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Who Am I?

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(Exodus 3:1-15)

I don’t imagine anyone other than Moses could really describe what it was like to see a burning bush that didn’t burn up, because I don’t know anyone other than Moses who’s ever seen it. I suppose we could picture those fake logs inside gas fireplaces, some of which look a little more realistic than others. But something tells me the experience Moses had was a little bit different than that. It must have been quite a thing to see; quite amazing to witness it. That would explain why Moses went over to investigate it a bit more.

Then, just like that, his amazement turned to terror as he realize what – or rather who – was behind it all! “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’  ‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God” (v.4-6). Moses’ curiosity shifted to cowardice in the presence of God. Holy ground in the presence of a holy God? Surely Moses thought he was doomed – as if hiding his face to avoid looking at God could somehow have spared him if God was indeed there to strike him down.

Do you remember why Moses had reason to be terrified? In an act of vigilante justice, he stepped in on behalf of a fellow Israelite and murdered an Egyptian who was mistreating him. Moses presumed there were no witnesses to his actions because he was shocked when a short time later a fellow Israelite called him out on it. In fear, he fled to Midian where he shepherded for forty years. Forty years is a lot of time to be weighed down with guilt, and now that he found himself face-to-face with a holy God, we understand why he was terrified!

Are we ever terrified of God for the same reason? Amazed at what God does, yes, but terrified? Do we shutter or shiver in the presence of God because we know his holiness and we’re well aware that he knows our unholiness? Does his holiness strike us with alarm as it also exposes our sinfulness? Do we so easily forget the ways God poured out his wrath against Israel’s sin again and again – via the earth opening up or fire consuming or plagues unleashed? God doesn’t have much time or patience for sin! Do we too easily dismiss or forget that?

It was Moses’ awareness of his sin in the presence of a holy God that led the pendulum to swing from amazement at the bush to terror.

Then, it swung back again in the other direction once God explained to Moses why he was there. “The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…’” (v.7-8). Amazing! God heard the cries of his people, their misery from slavery in Egypt, and he was concerned about their suffering and was going to do something about it. Hooray! Amazing!

What a great reminder of the God we belong to! When we conclude that any suffering we experience must be an indicator that he doesn’t care all that much about us, look no further than these verses. God cares about the suffering of his people. Experiencing suffering doesn’t mean God doesn’t care; rather it’s an opportunity for him to show his care by how he chooses to deliver us through that suffering. He promised to do just that for his people in Egypt. Amazing news!

And then just as abruptly, once again the pendulum swung completely in the other direction when God revealed how he planned to rescue his people. He would do so through Moses. “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (v.10).

Imagine Moses’ response! “Whoa! Hold the phone! Pump the breaks! Let me stop you right there, Lord! I’m all on board with you rescuing your people, but if you’re planning to do it through me, well, maybe slavery isn’t so bad! There’s gotta be another way.” Moses was terrified! The next phase of their dialogue involves Moses trying to convince the Lord that his rescue mission can be better carried out through someone else. Moses pulled out proof after proof that he felt should serve as more than sufficient evidence to disqualify him from any such rescue mission.

Don’t you just love Moses? Is he relatable or what? We are ecstatic about all the good things God promises and desires to carry out through his people, but when it becomes a possibility that we’re the ones he wants to carry it out through, we do our best Moses impression and provide 487 reasons why we’re not the right person for the job!

This manifests itself in all kinds of ways in the lives of those who belong to a local church. By default, we presume that someone else is a better fit than we are, either because of our own insecurity or because we forget that others didn’t always do it so well when they first started out.

Or we use the old “let’s give some new people the chance to serve,” when what we really mean is, “I’ve put in my time already and it’s someone else’s turn.”

“We’re really busy in life right now, but when things slow down we’d love to be able to do this or that.” But we forget that we’re the ones who choose all that busyness in other areas of life, and until we say no to some other things, the time that we claim to long for in service to ministry never magically seems to show up.

It’s one version or another of the same pushback Moses gave to God: “Who am I?”

And it isn’t just ministry in general where this applies, but also to our consideration of God’s possible call into the public ministry as pastors and teachers. “Who am I?” Not for me. Send others. We may not know what we want to do, but we know we want to make money, so ministry doesn’t make the cut. The hours and expectations extend well beyond the course of a school day, so I couldn’t be a teacher. I could never get up in front of people and preach a sermon, so I can’t see myself being a pastor. These and so many other concerns are different versions of the same question: “Who am I?”

How does God respond to such concerns today? The same way he did to Moses. Moses asked, “Who am I?” but God pointed out that question needs to be asked the other way around. Not “who are you, Moses,” but rather “who am I, God, the Lord?”

God might as well have been saying to Moses, “Get over yourself. Just because I am sending you, just because I am using you, does not mean you’re doing the work. It’s still MY work. I’m still the one getting it done – I just need your hands, your feet, your mouth – really just your heart, and I’ll get done what I need to through you.” 

Note how many “I’s” there are in this section! Moses keeps trying to shine the spotlight on himself as a disqualifier with each excuse he leverages, but each time God turns the spotlight back to himself with one “I” after another. “‘I’ am sending you.” “‘I’ am with you.” “‘I’ am.” Not you, Moses, but I – the Lord, is where your focus ought to be. 

And that makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? If we are looking for reasons to avoid carrying out the ministry God has given us – whether it be our own personal ministry as Christians or the public ministry as called workers – look no further than the mirror in front of you. Of course it’s filled with reasons or excuses that would disqualify us! If God needed us to measure up to his standards before he could actually use any of us, he’d end up empty-handed! He wouldn’t be able to use anyone!

But have you forgotten what he did to ensure that he could use everyone? He qualified everyone at the cross. There he paid for our sin. There he freed us from selfishness and pride. There he washed away our excuses and insecurities. 

Because ministry, our service, is about him. He sends us. He is with us. He…is.

And that, frankly, is all we need. We remember it’s all about him from start to finish. My service to him and others is not about my service; it’s about him. My ministry in his name isn’t about my ministry; it’s about his name. My calling to fulfill his purposes isn’t about my calling; it’s about his purposes.

Ministry means keeping the emphasis in the right place. It means we can let go of the “Who am I?” and instead recall all of the wonderful answers to that question when God is the one asking it. When God reminds us to think of who he is, there is nothing that can’t be done when he’s behind it. 

So go. God is sending you. Be his hands and his feet. Be his mouthpiece. Be those things and everything else he calls you to be because he is behind it. Who am I? Who are you? Instead, let’s always remember who He is. 

Loved, to Live What You Learn(ed)

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(2 Corinthians 13:11-14)

I want to begin with a story. It’s the story of a believer named _________ (insert name here). The end.

That’s the end of the story. Because it isn’t finished yet. It’s still being written. And now is a great opportunity to pause and think about how you want the rest of your story to play out. To help us, Paul provides some guidance for believers. 

This letter has every reason to end in a different tone than it does. If you don’t recall why, go back and read the rest of 2 Corinthians and then review 1 Corinthians. If you want to see what a dysfunctional congregation looks like, this is it! Division, discord, immorality, legal action, etc. – they had it all. And not only was the congregation all over the map in spiritual disarray, but remember Paul’s own life and ministry and all of the trauma he experienced. To wrap up his communication with the encouragement to rejoice seems a bit out of place in light of all of their challenges!

REJOICE

But Paul is 100% correct. Because their joy wasn’t based on circumstances; it was based in Jesus. And when he is the source of joy, not even messy external circumstances can rob us of the joy we have in Jesus. So rejoice – you have every reason to in Jesus. 

RECONCILE

It is that same joy in Jesus that prompts the following encouragements that Paul gives. Because of our joy in Jesus, we can reconcile. That’s what Paul is getting at with the phrase, “strive for full restoration” (v.11). When believers share the same joy in Jesus, there’s no place for withholding forgiveness from each other and allowing bitterness to take root and establish itself.

We recently had some plumbing issues on the night of our school play and had to open up the restrooms in our school because the ones here at church were backed up. That’s what happens when roots worm their way into the plumbing. However, once the plumber came and cleaned out the roots, everything was in working order again. 

When believers avoid or put off reconciliation with each other – when we are slow to repent or forgive each other – we let those roots grow and establish themselves. Instead, Paul says, don’t even let them take root in the first place. But if they do, get rid of them through reconciliation. When you have an issue with a brother or sister in Christ in this congregation or any other congregation (and you will – just as you do with your biological brothers and sisters!), pull out the roto-rooter of reconciliation and do everything in your power to be restored to each other. Take the first step. If you need to confess and apologize, don’t wait for the other person. If someone else has wronged you, don’t harbor that resentment in your heart; make it known to them so they can repent and apologize. Those are the very things Jesus came to heal and forgive, so look for every opportunity to lovingly apply his grace and forgiveness so that this may continue to be a place of reconciliation.

