March 13, 2024
The Lord is gracious and merciful!
Jesus so often brought that Psalm to life, offering grace and mercy. One instance from John’s Gospel, lead into today’s reading. We read today that he’d angered religious leaders by working on the sabbath. The “work” he performed: healing a man.
John had set the scene for this healing by mentioning the man had been paralyzed for 38 years. Allow me a quick Old-Testament tangent for context. In the book of Numbers, we read of an event from the 38th year after the Israelites left Mount Sinai. In a fascinating miracle, the Isrealites, on the verge of dying of thirst, are saved when God commands Moses to strike the rock at Meribah. After he does, water flows forth, and the people are spared
However, the man through whom God works this miracle, Moses, is imperfect. His lack of faith causes him to doubt, striking the rock twice. His actions, in following God’s will, will allow Israel to reach the Promised Land, but the price of his doubt will be Moses’ own death before that happens.
So in Numbers, people wait for water after struggling for 38 years, and God provides a miracle for them. In John a man waits for miraculous water after struggling for 38 years, and God also provides help. However, in John, we are not dealing with an imperfect Moses, but instead the perfection of God’s Word: Jesus. Moses brought forth water which healed their thirst; Jesus goes further by not using the healing water nearby, but healing the man, quite literally, using the Word of God (“Rise, take up your pallet, and walk”).
Interestingly, the result of this healing is that the religious leaders decide to kill Jesus. Thus, a miracle done perfectly by Christ, leads to the same result as Moses imperfect miracle: Christ will lead many to the promised land, at the cost of his own life.
Neither Moses’ doubt, nor the Pharisees’ blindness to Christ are new. In today’s first reading, Isaiah notes the Lord answers our favors, restoring land, freeing prisoners, and bringing light to those in darkness. And how do the people respond? By saying “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” They focus on the immediate problems they face, forgetting the many times the Lord has shown his love in the past, and, like Moses, doubting he will in the present.
In Lent, we go into penitential desolation (paralysis?), to prepare for the feast of Easter. But do not forget this preparatory purpose. We should not search to make life harder (for ourselves or others), just for hardship’s sake, lest we become like the Pharisees. No, instead, we should realize that this is temporary. When there is desolation and darkness, know that He will bring light. Do not allow the hard times of Lent (or any desert seasons of our life) to become the primary focus, lest we forget that the resurrection is coming. Have no doubt: The Lord is gracious and merciful.
