lenten blog | March 1, 2024

The most definitely unexpected Christ

Throughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches.  These are the suggested readings for March 1st:  Exodus 19:9b-15; Psalm 19; and Acts 7:30-40.  I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.

Yahweh orders Moses to consecrate the people of Israel in today’s Exodus passage.  To consecrate means to set aside for a holy purpose.  The entire people of Israel are consecrated so that they may survive the terrifying presence of God, but they are also instruments of God in the world.  With the passage of centuries, as Israel changes from nomadic tribes to a nation-state, Israel’s and Judah’s monarchs are consecrated.  Oil is poured over them.  This act symbolizes that their lives are now set aside to lead God’s people.  God is Israel’s ultimate ruler, but the king acts as God’s plenipotentiary, the king’s authority is based on the enactment of God’s authority.

This idea of consecration, being the anointed one of God, with the passage of more centuries, develops into anticipation of the Messiah, the consummate anointed one of God.  This hope is based on the failure of the consecrated kings to protect the religion and the people of Israel.  The Hebrew word Messiah was translated in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) as Christ.  The Messiah, the Christ, would be the ideal king, ever faithful to God and to God’s people. 

Additional centuries later, the followers of Jesus saw in Him the long-awaited Messiah of God.  The connection between the person Jesus and the title of Christ became so intertwined that Jesus Christ became a singular reference.  It is found 138 times in the New Testament.  Mark is the oldest Gospel and it is there in 1:1.  Revelation is the last book of the New Testament and again it is found at 1:1.  When the divine nature of Jesus is emphasized, especially by Paul, the name and title are transposed so that we read Christ Jesus.  This is found an additional 86 times in the Bible.

Jesus is the anointed one of God, the one consecrated by God to serve as the divine presence and activity in the world.  His Messiahship is unexpected.  It does not fulfill the prophetic expectations associated with the Messiah.  It takes a new perspective to see Jesus as the Christ, one we within the faith can claim as inspired by God.  It is not fair, however, to condemn those who do not accept Jesus as the Messiah because they adhere to their Scripture’s expectations, especially when many who do hurl such condemnations object to any variance in the reading of Christian Scripture.     
We will arrive eventually at Palm Sunday.  The folk in Jerusalem, excited by the Passover celebration of liberation, proclaim Jesus as the Messiah with their cries of “Hosanna to the Son of David.”  When Jesus disappoints them, when He does not embrace the warrior motif of David, the religious enthusiasm turns against Him quickly.  To this agitated crowd awaiting the Passover, Jesus taunts, “‘What do you think of the Messiah?  Whose son is he?’” (Matt. 22:42)  Jesus goes on to question the assumption that the Messiah is David’s son.  Jesus is distancing Himself and His Messiahship from that of the warrior king.  This is unexpected and unwanted, but this is Jesus the redefined Christ of our Christian belief. 

On this Lenten Friday, as special attention is given to the crucifixion, we may wish to consider more deeply Jesus’ revision of the meaning of the Messiah, the Christ.  There are many people and churches who encourage a warrior Messiah again.  They seem to revel in the bloody judgment that Jesus will wreak upon humanity.  All sorts of sinners and non-believers (who are most always the people not within the community of those preaching the violent Jesus) will be slaughtered and this massive blood-letting, and it is preached and believed almost with glee.  Isn’t this the Messiah that Jesus rejected?  Isn’t this the Messiah of those who rejected Jesus?

As we look to the cross, the unexpected cross, the most definitely unexpected crucified Messiah, and meditate upon the meaning of Jesus Christ to us and to our world, let us keep the focusing words of today’s Psalm in mind:  “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
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If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule:  www.sneucc.org/lectionary.