Second Sunday of Lent
Listen to audio version
Readings: Philippians 3:17 – 4: 1 and Luke 13: 31-end
Images of animals are not abundant in the New Testament. I can think of the lion and the lamb as icons of Jesus, and we all know about the serpent; but in the gospel for today we have the fox and the hen. Fox and hen, like cat and dog, are ancient foes as many a folk tale relates. Today it is King Herod Agrippa who is the fox, and Jesus likening himself to a mother hen protecting her chicks. By this stage in the gospel story, Herod has already beheaded John the Baptist for daring to criticise his loose morals, but we also read that Herod had liked to listen to John, and that he wanted to see Jesus. So we have mixed messages about him.
The Pharisees warned Jesus to get away because Herod wanted to kill him. But some thoughtful commentators wonder if this was really true. Or was it the Pharisees’ mischievous suggestion, in order to be rid of Jesus. Jesus’ presence challenged the status quo, and they would rather he was somewhere else. Perhaps it was their veiled threat: not Herod wanting to kill him, but themselves. Whichever it was, it reminds us that the world’s authorities will often be set in opposition to the coming of God’s kingdom.
Jesus could have turned back and avoided what was coming. Sometimes people just know that they must do what God seems to be calling them to do, whatever the danger and inconvenience. You may remember how Terry Waite, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy, returned to Beirut in 1987 to continue negotiations over the release of hostages, even though the signs were not good. Even Archbishop Runcie himself had tried to stop Terry going. I don’t actually recall Terry Waite saying directly that he felt it was God’s will that he went on that mission, that was to lead to his capture for five years. But undoubtedly he saw that there was work to do for God, and that that was more important than any personal considerations of safety. Sometimes the pursuit of a greater good inspires us to leave self behind
Similarly, in today’s gospel episode, Jesus had already set his face towards Jerusalem. It was his destiny to confront the powers that be in the city that God had chosen to be great among the nations. Now it was full of corruption and lack of faith; facing judgement over what would happen to him. But Jesus yearns for its people: he longs to save them, to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks. For Jerusalem, one could substitute Washington, Moscow and maybe even London. Those who challenge the established order are so often rejected, or made to disappear. But Jesus wasn’t going to be deflected from his mission, and it was becoming clearer day by day what the end result would be. As he said to Pilate on the first Good Friday, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Or maybe, as St. Paul puts it in today’s reading from Philippians, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” This term ‘citizenship’ would perhaps have a greater resonance for people living in Philippi than for us. First-century Philippi was a large Roman colony. In St. Paul’s day, Caesar was openly worshipped and called ‘Lord’ in many parts of the Eastern Mediterranean. For Christians to proclaim that there was only one Saviour and Lord put them in danger. St. Paul had already discovered the cost of being a Christian. He was writing to the Philippians from prison, and saying elsewhere in the letter that he was being poured out as a libation.
He urges his readers to hold on to the code of conduct that goes with the faith they’ve embraced. Once again, the kind of steadfastness that Jesus showed is required. The ways of heaven are to be brought to bear on the things of earth – not the other way round. It’s hard for Christians living in a culture of excess to avoid ‘the acid of materialism eating away at our convictions and values’ – words of Jane Williams. Paul saw people living as enemies of Christ around him: “Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.” Jane Williams continues, “To put comfort and the easy fulfilment of small needs at the top of a list of priorities is to be incapable of understanding the cross.”
What does it mean for us, to think of our citizenship as being in heaven?
Firstly, I think, that our real priority in life should be God ‘in whom we live and move and have our being.’ Heaven should permeate earth; not the other way round. The Kingdom of God should be our touchstone, and the person of Jesus our point of reference. Some people can’t honestly bring themselves to say that they would put God before family, which can be troubling to them. But we serve God in serving those closest to us, and there is a commandment to honour one’s father and mother; so serving God and family are not mutually exclusive.
Secondly, to think long-term; think eternally. Our real identity and security come from God, who desires to transform us into the people we are meant to be, with an eternal destiny. And, to my mind, eternal life begins with the indwelling of the Spirit of Jesus now. In the Epistle to the Hebrews we’re urged to look to things eternal, often not seen, rather than putting our trust in things transient, things that pass away. This teaching will shape the way we look at our possessions, our wealth, and all the material things we hold dear. They only belong to this life, and we shouldn’t rely on them. Rather, use them in the service of the kingdom.
Thirdly, we should be thankful for the victory Jesus has won for us. He has already claimed us for his own, by the blood he shed and the victory he won. We already belong to a communion of souls, both living and departed, who hold different values from the world’s. That may cause conflict with some who don’t or won’t accept our values, but it also means that we are salt and light in the world, and we can make a difference to the society in which we find ourselves.
Today’s readings show us that God’s ways are often on such a different plane from our own, that we can only come closer to him by sacrificing some of the notions of life which we hold so dearly; by being prepared to let go of some of our pleasures and desires; by trying to live more simply by faith – by looking for a citizenship which is in heaven. Let us ask for the steadfastness that Jesus showed and that Paul copied for Jesus’ sake. Living close to the Lord, through prayer, the scriptures and the sacraments, will help us find that stability in Christ, and peace in what we are doing.