Fourth Sunday of Lent Year C

 Lectionary: 33

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ...

Reading the New Testament, we're often reminded of social institutions and status in the Roman Empire. As I understand most of the people living within its boundaries, from Spain to India, North Africa to southern Europe, were slaves. Because they were the majority, their bondage was not half so savage as the slavery of antebellum North America. They married and had children; some owned money and property; some were well educated. Some were quite influential. 

But they did not have the status of sons, especially the first born sons of a household. These scions grew up expecting the responsibilities of headship. They would manage their family estates, organize the labor of slaves and contractors, participate in local government and religious festivities, and prepare their children for a predictable future of Roman rule. 

Daughters and other sons had lesser expectations. Their duties, apparently, were less well defined. Their status within the family depended upon the first born. Slaves, of course, had legal protections but little entitlement. 

Life being what it is, the laws, customs, and expectations often failed. Slaves and children broke free; firstborn sons mismanaged or died; women resisted their customary restrictions, and sometimes took charge. 

Impelled by the Holy Spirit, the disciples of Jesus challenged all expectations. Whether they were favored sons or ill-used slaves, women, handicapped, or imprisoned, they knew the freedom of the Holy Spirit. 

But we would be mistaken if we thought the freedom of these early Christian meant license to do as they pleased. Rather, they volunteered as slaves for Christ. In the opening of his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul named himself as "a slave of Christ Jesus."

We might imagine an individual who has known nothing but slavery to an arbitrary and distant master. He has learned the rules and how to get around them. He has learned to conform to all expectations in the company of others; and to do as he pleased when alone. If he had authority over other servants, he took advantage of the opportunity and made sure they treated him well, even as he kowtowed to the boss. He didn't mind stealing what could not be traced; he managed to find secret places where he could be his own man with a solitary kind of freedom. 

Now suppose this fellow is handed over to another owner who treats him far better. Now he is well fed; well dressed; and honored as an equal, in certain respects, even to the Master. His new owner is basically very happy; and he governs his estate, his responsibilities, and his people with optimistic enthusiasm. There are no limits to his generosity. 

Our slave might find himself very confused in this new place. He has no need to steal, cheat, or lie to survive, but old habits die hard. He has every reason to trust the thoughtful generosity of his Master but suspicion is bred into his bones. Given certain responsibilities, he must learn to ask for the equipment and training he might need. But past experience tells him precisely the opposite, that he should neither ask for what he needs nor expect satisfaction. Under this new regime, the slave must "become a new creation."  

Saint Paul and his fellow missionaries understood slavery and they were delighted to serve their new Master Jesus. The burgeoning church met astonishing success because, under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, thousands of people -- both slave and free -- got it!  

When we speak of freedom today, many people don't understand because, like the Pharisees who argued with Jesus, they think they're already free. What can the Lord offer them they do not have already? How would life in the Spirit be any different than the one they know? When we speak of our love of the Lord they hear bondage and restrictions. 

Many Christians suppose their enthusiasm will inspire others to join. But enthusiasts are a dime a dozen. Consumerism markets with enthusiasm. And they're gaga about just about anything, from mountain climbing to meditation. And like, latter day vampires, they need the fresh enthusiasm of newbies to sustain their own. 

Lately I assured one fellow, "You can find joy in yourself -- you can get back to your old self -- but your body will always be in pain." 

As we take up our crosses each day and follow in the footsteps of the Lord, we find the freedom of the Sons and Daughters of God; not even pain can enslave us.