Jesus, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday

Texts: Mt 22:15 – 22; Mt 23:1 – 12

In a recent status on my Facebook page I wrote that I thought Jesus was a Fat Tuesday kind of guy rather than an Ash Wednesday kind of guy. Following that status were some thought-provoking comments out of which could have begun some very interesting conversations. The idea of the combination of holy feast and holy fast was mentioned. Having a reflective faith and the seriousness of Jesus' sacrifice were also part of the thread. Another comment had to do with Jesus' probable practiced ability to make it through the fasting and trials of his forty days in the desert.

My Facebook status was based on my understanding of Jesus as a man who turned water into wine for parties and who taught such things as we heard in the 23rd chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus was called a glutton and a drunkard because he didn't observe the law the way those in religious authority wished him to. He also spoke harshly against those in authority who "tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulder of others; but they are unwilling to lift a finger to move them."

Lent has often felt like that to me – a heavy burden of shame that we are supposed to carry for forty days so that we can better appreciate the suffering of Jesus on our behalf. In some theologies it is our fault that Jesus died on the cross – our sin put him there. I do not believe that any of us are without sin and I think it is an important practice of our faith to reflect continually upon our lives so that we have ample motivation and opportunity to repent when we operate out of selfishness, greed, and the like. However, I understand Jesus’ sacrifice as being accomplished out of an extreme kind of love, a love that we can't even begin to understand because it runs so deep, so long, so high, and so wide. Jesus was sent because "God so loved the world." Jesus died because he would not back down in defending the powerless, healing the sick, feeding the poor, and gathering instead of scattering. He threatened leaders of his time because he was not showy and pompous, thus putting the rest of the people in their place. Instead Jesus made people and communities whole as often as he could.

He called us to be humble – to not exalt ourselves. Jesus addressed the pride of the Pharisees and Scribes, and their lust for power, by teaching his disciples to not do what they did. In chapter 22 of Matthew we read of the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus with a question about taxes. Jesus asked them what image was on the coin and responded, "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." That shut them up for awhile. It seems that the act of paying tribute with money, performing deeds of great sacrifice, or of having the appearance of being righteous is not the point. Humility is the point of this teaching. Humility – that is the image of our Divine Beloved. No matter what we offer in tribute, the image it should bear is the image of our God.

Shame and humility are different. I see shame as a consequence of oppressive power dynamics. Humility shapes an environment of equality while maintaining a person's wholeness. I believe Jesus is teaching that we are not to exalt ourselves – to give ourselves over to ranking and climbing up some imaginary ladder of religious success, but rather we are to be humble – to live a life where we value everyone, especially those who serve.

Lent is a time of intentional reflection. These next few weeks are a created opportunity to examine how we move through this world. Are we humble? Do we honor everyone, especially those who serve? Do we try to posture so that we appear respectable, spiritual, or obedient? Do our actions come from a place of humility; a place where we can stand solid in what we believe and how we behave without it becoming an oppressive power or a false standard of how others should believe or behave?

If you are giving something up or adding something like prayer to your life for lent, will whatever you are doing help guide you toward the kind of reflection that leads toward humility and an increased marveling at the resurrection when at last we celebrate Easter? Might what you do with this time change your life a little? What are you giving to God? Whose image is on the tribute you offer?

Give to God what is God's. Giving up something may be a wonderful way for you to remember that this is a time of active reflection. Adding more Bible reading or prayer to your week may be a good way for others. Whatever you do, give to God what is God's.

Ash Wednesday is a solemn ceremony where people are marked on the forehead with the ashes from the burned palm leaves of the ecstatic celebration from the year before. Just like the marking of lamb's blood on the lintels of the doors of the Hebrews in Egypt or the phylacteries on the foreheads of Jewish men, the mark of the ashes reminds us and tells others who we are and whose we are.

Fat Tuesday, known in French as Mardi Gras, is the last day of the festival called Carnival which means, "farewell to the flesh." It is the last big party before the fast and is the holy feast my Facebook friend mentioned. During this celebration they killed the fattened calf and used up the last of their eggs and dairy making all kinds of wonderful pastries.

Would Jesus have gotten more into Fat Tuesday or Ash Wednesday? No one really knows. I still have a hunch that he would dig the abundance and revelry of Fat Tuesday. I also think it would be important to him that everyone got to go to the party; to dance, laugh, and eat their fill. Still, he did steal away whenever he could to pray. He taught that some things could only be accomplished through fasting and praying. He also taught his disciples that sometimes they needed time to get away from everyone and rest. So, just as Jesus would want everyone to come to the party, my guess is that he would want everyone to share in a time of reflection.

Even more than that, I am confident Jesus would want the revelers to revel to the glory of God and the reflectors to reflect to the glory of God.