Author: adb

Victorious Over Suffering

adbLeave a comment

(Revelation 1:9-18)

What’s the most painful experience of suffering you’ve ever had? Was it physical or was it an emotionally draining experience? Some of us have sustained multiple significant injuries as a result of a devastating accident, possibly resulting in chronic pain. Severe sickness – or the treatment of it – can lead to pretty serious suffering, too. Maybe the worst bout of suffering came because of financial loss or a relational hardship. It’s a sobering reminder of the reality of this fallen world we call home that we could go on for quite some time sharing stories of personal suffering that we’ve experienced or even are currently in the midst of experiencing.

Then there is the kind of suffering we want to give our attention to in this post: spiritual suffering. What’s been the most painful experience of suffering you’ve had because of who you are in Jesus? I probably tend to diminish this area of suffering because it seems so unfair for us to complain of spiritual suffering when there are Christians in parts of the world who live in daily fear of physical injury or even death because of their faith. They worship Jesus where laws forbid it, resulting in their living under a cloud of constant suffering. 

But we, too, experience spiritual suffering because of Jesus. Relationships have ended or become extremely strained because of how others view our faith or have fallen from it themselves. Hostility or ridicule in the workplace, whether on a small or a large scale, is not uncommon for some of us. Some experience the suffering of spiritual isolation because they are not near any Christian congregations faithful enough to God’s Word with whom they can gather.

We suffer from the frustration of being a part of an increasingly godless society, seeing sin not just tolerated, but celebrated, and it weighs heavily on our hearts. And of course, we will endure seasons of self-inflicted spiritual suffering while we grapple with certain sins that may even threaten to sever our relationship with Jesus. Those times of real testing and struggle pummel us with guilt, even causing us to tiptoe dangerously close to Judas if we despair of our forgiveness and salvation. Yes, we experience very real spiritual suffering on a variety of levels.   

So as John reveals his visions in the book we call Revelation, right away we see that the one writing these words is relatable. He isn’t addressing us as the book-smart expert with no actual experience, but one who has been – and is, even as he writes – in the midst of spiritual suffering. “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 1:9). 

He identifies himself as our “brother” and “companion” – and on what basis? On the basis of suffering as a Christian. He wrote these words while in exile, banished to isolation on an island, not because of insurrection, murder, or genocide, but because he was a Christian. It was “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”

John lived during the time of guys like Saul – not the first failed Old Testament king, but Saul the persecutor and public enemy number one of Christians before he was converted to that very same Christian faith and became the apostle Paul. There was persecution against Christians on multiple fronts, from both non-Christian religious zealots and the Roman government. John was experiencing real suffering and was writing to Christians in real congregations to uplift them with real hope in the face of real suffering. This hope springs from the Resurrection and the confidence it gives us that Jesus’ victory ensures that we, too, are victorious over suffering. 

What is John’s solution to suffering? “Look at the view!” My family just returned from Yosemite. As we made our way through all the twists and turns and started to come into the Yosemite valley, we suddenly noticed some pretty impressive waterfalls to our left and pulled over to check them out. We all escaped the van to get a closer look. After some “ooohhhing” and “aaahhhing,” eventually someone in our family redirected our view to the road right in front of us and our jaws dropped as we saw the first glimpse of a truly breathtaking view: Half Dome! We had been so singularly focused on a waterfall that we missed the bigger picture – the whole view that included the majestic Half Dome!

This picture of Jesus here in verses 12-15, as well as other portions of Revelation, can grab our attention with their vivid and detailed imagery. We can easily get caught up focusing on one specific descriptive element or another, like a smaller picturesque waterfall, and end up missing out on a far more spectacular view as we fail to see the big picture

Notice who we’re seeing in these verses! This is not the Good Friday Savior who in perfect humility allowed himself to be the ultimate picture of weakness and suffering. There is no groaning, no supposed helplessness; there are no cries of mockery or jeering nearby!

