The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation during Lent
This is Laetare Sunday, rejoice! “Laetare” comes from the entrance antiphon from Isaiah 66:10: “Rejoice O Jerusalem.” Rejoicing might feel a little weird here in the middle of Lent. But I love this reminder that the season of Lent is preparing us for the joy of Easter, the joy of a risen Christ. It’s an invitation to pause and take stock of things – to remember that our journey is a joyful walk to Easter, and that, ultimately, Easter is about the JOY of the resurrection!
2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23
Chapter 36 begins a section on the end of the Jewish kingdoms (both North and South). A lot of this material is also covered in the book of 2 Kings.
The kings mentioned in this chapter are all puppets of Egypt and Babylon. Jehoahaz had a 3-month reign before Egypt deposed him. His brother Jehoiakim was then made king by Egypt. He reigned 11 years and “did evil in the sight of the Lord.” Eventually, he was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and taken to Babylon. His son Jehoiachin then reigned for three months. He also “did evil in the sight of the Lord;” he was also taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.
That brings us to Zedekiah in verse 11. Like the kings before him, he did evil in the sight of the Lord. The prophet Jeremiah chastised him, but Zedekiah did not reform. He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar who was the ruling authority over him at this point. V13 says “He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart rather than return to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
In v14, not only did Zedekiah rebel against God, but he influenced those around him to do so as well – the princes, the priests, and the people.
Read verse 15 in light of a God who is just waiting to pounce on us for our sins. “Early and often” the Lord spoke to them. This is not a picture of a vengeful God just waiting for us to mess up! This is patience and compassion at work in the world.
But v16 tells us how they reacted: by bringing God to the very limits of his patience, until, finally, God’s anger blazes up “beyond remedy.”
The lectionary leaves out v17 and 18 – it’s a disturbing picture. The Chaldeans attack and kill without compassion, even within the sacred confines of the temple. And they cart away all the utensils of the house of God – all those things used in the ritual worship of God. Verse 19 continues the picture with them killing, pillaging, and burning everything in their path. Any who were left were then taken away to captivity in Babylon (v20).
In 4 short verses, the Chronicler compresses down the most disastrous event that had ever befallen the nation of Israel. This is the beginning of the Exile.
In v21 we see how the author interprets this event by looking back to the prophet Jeremiah. According to the Torah, every seven years was to be a sabbath where no crops were planted and the land was allowed to rest. Every 50 years (seven Sabbaths) was a year of “perfect” rest: not only was the land allowed to rest, slaves were set free, land reverted back to the original owners, and all debts were forgiven. This was a directive that was never fully embraced by the Israelites, and so this author says all those sabbath years that were never observed have come due. Now the land can rest. Now everyone will come back on equal footing as far as slave or free, debtor or creditor. The slate is wiped clean, which is what the sabbath years were supposed to do.
The reading includes v22-23 – a very hopeful note. These verses are duplicates of the beginning of the book of Ezra. In the Hebrew canon, 1&2 Chronicles were at the very end of the canon and the saying goes that they didn’t want their scriptures to end on such a dismal note, so some scribe copied those verses here so it could end on a note of triumph!
Chronicles shows us that, while there is no limit to God’s mercy, there may be a limit to God’s patience. If we continually reject his calling, consequences will follow (and we might interpret this as punishment). Lent is a time that invites us to review where we’ve been and where we are and reassess our response to that call.
Think about your own history. Have there been times when you feel God has lost patience with you? Were there any times that felt like a disaster but later you understood as God’s working out his plan for you?
Ephesians 2:4-10
In verses 1-3, we get a picture of a sinful humanity walking in darkness. We might say this was the condition of all those from the previous reading who were carted off to exile.
But verse 4 gives the opposite of that picture: a God who is rich in mercy because of the great love he has for us. Verse 5 reiterates the message: previously we were in a state likened to death or darkness; now we are in a state likened to life – true life and light.
The pronouns in verse 6 can make it a little confusing. We might re-translate it as, “God raised us up with Christ, and God seated us with Christ in the heavens in Christ Jesus.” Not only are we now living in the light, but we already enjoy somewhat the exalted state that Christ is in. Already but not yet.
Verse 7 tells us that God had a purpose in all this: to demonstrate his boundless grace. Verse 8 confirms God didn’t choose us because we were righteous. God chose us, granted us the faith to respond, and then gives us ample opportunities to respond – all of this is a gift of grace. Verse 9 is a succinct summary of what is often seen as the Catholic-Protestant divide: the role of faith vs. the role of works.
