The Season of Lent: Springboard for Sharing the Good News of Jesus

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

–John 1.35-42 (NIV)

Although everyone’s mileage may vary, when we start to take the season of Lent seriously so that we focus on denying the selfish and self-centered parts of ourselves, confessing our sins to God and working hard at replacing our inward focus with an outward focus on pleasing God and serving others, we typically experience God’s renewal, healing, and peace. Not usually all at once, mind you, but gradually and over time the gifts of God’s grace descend upon us and transform us. When we start to really know the love of God in Christ for us, it inevitably changes us and when that happens, we want to share God’s good gifts with others.

Take today’s Scripture lesson, for example. When Andrew and his friend heard John the Baptizer preach about Jesus, they decided to follow him and Jesus invited them to “come and see.” The two did indeed come and see and were so excited and changed by what they saw, at least one of them, Andrew, went immediately to his brother, Simon Peter, to tell him about the good news of finding Jesus the Messiah (God’s holy and anointed one). Andrew’s reaction to finding Jesus is typical for many who have likewise encountered the risen Jesus. We want to share the Good News of Jesus and his healing love with others because when we really do encounter Jesus, it changes our focus so that we take on a new and deeper love and concern for others.

This, then, is one effect that practicing our Lenten disciplines of self-denial, prayer and fasting, and focusing on the Word of God can have on us. It opens us up afresh to the wondrous and healing power and Presence of Jesus and makes us want to go and tell others about him. I am not necessarily thinking about telling others by what we say to them, but rather about telling others about Jesus through our actions, by imitating Jesus in his sin-bearing and sacrificial ways, something that can really catch people’s attention.

Let me give you an example of how this might work using a hot story here in central Ohio. Ohio State’s football coach, Jim Tressel, has recently admitted to not telling his boss about the potential misconduct of some of his players when he originally found out about it, a serious ethical violation as defined by the NCAA. Coach Tressel waited almost 8 months before coming clean with the info he had. As an old football coach, I must confess that I am baffled by why coach Tressel waited so long to come clean–he knows better–and then only apparently after it was brought to the university’s attention by other sources. Coach Tressel is a Christian and I admire him greatly. But in this case I am disappointed and find his explanation for his behavior to be less than convincing.

So what can I do as a Kingdom worker for Jesus? What should be my response to this disappointing behavior? The world’s response, of course, is to call for the man’s head and to show him no compassion whatsoever. Many would condemn him with the implicit assumption that they are better than that and would never be capable of the kind of unethical behavior to which coach Tressel admitted.

But I do not think that is a sin-bearing response. Such a reaction hardly embodies Christ to his broken and hurting world. Instead, a response like that is typically indicative of hubris and sinful human pride.

No, if I were to talk to others about this story (or if I ever had the opportunity to talk with coach Tressel), this is what I would say as a follower of Jesus. I would acknowledge my disappointment over his conduct (not him), but in so acknowledging, I would be quick to remember that I too have not always acted consistently with the standards I hold and profess. I would remember that I am nowhere near being perfect, that I too am capable of doing exactly as coach Tressel did, and this knowledge would certainly temper my response to his situation. In other words, I would be in no hurry to condemn.

Instead, I would have compassion for him and seek to really understand why he did what he did without excusing the unethical behavior. Knowing that I am in desperate need of Christ’s mercy, I would be quick to offer mercy to coach Tressel, provided he showed evidence that he has learned his lesson and repented. And I would seek to restore my trust and confidence in him–gradually, mind you, because restoration of trust doesn’t happen all at once, especially if the trust violated was extremely serious.

If I were talking to others about this, I would demonstrate to them my willingness to meet coach Tressel where he is and to forgive him on the condition I just mentioned. And if I were a friend of coach Tressel’s I would act this way toward him because I have been forgiven by Christ and am willing to help a brother in Christ find that same kind of forgiveness, embodied in how I treat him. In fact, it is vitally important for me that this happens for others. In so doing, I would be providing a witness to Christ and hopefully there would be some who would take notice and want to know more about my reasons for holding this particular point of view.

None of this would be possible without a proper outward and godly focus. None of this would be possible without a proper understanding of the human condition and all that God has done in Christ to address our sin and alienation from him. And none of this would happen without focusing on the Lenten disciplines of self-denial, confession, and repentance because these very things help remind me of exactly who I am and to Whom I belong.

When we take the season of Lent seriously, we open ourselves up to the transformative love and power of Jesus and this helps us embody his love to his broken and hurting world. And as we have seen, when we do, this also presents us with a chance to expose others to the wonderful and healing love of Christ so that they too can enjoy the benefits of having a relationship with the Lord of the universe.

Do you have that kind of relationship with Jesus? Do you know him well enough to want to share Jesus with others by what you do and say? If not, you are missing out on a life-changing relationship and I invite you to take the plunge. Come and see why Jesus is not a way of life but the way of life. You won’t be disappointed. In fact, when you really get to know him, you will want to tell everybody you know about him, and it can all start by taking the season of Lent seriously!