Fifth Sunday of Lent [B]

 


FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT [B]


Jeremiah announces the dawning of a new covenant (31:31-34). The original covenant revolved around the Commandments and the practice of Temple worship. This new covenant will center upon the person of Jesus Christ: he will offer THE sacrifice to end all sacrifices. This sacrifice takes place on Golgotha, with Jesus being nailed to the cross. We know that Jesus prayed, as he was about to undertake his passion. It’s a prayer that will travel the full distance, according to what’s written in Hebrews 5:7. In other words, the prayer of Jesus will receive a full hearing from the Almighty Father. And yet, Jesus goes on to die a horrible death. So you have to wonder whether that prayer really did receive a full hearing? If indeed God was listening, then you would expect Jesus to be spared, in the same way that Isaac was spared on Mt. Moriah (Gen. 22:9-14). 


Then again, maybe Jesus didn’t ask to be spared. Pay close attention to this weekend’s Gospel selection: Jesus dismisses the prospect of asking for a reprieve. If he prays to be spared, this would defeat the purpose of his mission (John 12:27). Recall that the verse from Hebrews stops short of revealing the details of that Gethsemane prayer. Did Jesus pray to be spared? It seems unlikely, given what’s recorded in John chapter twelve—also Matthew 26, Mark 14, & Luke 22.  Therefore, he must have offered up some other form of petition. Instead of asking to be spared, he must have been asking for something else. What, exactly? 


Perhaps he was asking for strength. Perhaps he wanted to be fortified. Imagine a prayer that went something like this: I’m not looking to sidestep what’s in front of me; just help to face what I have to face with a spirit of fortitude, a spirit of perseverance. Consider an example drawn from that 1976 film, “Rocky.”  He prays in his dressing room prior to entering the ring. Then, as the opening bell is about to sound, he makes the sign of the cross. He’s not asking to be spared from the experience of pain. Otherwise, why step into the ring? Evidently it’s more about being up to the task. Help me to have stamina. Help me to endure. Help me so that I can hold my own against the most dangerous boxer in the world. 


And he definitely holds his own. Jesus likewise will hold his own. In fact, he does more than that: he overcomes; he prevails. He doesn’t overcome by sidestepping the grave. He overcomes by engaging the grave, just as Rocky will engage his heavily favored opponent. To borrow an expression from the world of psychology: the only way out is through. You can pray to sidestep the experience of pain, the experience of adversity. It’s a valid prayer. However, sometimes you have to supplement those valid prayers with a more Christ-like pattern of prayer: if I can’t sidestep what’s on the horizon, then help me so that I can effectively engage what’s waiting for me on the horizon. 

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