REASSURE

Closely related to reconciliation is Paul’s next closing thought to reassure each other. Really, that’s what we’re doing when we “encourage one another” (v.11), isn’t it? Christian encouragement isn’t the empty promise that “everything is going to be alright,” because each day that passes in this broken world proves otherwise: not everything is going to be alright. We will experience great loss. We will suffer. We will face hardship.

Those things will happen, so when we speak of encouraging each other, we aren’t pretending that bad things won’t happen; rather, we’re reassuring each other with the promise that Jesus has overcome those troubles. He’s made sure they are temporary. When we reassure each other, we assure each other again and again of God’s gracious promises – both for this time and for eternity. That kind of encouragement can’t be found in the world, so if we Christians aren’t reassuring each other with it, then we can easily become discouraged and disheartened.

REALIGN

Next, Paul says to “be of one mind” (v.11). We might think of that as realignment. While he is not saying that Christians must agree on every detail about life or ministry, we do routinely need to make sure that our way of thinking is brought back in line with God’s. Just as wheels on a vehicle need to be realigned and rotated over time so they don’t wear out unevenly and result in a flat tire, we can also get off-center. 

Not surprisingly, the more removed we are from regular time in the Word and worship, the more naturally this takes place. What happens is the world’s thinking begins to shape more of our own. The world’s values and philosophies start to influence us and the world then informs our theology rather than God’s theology informing how we see the world.

This can be subtle or it can be severe. It might cause us to struggle a bit with this teaching or that, or might lead us to dismiss doctrine altogether and allow our own personal views and ideas of God to take over. Being of one mind means caring enough about each other to point this out and encourage some realignment so that our souls don’t wear out and leave us spiritually stranded on the side of the road for eternity.  

REST

Finally, pursue peace, or to keep our alliteration going, rest. That is what it means to “live in peace” (v.11). There is no shortage of ideas on how to achieve peace in our world today. Cut negative people out of your life. Unfollow social media accounts that consistently crush you with feelings of inadequacy. Be true to yourself, no matter what others think or how you get labeled. I could go on, and while a few of these approaches may provide us with some relief, none of them will give us real rest, the kind of peace we find in only one place. 

Paul even indicates that source of peace. “And the God of love and peace will be with you” (v.11). If God is characterized as the God of love and peace, that kind of makes it his thing, doesn’t it? To be revealed in such a way is to make a clear connection between God and peace. If God is the source of peace, then we must go to the source when we desire the rest he provides. And we will always find it.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Also, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19-20). If we desire rest, then we must have peace, and if we are to find peace, look no further than to the God of peace.

Rejoice. Reconcile. Reassure. Realign. Rest. These are tall orders! But it isn’t just any God who calls us to this thing. It is the triune God, the Holy Trinity, who equips us to carry them out. 

God is never interested in just telling you what to do without reminding you of who you are. Who are you? “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (v.14). These are not just three randomly mashed-together phrases that Paul threw together because they had a nice ring to them as a closing thought. Rather, these are the unique characteristics of the eternal God incorporated into a blessing by which God desired to touch the hearts and lives of believers for the rest of time. 

How appropriate, then, to remind us of the grace – undeserved love – that is ours in Christ! An understanding of grace is foundational to our relationship with the true and triune God because it establishes the undeserved nature of our relationship with God. That is hugely important anytime you ever feel worthless and undeserving, whether those feelings come as a result of what someone else has said to you or about you, or those feelings are the result of your own regrettable words or actions. When we are left feeling worthless, grace is the reminder that we’re in great company – Christ came to win the worthless, the undeserving, the sinners and screw-ups, the don’t-have-it-all-togethers, the shameless and those in shambles. You aren’t disqualified when you feel undeserving; rather, you are God’s target audience! Jesus didn’t come for those who think they deserve him or are worthy of him on their own merits; he came for those who know they don’t deserve him. That’s grace – and it is and always will be yours in Jesus Christ.

That is love, as the next portion of the blessing reflects, “the love of God,” to be specific. Grace is proof that God’s love is different. More than an emotion or a feeling, God’s unconditional love is an action. It’s a real love based on real action that God took and continues to take on behalf of his people. I can say I love my wife and my kids – and I do say it – but my actions don’t always back it up.

Not so with God. He says he loves us, and then recorded for us in his Word action after action after action on behalf of his people that backs up his love. That amazing love captured in John 3:16 is yours today and forever.

Finally, fellowship. “The fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Healthy Christian congregations enjoy strong fellowship – a bond of faith and friendship that surpasses that of other friendships. But your fellowship isn’t just with each other. It is also with God. It is with our church body, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). It is with all Christians whose names are written in the Book of Life by faith in Jesus Christ. 

Fellowship by definition is God’s reminder that his plan for you was never a relationship with just him but with his body, the church – with other Christians. The popular idea that one’s faith is one’s own and is only between God and that person has no basis in Scripture. God wants your faith to grow in fellowship with other Christians, too. Yes, your faith in Jesus is personal – it’s yours, but that doesn’t mean it’s private.

It’s not at all private. Each Sunday we make a public confession of our sins and publicly confess our faith with the words of the creed. That’s not private at all, and I pray that your faith never becomes so. Instead, may it continue to be fanned into flame to burn brightly as you rejoice, reconcile, reassure, realign, and rest. Do so blessed by and empowered by the grace, love, and fellowship of the Holy Trinity. That deep love of God for you will not only lead and equip you to live for him but will also guarantee the absolute best ending to your story.

Faith Gifts

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(1 Corinthians 12:3-11)

Years ago there was a movie that established quite a cult following by successfully poking fun at cubicles and corporate politics associated with working in the office. In one particular scene, two interviewers called in to help make corporate cuts are sitting with an employee as he explains exactly what he does in the office. It quickly becomes apparent to the viewer in a humorous way that this employee would be the perfect example of where to make cuts, as the employee struggled mightily to explain exactly what his responsibilities were. After all, if he couldn’t explain what he actually did, then why did he have a job there?

A similar question sometimes comes up regarding the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit: what exactly does he do? What is his job?

Most are quite clear on the role that God the Father has – after all, we address his name and his work in worship each week in the Lord’s Prayer. And Jesus will not be overlooked, either. Since his cross and his name are the focal points of the Christian faith, they are rightly emphasized in worship week, too. Jesus is what we’re all about. 

But what about the Holy Spirit? You probably don’t know the name John McCarthy (not the one associated with politics…). He was a computer scientist who lived and worked in the middle of the last century. Even if you don’t know his name, though, you have already benefited from his work and will continue to. John McCarthy is one of the pioneers of AI, artificial intelligence. It was his foundational groundwork that got us to where we are today and wherever the future of AI takes us. So even if you never knew McCarthy, you’ll still benefit from much of the work he did. 

That’s like the role of the Holy Spirit. When he is at work, you may not necessarily know him any better because of it, but you’ll benefit from his work: making Jesus known and believed. When the Holy Spirit is doing his work, you don’t know it because he’s not interested in jumping on stage into the spotlight. Rather, his work is to put Jesus there. His work is to make Jesus known. His work is to bring us to faith in Jesus and keep us in faith in Jesus. 

Paul emphasized that point in the first verse of our words from 1 Corinthians. “Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (v.3). Paul directly connected the work of the Holy Spirit not with making Jesus known and believed. And he stated how important the work of the Holy Spirit is by clarifying that no one can even come to faith in Jesus (which is what Paul means with the phrase “Jesus is Lord”) unless the Holy Spirit enables it by creating the faith to confess it. 

This is the primary work of the Holy Spirit. We call it conversion. When a person is brought from unbelief to saving faith in Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit who has worked that faith. And he works that faith through what we call the “means of grace.” These means, his “instruments” or “tools” of grace, are the gospel (good news about Jesus) in Word and Sacrament. So any effort on our part to make disciples without using those means, without using the Word of God, will be fruitless. The Holy Spirit uses only the message of the Bible to bring people to faith.

When we remember how the Holy Spirit alone works faith through the Word alone, we see faith for what it truly is – a gift. We don’t achieve faith on our own when we work a certain work. We don’t achieve faith on our own when we pray a certain prayer. We don’t achieve faith on our own when we reach some higher level of intellectual or academic achievement. We don’t do anything to come by faith; the Holy Spirit does everything. And he does it through the Word. Faith is the greatest gift the Holy Spirit gives, for through it we receive not only forgiveness and salvation but all other spiritual blessings the Holy Spirit gifts through it as well.

Think of faith like your hand. If I want to give you something, I would place it into your hand. By nature, however, when it comes to our relationship with God, sin leaves our hands clenched in a fist at God. That is because our sin accuses us and shows us our failure at keeping his right ways.

So long as our hands are clenched we cannot receive anything from God. Through the Word, the message about our sin and how God sent his Son to deal with our sin, the Holy Spirit pries open our faithless fists. Then and only then is the open palm of our hand able to receive faith and its gifts from the Holy Spirit.

Although conversion to the Christian faith is the greatest gift the Holy Spirit gives, it is far from the only one. In an effort to make Jesus known to others, once the Holy Spirit gives the gift of faith, he just keeps on giving. He also gives believers spiritual gifts to serve each other and to aid in the process of building up the church with gifts that elevate Jesus to even greater heights.

