Fifth Sunday in Lent, April 6, 2003
Jer. 31:31-34; Psalm 51 or 51:11-16; Heb. 5 (1-4) 5-10; John 12:20-33
God has structured redemptive history in terms of covenants and a promise (Eph. 2:12). This covenant work, this “marriage bond,” begins in Genesis and ends with the book of Revelation. The covenant is a binding personal relationship between the Lord and us, which he has initiated and into which we are invited to draw near by faith. As we do, we obligate ourselves to the conditions of the covenant. Jeremiah tells us that this covenant will be different from the one which previous generations had broken. It will be written on people’s hearts, not just on stones, like the Ten Commandments. In other words, the covenant will be a warm delight to the people, not a cold prescription.
Such knowledge of God also assumes on our part the commitments of our will to him.
The wonder of God’s “new” covenant is heightened as we read Psalm 51. We wonder how the Lord could ever draw close to us again, given our hard hearts and our rebellious ways. Yet the grace and mercy of God are such that David not only pleads for forgiveness, but also looks forward to praising the Lord for his mercy and grace. As the Lord’s amazing and forgiving grace is experienced in our hearts, we are led to “sing aloud of your righteousness,” declaring his praise.
The book of Hebrews points us to his mediatorial work of Christ on the cross as the means by which the Lord’s wrath is satisfied, and the reason why the Lord will draw near to us. “He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”
In the gospel of John, the cross of Christ is the moment of glory. “The hour has now come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23). Further, we read that as God is glorified through the death of his Son on the cross, so also is the ruler of this world (the devil) cast out.
As we draw to the close of this Lenten season, our lessons remind us of our covenant journey with the Lord. What God initiated with Adam and Eve in the garden is now restored everlastingly through the death and resurrection of his Son. As we draw near to the Lord in repentance and faith, we ask the Lord to “restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12).
Look It Up
Look at Hebrews 10:16. How does the author apply Jeremiah’s prophecy?
Think About It
God has chosen to organize redemptive history in terms of covenants and promises. He could have structured it in terms of “the great heroes of the faith.” The story of redemption would then look more like a sports Hall of Fame.
Next Sunday
Sunday of the Passion, Palm Sunday, April 13, 2003
Isaiah 45:21-25 or Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22:1-21 or 22:1-11; Phil. 2:5-11; Mark (14:32-72) 15:1-39 (40-47)
