Day 31 -

Today's reading is from Mark 12. During Lent we are reading the Gospel of Mark.

In the midst of parable telling, Jesus' point begins to sink in to the Pharisees. The story of the landowner who sent his servants to the farmers who rented it from him, only to have those same farmers kill his servants is only a prelude to the real point - that same landowner sends his Son to them: "surely they will respect my son." They did not, Jesus says. They killed him.

It's a picture of the coming days ahead for Jesus. The father had sent Prophets as messengers for centuries and each of them had been, at best, ignored; at worst, killed. Now God's own Son was here and what were they about to do...kill him.

Mark 12:9-11 (NIV)
9 "What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.
10 Haven't you read this scripture: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

It is a reference to Psalm 118 that Jesus quotes from. The cornerstone is the most important stone in the building. It guarantees that the rest of the building will be true. Take Jesus out of the building and what you have is a building without truth, without correctness, without balance and symmetry.

The rest of the chapter only highlights the differences between the religiosity and outward veneer of religion from the real heart of faith. After many encounters with religious leaders, mostly trying to trick Jesus into being a traitor, or a blasphemer, the real picture of faith emerges...a widow offering her gifts of freewill offerings. It is a gift, not a necessity and her two pennies represent both a sacrifice and her heart - to honor God with what she had.

The Pharisees, Saduccees, and scribes all held on to their positions as privileged ones...wealthy because they could exploit the people, and unwilling, unbending, hardened in heart and mind to the revelation of the Son of God; while the widow, quietly, faithfully, sacrificially gives to God what is from the heart. The one has faith, the others reject the person that represents the object of faith.

Let's watch our hearts. It is so easy to get trapped into a religion of outward show. It is so easy to be a people who "manage sin" instead of confess it. It is so easy to make a pride filled stand on how good we look instead of a humble place of sacrifice and service. What we want, what I want, what I hope we each want, is to serve one person...God. Nothing else really matters.

Peace

If you're reading along in the-bible-in-a-year with me, today's reading is from 1 Kings 8 & 9