Although not exhaustive, Paul provided a list of some of those Spirit-given gifts in the second portion of the verses from 1 Corinthians 12. There are a number of ways one might categorize those gifts. One of the simplest might be to just classify them as gifts pertaining to either speaking or serving. While there may be some overlap in gifts, generally most will relate more to speech or service.

Additionally, there are gifts that have been called charismatic gifts, special miraculous gifts given in abundance to the early Christian church. While the Holy Spirit is certainly able to continue dispensing such charismatic gifts to his Church today, that class of gifts does not appear to be as prevalent as it was early on. That is likely because we now have what they didn’t then – the entire written Word of God. 

By no means does that imply that the speaking and serving gifts given to the Church today are in any way inferior. If we should for some reason feel as if we’ve been shortchanged in the gifts given by the Holy Spirit, Paul rules out that faulty thinking. “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Cor. 12:11). The Holy Spirit gives out his gifts in just the right amounts to just the right people, and that includes every single believer. There are no second or third stringers in the church. There are no benchwarmers or backups. Everyone is contributing to the teamwork through which the Holy Spirit does his work.  

And, if we remember the main purpose of these gifts, we can appreciate any and all of the Spirit’s gifts. Paul said, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (v.7). “The common good” means everybody benefits. In other words, your gifts aren’t just for you! My gifts aren’t just for me. They aren’t for personal advantage or personal gain, but for the common good, meaning our gifts are for each other. 

The me-centered miser inside each of us needs that reminder. Sin wants to make everything – even undeserved gifts from the Spirit – all about me. “Look at my wisdom, my knowledge, my faith!” Our sin sees the Spirit’s gifts as an opportunity to shine the spotlight on self.

And that isn’t even the only way that sinful pride abuses the Spirit’s gifts! Yes, I see my gifts as being beneficial to me, but I also see your gifts as a service to me! That’s when we are more than happy to point out to others that they ought to be using their gifts for the common good, when often we really mean for my good. So my gifts are for me, and so are yours. See how expertly we make everything about us!

What happens if you forget the common good and use those gifts selfishly? Consider each individual block in a wall. The wall didn’t just start out like that. It is made up of many blocks stacked together. I suppose a person could leave all of those individual blocks spread out over a large area, but unless those blocks are stacked on top of each other, there will never be a wall. And the more blocks that are stacked on top of each other, the higher the wall reaches. When we use our gifts for the common good, we are stacking them together for the Spirit to build something amazing with his gifts. When we use them selfishly, one person at best benefits – just me.

Think of the paramedic or physician who went through years of training and schooling to acquire the knowledge and skills to help the injured and save lives. Now imagine never using those skills. Those gifts might come in handy for the individual to know how to treat an injury on their own, but no one else will benefit from those gifts. It’s even more damaging than that – not only will they miss out on the benefit when those gifts are neglected or unused; they’ll actually suffer because of it. Some injuries would be more serious than they needed to be, and in some cases, some would die unnecessarily! The body of Christ hurts, too, when the Holy Spirit’s gifts go unused because others suffer. 

On the other hand, what happens when all the body of Christ does put these faith gifts to use? When these gifts are built upon the all-important foundation of the greatest gift of faith, a faith that believes our selfishness is blotted out by the blood of Jesus, a faith that believes our pride is paid for by his sacrificial death, amazing things will happen!

That’s when the Spirit is able to use those gifts to draw attention to Jesus. Do you know the results of the Word at work in connection with the Spirit’s gifts being poured out on that first Pentecost? “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:41). Phenomenal!

That’s the goal, friends. That’s what the Spirit does. That’s why he gives his Word. That’s why he gives his gifts, so that they work for the common good to elevate Jesus to where as many as possible can see him with eyes of faith… until he returns on the last day and we see him with our physical eyes. 

While clinging to the gift of faith then, dear friends, let that faith manifest itself in the expression of your other faith gifts. Use the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit specialized you with so that Jesus might be elevated and others might be brought to faith. We have the Word. We have the work of the Spirit. We have the gifts to get it done. Put it all together and see what the Spirit can do with it at this time and in this place with and through you. 

Making the Unknown Known

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(Acts 17:22-31)

We love being “in the know.” It sets us apart from those around us who aren’t. When we’re in the know, suddenly others are more interested in us, possibly even impressed by us, because we have some coveted knowledge or information that interests them. It makes us feel good to be the center of attention like that.

The other reason we like being in the know is that we don’t enjoy the feeling of being out of the loop. We don’t like feeling inferior or dumb because we don’t have that insider information. We fear being looked down on or teased for not knowing something that it seems everyone else but us knows. 

Either view exposes the underlying problem when it comes to having insider information or being “in the know”: it reveals how self-centered we are. It reveals how inherently we want everything to revolve around us.

It’s really essential for us to acknowledge our self-centeredness when discussing the topic of evangelism, witnessing, sharing our faith, or telling others about Jesus – whichever phrase you prefer. If we refuse to acknowledge our self-centeredness, here’s what ends up happening: we construct our own castles and comfortably hide out inside them until someone calls us out.

Why do we hide there? Because we want to avoid hearing the stinging conclusion about our self-centeredness as it pertains to evangelism: we are naturally more concerned about our own reputation than we are about others’ salvation. While we proudly display the He > I stickers for all to see on the back of our cars, but wouldn’t dare display the sticker that says My reputation > your salvation.

If it wasn’t true that we care more about our reputation than others’ salvation, then we would identify our fears or weaknesses when it comes to witnessing AND make progress in working through them. We’d face the fear of possible rejection. We’d learn more instead of “not knowing how.” We’d connect with more people if “all our friends are Christians.” These – and every other castle we could construct – could actually be overcome with effort, but that effort won’t be exerted until we come to grips with the truth that we are more concerned about our own reputation than others’ salvation.

One doesn’t need to question which was the greater concern for the apostle Paul. He was on a missionary journey sowing the seeds of the gospel to bring salvation to as many as possible. Having previously been in Thessalonica for a matter of weeks until he was forced out, he then went to Berea until he was tracked down yet again by those opposing his message, and then found himself ushered by the believers into Athens. While he was waiting to be rejoined by his travel companions, he noticed the sea of idols throughout the city and was compelled to say something. 

There were a number of ways he typically would carry out his mission work, often including going to the local synagogue and preaching. Additionally, he spent time daily discussing Jesus’ resurrection with any who would listen. Not surprisingly, in a city like Athens, known for its pastime of robust philosophical discussions, Paul was eventually invited to the Areopagus, the “Hill of Aries,” or Mars Hill.

This was the primary location for such discussions and where the political council met in ages past. Ironically, on a hill named after a mythological god in a city rife with idols to false gods, Paul seized the opportunity to proclaim the true God. Because Paul was more concerned about others’ salvation than his own reputation. 

Paul’s concern for others’ salvation is abundantly clear in his writings, too. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court” (1 Corinthians 4:2-3). In fact, Paul cared so desperately about the salvation of his fellow Jewish people that considered the possibility of giving up his own salvation for their sake, if that were somehow possible. “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel” (Romans 9:1-4a). Wow!

So how does it make you feel when you see Paul held up on a pedestal for his impassioned zeal to save hell-bound souls? Does it leave you feeling enamored and in awe of him to such a degree that you are convinced more than ever that Paul is in a league of his own? Does he inspire you to want to be more like him, to be so focused on soul-saving that you cast aside any concern for what people might think of you and give everything you can to reaching the lost? Or does mention of Paul’s mission zeal leave you rolling your eyes and tuning out because “good for Paul, but I’m not Paul” after all? Regardless of how you feel about Paul, we need to consider why Paul was so driven to put so much energy into reaching the lost.  

It wasn’t his natural public speaking ability or his knack for influencing or some specialized training he had received. No, it wasn’t any of these. What was it that made Paul such a powerful evangelist? He knew how much he was forgiven.

Paul expressed this powerfully in his first letter to Timothy: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life” (1:15-16). Paul didn’t consider himself great; he considered himself the worst! It’s because he thought so little of himself that he thought so highly of Christ! Paul knew he was exactly the type of sinner Jesus came into the world for – the type who needed forgiving.

Remember the sinful woman washing Jesus’ feet? When the self-righteous religious crowd witnessing it balked at 1) Jesus allowing a sinner to touch him and 2) someone wasting such expensive perfume for washing feet, Jesus gave a rather simple explanation. “She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal” (Luke 7:47, The Message). Her meek modeling of generosity flowed from having been personally flooded with forgiveness!

Do you know how forgiven you are? When it comes to being in awe of forgiveness, it is usually in connection with the “big” sins that we tend to think are in their own class. And indeed, such instances do showcase how amazing forgiveness is.

But you know when else we need to be reminded of how forgiven we are? When we consider the sins that hardly register a blip on our radar. The ones that come so easily to us. The ones we commit so effortlessly. The ones that we think so little of as to not even really need to acknowledge them.

