I’m not the first Christian to wish we could just ‘skip to Easter.’ After all, Spring has sprung here in the UK, Easter chocolates are all over the stores and sunset is finally after 6pm.
And yet Lent and Easter set up a vital contrast at the heart of the Gospels, one which is especially pertinent today. In Matthew’s Gospel, we hear how Satan tempts Jesus by saying that all of the kingdoms of the world will be his if only Jesus worships him. Jesus rebukes Satan by quoting Deuteronomy 6: 13: ‘The Lord your God you shall fear, him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear.’ In so doing, Jesus highlights the contrast between a way of living in which temporal power is the most important end and the way of the Gospel in which love of God and love of neighbour are all that count.
This Lent, the forces of ‘might makes right’ appear to be winning. Donald Trump seems to be getting away with bullying other countries to bend to his will. Putin continues to attack Ukraine. Netanyahu has resumed bombing Gaza to salvage his political career and stave off a corruption trial. Most disturbingly, Trump’s and Netanyahu’s actions are cheered on by Christian Nationalists in the US while Patriarch Kirill uses his religious authority to justify Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
This makes it all the more important for the church to be a prophetic witness to the truths of the Gospel. On Ash Wednesday, we are reminded that we are all dust and, despite their delusions to the contrary, that applies equally to Putin, Trump and Netanyahu. At Easter, we are reminded that in the end, love wins and is at the heart of everything.
Eddie Grove