No, this is a picture of the Easter Sunday Jesus, the victorious Jesus, the One who overcame our every enemy and now stands as an imposing picture of power and authority. While the many details of this image of Jesus carry with them a symbolism and figurative meaning (most of which are rather easily discovered by using the rest of the Scriptures), don’t miss the big picture; look at the view! See our victorious Savior in his resurrected and returning glory. He won! We win!

We can miss that important faith builder and confidence booster if we focus painstakingly on the details. It can be like coming across a gigantic work of art in a gallery and being so caught up in the masterful detail and skill in just one small portion of the work of art that we forget to step back and take in the whole picture. See the whole picture John is sharing with us in his vision here. Look at the view! See our victorious Savior!

It certainly left an impact on John. He shared, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (v.17a). Remember this is a vision John is having. He is not yet in heaven, where there will be no fear. He is caught up in a vision from God that depicts in very colorful imagery the victory we have in Jesus Christ. We can hardly imagine our response being any different if viewing this in a vision ourselves!

Then notice something profound that solidifies for us that victory over Satan and our sin is certain. “Then he placed his right hand on me…” (v.17b). God is personal. God cares not just about the world, but about you. The power of personal touch in the face of dread fear is an expression of hope beyond hope! A simple gentle touch from Jesus calms John like no drink or pill or other earthly escape ever could. He is reassured by Jesus’ gentle touch, and even more so by the soothing words that follow.

“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last” (v.17c). It’s as if Jesus is saying, “John, you have no reason to fear, for the ‘I AM’ God stands before you, the eternal God who always has been and always will be, neither preceded nor succeeded by anyone.” If he is the First and the Last, then he shall also have the first and the last word. What he says goes. What God promises stands. What Jesus carried out is trustworthy and reliable. There is no one else who can speak with any greater authority. So listen to what he says and to how he reveals himself to John.

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (v.18). See how Jesus identifies himself! He calls himself “the Living One,” and not “I was the Living One,” but “I am the Living One.” Good Friday happened. Jesus died. But it is not his death that defines him, but rather that he overcame death, that he is now the living one. “I was dead, and now look (“Look at the view!”) I am alive for ever and ever!” Death has no more part in the storyline. His role has been played and his character killed off, never to return again. Now life rules the day, because of Jesus Christ, the Living One.

How can we be sure? Because he holds the keys! Keys mean control. Keys mean authority. Keys are the power to give or withhold, to open or close, to grant or deny access. And see what keys he holds – the keys over life and death, over heaven and hell!

Ever lose your keys and immediately experience that feeling of dread the instant you realize it? You’re overcome with anxiety over realizing they aren’t in the pocket or purse where you thought they were and immediately fear the worst? You scramble frantically to find them while every possible place they could be is still fresh on your mind. Only after doing so do you think to ask someone else. Then, just as quickly as you were filled with anxiety, you are calmed down by the assurance someone else has them. A flood of relief washes over us.

How much more so to realize the one standing victorious is the one who holds the keys – and not just any keys, but “the keys of death and Hades.” That is to say, Jesus holds the power of life and death!

Now then, with all of this in mind, let us speak again of our Christian suffering. This picture from Revelation changes the conversation just a bit, does it not? No, we will not walk away with the fairy-tale notion that our spiritual suffering will suddenly disappear, as with the waving of some magical wand. We will still suffer specifically because of our Christian faith. Jesus himself promised it.

But it is his greater promises that allow us to endure, to patiently bear up under such suffering. Not the promise that suffering in this life will go away, but the promise that the victory of the Living One outshines our suffering. We are victorious over suffering, and that makes a very real and noticeable impact when we get better at doing in our daily lives exactly what we have done throughout this post: Look at the view!

Stare at your suffering, focus on that, become consumed by it, and it will consume you. 

