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This Lenten study will focus on the Gospel readings of the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C. The Gospels are unique compared to other sacred texts in that they offer an account of the life and mission of Jesus.
 
An account about something that is seen or heard is not necessarily a narrative. It is information, a testimony. The Christian Year along with its lectionary readings help organize the testimonies about Jesus and his teachings into his story with theme, plot, climax, and resolution. Advent begins the Christian Year with the birth of Jesus, setting the scene for what will unfold. Holy Week—particularly the events of Holy Thursday through Good Friday, culminate the season of Lent as the climax of the Christian story. The resolution will not come until Easter morning.
 
To appreciate the climax of this story we must first understand its theme of Jesus as God’s revelation of God’s self and God’s restorative intentions toward the world. Jesus has established himself as an authority who demonstrates the signs, wonders, and wisdom of One sent by God. He teaches. He condemns and rebukes. He heals and restores. He challenges the status quo. He takes up the cause of the vulnerable, and he breaks down the hypocrisy of his own religion’s leadership. Jesus is clearly the hero character in this narrative. Throughout this study we will find that as our hero is making his way toward Jerusalem, he is ushering in a counter-cultural way of thinking about governance, power, and victory.
 
Study structure
 
Though the study can be taken at any time the learner would like, it is designed to follow a 6-week outline. Please note—the Ash Wednesday study will culminate the week prior to Ash Wednesday. The Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent have been merged into one unit to make room for the final unit to culminate the week before Easter. The Passion has been merged into the week of Palm Sunday in acknowledgement that Holy Week is typically the most involved week of the Christian Year for the local church. Participants of this study are encouraged to be engaged and possibly leading in their local congregations during Holy Week into Easter. Therefore, this study will conclude the week prior.