Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
It is really to his credit that the rich man in Luke’s gospel wants so desperately for a message to be given to his five brothers to change their ways so that they will avoid the destiny he has met. Because of his desire to spare his brothers, we know that he is not simply a bad person. As he suffers, he thinks of his brothers. Abraham responds saying that it will be up to his brothers to work out their salvation. The rich man can’t do it for them.
In this season of Lent, I find this reading really compelling. I want to take full stock of the myriad ways in which I have come up short. That is really important to me. And if I could spare my loved ones from having to do so themselves, I would be so glad. But as Abraham makes clear, none of us can do that for ourselves, never mind someone else.
Abraham has it right. The rich man can’t save his five brothers from themselves. If he or they are going to be saved, they’re going to have to give themselves up.
One of the chief reasons I could not be at peace as an evangelical or a Mennonite or a Baptist was that I was not enough to save myself from my sins. I prayed a lot. I went to church. I sang in the choir. I served the church in lots of ways. Still, my sins weighed so heavily.
So, I just lived with that weight. Maybe you do too.
But here’s the thing—we have the opportunity for reconciliation. If we have the courage to put into voice our shortcomings, there is release. The rich man can’t solve for his brothers’ sins. He can’t make history come out right for them. And we can’t make history come out right for ourselves or anyone else either.
But Jesus can. In fact, Jesus has already done so. The reason the rich man can’t save his brothers is that doing so is not his work. That is Jesus’ work. On the cross. There he reconciled us all to God. Perhaps even more amazingly (in these days) he reconciled us all to one another.
I saw a bumper sticker today—“The NRA: Stand Your Ground.” I’m a pacifist, so the NRA isn’t for me. More important than all that is why—because Jesus stood his ground. Our ground. On behalf of us. Forgive them Father for they know not what they do. Forgive me my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me.
I don’t need to work out my loved ones’ salvation. I don’t need to stand my ground. I just need Jesus.
My Lenten prayer—come Jesus as if you have already come. Never permit me to be separated from you.
- Sue Trollinger