A Daily Lent

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent Luke 11:14 – 20 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus healed someone by casting out a “mute demon” and enabling the person to speak again. The crowd was amazed, but they also missed the point. They got distracted and thus...

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent Luke 11:29 – 30 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.” People of every generation assume that God is present mostly in the huge, over-the-top, send-a-chill-down-my-spine extravaganzas. I’ve heard people claim that they would believe in God if only God would “show up” and be manifested for them . . . a voice from the heavens, a parting of the seas, walking on the subdivision lake, multiplying the Thanksgiving meal, granting a huge catch of fish . . . that kind of thing, always seeking a sign. The life and mystery of God are woven into every created thing. The creation reflects the Creator. You can find something of Van Gogh in his paintings. You can find something of Mary Oliver in her poems. You can know something of God in the world God creat...

Luke 11:29 – 32 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now one greater than Solomon is here. The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now one greater than Jonah is here. Why would people who claim to live life by “faith” look for signs? We seem to hunger for things that confirm our belief systems and the lives that we’ve already determined to live. We want some sign that gives us assurance for our relationship with God. One thing is sure: You can draw a crowd through signs and charisma. Crowds grew around Jesus, drawn by his ch...

Luke 11:29 – 32 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom; and now one greater than Solomon is here. The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now one greater than Jonah is here." It would be easy to get lost in the details of the passage, but don’t drown in analysis. Jesus uses two figures – Jonah/Nineveh and Queen of the South/Solomon – that likely would have resonated with his original hearers to make a point about the willingness – or lack thereof – to adjust one’s life. We may not get the images, but Jonah with the p...