A New Covenant
Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Lent
For the past four Sundays, the church has provided us with a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures that traces the development of the covenant between God and God’s people. On the first Sunday in Lent, we read of the covenant that God made with all of nature and with Noah and his family. Never again would God destroy the earth through a flood. On the second Sunday in Lent, we read of the covenant that was made between Abraham and God in which God promised that Abraham’s descendants would outnumber the stars. When God the released Israel from the slavery of Egypt, God and Moses mediated a covenant that included ten statements which we have come to know as commandments. On the fourth Sunday in Lent, through the Second Book of Chronicles, we read that because of their defection from their God, Israel was once again taken into slavery by the kingdom of Assyria; however, we are also told of how God would rescue Israel once again through a pagan king, Cyrus of Persia. Today, we reached the end of our traversal of the various covenants found in the Hebrew Scriptures.
We listen to the Prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah preaches to an enslaved people, a dying nation. He tells them that God has promised to restore them. The absolutely astonishing part of this prophecy is that it is all God’s doing. The people have not repented in the least. They are still wallowing in their sin. They have despaired of ever returning to their homeland. One can understand God being a forgiving God when the sinner confesses and repents. However, that is not the case here. Jeremiah tells them that God is going to try again to enter into a relationship with them even though they have not repented. However, this time, God’s covenant will not be written on stone tablets. It will be written on their hearts. “I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34c).
In order to establish this new covenant, God sent his only begotten son. Throughout the history of Israel, covenants have always been sealed in blood. The new covenant will be no different. However, rather than shedding the blood of lambs or bulls or doves, Jesus would be asked to shed his blood while hanging on a cross.
In the passage from St. John’s Gospel that we read today, we hear that some Greeks have shown up in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. When Jesus hears that they wish to see him, he realizes that his time has come. Just a few verses before this passage, we hear the Pharisees make a prophetic comment: “So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the whole world has gone after him.” This comment is made when the news reaches the Sanhedrin that Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. The Pharisees and the Sadducees, the scribes, the elders, and the priests of the temple know that they are about to lose their power over the people. If Jesus can raise people from the dead, there will be no stopping him from taking over control of the people.
Jesus realizes that because Greeks are now seeking him, the prophecies of Isaiah are coming true. The Gentiles are on the move. They are coming to Jerusalem just as Isaiah had prophesied. This is a signal to Jesus that his hour has come. Upon this realization, Jesus turns to prayer with his Father and speaks of the glory that will come about because of the Father’s will for Jesus. The people hear God answer Jesus and recognize it as the voice of an angel speaking to Jesus. Jesus is about to inaugurate a new covenant between God and all the people of God’s created universe. There will be no more separation between Jew and Gentile, slave and freeman, man and woman. All barriers will be torn down including the wall around the temple courtyard that warns Gentiles that entering this part of the temple will result in their death. God’s dwelling in the Holy of Holies is separated from all the Jewish men as well. However, John’s Gospel will tell us later in the Gospel that the veil that separates the Holy of Holies and God’s people is torn in two when Jesus dies on the cross.
We are the beneficiaries of the new covenant. God has promised that never will we be separated again. God will write the law on our hearts rather than on stone tablets. It will become part of who we are. For those who embrace the new covenant, they are promised eternal life.
Next Sunday, this journey through the history of the covenants between God and Israel will come to a climax as Jesus enters Jerusalem to a triumphal crowd who proclaim him as the Messiah. Nothing can stop the inauguration of this new covenant, for the new covenant will be a covenant that is sealed in the blood of Jesus.
Not only does God forgive the children of Israel, he also provides a way for all of us to be forgiven no matter how often we stray from our relationship with God. Jesus died once for all. All that is asked of us is to put our faith in Jesus by confessing our sins and asking God for pardon. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who celebrated the 11th anniversary of his election this past week, has frequently reminded us of God’s mercy. He has built his entire pontificate on this principle; namely, that God is ready to forgive without question any sin, any shortcoming, any perversion, and any rebellion. All we need to do is to ask for God’s mercy. Some would say that this is simply too easy. Yet, both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures have identified and revealed God as one who is rich in mercy and compassion and in faithful kindness. As we draw near to the Paschal Feast, we will be asked to renew our baptismal promises, the foundation of our covenant with God. As St. Paul told us at the beginning of Lent, “Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation.” Let us all take advantage of this acceptable time and seek out the face of our God of mercy.
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