A Lenten Journey

Dr Richard Smith - 16/03/2025

Reading - Luke 13:31-35

This mosaic Dominus Flevit,“The Lord Wept” in Latin is in a significant Roman-Catholic church along the western slope of the Mount of Olives. Situated along the traditional route Jesus took during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It was inspired by our reading today from Luke 13:34b where Jesus as he approaches Jerusalem and foresees the destruction that eventually befalls the City some 40 years after his own death. Luke has Jesus utter the words:

“How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!"

Jesus speaks truth to the power of the Roman Empire and their clients about their unjust use of violence to secure their privileges at the expense of the ordinary people.

It is a common refrain echoed down through the ages which the followers of Jesus were called upon to resist non-violently in whatever ways they could. Actions we reflect on during this season of Lent.

Internationally the current violence being inflicted on Palestinian people can be traced back some 4,000 years to the promise to Abram of … "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them … So shall your descendants be." Genesis 15:1b, 5b. Abram became Abraham when he was 99 years old. God changed his name from Abram, meaning "exalted father," to Abraham, meaning "father of a multitude," symbolized God's promise that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations including Palestinians and Israeli.

We have also seen the violence being inflicted on the people of Ukraine. It is not surprising that the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy whose Jewish ancestors suffered in the Holocaust, has the courage to stand firm against unjust demands being made in return for Peace.

World leaders who have successfully stood against autocracy and tyranny are:

· Winston Churchill who said: "Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time".

· James Madison a founding father of the American Republic said: "The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary in the same hands, whether of one, a few or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny".

· Nelson Mandela who was pivotal in South Africa achieving democracy said: "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die".

· Václav Havel who helped the Czech Republic come into being by resisting Russian Imperialism said: "A state that denies its citizens their basic rights becomes a danger to its neighbours as well: internal arbitrary rule will be reflected in arbitrary external relations. The suppression of public opinion... opens the way for the state power to arm itself in any way it sees fit".

All this seems far removed from ourselves here in Western Australia, however we are all complicit to a greater or lesser degree in the assault on our environment from the massive level of deforestation, pollution of water ways and consumption of fossil fuels. Impacts that are Global particularly on already impoverished people.

Tackling these impacts is somewhat bound up in the current political debate as competing political parties and independents seek our vote.

Mother nature truly blesses us with limitless beauty and the means to sustain us on this most wonderful of planets and therefore demands our allegiance.

Jesus uses nature to illustrate his message and call for us to stand firm against the threats posed by the forces of environmental destruction powered by limitless greed to create ever expanding wealth.

We learn from the Book of Books that Jesus frequently used imagery from nature to convey profound spiritual truths and appeal to our better nature. His teachings drew on the natural world to illustrate important lessons about faith, trust, and human behaviour.

Jesus often references plants and animals to teach about God's care and human virtues:

1. "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" This imagery encourages trust in God's care and discourages excessive worry.

2. The Parable of the Sower uses seeds falling on different types of soil to explain how people respond to the gospel message. This natural imagery helps listeners understand abstract spiritual concepts through familiar, tangible examples.

3. Trees and Fruit: Jesus uses the analogy of trees producing fruit to teach about character and actions, encouraging his followers to cultivate good "fruit" in their lives.

Nature as a Mirror of Divine Truths

Jesus used nature as a reflection of spiritual realities:

1. The Kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed growing into a large plant, illustrating how small beginnings can lead to significant outcomes.

2. God's Glory: Jesus points to the beauty of creation, saying, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." This imagery emphasizes the surpassing beauty and value of God's creation.

By using familiar elements from the natural world, Jesus makes his teachings more accessible and memorable, appealing to our innate connection with nature and our capacity for wonder and reflection. His use of natural imagery invites us to see the divine in the ordinary and to learn spiritual truths from the world around us.

Jesus was also never slow to give stark warnings about the dangers of loving money in our consumerist society:

1. "No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money".

2. Spiritual Blindness: The love of money can obscure one's spiritual vision, preventing them from seeing the true eternal riches found in Jesus. This spiritual blindness can lead to misplaced priorities and values.

3. In the Parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus warned against storing up earthly treasures emphasising the foolishness of prioritizing temporary wealth over eternal spiritual riches.

4. Jesus highlighted the potential for wealth to become a significant barrier to following Christ wholeheartedly.

5. True Treasure: Jesus encouraged His followers to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth, emphasizing the superior and lasting nature of spiritual investments.

These warnings consistently highlight the spiritual dangers of prioritizing money over God, emphasizing the need for proper allegiance, vision, and values in relation to wealth and possessions.

May we live with a constant sense of awe and wonder of the evolving nature world around us and not sacrifice it for our love of money or creature comforts.

All these points hidden in Jesus’ teachings will be on full display during the election so keep your eyes and minds wide open to spot them.

In Jesus Christ’s name

Amen.