You were dead. Now you’re alive. And not just alive, but living out that “already but not yet” tension of being like Christ. All this comes out of faith which itself comes from God. This is what we have been created for, so live into it!
Are there any places where God might be calling you to a deeper faith?
Ponder the relationship of faith and works in your own life.
How do you experience the already-but-not-yet tension in your life?
John 3:14-21
Today’s reading is from a passage that starts in v1 with the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus under cover of darkness. Chapter 3 doesn’t tell us what Nicodemus does with this conversation or how it affects him. We can guess that he reflects on it and comes to believe. John 7 shows the Jewish leaders trying to arrest Jesus, but it is Nicodemus who lobbies for hearing him out first. In John 19, Joseph of Arimathea asks to bury Jesus’ body and he’s accompanied by Nicodemus. The Gospel writer may be using Nicodemus as an illustration of the development of faith and, perhaps it is in today’s story that he begins to believe.
Last week Paul told us that we can’t understand the gospel on a purely intellectual level. Bless his heart but Nicodemus tries!
Nicodemus comes to Jesus under cover of darkness. This is because he does not yet belong to the light. Later on in the reading, Jesus will use this metaphorical language of dark and light like the Ephesians passage. In v1-13, Jesus and Nicodemus get into a conversation about being born again or being born from above.
In verse 11 Jesus says, “I say to you” which is singular. Then he says “you people” which is plural. From here on out, it’s a monologue and Nicodemus just fades away. That brings us to the beginning of today’s passage in verse 14.
Verses 14-15 reference a story found in the book of Numbers 21. In that story, venomous snakes were biting and killing scores of people which was interpreted as God’s punishment for their lack of faith and their grumbling against God. God told Moses to fashion a snake on a pole and anyone bitten who looked at it would be saved from death. Today we call this the Staff of Asclepius, the Roman god of healing and medicine. 
John’s gospel parallels the snake on a pole to Jesus being lifted up on the cross – anyone can look on him in faith and be saved from death.
Verse 16 is probably the most often cited verse in the Bible. And because it is so familiar to us, it’s hard to really hear it sometimes. This is where reading from an unfamiliar translation can be of great help. Here is vv16-18 in The Message translation:
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
John 3:16-18 The Message
“This is how much God loved the world.” Another way to put it: “In this way, God loved the world.” This agape love is a chief characteristic of God. In fact, the writer of the letters of John will say that God is love.
The Old Testament reading brought up the tension of: is it punishment or the natural consequences of sin? The people who did not look at the snake died. Was that a punishment or was that an inevitable consequence of not trusting God? Likewise, those who do not believe in Christ’s work are said to be eternally separated from him. Is that a punishment? Or an inevitable consequence of their own actions?
John’s gospel does not give us an image of God as some angry parent waiting for wayward humanity to make inevitable mistakes so that he can zap us with punishment. Rather, he is a God who loves and who lavishes that love on us. God is in relationship with his people and has been from the beginning. Early and often!
Verses 19-21 pick up the theme of light and dark. The whole passage is a meditation on God’s great love and the extent to which God has acted on our behalf to bring us from darkness into light.
Are there questions you would only come to Jesus with under cover of night? Are there things you would like to ask him but you are perhaps afraid of other people’s reactions and judgement? Or do some questions carry shame that you try to hide in the shadows? Consider calling on the intercession of Nicodemus for courage to bring these questions to Jesus.
Ponder how much God loves you. John 3:16 says that God showed love by giving a supreme gift. It follows that one way to see God’s love for you in concrete ways is to follow the trail of gifts he has given you. You might make a list of those gifts and reflect on how each one shows evidence of God’s love for you.
Connections of the readings
One connection is our image of God – a God who is constantly seeking us out, calling us to an ever deeper relationship.
Questions to ponder
The purpose of Lent is to prepare the people of God for the Paschal feast. How does each reading prepare me for the Paschal feast?
Think about your own history. Have there been times when you feel God has lost patience with you? Were there any times that felt like a disaster but later you understood as God’s working out his plan for you?
Are there any places where God might be calling you to a deeper faith?
Ponder the relationship of faith and works in your own life.
How do you experience the already-but-not-yet tension in your life?
Ponder how much God loves you. John 3:16 says that God showed love by giving a supreme gift. It follows that one way to see God’s love for you in concrete ways is to follow the trail of gifts he has given you. You might make a list of those gifts and reflect on how each one shows evidence of God’s love for you.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
© 2023 Kelly Sollinger