Exodus 1.1-22, Mark 14.12-31 - Lectionary for 3/21/10 - Fifth Sunday in Lent

Today's readings are Exodus 1.1-22 and Mark 14.12-31.

As we read the beginning of Exodus today we move quickly through a long period of Israel's history.  The children of Jacob have lived in Egypt for close to 500 years by Exodus chapter 1.  Coming across this reading gives us an opportunity to think how things have changed for our people over the past half a millennium.  How different they are today than they were in the early 1500s.  We can look ahead and wonder what our descendants will find in their world around the year 2500.  It will, no doubt, be a much different world in some ways than it is today.  Yet we always want to consider what we will learn from our passage of Scripture.  What predictions can we safely make for future generations?

The children of Israel have had the blessing of God.  They have increased in the land.  They have grown strong.  We see this pattern that God's people tend to increase, not decrease.  They tend to be less likely to engage in destructive behaviors.  Christ's people tend to take care of one another as well as taking care of the people around them.  We value life so we are more likely to delight in bringing children into this world.  God blesses his people in many ways.  We can assume in the future we will continue to see that our Lord and Savior increases his flock.

The children of Israel here find themselves in a time of persecution.  We likewise should realize that there are times of freedom and times of bondage.  There are times of rejoicing and times of mourning.  There are times when societies delight in and embrace Christians and there are times when societies persecute Christians.  The twentieth century was probably the most dangerous century in which to be a Christian to date.  It will not always be that way, but we can assume there will be times and places that cause serious physical danger to believers, just as the Egyptian society described in Exodus 1 is dangerous to the Hebrews.

What do we see of God's provision?  We see that even in the dangerous time there are people living, working, having children, fearing God, and raising their families.  Our Lord will continue to care for and provide for his people even when they are in physical danger.

When we think about persecution we are faced with two important issues.  First, we are faced with our own mortality.  Though we have eternal confidence in the Lord who has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us, that he is with us to the end of the age (Matthew 28), we realize that there are enemies who can kill our bodies.  We also realize that there are some people in this world who would like to take the opportunity to destroy every living Christian's life.  This has happened in every age and will continue to be one of the signs of this fallen world.  Ultimately we also realize that even the redeemed are still sinners.  We realize that temporal death and eternal punishment are what we deserve.  We frankly deserve nothing better than to be dragged out into the street and to die a painful death.  The soul who sins must die.  We confess that we are sinners.  Go ahead, do the math.

Yet there is a second issue this passage brings before us.  We realize that though our bodies are mortal, though we are steeped in sin, though we deserve God's eternal punishment, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has taken that penalty on himself.  He, the perfect Lamb of God, came to live in our stead, to die in our place, to give his life a ransom for many, for all who believe, in fact.  So when we see people struggling with the persecution that comes upon them, we simultaneously see people raising their eyes in faith, looking to Jesus, realizing that while they may bear the scorn of people in their society, he has borne the pain of scorn.  He has borne the penalty for sin, and that while they deserve that penalty, while we deserve that penalty, he deserves none of it.  Willingly he gave himself to die a sinner's death in order that we who are sinners by nature may live the life of the Second Adam.  

Lord, may we have eyes to see your grace, a heart to desire your mercy poured out upon your people, and steadfast trust in your completed work of salvation.