Righteousness that Jesus teaches...
3rd Sunday in Lent: 4th March, 2018
Exo 20: 1-17; 1 Cor 1: 22-25;Jn 2: 13-25
How we wish the Lord entered today Syria and whipped all those mongering for power and restored peace with thunder and lightning!
How we wish the Lord took those heartless corporates of the world by their ears and whacked them for their insensitivity to the poor and the neglected and pulled all their money out and distributed them to those who have none!
How we wish the Lord grabbed those crooked politicians by their throats and thwarted all their blatant lies and hidden agenda!
How we wish... the list can go on and on. This what anyone who is tired of what is happening around today would imagine when he or she reads the Gospel today! Jesus swings like a super hero, doing what everyone would wish it is done. But almost immediately the Word comes up with a correction - but that is not always! The ways of God is not always whipping it out...it is the way of the Cross, the sign of "the foolishness of God", says St. Paul today. Where does this foolishness come from? From the fact that God loves humanity beyond all the limitations and defects found in it. True love not only does not hurt, but also takes the hurt on itself without any complains.
God seeks righteousness not vengeance. Righteousness is being right, doing right, living right, but not merely that. There are people today who live right, do right, be right because of various reasons: not to get into trouble, to be applauded by the onlookers, to gain some kind of a remuneration...these are just a few of the numerous reasons there could be. But these will never amount so much to righteousness, as to legalism and levels of self seeking. Recall your mindset when you do something right, do something that has to be done, when you carry out a duty which you are bound to - it could be anything from a simple obedience to traffic rules to duly paying your taxes to the government. But that is not the Righteousness that Jesus teaches.
Righteousness is taking orders only from God.
Righteousness that Jesus teaches is an absolute obedience to God. The laws that God gave the people of Israel, were the directions for a life that God expected them to live amidst the other people. God's laws are not modes in which God controls us but the way in which God wishes to distinguish us as God's people! When I do good because God wants me to do it, when I be right because God wants me be so, I am being righteous!
Righteousness is taking up your Cross.
Righteousness that Jesus teaches is taught from the Cross. Jesus had to pay the price for having been righteous. Taking up the whip does not work always! At times you are a powerless minority when you live righteous - live it anyway! At times you are judged a failure when you stand up for righteousness - stand up for it anyway! At times you are taken for granted and trampled on ground for upholding what is right - hold on to it anyway! This is the foolishness of the Cross that Paul teaches us - it is that logic against all strategies of the unrighteous.
Righteousness is taking on the world.
Righteousness that Jesus teaches is a battle, a battle of love! There is no losing in this. You love God absolutely, love God's people absolutely, love God's purposes absolutely...and your opponent that is the world of selfishness and power will go all out to destroy you. Are you ready for that battle - It may appear to be a losing battle but you will never lose when you love! The Cross was originally a sign of curse, failure and death but today it is a symbol of hope, love and resurrection! Are you ready to take on the world, with your righteousness?
Choose Righteousness, Choose God!
How we wish the Lord took those heartless corporates of the world by their ears and whacked them for their insensitivity to the poor and the neglected and pulled all their money out and distributed them to those who have none!
How we wish the Lord grabbed those crooked politicians by their throats and thwarted all their blatant lies and hidden agenda!
How we wish... the list can go on and on. This what anyone who is tired of what is happening around today would imagine when he or she reads the Gospel today! Jesus swings like a super hero, doing what everyone would wish it is done. But almost immediately the Word comes up with a correction - but that is not always! The ways of God is not always whipping it out...it is the way of the Cross, the sign of "the foolishness of God", says St. Paul today. Where does this foolishness come from? From the fact that God loves humanity beyond all the limitations and defects found in it. True love not only does not hurt, but also takes the hurt on itself without any complains.
God seeks righteousness not vengeance. Righteousness is being right, doing right, living right, but not merely that. There are people today who live right, do right, be right because of various reasons: not to get into trouble, to be applauded by the onlookers, to gain some kind of a remuneration...these are just a few of the numerous reasons there could be. But these will never amount so much to righteousness, as to legalism and levels of self seeking. Recall your mindset when you do something right, do something that has to be done, when you carry out a duty which you are bound to - it could be anything from a simple obedience to traffic rules to duly paying your taxes to the government. But that is not the Righteousness that Jesus teaches.
Righteousness is taking orders only from God.
Righteousness that Jesus teaches is an absolute obedience to God. The laws that God gave the people of Israel, were the directions for a life that God expected them to live amidst the other people. God's laws are not modes in which God controls us but the way in which God wishes to distinguish us as God's people! When I do good because God wants me to do it, when I be right because God wants me be so, I am being righteous!
Righteousness is taking up your Cross.
Righteousness that Jesus teaches is taught from the Cross. Jesus had to pay the price for having been righteous. Taking up the whip does not work always! At times you are a powerless minority when you live righteous - live it anyway! At times you are judged a failure when you stand up for righteousness - stand up for it anyway! At times you are taken for granted and trampled on ground for upholding what is right - hold on to it anyway! This is the foolishness of the Cross that Paul teaches us - it is that logic against all strategies of the unrighteous.
Righteousness is taking on the world.
Righteousness that Jesus teaches is a battle, a battle of love! There is no losing in this. You love God absolutely, love God's people absolutely, love God's purposes absolutely...and your opponent that is the world of selfishness and power will go all out to destroy you. Are you ready for that battle - It may appear to be a losing battle but you will never lose when you love! The Cross was originally a sign of curse, failure and death but today it is a symbol of hope, love and resurrection! Are you ready to take on the world, with your righteousness?
Choose Righteousness, Choose God!