John's Gospel doesn't begin with a temptation story; instead, it opens Jesus' ministry with a wedding miracle. It may feel a bit lavish to start the season of Lent with a wedding banquet, but the good news begins with joy. This week we focus on the subversive and playful nature of the good news. The kin-dom of heaven is so good it should catch us by surprise! Like a mustard seed, the good news can grow from the smallest seed into the tallest tree. Like an unruly weed, or fine wine saved for last, the good news is abundant and cannot be contained. As we sink into Jesus’ teachings throughout the season, we may not always be comfortable, but we can trust that these teachings are good, rooted in love, and worthy of celebration.

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Simon and some Pharisees host a dinner for Jesus and an unexpected guest arrives: a woman from the city who kneels at Jesus’ feet and washes him with expensive perfume. Simon scoffs at this party foul, but Jesus reorients his focus, asking him to truly see the woman and recognize that she has shown “great love,” offering the tender hospitality he was not granted when he entered Simon’s home. The woman with the alabaster jar shows a shocking, extravagant love that exemplifies the greatest commandment: to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. Will the other guests see that loving God goes hand in hand with loving neighbor? We’ve paired this story with Jesus’ words in Matthew 25. When we care for the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned— each of whom are created in the image of God—we are showing love for God, too.

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As Jesus and his disciples head to a deserted place, perhaps seeking peace and quiet, many from the surrounding towns follow them. Instead of turning them away, Jesus expresses compassion and begins an impromptu teaching session. As the day goes on, the disciples have logistics in mind and urge Jesus to send the people back into the villages so they can feed themselves. Instead, Jesus presents them with an impossible task: “You give them something to eat.” Dumbfounded, the disciples can only fathom the limitations and financial constraints of Jesus’ suggestion. Yet when they “go and see,” their meager provisions multiply so that thousands are fed. This week we focus on building networks of collective care in order to meet people’s needs. Jesus models a way to be in community by coming together and sharing what we have, dispelling perceived impossibilities. The good news empowers us to believe in the miracles that can become possible through the power of community.

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In many modern contexts, it may seem sweet that Jesus welcomed little children; however, in Jesus’ context, spending time with children would have seemed wasteful or useless. When Jesus blesses a crowd of children (after the disciples rebuke them and try to send them away), he once again reorients socially constructed hierarchies to center the vulnerable. Throughout his ministry, Jesus emphasized the last, the least, and the lost, building upon the mandates of the Hebrew Scriptures to care for the immigrant, widow, and orphan among you. Deuteronomy repeatedly reminds the Israelites, “you were once slaves in Egypt.” Their memory of oppression should impel them to provide for anyone under-resourced or cut off from the protection of a household. Similarly, Jesus uplifting children is a reminder that we were all once children and we have all been vulnerable at some point in our lives, relying on the protection and care of others. If we’re truly living out the good news, then anyone vulnerable will not only be protected from harm, but cared for so they have the chance to thrive. 

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As we move toward Holy Week, we acknowledge the ways Jesus’ ministry was increasingly at odds with the religious leaders who prioritized loyalty to legality and perceived Jesus’ teachings as a threat. While Jesus is teaching in the temple, some scribes and Pharisees interrupt to put both him and a woman caught in adultery on trial. Their questioning intensifies as they cite Mosaic Law and put the woman’s fate in Jesus’ hands. Instead of focusing on punishment, Jesus flips the script and invites each person to consider their own sin; Jesus defuses the spectacle by condemning no one. Much of Jesus’ teachings were grounded in his understanding of the Torah; however, many of his actions called for reinterpreting the law. As we wrestle with our own rules, we should ask, “What is the most just, merciful, and faithful interpretation?”

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