Lent Week 4: Wednesday
Jesus, the perfect covenant
“I have given you as a covenant to the people.” Who is this statement of Isaiah referring to? It is to Jesus Christ. The covenant belongs to the mystery of the Lord Jesus Christ. In him we see the perfect meaning of the alliance God established with his people.
Jesus shows in John’s gospel that the covenant is above all relationship with the Father. He is in complete unity with the Father. People were scandalized when he situated himself in direct relationship with God: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” He called God his Father, distinct from the experiences of all others. And his life provides proof of this deep communion with the Father. He does whatever the Father does; he basks in his love; he receives from God the authority to judge.
The Lord also shows the corollary aspect of the covenant: unity with his brothers and sisters. Isaiah specifies the role of the Christ, the Messiah, in terms of being a shepherd to others. Jesus leads the people to pasturelands to nourish them. He provides for them and protects them. The covenant, which is first a vertical relationship with God, must also express solidarity with others, a horizontal relationship.
It is therefore only in Jesus that we can truly become part of the covenant. We cannot love God without passing through him who loves his Father perfectly. We cannot know God’s will without following his example of total obedience. We cannot serve others without taking him as model of authentic self-giving.
This Lent, let us remember that we approach God the Father through the One who he appointed as the “way” to his heart. Let us seek for an intimate friendship with Jesus that will lead us to true discipleship so that we can live in our daily lives the true meaning of the covenant. Shall we spend more time in prayer before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament today?
