joy of nine9

Lenten Reflection for April 10 : GN 17:3-9, PS 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9,

The Scribes and Pharisees are presented with a conundrum when they argue with Jesus in the temple. They are  the religious experts of their day. They know the scriptures inside out and upside down and keep every letter of the law. Yet in their arrogance, with only their human wits to guide them, they are clueless about the true nature of the God they are supposedly worshipping.

God Himself has preformed miracles, explained scripture  and stood before their very eyes but their human pride has blinded them. These scholarly Jews know nothing of the humility of Abraham their father who prostrated himself before God. Only a truly humble man can actually hear the Lord say,

“My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,or I am making you the father of a host of nations.”

It is their pride that drives these religious Jews into a fit of rage when Jesus says, ” I AM”. In their folly, these religious experts  decide that Jesus is possessed by the devil.

Yet a humble man, a man with an open heart, like Abraham would not feel threatened or enraged in the presence of God. Abraham would once again prostrate himself at the feet of  the Lord, only it would be Jesus this time. He would sing the praises of God with the psalmist,

“Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
 The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.”