Here are some answers to the "quiz"

There are forty-six days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. The traditional number of “forty” does not include Sundays. By tradition, Lent is a somber time of repentance. But Sundays have always been ‘little Easters.” That is to say, Sundays were always a time for celebrating the resurrection. This is why they are not included in the traditional number of forty days.


The Anglo-Saxon or old English word, lencten refers to the season of spring.

Jesus received thirty-nine lashes. The whip used had several tails with small pieces of sharp bone that tore the flesh. Forty lashes was considered a death sentence. Jesus must have been a very strong man to have endured the thirty-nine lashes and other abuse, yet still survive six hours on the cross.

Easter is determined to be on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. The formula was decided upon by the Council of Nicea in 325 a.d. Thus the earliest day Easter can fall on is March 22. The latest is April 25.

Scholars aren’t completely sure where our word, “Easter,” comes from. It may have come from an early English word, Eastre, but it is unsure whether Eastre originally meant the pagan goddess of spring, the name of a spring festival or the name of the season itself. Other scholars believe it came from a German word eastarun, which means dawn. It would be an incorrect translation of a Latin word, Albae, which means both dawn and white. White is a traditional color for Easter because newly baptized church members wore white clothes at Easter observances. Christians in some European countries use the word, “pascha, which comes from the Hebrew pesah (passover). (You may have heard the term “paschal lamb.”

There are fifty days between Easter and Pentecost. Pentecost was a Hebrew holiday, which came fifty days after Passover and celebrated the completion of the harvest. It literally means “fifty days” or “fiftieth.” It is the day in which the Christians experienced the gift of the holy spirit.

The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday, and we remember the last supper of Jesus on Maundy Thursday. Ash Wednesday received its name from the cross that was often drawn in ashes on the forehead of Christian penitents. During Lent many Christians fast or give something up that they enjoy, practice spiritual disciples, and spend time in penitence and prayer. There are six Sundays in Lent, including Palm Sunday.

Lent

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The following is not a "Bible Study" but it might be interesting for you to look at for the first days of Lent



1. The number of days between Ash Wednesday and Easter: a. fifty; b. forty; c. forty-six; d. thirty-nine


2. Lent comes from an Anglo-Saxon word lencten which means: a. spring because that is the season of the year b. light because Jesus is light of the world c. literally "lent" because Jesus was lent to the world in order to save us.

3. The number of lashes Jesus received: a. fifty; b. forty; c. forty-six; d. thirty-nine

4. The latest date on which Easter can fall is: a. April 15 b. April 22 c. April 25 d. April 26

5. The earliest date on which Easter can fall is: a. March 14; b. March 22; c. March 23; d. March 25

6. Easter comes from a word meaning: a. the name of a pagan goddess of spring; b. the name of a spring festival c. the season of spring d. an early English word, Eastre e. a German word eastarun f. dawn


7. The traditional number of hours between the death of Jesus and his resurrection: a. fifty; b. forty; c. forty-six; d. thirty-nine

8. The number of days between Easter and Pentecost: a. fifty; b. forty; c. forty-six; d. thirty-nine


9. Easter is determined by: a. the fullness of the moon b. the equinox c. neither the full moon or the equinox


10. In the early church, Easter was a time for: a. fasting b. repentance c. preparing for baptism


11. The first day of Lent is: a. Mardi gras b. Shrove Tuesday c. Ash Wednesday d. Maundy Thursday e. Palm Sunday

12. We remember the last supper of Jesus on a. Mardi gras b. Shrove Tuesday c. Ash Wednesday d. Maundy Thursday e. Palm Sunday


13. Ash Wednesday gets its name from a. the cross that may be drawn in ashes on the forehead of Christian penitents b. the ashes from the incense burned in early churches c. because of the ashes from the burning of Rome which started a great persecution of the Christians


14. A common practice for Christians during Lent is: a. fasting b. spiritual disciplines c. penitence d. prayer e. all of the above


15. The number of Sundays during Lent: a. 5; b. 6; c. 7


One of the challenges for today's Christian is to find ways to make Lent more meaningful. I don't think it's a popular challenge because we are a society of pleasure and instant gratification. We don't want to put the hard work into the spirituality that would make Lent more meaningful.

