Fifth Sunday of Lent Yr C 2025

Title

The Prize of God’s Upward Calling in Christ Jesus

Outline

In the evangelical world salvation was a past event

That is the world I grew up in. You either were or were not “saved” according to whether or not you had had a specific type experience. You were “in” or “out” on that basis, whether actively following Jesus or not. In the mainline Protestant churches are for many Catholic baptism serves the same purpose.

Paul recognized the past (“I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ [Jesus]”) but focused on the present process (“that I may gain Christ” and “to know him and the power of his resurrection and [the] sharing of his sufferings”) and a future hope (“the resurrection from the dead” and “the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus”).

[He was willing to consider his past accomplishments “loss”, even “rubbish”, in his drive towards greater closeness to Jesus. It was the wasteland or wilderness in which God was making rivers. Now this is a comparison. That is, while it might be that one did a lot of rubbish in the past that is worthless period, it also might be that as a baby’s accomplishments are good at the time but will not serve well in later life and must be transcended so Paul is holding out a far great goal before us: being in Christ.]

We see this working out in John’s narrative about Jesus

Jesus in John ch 7 and 8, as earlier in John presents himself as the new or fulfilled Judaism. Into this context this narrative is inserted in which he is tested about his faithfulness to the Torah. A woman is brought who is hands down guilty of adultery. The Torah has no provision for absolving one of any “sin with a high hand,” adultery included. The accusers are right: there is no sacrifice in the Torah, no means of expiation, simply death. Jesus makes them pause and reflect twice, first, apparently to cool their passions so reason and reflection might prevail. Then he says his famous, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Now they must reflect whether they are in a position to judge.

Upon reflection each of them, starting with the most mature, leaves. None of them has not at some time rebelled against God so none is in the position of a righteous judge. Jesus looks up and asks, “Does no one condemn you?” To her response, “No one, Lord,” Jesus says neither do I condemn you (exact punishment); go and no longer sin.” He can do that rather than just leave because he will absorb her guilt and the guilt of the world into himself. But he puts it in the “rubbish” of the past and calls her to ongoing discipleship/ conversion from now on.

[Brothers and] Sisters hear the words of Jesus

It is easy to look at our sacrifices and accomplishments and rest satisfied. We need God to give us an experience of compunction, to puncture our balloon, [so that we say with Abba Isaiah the Solitary, "Woe is me for your name is all around me yet I serve your enemies. Woe indeed, woe is me for I do that which God abhors and for that reason he does not heal me.”]

It is easy to deflect our feelings of compunction by pointing the finger at someone we consider a worse sinner.

But it is also easy to rest satisfied in our spiritual accomplishments, fail to realize they are child's play in relationship to God’s call to unity with him, and fail to follow the call of Jesus up the holy mountain.

May God give us grace to move onward towards “the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.”

Amen