But when you shift your gaze away from your suffering and onto your Savior, the very one who holds the keys of death and Hades, your suffering seems so much smaller. Because it is. In the grand picture of eternity, the joy of Jesus’ victory of Satan, over sin, and yes, even over suffering, is forever. Your suffering, dear friends in Christ, is not. It is temporary. Let your focus on Jesus’ eternal victory allow you to see more clearly that he has also made you victorious over suffering.

Defeated

adbLeave a comment

(Luke 24:1-12)

While the Battle of Waterloo was being fought, the people of England were eagerly awaiting news of the outcome. England’s own Duke Wellington was a part of a coalition facing the mighty Napoleon. Finally, the news came. The result of the battle had been transmitted across the English Channel.  Though foggy, the gloomy message was received: “Wellington defeated.”  The devastating news spread rapidly across England, and its people were crushed.  

So the women and the disciples, unprepared as they were, initially understood the message that Easter morning to be, “Jesus defeated.” Just the emotional drain associated with experiencing their Savior’s crucifixion would have been heavy enough on its own. They were still reeling, grappling with the reality that only a week ago their beloved Jesus had entered Jerusalem accompanied by cheering crowds and “Hosannas.” Now there they were, expecting to care for a dead body that was the aftermath of a corrupt trial that resulted in an innocent man condemned to crucifixion. That would have been heavy enough on its own.

As if to add more unbearable weight to an already crushing burden, his body wasn’t there! They couldn’t even carry out the simple act of tender care and compassion, an act of respect and honor for the Jesus who had touched their lives in ways that no one else ever would. And instead of clearly understanding what was going on, Luke tells us the women were “wondering about this” (v.4). There was confusion. The women felt defeated. 

Is it safe to say that a good number of us can relate to that emotion in one way or another – feeling defeated? Over the course of your lifetime, has there ever been a span of time like the past couple of years where so many things have changed so much, whether we like it or not? Have you felt at times as if your own life is not yours to control? Has it felt like one thing after another happens just as soon as we thought we had adjusted, and now we are right back to adjusting yet again? It can – and has! – left many of us feeling helpless, feeling defeated. 

That feeling of defeat can be caused by any number of other emotions. We see two of them in the Resurrection account: fear and skepticism. There are many experiences and emotions that can leave us feeling defeated, but fear and skepticism are perhaps two of the most notable. 

We first see fear from the women. (As an aside, sometimes critics of Christianity or the Bible paint a pretty dismal picture of women and their role. The impression some have is yet another reason why I love the Easter morning account: it was not Jesus’ disciples, the ones we’d expect, the ones who were by his side for the three years of his ministry, who were the first arrivals; it was women. Women were the first to experience the most monumental event in history!)

Understandably, the women were frightened. They had arrived at the tomb to honor their Savior by properly caring for his deceased body. But to their surprise, the entryway to the tomb had already been opened, and when they stepped inside, there was no deceased body. Then, as they were trying to process everything and put all of the pieces together, two angels appeared! Luke describes their reaction: “In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground…” (v.5). Of course they did! What other reaction would one expect when in the midst of an emotional rollercoaster already, two supernatural beings beamed brightly before them? So the women did what any of us would do in the face of something similarly terrifying: they dropped facedown to the ground.

Now maybe you haven’t experienced that level of fear, the kind that left you on the ground, but you’ve experienced it recently. Fear of unrest and rioting in our own country. Fear of a virus or fear of a vaccine. Fear of political corruption. Economic fear. Fear for our children and the world into which they’re growing up and being influenced. International fear of war. Whatever our fears are, they end up feeding our feelings of defeat even more. 

Or maybe you can relate to the other reaction described in this morning’s account that can also leave us feeling defeated: skepticism. Look at how everyone reacted to the resurrection message the women delivered: “When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (v.9-11). The women – now named by name, mind you! – rushed back to report what they had not only experienced but also what they had been reminded of by the angels. 

On the one hand, we ought to find the reaction of the other believers to be shocking, because Jesus had on numerous occasions plainly said to them before all of this that he would die and then rise again. What Jesus had said would happen had happened, and it should have surprised no one.

