March 10 | Mark 12:1-12

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DAILY READING

Mark 12:1-12

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REFLECTION

Succession Plans

by Elaine Pierce

The owner of my neighborhood grocery store recently announced that she had sold the store and would be retiring. It had been in her family for 75 years, and it was a difficult decision, but she decided it was time, and she and her husband sold it to two longtime employees. So the store has new owners, and the success or failure of the business will be up to them.

In today's passage, Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard owner whose employees, the tenant farmers who cared for the vineyard, were not loyal to their boss, to put it mildly. When the owner sent a servant to collect his earnings, the tenants beat up the servant and refused to pay. Finally, he sent his son, a son whom he loved (v. 6), and what did the tenants, the ungrateful employees, do? They killed his son, and this was their rationale: "This is the heir [of the vineyard]. Come, let's kill him and the inheritance will be ours." (v. 7).

The pharisees, to whom Jesus was speaking, recognized that they were the tenant-farmers in this story, and 'they looked for a way to arrest him (v. 12). Instead of being filled with remorse for their sin, they vowed revenge. They knew they were wrong, but they were determined to find a way to get rid of Jesus, and keep their stranglehold on the religious life of the Jewish people. Instead of seeking forgiveness and asking for mercy, they looked for ways to punish Jesus, and to eradicate his teaching and his influence, which was growing every day, judging by the crowds who followed him and hung on his every word.

It would be so easy to scoff at the pharisees, wouldn't it? If they saw themselves in this parable, why didn't they see how wrong they were about Jesus? Ah, but take a moment to think about times in your life when you know you've gone down the wrong path. It's much easier to blame others, or to turn your back on the Lord, than it is to stop, confess your sin, and ask for forgiveness. The vineyard owner sent his son, his only son whom he loved, and the tenant-farmers rejected him. As we sit at the foot of the cross, let's give thanks for the gift of eternal life, and let's ask Jesus today and every day to help us stay on the path of truth and righteousness.

And when we stray - and we will - he will be waiting for us to return to him. He does not keep a record of wrongs, and Jesus intercedes for us. Thanks be to God!

PRAYER

As we journey through Lent, Lord, help us to be mindful of your grace that is new every day. Thank you for the gift of life, and help me to love you, to serve you, and to praise you. Amen.

March 9 | Mark 11:27-33

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DAILY READING

Mark 11:27-33

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REFLECTION

Who Do You Think You Are?

by Mary Alice McGinnis

Have you ever said to someone, “Who do you think you are?”

Picture this in your mind. You have diligently designed the exact home you have always wanted. It has all the comforts, the state-of-the-art living room with a big screen TV, the elegant master bedroom, the attached master bathroom with the jacuzzi tub. It is in the perfect location, and your décor looks like something from a magazine cover. All the home comforts you have always wished for and longed for are at your disposal.

Then, someone walks in the front door with a sledgehammer and in minutes destroys it all. After destroying it, they look you in square in the eyes and say, “This is my house!”

Among other things, wouldn't you want to say, "Who do you think you are?"

Just before today’s reading in Mark chapter 11, Jesus waltzed into the temple and overturned the Pharisee’s comfortable ways, their system of doing business, and declared to them that this was His house. In responses, they asked a very logical question, “By what authority do you do these things?”

In other words, “Who do you think you are!”

Instead of answering their question, Jesus asks them a question, “John’s baptism – was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

Let’s look at what John had to say about Jesus. For the full reading, check out John 1:24-34. John testified about Jesus by saying these things:

• “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

• “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

• “. . . the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’”

• “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

The Pharisees had refused to believe John even though he provided clear testimony back up by many other witnesses. John had seen the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus like a dove at His baptism. John heard the voice of the Father from heaven when He declared, “This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.” 

When Jesus asked the Pharisees this question, “John’s baptism – was it from heaven, or of human origin?” it was meant to lead them back to John’s testimony. John’s testimony told them BY WHOSE AUTHORITY Jesus was doing these things.  

The Pharisees were more concerned about what the people would say, about their own positions of honor, their own comfort, and their place of authority, than they were about TRUTH. Refusing to acknowledge the truth and admit they were wrong, they found themselves helplessly back into a corner. So, they respond to Jesus question by saying, “We don’t know.”

It causes me to ask myself, where in my life am I more concerned about what other people think, my own comforts, my own status or position, rather on the truth of who Jesus is and what He came to do? How have selfish pursuits led me to being helplessly backed into a corner, not knowing where to turn? Maybe I should be asking, "Who do I think I am?"

Jesus speak to us in these helpless moments. He invites us to turn to Him. His greatest desire is for us to fall on our knees before Him as our supreme authority. He is the Chosen one of God. He is the One whom the Father proclaimed from heaven, “This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.”

In exchange for God’s good pleasure, Jesus became the perfect, spotless Lamb of God, who came to take away my sin, and the sin of the whole world.

PRAYER

You have promised, Jesus, that if we come to You and confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness. Take away any foolish pursuits of my own selfish ambitions. Lead me instead to see You as You truly are, the Chose One of God, the spotless Lamb of God who died in my place. Thank You for calling me YOUR BELOVED so I may have a perfect forever home with You. 

March 8 | Matthew 21:18-22

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DAILY READING

Matthew 21:18-22

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REFLECTION

From Cursed to Comforted

by Jennifer Jerrome

If you were a contestant on the $100,000 Pyramid ($10,000 back in the 70's & 80's) and were given the clues: serpent, ground, Canaan, and fig tree, what would you guess? If you said, “things that are cursed” you’d be right!

In the Bible, the word “curse” shows up 178 times, most in the Old Testament. Curses are usually associated with anger and frustration, so it’s not surprising that there are over 20 times more references to anger in the Old Testament than in the New. With Jesus came a shift to comfort and peace.

But…we cannot forget that Jesus was a man, a man who got hungry just like everyone else and in today’s reading may have even gotten “hangry.” According to Matthew’s gospel, just the day before, He overturned the tables in the temple in Jerusalem. Here we see Jesus’ frustration on display. The next morning when he went to get something to eat, the fruitless tree may have stirred up feelings that were still bubbling beneath the surface. And when reality didn’t live up to the expectations, Jesus exclaimed, “May you never bear fruit again!”

Immediately the tree withered, and when the disciples saw this, they were amazed. I wonder if Jesus was a little surprised himself? Likely not, but maybe it reminded the human Jesus of the powers of the Spirit that dwelled in him. And in true Jesus form, he turned the cursed fig tree into a teachable moment. He wanted the disciples to know that we all have the power to do great/impossible things if we have faith and do not doubt.

But guess what? We often have a lot of doubt. I’d argue that a healthy amount of doubt might be a good thing. Doubt can actually lead us closer to God. I know that seems to go against what Matthew is saying, but I believe doubt and uncertainty can lead to questioning which can lead to prayer which can lead to a strengthening of faith.

Anger is also a necessary emotion. Father Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest and writer on spirituality, says the following about anger in his book The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder…

Even anger and rage are great teachers if we listen to them. They have so much power to reveal our deepest self to ourselves and to others, yet we consider them negatively. Yes, they are dangerous, making us reactive and defensive, but they often totally rearrange how we know—or if we know—reality at all.

Believe it or not, such emotions are ways of knowing. They have the capacity to blind us, but also the power to open us up and bring us to profound conversion, humility, and honesty.

PRAYER

Father God, thank you for the gifts of anger and uncertainty. Instead of letting them serve as a curse and overwhelm us, may we use them to draw closer to you, comforted by the fact if we embrace our faith, nothing is impossible. Amen.