We’re such experts at swiping through video shorts with expert speed and precision to filter out the ones that don’t entertain us, that we fail to turn on our faith filter and imagine if Jesus would be laughing if he was sitting with me soaking it up.

A witty rip escapes my lips and its lack of love is lost amidst all the laughs it gets.

Since violence and gore so easily ooze into nearly every show or game produced nowadays, their prevalence prevents us from reflecting on whether or not graphic depictions honor God in any way.

The offensive language in our music doesn’t count in our minds so long as we make it clear to others that we are aware it’s offensive and inappropriate… as we keep on listening to it.

See how quickly and effortlessly sin stacks up in our lives without hardly registering in our minds as such? And it’s precisely the sheer quantity of those forgiven sins alone that ought to dizzy us with the depth of forgiveness that Jesus extends to us. Paul thought he was the worst of sinners? The crowds thought the woman at Jesus’ feet was despicable? They haven’t seen anything yet! I put them to shame. You put them to shame. We’re able to sin in ways that weren’t even around yet at their times! Do you know what that means?

It means we’re forgiven in more ways, too.

Do you know how forgiven you are? We do not so easily brush aside our sins as trivial, and make so little of the precious blood your Savior spilled for us. His whole time on earth crescendoed to his crucifixion, the greatest act of injustice in the history of the world, endured for our sin – sin that demanded nothing less. Sin that we welcome and embrace so easily and openly. Sin that has been forgiven so fully and completely. And at such a dear price. 

And… that has been made known to you. Not only do we know that it happened, what Jesus did for us, but we also believe it! How many souls on this planet right now are going about their lives without knowing their sin has been forgiven? How many are indifferent to, ignorant of, ashamed of, guilt-ridden by, or self-medicating because of the sins they don’t know have already been fully and completely forgiven?

Many have never heard the name of Jesus. Others know the name but not the significance. Either way, their Savior is unknown to them.

But that same Savior is not unknown to you. He is known by you, loved by you, and gave himself for you. Can we now give ourselves to him by making him known to others? 

This Is the Way

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(John 14:1-11)

Even if you’re not a Star Wars nerd, the popularity of one of its spinoffs, The Mandalorian, has already cemented its catchphrase into pop culture: This is the way. It’s a sort of catch-all code of honor among Mandalorians that is recited as if it were a religious rite, affirming an unquestioned devotion to the Mandalorian way of things. Is the mission too difficult? Is the request at odds with some other code of ethics? Does certain behavior seem unusual to those on the outside looking in? None of that matters. “This is the way,” says all that needs to be said and puts an end to any questioning or doubting. 

While it might work for a show, such a message is about as at odds with our current culture’s outlook as any message could be. In a society that celebrates the permission of each individual to pursue whatever personalized path promises happiness at any cost, about the only thing we aren’t allowed to dictate to anyone is the sentiment that there is only one right way. It is unacceptable to express the opinion that someone else has chosen the wrong way and that “this is the [right] way.” While such a phrase is a code of honor on a television show, our society says it’s about the greatest blasphemy one can commit! Instead, we celebrate that yours is the way for you and mine is the way for me and they have their way over there and we all have our own ways because our own ways – and not those dictated and enforced on us by others – offer the most personal satisfaction and happiness.

If I may make an observation, since my whole calling involves dealing with people, both inside and outside the church: I don’t see a society in general that appears to be enjoying the happiness it was expecting in being able to choose its own way. The freedom from a sense of rigidly enforced cookie-cutter norms passed down from either parents or society and replaced by the freedom of self-expression and individualization was supposed to do the trick. But it seems as if we’re the ones who’ve been tricked. In other words, it doesn’t strike me that “your way is the way” and “my way can also be the way” has resulted in the storybook bliss that was expected.

Here’s what I see. We are irate and angry – even when getting to do what we wanted! Why? Because as it turns out, it wasn’t enough for me to get my way as long as there is still anyone else who isn’t OK with my way. Then I have to have my way AND make sure everyone else is accepting of it. THEN I’ll finally be happy.

But that wasn’t the agreement (neither is it ever achievable!). We were supposed to be happy being free to be whatever we wanted and to do whatever we wanted with no strings attached. But we aren’t. So rather than pausing to step back and evaluate or reassess whether or not choosing our own individualized paths is actually the best way, we do what comes most naturally to us all: we find someone or something else to blame for our dissatisfaction. 

The comparison game that social media fosters is to blame – that’s why we’re so unhappy. Politics are so divisive – that’s why we’re so angry. The institution of marriage is so outdated – that’s why we’re divorcing. A lack of gun control is the problem – that’s why we’re shooting up schools and malls. We’re getting bullied – that’s why we’re committing suicide.

Is there some truth to each of these – yes, absolutely! That’s what makes this all so dangerous. We hide our blaming behind the tiniest kernel of truth and call it justified. Maybe instead, we ought to consider the possibility that we’ve hitched our wagon to the wrong horse of happiness and ask if there is a better way.

Of course, I could be wrong. But the research doesn’t seem to reflect that. And by research, I mean Google. A simple Google search on happiness in America reveals hit after hit reflecting in one article or another that our happiness as a country is at a low point. So if research is showing us that Americans are the unhappiest they’ve been in 50 years, maybe it’s time to rethink the ways we’ve chosen.

Let’s filter out all of the noise and try listening to the words of Jesus. He certainly grabs our attention with the first words from John 14. “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (v.1). There is something soothing about just reading and hearing those words from Jesus. Why did he speak them?

It was the night before he was going to be crucified and it was the last meal he was sharing with his disciples. He was well aware of how difficult the next 24 hours would be for them when they would see how Jesus would be treated, tortured, and crucified.

On top of that, he had just finished telling his disciples that they would betray and deny him in the process. So we understand why their hearts would be troubled!

And Jesus knows why your hearts are troubled, too. As I mentioned, there is a kernel of truth to all of the blame we place on everything else that weighs heavily on us. But those things alone don’t bear 100% of the blame. As efficient as we are at directing blame elsewhere, we can’t hide that we share some of it. We haven’t played our part perfectly as parents, spouses, friends, employees, etc., leaving us still troubled with guilt and shame. So Jesus is speaking to you as much as he was his disciples on that night when he said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (v.1).

To back up his words, Jesus then hit the fast-forward button to reassure his disciples by reminding them of the heavenly outcome waiting for them. Knowing that his disciples then and now cannot possibly comprehend the glories of heaven with the limitations of worldly knowledge and experiences, he opted for a relatable picture of heaven that has brought hope and comfort to countless souls ever since he first spoke the words. He promised a reservation and room in the mansion of heaven, further assuring his followers that if he was leaving to make sure all was ready for them in that place, that he would most surely return to take them there. 

Then, demonstrating their confusion, the disciples wanted Jesus to be more specific, as if he could give them the address so they could punch it into their GPS and have a clear picture of where they were going. That’s when, with words that have reassured many and revolted others, Jesus reminded them that they already knew the way. He was the way. He still is the way… and the truth, and the life.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (v.6). I wonder how Jesus’ words hit our ears today. I know many Christians find them so very comforting. There are also others who find them confusing, wondering what Jesus is actually saying with those words. And surely there are some who even find them a little off-putting. I mean, doesn’t that sound a little egocentric or narcissistic to claim that you are the way/truth/life and that no one has access to God except through you?

Well… is it egocentric or narcissistic when the medical doctor prescribes only one medication, and one that is to be taken only when and as he directs? Is it egocentric or narcissistic when the successful coach gives a player a very specific set of drills to work on to improve in one area or another? Or a music teacher shows certain techniques to improve playing ability? Or… you get the point.

In so many areas of life, we simply take the word of the expert. We don’t huff and puff that they didn’t permit us to do it the way we wanted to do it. We don’t push back because they’re being too presumptuous to assume their way is the only right way. We listen, and more often than not, when we do what they say, we find success. 

Do you know why you’ll find success when taking Jesus at his Word and believing he is the way, the truth, and the life, and the One through whom we have access to God? Because he’s already succeeded for us. Here’s why his way works: he is the one who did the work. That’s why his way is so unlike every other way.

You’re probably familiar with the description of religions being like different paths that can be taken up a mountain. The point emphasized is that although they may be different paths, they all eventually will get you to the final destination: the top of the mountain, where god supposedly is. There may be different religious writings and various versions of guides and gurus to get you there, but eventually whichever religion or path you choose will get the job done.

Jesus says otherwise – and with good reason. Christianity doesn’t presume to be just one more path up the mountain to get closer to God. Instead, it reveals a radically different take: God descended down the mountain to come to us because he knew we’d never make it up to him. Jesus left heaven to be born into this world as a real person in a real place called Bethlehem. His perfect life was real. His death by crucifixion was real. His resurrection was real. 