Yet every one of us can relate to their reaction because dead people don’t rise from the dead! That’s the stuff of stories – fictional books and movies! So of course no one believed the women – who could blame them for being skeptical of what they determined was all “nonsense”???

Wherever you stand regarding politics or social justice or war or vaccinations or… the list goes on – we’re all in the same boat – skeptical of others. We’re skeptical of some of the information we’ve received. We’re skeptical of the source of that information, trying to determine who is following an agenda and who genuinely has my best interests in mind; we’re skeptical of other viewpoints on the topic. We’re all skeptical about everything, so a little skepticism on the part of some believers who had just been told that their crucified, dead Jesus was now very much alive, does not shock us at all!

So for those of us who can relate to the defeatism caused either by fear like the women experienced or by skepticism like the disciples, what is going to change? Are you happy to coexist with feeling defeated and allowing fear and skepticism to linger or is there another option? There are two, actually. 

One, take note of what the angels encouraged the fearful women to do: remember. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words” (v. 5b-8).

Remember. Remember that Jesus said this would happen. Remember that the prophets said this would happen, just like Isaiah did when he prophesied 700 years beforehand this very event – Jesus’ resurrection: “he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth” (Isaiah 25:7-8).

Remember that God had repeatedly promised a solution for sin, and that solution was his Son – the same one nailed to the cross on Good Friday who forever turned the tables on death and overcame it for all. And Paul, the writer of 1 Corinthians, remembered the same picture, that by Jesus’ resurrection, “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (v.54c).

So in response to fear, remember; remember along with Isaiah, along with Paul, and along with the women, that Jesus was only doing everything that had been promised from the beginning – paying the price for our sin by his death, and promising us eternal life by his resurrection. He has risen, and fear and death have been defeated!

And what to do in the face of skepticism? Look at what Peter did. He investigated. He did not hunker down at home and hang on to his skepticism, reinforcing it further by gathering together with other skeptics who felt the same way. No, Peter challenged his skepticism. He didn’t just accept what others took as nonsense and rule it out; he looked into the matter more. He investigated it for himself. “Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened” (v.12). 

Follow in Peter’s footsteps and do what the skeptic did: investigate. Peter may not have gotten a clear answer right away when he arrived at the tomb that morning, but he would eventually. If you aren’t as familiar with the Bible, the book of Luke is right near the beginning of the part of the Bible we call the New Testament. If you continue on past Luke, though, you’ll come across a very different Peter.

Check in on him in the book of Acts. Read his own perspective from his own two letters, the books of the Bible that bear his name. You will see a different Peter! You will not see the skeptic, but a fearless follower of Jesus. His doubt and skepticism are replaced with unwavering conviction and rock-solid determination that everything in life that matters for every single soul hinges entirely upon the Resurrection, which he resolutely commits to spreading for the rest of his life. 

Investigate. Read the Bible for yourself. Study it with others. Ask questions. Explore. Look into these things to see if they’re true. It’s the absolute best next step to investigate and allow God the opportunity to convince you as he did Peter. Or, reach out to me and ask about upcoming opportunities to do so in person.

So if your feelings of defeat are the result of fear, remember; if they are the result of skepticism, investigate. When you do, you’ll find that God can turn feelings of defeat into victory.

That was what happened when the fog cleared. The message that had deflated a nation, the message, “Wellington defeated,” was incomplete. There was more, and it changed everything. As more of the signal became clear, the message brought hope to a crushed nation. That complete message was, “Wellington defeated the enemy!” Gloom had turned to glee.  Sorrow turned into song, for what at first appeared to be defeat was in reality victory after all. 

You know what? Defeat is a good thing. You just have to make sure you’re on the right side of it. And Jesus guarantees that we are because he was not the One defeated, but rather the One who brought about the defeat. He was the victor who defeated his enemy – check that – enemies! For it was not just Satan himself who was defeated, but his empty threats of death and sin as well. While we still experience those, we are not enslaved by them. Sin doesn’t master us. Death itself doesn’t need to terrify us if the One who himself defeated death promises the same outcome for all who are on the side of victory!

