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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – This is the first Sunday of Lent.
And once again we’re confronted with a question. The question.
Who is this Jesus person?
I would suggest to you that it’s the most important question of our lives. Is he who he claimed to be? The living son of God? The one who overcomes death? The one whose blood forgives sins and promises his followers eternal life?
Or, for the next 40 days, are we just retelling stories from 2,000 years ago?
Even unbelievers have a lot to like about the Easter season. There’s the end of winter, bunny rabbits, Easter eggs, chocolate, and a big ham dinner. That’s all pleasant. Even those who don’t have faith know the biblical stories; Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, he clears the temples, is confronted by the religious authorities, is handed over to the Romans, is beaten, and is crucified, and rises again on Easter morning.
But knowing the stories… that’s not enough. The question remains, who is Jesus? I would suggest that you ponder that over the next 40 days. Thinking it through is probably more important than giving up meat or sweets for Lent. If you conclude, like I have, that Jesus is exactly who he says he is, that demands something of me. I declare him to be my lord and savior. That changes how I see the world, what I do and don’t do, how I treat others.
Lent is supposed to be a season of us preparing ourselves for Christ’s glorious resurrection. For that to be meaningful, we need to start with the question: Who is Jesus?
Chris Conley
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