Therefore this truth is real: your sins are fully paid for and forgiven. All of them. So is this truth: heaven is open to all who believe it. So is this truth: there is no mountain for you to climb, no penance for you to complete, no right for you to wrong. Everything has already been finished and completed for you in Christ Jesus. This is the way. Jesus is the way.

Jesus calls us to believe this, but as if anticipating that his words might be too difficult for some, he even extends the invitation to “at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves” (v.11). Jesus welcomes doubters and skeptics and calls us to look at the proof.

Surely you know someone’s life who has been radically changed by Jesus. I’m not referring to some short-term high that comes from the quick results of a fad diet. We aren’t talking about the positive impact of a motivational speaker at some weekend getaway. This is more than the magic of some enchanted romantic relationship.

I mean people whose upside-down lives have been turned right-side up. Those whose chains of bitterness and resentment have been broken. Addictions that have been overcome. Rage and anger have been eased into a gentle calm. 

It’s not the poor examples of Jesus’ followers that nullify the way of Christianity, but the good he still lavishes on this world despite the poor examples. It’s strong marriages. Good people. Selfless neighbors. Caring teachers. Compassionate communities. That we see any of these in a sin-shattered world is evidence that God paved a better way in the life, words, and works of Jesus. So if you’re looking for life, look no further this is the way. 

Dealing with Doubt

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(John 20:19-31)

Doubt is a universal struggle. We all deal with it at different times in life under different circumstances. When it comes to dealing with doubt, what have you found to be most helpful to address it?

Does it help when others provide this insightful advice: “You just have to believe.”? How about this: “Stop doubting.”? Or this one, which combines them both: “Stop doubting and believe.”? 

You might recognize that last one from John 20. Those are the words of Jesus himself.

Under the circumstances, I imagine they were pretty powerful. Thomas hadn’t been with the other disciples that first Easter Sunday when Jesus appeared to them to offer proof of his resurrection from the dead. This time, however, Thomas was present as Jesus appeared to them, providing concrete evidence to back up his words, “Stop doubting and believe.” It’s much easier to stop doubting and believe when the evidence is staring you in the face and speaking the very words to you!

But do those words carry the same weight if it’s not Jesus speaking them to you in person? They don’t, which is why telling someone who is struggling with doubt to just “stop doubting” might be about the least effective advice there is. And right up there with it is “just believe more.”

That kind of advice is not only ineffective but also a bit of an insult. It goes without saying that the person struggling with doubt knows full well that the desired outcome would be to doubt less and believe more. Yet the whole reason they’re struggling is because they can’t!

Unless we expect Jesus to show up on our doorstep and help us address our doubts in the way that he did Thomas, how do we manage them? How do we overcome them? How do we eliminate them? 

Let’s start with an essential first step: realizing that you won’t ever eliminate them. That just won’t happen. We often beat ourselves up because we think we can completely eliminate our doubts.

But no human being, no matter how strong a believer she is, no matter how self-confident he is, will ever get to the point of completely eliminating doubts from life. Once we realize that is not the goal, because it is not achievable, then we can actually make some progress. And the best verse in this whole section to help us address doubt is found at the very end in verse thirty-one. 

Before we get to that though, let’s recap the details of this account, singling out the highlights. Think of how busy Easter Sunday morning is as you consider everything that goes on at church that morning. But no matter how much effort is put into the worship and music and brunch and egg hunt and clean up, it’s nothing compared to how busy Jesus was on that first Easter Sunday.

He had one Resurrection gig after another scheduled throughout the day, appearing here, there, and everywhere, finally presenting himself to the distressed disciples who were fearfully hunkered down behind locked doors. As they were still trying to piece together the various stories and appearances and the implications of it all, Jesus himself appeared in their presence.

But Jesus was there to provide more than just his presence; he provided them with peace. And with that peace he sent them out, equipping them with the gift of the Holy Spirit to pass along that peace to others through what we call the Use of the Keys, that calling every Christian has in Jesus’ name to forgive the sins of the repentant or to withhold forgiveness from the impenitent.

“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven’” (v.21-23). 

There was a lot going on there! Jesus’ presence. The promise of Jesus’ peace. The tall order of being sent by Jesus. Receiving the Holy Spirit. Forgiving sins. It wasn’t just a lot to do… it was a lot to doubt.

Doubting has come naturally to mankind ever since Satan first introduced it in the Garden with his “Did God really say?” So when Jesus showed up and then basically laid out his marching orders for believers to carry out until he returns on the last day, there was more than enough to doubt. Especially for a group that had deserted and denied Jesus in his moment of greatest need!

“Are we really at peace, after our shameful behavior?” Are you seriously sending this group?” “Do we really have the Holy Spirit – where is the proof?” “You’re counting on us to be able to forgive others’ sins when we’re guilty of more sins ourselves than we could ever count?”

There was so much room for doubt! And to make matters worse for Thomas, he wasn’t even there! In hindsight, we shouldn’t be so shocked that he ever doubted; it would have been more shocking if he had believed all of it without any doubt whatsoever! 

But Jesus is patient. And not just with those we might reasonably expect him to be patient (those we might think of as having earned it because they are pretty strong, spiritually speaking). No, Jesus is patient with everyone who doubts. Even the Thomases.  

Notice that Jesus didn’t come to take Thomas to task (just as he didn’t scold Mary at the tomb on Easter). He didn’t show up a week later to embarrass Thomas, but to encourage him; to strengthen him.

Too often we view Jesus as the drill sergeant who is most interested in shaping us up. Behave! Obey! Get it right! Don’t mess up again! That wasn’t Jesus’ message to Thomas, though.

“Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (v.29).

With these words, Jesus was not only reassuring Thomas, but also sharing a powerful truth that all of the disciples would need to hear and bear in mind as they began to carry out the mission he was sending them on. They were dealing with spiritual matters, with matters of faith, with things unseen which are the Holy Spirit’s work.

Jesus was telling them the Word he was sending them with was powerful enough to create faith and belief even in those who would never lay physical eyes on the resurrected Jesus. So Jesus wasn’t just showing patience with Thomas, but really all of the disciples. 

That same Jesus is every bit as patient with you. Your doubt doesn’t disqualify you from Christ’s Kingdom. In fact, since there is nothing that can qualify you for Christ’s Kingdom, then it stands to reason that nothing can disqualify you. Jesus doesn’t welcome us into his kingdom based on some scale of how weighty our faith is or rule us out of his kingdom based on the degree of doubt we drum up.

He welcomes us into his kingdom despite our doubts. He welcomes us to dispel our doubts as he strengthens our faith. He welcomes us by his grace, through his Spirit, on account of his work. His. His. His. And that is why his kingdom is yours. 

With full confidence in his grace, so clearly displayed on Good Friday’s cross and evidenced again via the vacant tomb on Easter Sunday, our place in Christ’s Kingdom is secured. Through our faith in his saving work, it is ours. And as those who belong, we long to believe with a faith that grows even firmer, a faith that is so strongly rooted in the soil of Christ’s saving work that it leaves less room for weeds of doubt to pop up. For those craving that kind of conviction and confidence of faith, let’s finally dig into verse 31.

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (v.31). In addition to the resurrection account covered in the verses from John 20, John’s Gospel had previously spent 19 chapters recording many of the words and works of Jesus that aren’t covered in the other Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (referred to as the synoptic Gospels, as they cover many of the same accounts). Now, as he concludes his Gospel, he explains his intent behind all of it: so that you may believe and have life. Believe and live. 

If we are serious about wanting to manage our doubts and overcome them as they arise, then here it is again. Exactly what Jesus directed Thomas to do: stop doubting and believe.

What is different this time around? Remember, we don’t have Jesus himself speaking the words to us right in front of us as Thomas did. But we have something that Jesus guarantees is every bit as powerful: His Word, the Bible – powerful because his Word is nothing more than his words recorded for us. 

See how John wrote it? “These are written that you may believe… and that by believing you may have life in his name” (v.31). Written. Believe. Written. Believe. See any connection there? It’s all right in the Bible. Literally. There isn’t some secret passage to uncover that will serve as a silver bullet.

If that’s been your approach to Scripture, then you’ve been misled or doing it wrong. The Bible isn’t a textbook for finding the answer to pass the test. It is life. It is faith-fortifying. It is doubt-destroying. It is belief-building. 

But not merely by being written. It has to be read. By God’s grace, you’re familiar enough with it for faith in Jesus to have been formed. But God doesn’t shift gears and point us to some other method for growing our faith that is different from how he brought us to faith. It’s the same thing.

The written Word. When read. When studied. When pondered. When personalized. When lived and breathed. When loved. When we become more and more wrapped up in this written Word, the Holy Spirit sees to it that faith flourishes.

And where faith is flourishing, Satan isn’t as inclined to sow his seeds of doubt, for he knows they are less likely to take root. Instead, he will reinforce the doubts of those already clouded in unbelief and focus his attention on believers who are too busy for the Word and preoccupied with the world. And who can blame him?!? His rate of success is much higher where faith is fizzling, and faith is fizzling where the written Word is not read. 