His Humility, Our Hope

adbLeave a comment

(Philippians 2:5-11)

Experience has probably taught you why it’s unwise to grocery shop while you’re hungry. Your stomach will steer your purchases and convince you to fill your grocery cart with unnecessary items that were not on your list. When that happens, you’re far more likely to end up busting the grocery budget! Not only that, but if you happen to be doing the shopping according to a list that your spouse put together, sometimes we end up neglecting to grab a number of items on the list! Being so focused on satisfying a grumbling stomach leads to forgetting to fully carry out what we set out to do in the first place: bring home all the grocery items on the list. Hunger compels the starving shopper to focus on satisfying self.

If only the desire to satisfy self was limited to the grocery store on occasion! But we know better. The whole world view of our culture is to look at everything through a selfish lens. We have sold ourselves on the lie that tolerating anything and permitting everything is the absolute most loving thing one can do for his fellow man. While we celebrate such “progress” on the surface, framed as genuine concern for the welfare of others, what really drives such thinking is complete and utter selfishness.

Letting anything and everything go for others is really all about me. If I refuse to judge or condemn something in someone else – no matter how absurd or outlandish it may be – then I have just paved the way for me to serve myself in any way imaginable, fully expecting that others won’t condemn me just as I have chosen not to condemn them. We all mind our own business, and we call it tolerance for the greater good when in reality it is merely permission for me to serve myself.

It might sound like I am just ragging on our culture. It might sound like one of those “the world is really awful, but we Christians are really good, so be careful out there good Christians” messages. But it isn’t. It isn’t because you know better. We aren’t so naive as to pretend we want nothing of that sort of world, but know that our sinful selfish nature delights in being a part of such a self-serving world! From that first self-serving bite of fruit in Eden, our self-serving nature has been at war with the saint inside each of us, and that self-serving nature has gotten sneakier and sneakier at slipping his own self-serving purposes in here and there! So the world is only the problem as much as I am a part of the world – ripe with the same self-seeking desires.

Paul addressed it in the verses just before the ones in our Philippians Reading this morning. He wrote, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (2:3-4).

Considering the number of letters Paul authored in the New Testament, it’s fascinating that we find these words in his letter to the Philippians, referred to as the letter of joy due to the significant references to joy or rejoicing throughout the letter. It turns our idea of joy on its head, as our warped minds tend to think that joy is tied to getting what we want. But if that’s the case, then why would Paul stress the importance of seeking the interests of others and not self? If joy is found in service to self, then in this letter more than any other, we’d expect Paul to be writing, “Do whatever makes you happy. Life is too short. Don’t worry about other people who drag down your dreams and desires. Look out for number one and ignore the haters.” But in this letter of joy, Paul encourages the exact opposite! Don’t serve yourself; serve others. Then you’ll find joy!

So what follows in the verses from Philippians is no shock at all, for it falls in line beautifully with what the writer to the Hebrews wrote about Jesus, who “for the joy set before him  [he] endured the cross” (12:2). Joy drove Jesus to die, but that joy did not stem from self-serving motives at all; rather, his joy was tied directly to serving the interests of others, and that path collided at the cross. So his joy didn’t come from somehow circumventing the cross in service to self, but in enduring the cross in the best interest of you and me and every last sinner.

That was the ultimate expression of humility, which is what Paul described so magnificently in the verses of our text this morning: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God  something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8).

What a breath of fresh air we see in Jesus! Paul encouraged us to do something radical, something that we’ve never seen nor been able to carry out when he wrote that we are to put the kibosh on selfish ambition and look to the interests of others. This is an entirely foreign concept to us, so we would have no idea what it looks like – were it not for Jesus Christ, who literally demonstrated humility perfectly for us!

