Lenten Devotion 2012
St. Matthias Episcopal Church
www.saint-matthias.org		 Lent : 2012
These daily devotions are written by Episcopalians throughout the Diocese of Colorado. An archive of prior devotions can be found on the Diocese of Colorado's Website, here. You can also get to St. Matthias' homepage here. 

 

 

Jesus' Anger

by Helen Durany

For Your Reading: Mark 2:23-3:1-6

 

Reading this passage from Mark, I became aware that this is one of the very few passages in the gospels when Jesus is angry. We should pay attention to that. Why was he angry and how did he express it?

 

The Pharisees do not believe that Jesus is observing the sabbath properly. They are watching Jesus closely, objecting to what he is doing, and wishing to accuse and destroy him. They are absolutely committed to their own understanding of the law of God. "And [Jesus] looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart."

 

How often do we sit in our own self-righteousness, angry at those who are not living or thinking the way we think they should: drug addicts, welfare mothers, Haitians, Greeks, Iranians, Republicans, Democrats, young people, old people. . . The list is endless.

 

But Jesus is never angry at those who make mistakes or who don't live up to a particular standard of behavior. He is angry with those who think they know what it takes to avoid making mistakes, those who trust in their own righteousness.

 

And how does Jesus express his anger and grief? He shows them a better way.

 

For Your Prayer: Spend some time thinking about and praying for those to whom you feel superior. Be quiet and pray with the following collect from the Book of Common Prayer: Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

For Your Reflection: What can we learn about our own righteousness and its consequences from observing the Pharisees? In our own lives, is God working to show us a better way?

 

Helen Durany serves as the executive assistant to the Canon to the Ordinary in the Office of the Bishop. She provides administration and support for clergy and lay benefits, for those in the ordination process, for licensed lay ministers and for the Commission on Ministry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lent call us to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.

 

 

Note: You have been subscribed to this special list Lenten Devotions 2012 because you are part of the regular St. Matthias eBlasts. Following the link at the bottom of this page you can manage your subscription to the St. Matthias eBlasts and this list. These devotions and any emails from St. Matthias are meant to encourage you in your Christian journey. May God bless you.