Lenten Gospel Readings

Context of these Gospel readings: In the weeks prior to the these Lenten Gospels Readings we have been listening to Scripture from Matthew. Matthew started with painting a very broad picture on how to be a ‘good’ Christian in the “Sermon on the Mount” (Blessed are the poor…) The following Sunday Gospels he explains that we need to be the salt and light of the earth, we must turn the other cheek and love thy neighbour. The Lenten Gospel Readings are all from the Gospel of John and begin with Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

Mt 4:1-11 – Temptation in the wilderness Q. What might it mean that Jesus was ‘led by the Spirit out into the wilderness’? Q. In what way can the temptations Jesus faced be seen as testing his trust in God? Q. From where do you seek strength and support when your will and commitment are ‘tempted’? Q. How can you become better aware of the way God calls you to live your life?

Transfiguration of Christ Why might Jesus have only taken three of his disciples up the mountain with him? Why were the disciples frightened by what they saw? Why might Jesus have warned the disciples to tell no one what they had seen? Can you recall other biblical events in which mountaintops feature at special moments? Why was it important for Jesus and the disciples to go back down the mountain?

Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. The woman who encounters Christ at the well meets the teacher par excellence. The water that the tired traveller, Jesus, requests from the woman expands in imagery to encompass the living or eternal water that Christ will offer her. In this gospel Christ reveals himself as living water; a simple discussion with him can lead to a conversation of eternal proportions. This story shows that encounter with Christ leads us from our human needs and concerns to focus on the important elements of our existence. Something deeper is going on in our lives and Lent is a time to reflect on that reality, to drink deeply of that truth. The second element of this story is the missionary activity of the Samaritan woman. After her meeting with Jesus she goes into her town and invites people to ‘come and see’ Jesus. (These are the very words Jesus said to Andrew at the start of John’s Gospel.) The woman exhorts others to listen to Christ. She seems the most unlikely evangeliser: a woman, a Samaritan, married five times and living with a sixth man. But she simply has to share her good news, no matter who she is. It is through her initiative that many Samaritans come to believe in Jesus.

The man born blind What are the areas of ‘blindness’ in your life? The story of the man born blind is not merely a simple healing story; it is a challenge to all of us who are narrow-minded in any way. The passage starts with the disciples, then includes some Pharisees; both groups are oblivious to the misery of the suffering man. In some respects the man whom Jesus cures is a passive recipient of the miracle. When Jesus opens his eyes, everyone else is called to reflect on their own blindness. The story explores the reaction of people to a gift of God, and their refusal to move from their cherished ‘religious’ stance – to open their eyes. The encounter with Christ is also a confrontation with our blindness. If we recognise our shortcomings we can ask the Light of the world to open our eyes.

The Raising of Lazarus Jesus meets a family tragedy and reveals himself as the ‘resurrection and the life’. In this story we see the powerful love of Jesus, who prays to the Father for his friend who has died. Jesus’ love for Lazarus brings him back to life. His compassion for those who mourn and those who have died elicits his healing love. What has been ruptured or separated in our lives, Jesus can repair and renew. The next few verses of this gospel reveal the cost of this compassionate action of Jesus: it consolidated the desire of the chief priests to kill him (Jn 11: 50). Furthermore, the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus as well (Jn 12: 10). Actions of great love can incur a price.