trust his father to give him a future inheritance, so he took control and squandered it. The older brother did not trust that the father would be just to him, so he seethed with anger. The root of all of this is the question: is our Father really just? This is particularly difficult when we look around us and see others who have the “good life” which we desire. Will God really take care of me? Is this life of trusting the Father really worth it? The good news is that our God loves and forgives us. We can trust Him.
Some have suggested that the entire gospel is communicated in the Story of the Prodigal son. Why did Jesus need to do anything else?
Jesus did not just teach the prodigal son. He lived it out. In the cross we see the Father’s wide open arms towards us in the midst of our guilt and shame. He is reconciling us to himself. When we confess our sins, we are not doing so in order to earn something. God does not wait for us to confess in order to love us. He is already pursuing us. What confession does, is it allows us to reveal our brokenness in order to heal it. We need a diagnosis. We need awareness, so that we can truly be healed.
Confession
How do we confess our sins? Well, first of all, we must admit that we have sinned. We say, God...search my heart, reveal to me the things that I have done that lead to brokenness instead of wholeness.
The next step is we confess these to someone else. It is important to take the step find someone who you trust, who has demonstrated in their life that they love unconditionally with the love of Christ, that they will not be horrified by what you say. Perhaps they understand, because they know that they themselves have been forgiven much. If this seems daunting, be encouraged that there are safe people who will love you with the love of Christ.
When you do this, you will begin to feel a weight fall off of you. There is something so beautiful about confessing our sins and inviting someone else into our story. When someone else is involved and hears your sin, it also opens the door for change to happen. That person knows your stuff and can help you seek help. Our God is more than enough. May we rest and trust in his love.