Sixth Sunday in Lent Year C 10th April 2022
Lectionary readings: Isaiah 50 v4-9a; Psalm 31 v9-16; Philippians 2 v5-11; Luke 23 v1-49.
Do we really listen to God’s servants?
The prophet Isaiah says, “None of you respect the Lord or obey his servant. You walk in the dark instead of the light; you don’t trust the name of the Lord you God.” (Isaiah 50 v10).
Isaiah was speaking to the people of Israel some 500 years before the time of Jesus. The servants he is referring to are God’s prophets, including himself. It seems that no one is really listening to his message.
Are we just as guilty today? Do we really listen to and act upon the message given to us via our ministers and local preachers? Are they not God’s servants, called to preach God’s word for us today?
Who else do we recognise as speaking God’s truth to us today? Climate scientists and Climate emergency campaigners such as David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg?
If we choose to pay lip service to God’s message, is this not a form of disrespect or disobedience?
Are we choosing to walk in the dark rather than the light?
The Psalmist said, “I trust you, Lord and claim you as my God. My life is in your hands.” (Psalm 31 v14,15a). Can we say the same?
In today’s gospel passage, Luke tells us of the events leading to the death of Jesus.
Everyone in the council (The leaders of the Jewish nation, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses) got up and led Jesus to see Pilate. They started accusing him and said, “We caught this man trying to get our people to riot and to stop paying taxes to the Emperor. He also claims that he is the Messiah, our king.”
Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Those are your words,” Jesus answered.
Pilate told the chief priests and the crowd, “I don’t find him guilty of anything.” (Luke 23 v1-5a).
It seems that Pilate was listening to God’s servant and the leaders of the Jews were not!
The apostle Paul was in no doubt that Jesus was God’s true servant.
‘Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us. Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross’. (Philippians 2 v 6-8).
If we can acknowledge that we have not really listened to God’s servants, take heart, because as hymn writer Estelle White reminds us, God’s mercy is available to us if we call on his name. (Singing the Faith 431 v3).
There’ve been times when I’ve turned from his presence, and I’ve walked other paths, other ways;
but I’ve called on his name in the dark of my shame, and his mercy was gentle as silence.
Bible quotations are taken from the Contemporary English Version.