The lessons for today reveal a tension in our human relationship to God, and certainly to Jesus.  We are sometimes so sure we know who God is and what God does.  We put a lot of faith in the certainty of our knowledge.  But all too often we let the limits of our human knowledge limit the power of God and the work of Jesus in our lives.  Gracefully, for us, Jesus keeps challenging that certainty.  That is what happened in the lessons today.  Some people, the Pharisees in particular, were unable to let go of ideas about God that were frankly not very loving of God or their neighbors.  Yet, many people were open to the way Jesus was speaking to them, even if he was speaking to them like no none had even spoken to them before.  In fact, that newness of perspective was what most caught their attention.  They were hungry for the word of God.  It was the people who were most certain they had all the answers who would not listen, because Jesus challenged their authority and their power. 

I think Lent is a time that allows us to be more open to how Jesus is speaking to us in ways we had not heard before – to not be so sure we have all the answers.  Jesus calls us to give God a fresh listen.  Most often, the voice of God comes to us from a different point of view, from those who are marginalized, not those in positions of authority.  One of the many blessings I enjoyed as a professor at Creighton University was watching our young people draw on their solid Christian values and knowledge of their faith to listen to Jesus speak to them in ways they had never heard before, in the voices of the marginalized.  We gave them a safe place to further discern Christ’s active word in their lives from new perspectives.  As a result, they entered more fully into companionship with Christ in ways that not only enriched their own faith, but ways that made a difference in the lives of others. 

It is my prayer today that we can all renew our faith as students of the living Christ.  I pray we will each listen to the ways Jesus speaks to us like no one has ever spoken to us.  We might learn something about ourselves and others, and how much God loves us all.