5th Sunday in Lent
Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8
“… you do not always have me.” We will all wonder what Jesus means by it when we hear from the Gospel of John on this 5th Sunday in Lent. No, Jesus is not leaving the faithful abandoned. His farewell discourse will address that in Chapter 14. The context always matters when Jesus teaches things. The Messiah has just raised Lazarus from the dead quite publically, and for that, the plot to arrest and kill him is already on (11:48-53).
In this Sunday gospel scene, Jesus has come out of temporary seclusion (11:54) and is going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and face the cross. He is now a semi-recognizable figure, and the authorities are officially looking for him (11:57). Everything from this point on is a testimony to courage, resilience, and trust in what God is doing. Jesus’ last visitation to the home of Lazarus places all at risk (see also 12:9-11). Mary, Lazarus’ sister, clearly sees the power of the moment for what it is. Judas, whatever he is trying to imply, does not. His heart does not contain the fullness of the reality they were living.
God, speaking through the author of Isaiah 43, after declaring love for the people (3) and the intention to bring them back to full restoration (1-15), now promises to keep all sources of harm and death away (16-21)and asks the faithful not to latch to the things of the past (18) but to trust the things God is about to create anew (19).
Paul tries to convey this trust to the church in Phillippi. He gives himself as an example of following Christ’s sacrificial love to the extent of giving up all his comfort, power, and privilege (3:8-11). He then moves to a plea to the faithful to look ahead to what sounds much like the fulfillment of the prophetic voice (13-14; Is. 43:19).
The Psalmist proclaims:
“5 May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves (Psalm 126, NRSVue).”
Bridging Faith 