So will this Easter turn out the same as previous ones? Same service, give or take? Same nice brunch? Same nice meal with the family? Same baskets and eggs and candy? Same doubts?

Or will it be different? Will you read the Word that has been written so that, like Thomas, you may stop doubting and believe? 

Hope Restored

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(Luke 24:13-35)

When is the last time you were disappointed that something didn’t turn out the way you had hoped? Was it something you initiated or coordinated, an event or small get-together that took a good amount of planning and purchasing to pull off, but for one reason or another, it fell short? Was it something that didn’t involve you at all in terms of planning, but was something you were looking forward to attending or participating in and it just missed the mark?

We can also experience a sense of hopelessness in other areas of life. How do you know when you’ve lost hope, when your situation seems hopeless? A recent devotion pointed to the word “never” as an indicator. When “never” makes its way into our thinking and speaking in one area of life or another, that’s when we’ve lost hope. “I’m never going to … get a job / get better / get married / get out of debt / change / etc.” When we use the word never, it’s an expression of a loss of hope in being able to see how things will change for the better. 

How we got to that point of losing hope (two reasons will be explored in this post) matters less than what we do once we’re there. Where do we go from that point? How is hope restored? Let Jesus shows us as he restores hope to two hopeless disciples on the first Easter. 

Jesus joined the two disciples as they were heading toward a village outside of Jerusalem called Emmaus. Though Jesus kept them from initially recognizing him, he wasn’t kept from recognizing something about them: they had lost hope. They were discussing all the things that had just happened in Jerusalem, and when Jesus asked for more clarification, “They stood still, their faces downcast.” (v.17). They were visibly dejected and downhearted!

They explained why. “Jesus of Nazareth… was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (v.19-21). While they didn’t use the word “never,” they might as well have! The natural conclusion they had drawn was that Jesus could never redeem them now. They had hoped he was going to be the one to redeem Israel, but since he had been sentenced to death and crucified, that was obviously never going to happen. That was their thinking. They had lost hope. They were at a dead end. They couldn’t see how a dead Jesus could redeem Israel. 

Somewhat ironic, isn’t it, given that it was by his death that he did just that – redeemed Israel, and all people? “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’” (Galatians 3:13). The same event they presumed had kept Jesus from being able to redeem was the very act by which he carried out redemption. Jesus’ death was the payment he offered up to buy back – to redeem – souls otherwise condemned to hell because of sin.

The source of their hopelessness then – Jesus’ death – should in fact have been their source of hope! “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Nevertheless, rather than being filled with hope, their hearts were emptied of it.

The thinking of the Emmaus disciples illustrates two of the reasons we often lose hope. The first happens when we start with the wrong expectation on our end. Why were the disciples so disappointed? Why so let down? Why so hopeless? Because they started with a faulty expectation! Their expectation for redemption and God’s promise of deliverance was too narrow-focused and worldly.

Jewish history emphasized and celebrated how God had delivered – redeemed – his people from the earthly oppression of a worldly leader when God delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh’s slavery in Egypt. The remembrance of that event was so woven into their culture that their expectation came to be a similar deliverance from earthly oppression. They anticipated Jesus would be the modern-day Moses who would deliver them from Roman rule. Of course the Emmaus disciples would be hopelessly disappointed if that was the expectation they had of why Jesus had come! They started with the wrong expectation.

Isn’t that often the cause of our own hopelessness? We start off with the wrong expectation. For example, when we begin with the expectation that God’s greatest concern in our lives is our happiness, then we are disappointed when God allows something on our plate that doesn’t make us happy at all. Or, we end up sidestepping Scripture in pursuit of personal happiness. But your happiness isn’t God’s greatest concern in this life; your holiness is, which is why he sent Jesus to secure it.

Another wrong expectation that we can hold is the expectation that God grants believers special dispensation from suffering or hardship in life. As believers, we expect that God must give us a pass on such things. When life unravels then, we feel hopelessly let down by God. But it was our faulty expectation that was the cause. 

The second reason we often lose hope? We give up because of too low an expectation on God’s end. The two disciples made a point of explaining two things: 1) it had been three days since Jesus had died, and 2) multiple visitors had confirmed that there was no body in the tomb.

To us in the present day, who have the full benefit of all of the revelation of Scripture, three days and no body are simply more proof of the Resurrection. But to the disciples, as we can sense from the tone of their words, these realities didn’t make them more optimistic, but instead deflated them even more. We can interpret their reference to three days as an expectation that surely if God was going to do something, it would have happened within that timeframe, but as each day passed, it only became more hopeless.

And no body in the tomb? Well, without anyone actually laying eyes on Jesus, there was still no reason (outside of Scripture and a fully-grasping faith along with it!) to equate an empty tomb with a risen and alive Jesus. Instead of providing more clarity, it just added to the confusion and hopelessness. The disciples were ready to give up because of too low an expectation on God’s end. 

Again, we can relate. While there’s a good reason your financial advisor will remind you that past performance of an investment is no guarantee of future results, we do not need the same caution when it comes to God’s promises. In other words, we don’t have any reason to conclude that simply because God chose not to act in one way in the past, he will do the same in the future.

“The last time a loved one battled cancer, I prayed persistently that God would heal them. Since he didn’t, why should I pray for the same thing this time around?” “We have a record of all of God’s divine interventions in the Bible, but since he doesn’t seem to intervene that way in the lives of believers today, why bother expecting that he will?” Even though our faith may acknowledge that God can do this or that, our faith doesn’t take the next step in bold confidence that God will do this or that. So we give up because of too low an expectation on God’s end.  

Now what does God do for those without hope? Whether hopelessness stems from starting with the wrong expectation on our end or because we give up due to too low an expectation on God’s end, God has the same solution. He does for us exactly what he did to the hopeless disciples heading to Emmaus: he comes right alongside us in the midst of our hopelessness.

He does not wait for us to generate some internal hope first, to work in ourselves some semblance of optimism or positive thinking. No, he walks right up alongside us in the midst of our hopelessness to restore our hope.

Here’s what I love about Jesus’ encounter with the disciples. When all was said and done, as they reflected on the direct divine intervention they had with Jesus, what was it that stood out most? “They said to each other, ‘Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?’” (v. 32). Their hearts were burning not just at being in Jesus’ presence, but in his “explaining the Scriptures” to them! That’s what fired them up! That was what churned a passion inside of them! It was a deeper understanding of the Word, as explained to them personally by the Word himself, Jesus!

The disciples eventually realized they were walking along the road with and in the presence of the risen Jesus! Jesus himself walked and talked with them, and they even ate a meal together with him, but what stood out most about their time with him was how much clearer he made the Bible for them! 

You know where I’m going with this, don’t you? We have the exact same Scriptures – and even more Scriptures than they had – accessible to us in more ways than anyone could ever have imagined it. Yet, when is the last time you’d describe your use of any of these opportunities to be in the Word as your heart burning within you? Has it been a while? Has it been… ever? What’s the deal? What’s wrong with us? What are we missing? Why are we consistently convincing ourselves that something else is a more valuable use of our time than being in the Word so that he can restore our hope through it?

After all, didn’t it seem like the Emmaus disciples’ hope was restored after Jesus opened the Scriptures to them? Luke tells us they got up and returned “at once” (v.33) to tell the others about their experience. They didn’t call it a night and decide to tell them in the morning. They couldn’t wait! Why? Their hope was restored.

Why shouldn’t you think God will do the same for you through his Word? The Bible is where the whole foundation of hope is laid out for us, one that is based on the assurance that our sins have been paid for and forgiven. We give Jesus every reason to address us as he did the Emmaus disciples: “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! (v.25).

But instead, he calls us heirs, children, chosen, treasured, beloved, saints, etc.! In the Bible, he lays out promise after promise that is about far more than just the heaven stuff waiting for us one day, but for the hopeless stuff we face on a daily basis in the meantime. When the world rips away our hope, the Word restores it. Jesus’ resurrection restores it. Hope isn’t dead because Jesus isn’t! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Our hope in Jesus is very much alive because Jesus is very much alive!

The Conquering King Lives! (Easter)

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(John 20:1-18)

It should not have come to this. From a human perspective, Jesus did nothing wrong. He deserved none of what he received last week. Knowing his enemies were plotting his demise, he should have at least been able to trust and count on his own disciples.

Yet it was one of his own disciples that set in motion the tragic events that unfolded on Thursday and Friday of the week he died! Well, at least he might be able to depend on his most assertive disciple to rally a small group to attempt a small-scale rescue… but instead even that disciple denied him.

Then, when standing trial before the religious leaders, someone ought to have stood up and pointed out the obvious corruption and unfairness with which Jesus was being treated. More than anyone else, they were supposed to be the moral compass of society. And then Pilate – of all people the one with the most power to put an end to the injustice being carried out, which he himself attested to – caved and catered to the crowds to crucify Jesus! None of it should have happened.

