When I first read the gospel lesson for today from John,
I was struck by how, in just a few short verses, it depicts some of the many
ways in which the religious life (or what passes for religion) can be distorted
or betrayed. Here are examples.
·
Judas
says the costly ointment used by Mary to anoint the feet of Jesus should have
been sold and the money given to the poor, but his real interest is to siphon
off some of the funds for himself.
·
Jesus’
answering statement that he will shortly die while you will always have the
poor with you has sometimes been taken out of context as an excuse for not
reaching out to those in need.
·
Crowds
come to see Jesus but also to see Lazarus who has been raised from the
dead—perhaps an early anticipation of the spirit of P.T. Barnum.
·
The
chief priests want to kill Lazarus to end this spectacle, no doubt justified in
their own minds to maintain their religious authority.
The Bible truly conveys both the Holy and the all too
human. But how pure are our own religious motives? How tempted are we to think
when reading a passage such as this, “At least I'm not that bad.”? I ask these questions not to be gloomy
or defeatist but to shine a light on our own flawed humanity. Bill Coffin, the late
Chaplain of Yale and Senior Minister of Riverside Church, liked to ask, “Were
you there when they crucified my Lord? You bet you were, hammer in hand.”
In this Holy Week perhaps our highest priority should be
to gather at the foot of the Cross and consider, as if for the first time, what
God has done and is doing out of love for us.
― John Zuck
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