But this is not a new discussion. People have struggled for years about what makes a true and meaningful lent. Robert Herrick lived in the seventeenth century.  His poem shows that he was thinking about the same issue.

Even if all Christian churches required certain activities of their members in this season, it wouldn't solve the problem. Because every activity, whether it be fasting, or prayer, or church attendance or anything else...every one of them can be turned into ritual in which the form is observed, but not the spirit.


Robert Herrick wrote:  TO KEEP A TRUE LENT


Is this a Fast, to keep
The larder lean,
And clean
From fat of veals and sheep?


Is it to quit the dish
Of flesh, yet still
To fill
The platter high with fish?


Is it to fast an hour,
Or ragg'd to go,
Or show
A downcast look and sour?


No: 'is a Fast to dole
Thy sheaf of wheat
And meat,
Unto the hungry soul.

It is to fast from strife
From old debate
And hate;
To circumcise thy life


To show a heart grief-rent;
To starve thy sin,
Not bin;
And that's to keep thy Lent.


Keep Lent in some way. It is worth the effort.

Mephibosheth

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Check 2 Samuel 19:24-30
Mephibosheth’s name meant “he who scatters shame,” or “from the mouth of shame.” He was Jonathan’s son and the grandson of Saul, the first king of Israel.

Mephibosheth’s original name seems to have been Meribbaal (I Chronicles 8:34. The earlier form of the name Meribbaal was “Meribaal.” As both names contain the name of Ba’al, this may be confusing to readers of the scriptures. Ba’al was used as a name in many ways, but from about the end of the third millennium (B.C.) the title was applied specifically to the Amorite god of winter rain and storm, otherwise known as Hadad. The cult of Ba’al posed a temptation to the Israelites to move away from monotheism and “hedge their bets” by also worshiping Ba’al. (Deities in charge of weather would have been attractive to the people as they moved from nomadic life to a settled agricultural lifestyle.)


Now common, monotheism was still unusual by the time of Jesus, when adding devotion to new gods or newly discovered ones was not considered disloyalty to the old ones. The Jews and Christians were viewed almost as atheists because they were neglecting all other gods.


The forms of the name “Maribbaal” and the earlier “Maribaal” reflect the striving of the Israelite people for faithful devotion to one God, Yahweh. Maribaal meant “man or hero of Baal” or “loved by Baal.” Maribbaal means “opponent of Baal.” Mephibosheth seems to have been a further evolving of the name. In the name way, the names Jerubbaal and Ishbaal eventually became Jerubbosheth and Ishbosheth.


Please refer to the previoous study for further information about Mephibosheth’s father, Jonathan.


Mephibosheth was five years old when the news came of his father’s death at Mount Gilboa. The nurse caring for the young prince feared that he might meet the same fate. In panic, she was trying to flee but, in her hurry, Mephibosheth’s feet were injured and he was crippled from that time forward. (Not surprising, as broken bones in the feet would not have been as easy to set as a straight bone such as leg or arm. Adding to the difficulty would have been the distraught nurse and the turmoil of the household. Mephibosheth’s injuries might have waited a long time before being addressed, and the bones may have already set in a unnatural position.)


With his father dead and with the subsequent deaths of the rest of Saul’s sons, Mephisbosheth was likely the presumptive heir to the throne.

Jewish Legend: One minor strand of legends suggests that Mephibosheth engineered the death of his uncle Ishbosheth, in hopes of succeeding him. Mephibosheth would have been a child at the time David ascended to the throne, however, which makes such an action unlikely. Other legends regard Mephibosheth as a man of deep integrity and learning, whose loyalty to David should have gone unquestioned.