What is on your plate in life right now that should not have happened the way it did? I can imagine there are all sorts of responses to that question swimming around in your heads right now…

Whatever it is, why do you suppose it played out that way? What caused it? In some cases we are on the receiving end of tragedy or trauma that is completely outside of our control. Sometimes that can be completely accidental; other times completely intentional. Evil or wickedness took place and it was carried out against us. A natural disaster. A negligent driver. A malicious criminal. Such things are outside of our control, but can directly impact us, leaving us reeling unexpectedly from something that should never have happened to us.

Other times things happened that should not have… because of a role that we played. Perhaps a direct result of our own actions – or lack of action. Suddenly the spouse I saw myself spending the rest of my life with has become public enemy number one. And, as much as I might try to plead innocence – to myself even if no one else will listen! – I can’t deny that I played a part.

I feel like I’m merely the victim on the wrong side of office politics, but it’s clear to others how tangled up in all of it I actually was, even if I don’t see it myself.

I wonder why my kids’ lives are turning out to be such a mess, and I’m faced with the realization that their childhoods were too often littered with my leftovers and the lost “laters” of my misplaced priorities.

So here we are, dealing with whatever is on our plate that wasn’t supposed to happen the way that it did. 

Come with me to a place where a number of events also took place that never should have happened. You know what else should not have happened the way it did? Any of what is recorded for us in the opening verses of John 20. That shouldn’t have happened, either.

Not just because Jesus shouldn’t have died in the first place, but Jesus’ tomb should have had zero visitors that first Sunday morning. There shouldn’t have been any women showing up with spices expecting to carry on Jewish burial rites. There need not have been any sprinting back and forth between the tomb and disciples expressing shock and confusion over a missing body.

None of that should have happened either, between the Old Testament’s teachings about the Messiah’s reign never ending and Job’s confession that his Redeemer lived, and Jesus’ own words that promised he would rise again. None of it should have happened – from Jesus’ suffering and death to the initial disciples’ dismay over his empty tomb!

Look at Mary. Mary could relate to the devastation of things that shouldn’t have happened the way they did. She just wanted her Jesus, but was distraught over not even being able to honor her Lord properly in his burial because she was convinced someone else had done something with the body.

But at her lowest low, Jesus appeared to her, and he didn’t do so to shame her. He didn’t show up to take her to task for not knowing that he was going to rise from the dead. He didn’t angrily scold her with a questioning rebuke, “What on earth are you doing here at the tomb? Why didn’t any of you listen when I told you I wouldn’t stay dead but would rise again in three days? How could you be so dumb?”

None of that from gentle Jesus. Instead, Jesus tenderly revealed himself to her as much more than the gardener; as her Savior God who had come back to life. He softly spoke her name and God’s divine hand removed whatever veil it was keeping Jesus’ identity a mystery and she suddenly saw him – not just with her eyes but with a heart exploding in faith that had just what was needed at that time: her risen Savior.

Alive. With her. Caring for her. Of all the people on the earth to show himself to, at that moment so soon after his Resurrection, he came to Mary. And despite everything that shouldn’t have happened, everything was suddenly right. 

Jesus lives to give you the same confident hope. Hear the blessings attached to faith in the risen Jesus: “righteousness” (Ro. 4:23), “new life” (Ro. 6:4), “bear[ing] fruit for God” (Ro. 7:4), “be saved” (Ro. 10:9), “he will raise us also” (1 Co. 6:14). Jesus holds out these blessings to you and to all who believe he has left death in his dust, destroying its stranglehold on us. 

Do you get why Mary was so elated to see her risen Jesus? Though she didn’t have these Scriptures we do to spell out these realities of the Resurrection, she knew them by faith. She knew that death had not permanently claimed her Christ, so neither could it – or Satan – permanently claim her either. Her risen Jesus meant that whatever shouldn’t have happened or should have happened no longer mattered. All that mattered was the present reality of a very much alive Jesus.

“Should have” and “shouldn’t have” too often cloud our lives. We let past regret cause present regression. We thought we were over it. We thought we had moved past it. But then Satan, never one to see the need for being innovative or cutting edge when it comes to nagging God’s people, resorts to the tried and true. He whispers in our ears ever-so-softly, “Remember how you mishandled that in a way you shouldn’t have? I bet things wouldn’t be the way they are right now if you would have handled that differently.” And seemingly out of nowhere, this thing that perhaps hadn’t bothered us for years suddenly sidetracks us and whatever positive path of trajectory we were on has been hijacked and we start to backslide. 

When those moments hit you, notice something about the account from John 20. Look where Mary and the others did not go to. They didn’t return go to the cross. Why not? Duh, you say, because Jesus had already been crucified on Friday. He was no longer on the cross anymore. That’s why they went to the tomb.

Exactly. Jesus was no longer on the cross. He had already been crucified. That means your sin has already been paid for. That means every should have and shouldn’t have has already been paid for. On Easter Sunday, they didn’t find Jesus still at Calvary on the cross continuing to pay for their sins. He had already completed that sacrificial work, emphasizing it with finality through his “It is finished,” spoken from the cross. There was no more need to return to the cross. Just as there is no more need to revisit every should have and shouldn’t have from your past. They’ve already been paid for. 

But it gets better. Not only was Jesus not on the cross still suffering for sin; he wasn’t in the tomb, either! John’s narrative of what happened on that first morning seems to gradually crescendo our confidence bit by bit. Mary arrives to see the stone rolled away, but there is not any initial further inspection. 

What exactly did the empty tomb mean? He lived and lives, yes, but don’t let it be lost on you what that means! It means that his payment for your sin and mine was accepted by the Father! It meant there was no need for do-overs or for you to somehow complete what Jesus started on Good Friday with your own piled-on penance or some other satisfaction that you imagine God still needing. As it turns out, Jesus’ payment was sufficient – he wasn’t on the cross or in the tomb! And having assured her of his resurrection by personally appearing to her, he then sent her to spread the word. And she did just that.

Let’s do the same. Our Conquering King Lives! It shouldn’t have come to this, but your eternity is secure because it did. 

The Conquering King Dies (Good Friday)

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(John 19:17-30)

The Conquering King Arrived on the scene as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday of this Holy Week. The Conquering King Dined with his disciples on Thursday of Holy Week, the night he was betrayed, raising the bar on the Passover Meal by adding his very body and blood to the menu of Holy Communion for the forgiveness of sins. On the Holy Day we call Good Friday, the ultimate sacrifice was made to pay the necessary price for our sin as our Conquering King Dies.

It’s not like the movies. On the rare occasions when the hero dies, at least he does so in some glorious fashion to ensure a victory for the good guys. But as you read the verses of John’s accounting of our Savior’s death, there was nothing glorious about it, at least humanly speaking. There was nothing glorious about being crucified!

Note how many times the word “crucified” is mentioned by John in these verses. Lest anyone miss it, make no mistake, this was a death sentence being carried out. The cross served no other purpose. Crucifixion was no mere slap on the wrist to discourage future bad behavior. This was a death sentence. The Conquering King came to die and to leave no doubts whatsoever about his death by crucifixion, which was not only one of the most excruciating ways ever devised for a person to die but also one of the most humiliating and shameful. 

Nevertheless, as God’s divine wrath was being carried out against sin through this death, God’s divine hand was also weaving his will throughout the events of that day.

God used the same Pilate who had pandered to the crowds allowing Jesus’ crucifixion to finally dig in his heels and insist that the divine description of Jesus as King remain affixed to the cross. How little did he know how accurate it was!

God used the selfish soldiers to fulfill the Scriptures by caring more about Christ’s clothes than about his crucifixion. Then, after selflessly making sure to provide for his mother’s life while his own life slipped away, Jesus made sure every prophecy was carried out in full with his expression of thirst.

Finally, John records the gut-wrenching final details for us: “Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (v.30). 

Did you catch the subtle nuance that details the difference between victory and defeat for our Conquering King? John rightly described that Jesus’ life was not taken from him; rather, he gave up his spirit.

Yes, Jesus died, but not because the soldiers or even Satan himself had succeeded in killing him! Jesus’ death came because he gave up his life. Our Conquering King died willingly only when he was ready to die and only because he was willing to die. 

But let us also consider why Jesus was willing to die. On the one hand, it is the simplest explanation – so simple in fact that even a child can answer the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” “To pay for our sins,” they would answer.

And they would be right! It is unmistakably clear in Scripture that Jesus has to die to pay for our sins. Time and again, dating all the way back to the very first sin, through scores of slaughtered sheep, spelled out in the sacred psalms, and spoken by the Savior himself, sin required payment. Your sin. My sin. Every sin. And on Good Friday, Jesus died to make that payment. So yes, he died for our sins. 

But do we fully grasp the magnitude of that payment for our sins? Do we realize not just the eternal implications of that payment, but also the current implications, the “today” implications? Yes, Jesus died for our sins and this changes everything. But this changes everything right here and now in our lives.

Jesus dying to pay for my sins is just the beginning. Good Friday was just one day, but what happened on it changed my every day. Every. Single. Day. Here are the two things that have changed for us every day: 1) He died for us so that we live for him and 2) He died for us so that we live with him. 

