He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. – 2 Kings 23:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 6, 2017): 2 Kings 23

Pope Leo X was the last man elected to the papacy who was not a priest. (How you could be elected Bishop of Rome and not be a priest is an amazing question that only applies to an era different from our own.) Leo was educated in theology and canon Law. He received his tonsure (the shaving of the head as a symbol of religious devotion) at the age of 7. He was made cardinal-deacon at the age of 13 and then elevated to the position of Pope at the ripe old age of 37.

Leo X was probably best remembered for granting indulgences in an attempt to raise funds to reconstruct St. Peter’s Basilica, a practice that was challenged by Martin Luther and the leaders of the Reformation. He also borrowed and spent heavily. It is rumored that upon his election, Leo replied, “Since God has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it.” As a result, he did not take the challenges of Luther and the Protestant Reformation seriously. He seemed to be willing to simply sit back and watch the Church implode around him.

Part of the reason why the Reformation was hard was that it didn’t just threaten programs and beliefs, it threatened people. With the Reformation, it challenged a system that would give positions to people as a result of political pressure rather than spiritual accomplishment. If the Reformation were going to happen, it would not be just a change in belief and practice; it would mean the removal of people. And, maybe, at the top of the list was a Pope who was more Lawyer than Pastor.

Josiah commits the nation to its own period of Reformation. It was not just a time of the reintroduction of the Mosaic Law and the removal of sinful things. It meant that the people who had allowed wrong practices to enter the life of the people had to be removed as well. The idols that had filled the Temple did not get there on their own. Someone had put them there, and if that someone were not dealt with, then the sinful things and practices would only return.

The truth is that any real reformation has to deal with us too. Either we allow God to reform us, in the language of the Hebrew Bible we allow God to circumcise our heart, or we must be removed. And that is what makes any reformation truly hard. It is not just about things, but about the way that we think and behave as well. We must allow God to reform us in the core of our being, and not just change our behavior. Because, in the end, if we are not changed, then the ways that we want to put in our past will only return for another run in the practice that is our lives.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 35