Mephibosheth never pressed a claim to the throne and found shelter in the home of a benefactor, Machir the son of Ammiel, a powerful Transjordanian noble.


Mephisbosheth was eventually summoned to the court of David, who sought to express his friendship for Jonathan through Jonathan’s son. David granted to him the property of his grandfather, Saul, and committed him to the custody of Ziba, the former steward of Saul.


Steward: A steward in ancient times was an important position. A king, noble or wealthy family could not manage all the day-to-day details of their land or belongings. A trustworthy person was designated a steward. Joseph, who was a slave in Egypt, was put in charge of his master’s household. Later he was put in a similar position for the entire land of Egypt. The concept of stewardship remains important. Without using the word, stewardship, public officials are considered to be those entrusted with government, not as owners, but managers for the public trust. The same concept can be discerned in business and other circumstances, such as the executor of an estate. In spiritual terms, God is the owner (King or Lord) and humans the ones called to responsible stewardship of land, time, finances, talents and other resources.

Mephibosheth was invested as a permanent member of the king’s board. (II Samuel 9)

Jewish legend concerning Mephibosheth.

He was a great man, much like his father, and he became a scholar in religious law. His wisdom was such that even David was willing to sit at his feet, and he revered Mephibosheth as his teacher. David is said to have had had Mephibosheth review his decisions on religious questions to be sure that they were in accordance with the law.

Trouble came to Jonathan’s son with the rebellion of David’s son, Absolom. Ziba proved a treacherous steward who slandered Mephibosheth, misrepresenting him as trying to seize the throne for himself. Ziba strengthened his deception when he brought supplies to David who was fleeing Jerusalem at the time. Fooled by the lies and by the pretence of support, David ordered all of the possessions of Mephibosheth to be given to Ziba (II Samuel 16:1-14)


After the rebellion had been crushed, Mephibosheth went to meet David at the Jordan. Wearing untrimmed beard and unwashed clothes, he expressed overwhelming grief at the troubles suffered by David. David demanded to know why he still lived in Jerusalem. Mephibosheth exposed the ruse of Ziba and professed his unwavering loyalty to David. Mephibosheth’s integrity was convincing to David.


However, David was likely also grateful for the supplies Ziba had provided, regardless of the motives. Thus he decided that Mephibosheth and Ziba should share equally in the lands that had belonged to Saul. But Mephibosheth expressed his joy at David’s safety by declaring, “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.”

Jewish Legend: One legend states

that the wrong done by David to Mephibosheth did not meet with heavenly approval. When David proposed the division of the estate, a voice from heaven is said to have prophesied the later division of the kingdom between Jeroboam and Rehoboam. Legend also states that the temple was destroyed because David gave ear to Ziba’s slander of Mephibosheth. The scriptures themselves clearly do not attribute the kingdom’s later misfortune to this particular decision of David. However, David’s sometimes ambiguous choices and moral decisions could certainly be said to have played a part in later events, even many years later.

Mephibosheth had a son named Mica (or Micah) (II Samuel 9:12). A well-known family in Israel was descended from him. (I Chronicles 8:35; 9:41)


The theme of any portrait of Mephibosheth could well be the old saying, “The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Though he lost his father at an early age, Mephibosheth may have drawn on memories of this kindly, loyal man who had a genius for friendship. No doubt he also heard stories of his father’s qualities. But Mephibosheth’s own altruism and integrity merit an award as one of the unsung heroes of the Bible.

Some Starting Questions:

What would it feel like to have your loyalty and integrity maligned as Ziba did to Mephibosheth? And, even worse, to have the deception believed by someone you loved and had shown you kindness?

Mephibosheth did a kindness to Ziba, giving him everything, despite his treachery. He also did a kindness to David, saving him from any awkwardness about the re-apportioning of the lands. What New Testament teachings express the theme of Mephibosheth’s actions?