He died for us so that we live for him. This is one way the Bible describes the impact of Jesus’ death on Good Friday: “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). I hope I didn’t ruin things there with a spoiler alert of what we celebrate three days after Good Friday on Easter Sunday, but yes, Jesus didn’t stay dead. That means we don’t need to stay dead either, living empty lives void of any meaning or purpose! We are spiritually alive, and that means we live not for self, but for the Savior.

Are you still living your life as if the pursuit of self-interest is really what it’s all about? Do you still imagine that living for self is the most fulfilling path you’ll ever find in this life? Do relationships and people merely serve to advance your own agenda so that if others do not provide any advantage to you, you have no interest in them? Is your career nothing more than the best thing going for you to make a name and reputation for yourself to win the attention of others? Do you get impatient when others try to infringe on the 24 hours of each day as if they belong to you alone and no one else? Are you still believing the lie that if you just remain dialed in enough on this path of self-interest, eventually there is a point up ahead where you’ll finally get what you were after?

Then, friend, you’re missing out on why the Conquering King died for you. He died to free you from that meaningless pursuit of self-interest so that you could serve a much deeper purpose: his. To live for him is to see how he has turned your life inside out. To live for him is to see relationships and people as opportunities to make a difference that matters, as people to love and help and serve and impact in ways that both benefit them and light a fire in you when you see the difference it makes. Your career is just another opportunity to do that very thing full-time, as you give your best for your boss and your company and your co-workers, not because of what’s in it for you, but because it’s just another way to live for Him. The hours of each day represent the time God has gifted to you to meet the needs of others for the greater good of your family, your community, and the world by not simply consuming like so many in the world do, but by contributing. By making a difference. By living for the One who died for you.

You are free to live for him because your eternity is backed by his promise that you will also live with him. See another way the Bible describes the impact of Jesus’ death on Good Friday: “He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him” (1 Thes. 5:10). Which part of that strikes you more? The promise is all-encompassing, isn’t it? Yet we tend to see its application as only having bearing once we fall asleep – once we die as believers. But there’s more to it than that! Right now, because he died, we live with him. Right now he is with us. Right now we live with him – not just when we die. 

Do you know what it’s like to be in his presence? I mean really? When you think of being in God’s presence, is church the only thing that comes to mind? Is a building the only place, the only space that you imagine being in God’s presence? Paul didn’t write that Jesus died for us so that when we are “in church” we may live together with him, but no matter where we live and breathe. Yes, surely God is present in church, where Word and Sacrament are dispensed, but not only there. Far from it!

We live together with him as our hearts beat in rhythm with his steady promises of peace in him. We live together with him as his Spirit prompts our prayers of thanks and gratitude whenever we pause and stand in awe of how good he is to us. We live together with him when we rise up every morning and yearn for his presence as we start off the day listening to him speak to us through his Word. We live together with him when we connect the dots throughout the day between his powerful Word and the myriad applications of it in our own lives and the lives of others. We live together with him, not surprisingly, when we also live for him. 

So yes, your Conquering King died for you, but do not miss the implications of his death on your life. He died so that you might really live. He died so that forgiven means no longer forsaken. Forgiven means the freedom to live. Today. Tomorrow. For the rest of this month, this year, your life, to the full. Your Conquering King Died so that you can live for him and with him now and forever.

The Conquering King Dines (Holy Thursday)

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(1 Corinthians 11:23-28)

We rightfully make a big deal of “last” meals. When close friends move away, we cherish the opportunity to enjoy one last nice meal together until we meet again. Before we send the kid off to college, the last meal together is a special one.

Perhaps it isn’t so unordinary that we should find our Conquering King dining the night before his death. After all, even those sentenced to death today are generally offered a last meal request before they die. 

But this was no ordinary meal. This was yet one more opportunity for Jesus to play the host – always the one to serve others rather than be served. On Holy Thursday (also known as Maundy Thursday), we remember with gratitude our Savior’s final meal and how through it he still feeds us today. When our Conquering King Dines with his own, he provides the menu and the means to feed us exactly what we need.

We can be quite certain of the menu spread out on the table that evening, since we know the meal they were celebrating. It was the Passover. Ever since the time the Lord had delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, he had established a special meal that was intended to serve two purposes.

One, it would serve as a vivid memory of the first Passover, during which the angel of the Lord passed over every Israelite home with lamb’s blood brushed around its doorposts, sparing the firstborn child.

Two, it would serve to foreshadow the blood of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world, the promised Messiah, Jesus. The meal itself involved certain food and drink that held special symbolic meaning, as well as an established pattern of prayer and dialogue. Two of the items at that meal, which we are more familiar with than the others because of their present-day association with our Holy Communion, were unleavened bread (which simply means it didn’t have yeast in it) and wine.

But on that night Jesus forever improved the menu. Why? The primary reason was that the meaning and significance of the Passover itself was being amplified and fulfilled. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was itself a foreshadowing of the greater deliverance the Messiah came to bring: deliverance from hell.

How would Jesus secure this deliverance? Not by brushing lamb’s blood on any doorpost, but by shedding his own blood on the cross – blood that sufficiently paid the price for all sin. It is that very blood of Jesus he offers us in this special meal. And more than that – Jesus also offers his very body.

Why should it matter what one believes about this meal? For starters, Paul thought it was important enough to pass along to believers, given that he had received this instruction from the Lord himself. Paul, therefore, is not simply sharing his preferences or opinions on the matter, but the very guidance of God.

And let’s be clear on his method of instruction, which is the same manner by which Jesus first instructed his disciples. Neither Paul nor Jesus used fable nor parable nor illustration to teach and instruct, but rather plain, straightforward language, to be as clear as possible and to limit anyone missing the point. 

Paul, as Jesus was, is specific. First, he leaves no question as to when Jesus instituted this meal – “on the night he was betrayed” (v.23), which we know is the Thursday of Holy Week when the traitor Judas betrayed our Conquering King with a kiss. We also know also that Jesus instituted this meal as they were celebrating the Passover.

And Paul speaks of four substances being present for this special meal: bread, wine, body, and blood. No other substances are included in his instruction, neither are any of these four excluded in the Gospels and Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, which are the only sections of Scripture in which this instruction takes place. So there is a precision and unmistakable clarity with which Paul writes. In this sacrament, bread and wine are given and received, as are body and blood.

How can that be, we ask? Indeed, many are so quick to let their reason save the day and change the words of Jesus and Paul so that there is no body or blood present, but merely the bread and wine symbolizing Jesus’ body and blood.

But nowhere did Jesus say that. Nowhere did Paul say that. Friends, if we begin to allow reason to serve as the filter by which we vet the Scriptures, then how much else must we discard? All of Jesus’ miracles? The Lord God’s spectacular showings of strength against the world’s almighty armies and even nature itself?

If reason is required to make sense of this Sacrament, then the door has creaked open to sift all of the supernatural in Scripture. But if we can permit God to remain God and allow our reason to be subject to his very words, then we don’t need to make Jesus or Paul out to be liars. Then, we can actually receive the very things offered, the body and blood of Jesus, in, with, and under the bread and wine.

And when we have that on the menu, Jesus declares that we also have what he attached to it in Matthew 26: the forgiveness of sins. Talk about the greatest menu change in the history of any meal ever eaten! Sure, there was obviously deep spiritual significance attached to the Passover meal, otherwise the Lord would not have directed his people to celebrate it every year for generations. It was a meal of remembrance that helped to ensure God’s people would never forget that he is in the business of delivering. 

But now this meal, the one Jesus instituted, would offer so much more! Weary and worn-out sinners come to this meal and their souls receive rest and refreshment. Contrite consciences receive the very stuff the Savior sacrificed – his body and blood – so that nothing is lost in translation and no lingering doubts can keep those consciences from being cleansed. The penitent receive pardon and peace. The guilty are guaranteed forgiveness. 

The menu at this meal is the means by which a gracious and compassionate God wants to restore and sanctify his people. And he does. So it does not surprise me anymore to see tears shed by the homebound who are unable to gather for worship when they receive this meal. They know full well their Savior comes to them personally with his good gifts of grace and mercy, feeding their souls and freeing their consciences. 

So we return to the table again and again where our Conquering King Dines with us as often as we join him, giving us himself. And as we receive him, we remember his deliverance and we proclaim his death. Because Jesus’ Last Will and Testament in this Supper is also our will and testament as we remember and proclaim, we take seriously Paul’s directive to examine ourselves. We acknowledge and confess our sins and our need for the forgiveness Jesus feeds us. We trust that we have in this Supper exactly what Jesus offers and promises: bread and wine, body and blood, given for the forgiveness of sins. 

Then, in that newness of life, we are drawn into an even deeper relationship with our Savior, our Conquering King. He not only arrived at Jerusalem to offer the ultimate sacrifice – himself – on the cross, but he also dines with us in this Sacred Meal to confer on us the blessed food of forgiveness.