{"id":191,"date":"2025-03-17T13:10:46","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T13:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/deanofthechapel\/?p=191"},"modified":"2025-03-17T13:10:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T13:10:47","slug":"words-of-warning-lent-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inside.luthersem.edu\/deanofthechapel\/2025\/03\/17\/words-of-warning-lent-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Words of Warning | Lent 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jesus’ words are alarming this week. He says, “I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.” What’s going on here? Is Jesus playing the part of the Pharisee? Is Jesus presenting a God who punishes sinners and only accepts those who have their act together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t think so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must always keep in mind the fact that Israel went to war with the Roman Empire in the year 66. It ended in the year 70 when Rome destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus is warning the people that their current political attitude toward their enemies will bring destruction. He is playing the part of the Hebrew prophets that came before him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem during this season of Lent is a call to his beloved siblings (and to us) to remember that God’s promise to Abraham was never about amassing wealth and power to become a political empire. It was about being a holy priesthood that shined the love of God to the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus demonstrated the heart of God by the way he treated the outcast, reached across boundaries, and ultimately gave his own life rather than returning evil with evil. Be sure to read all the texts this week to get a fuller picture of how warnings come from a loving parent who does not want the children to suffer the consequences of their unwise choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Revised Common Lectionary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n