When Did Lent Begin?

We are now officially in the lent season. For a long time I didn't connect the religious significance to the lenten season. I thought it was a form of self-induced punishment enforced by some religions when Easter was approaching. But I've learned the truth over time.

Lent is a time of reflection, fasting something that means a great deal to you while asking God for forgiveness of wrong doings. A time to prepare for the upcoming celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. A time to remember what Jesus did so that we can accept the promise of a free ticket to heaven. And though I say free ticket, it wasn't free. A price was paid.

As I reflect back on Jesus and his sacrifice for me I read about Lazarus. Did you know this happened at the start of what we call the "lenten season"? Did you realize this was the straw that broke the camels, or rather pharisees' back, so to speak? Once he raised Lazarus from the dead the pharisees who felt threatened by him were out for blood.

In case you don't remember Lazarus, his story is found in John 11. After being dead for four days Jesus brings him back to live yet another day. Not only does he reek, but the people of that day believed his spirit should have been long gone. Which is what made this resurrection unique. All the others had been dead only a short while when they were raised up.

Add to that, the town where this took place was only a couple of miles from Jerusalem. So of course, some of the witnesses ran off to tell the religious authorities. Which only puts Jesus on the get-rid-of-him-now-radar of the pharisees as well as getting more attention from travelers. All of this causes Jesus to travel to Ephraim in order to allow the pieces to fall into place. . .the next step to completing his reason for living an earth born life.

In this first season of reflection Jesus took time to prepare for what he was about to do. Thirty-three days later he enters Jerusalem with loads of people looking for him and watching him enter Jerusalem in a most interesting way. It's a great example of how we should take time to reflect when we know we have something big on the horizon of our life.