That theme of humility was certainly evident from the Savior whose entire life and ministry were about serving other people. That humility was reflected in his humble entrance into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to fulfill Scripture. That humility would be highlighted later that same week on the day we call Good Friday, when the very One who created life would sacrifice his own – for the interest of others. Never will we behold a greater example of humility, not only because Jesus was willing to sink to the lowest depths of death by crucifixion – the innocent dying a criminal’s death for a world of criminals who actually deserved it! But what makes his humility so exemplary was knowing the heights of heaven from which he came to stoop so low to such a death!

When we consider the words of Paul here in Philippians 2, 6-11, can you imagine how very real the temptation must have been for Jesus to flip these verses upside down? He surely could have exalted himself first as he entered Jerusalem. He could have demanded on Palm Sunday that every knee bow and every tongue confess him as Lord and Savior. He would have had every right to humble the crowds and exalt himself first and only after that die a death of humility. 

After all, that’s so often how our acts of humility are carried out, aren’t they? Sure, we’ll clean this or wash that, we’ll carry out this or that act of service, but not without making sure that at least someone else knows about it. How ironic is it that we want to be exalted even for our humility?!? Our pride demands that we are noticed, and it will grab hold of anything it can get its hands on to exalt self – even humility!

How often when we are engaged in conversation are we simply listening long enough to make sure the topic of conversation comes back to us and something we’ve done or someone we’ve known? And even on the other end of the spectrum, when we claim that we don’t want to be acknowledged, we make sure that others know that we don’t want to be acknowledged – so our pride is satisfied by knowing that others know we don’t want to be known! What great and amazing humility we have! Ah, quite the opposite: what damning pride lurks in each of us, which explains why humility and the interests of others are so unnatural for us!

So be comforted that the One individual who walked this planet and actually had every right to exalt himself chose to do exactly the opposite. His perfectly obedient humility could satisfy our Holy Father in a way that our pride-filled humility never could! Jesus both perfected humility for us and paid for our lack of it, for our sinful pride, for our propensity to care about ourselves far more than anyone else. It was as if Jesus not only perfectly obeyed the speed limit every time he drove, but he also paid for every one of our speeding tickets (and just to point out how natural our pride is, how many of you just filled up with pride inside because you’ve never gotten a speeding ticket?). 

So let me be clear. During Holy Week, on Palm Sunday, your Savior’s perfect humility attained for you before God what your pride never could. The price paid on the cross was the price paid for your pride. God doesn’t see us for what we are on our own, but rather through faith in Jesus he sees what his Son was for us. We are free. Pride has been forgiven. Humble obedience has been offered up and accepted by the Father through the Son. 

Now we are free to go back to Paul’s encouragement that preceded these powerful verses. We can revisit his encouragement and as forgiven saints, no longer condemned for pride, and strive to show it. We can find genuine joy in seeking to carry out what Paul calls us to: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (2:3-4). We can prick the balloon of pride as often as we need to and deflate ourselves, not hoping to earn something by it, but because we’ve already received everything through Jesus – forgiveness, salvation, eternal life, and freedom from bondage to our pride. 

And the more we empty ourselves of ourselves, the more room there is for Jesus to fill us up. And the more filled up with Jesus we are, the more natural it becomes to set aside selfish ambition. The more realistic it is to value others above ourselves. The easier it becomes to look to the interests of others. When we have deflated ourselves and come back down to earth, we see the cross from a different perspective – not a high altitude view looking down on it, but up close and personal, looking up to it, so that more of Jesus fills my frame of view and I see the cross as not just one event for a lot of people, but THE event necessary for me.

Notice how small something looks from an airplane. That’s how Jesus looks to us when pride is allowed to reside inside. But on the ground, things are much larger. As the pride is let out, we come back down to earth and see things differently. I can make out more clearly not just a Saviour, but my Savior. This shifts our view from “Yes, he’s the Savior of all, and me, too,” to “Yes, he’s my Savior first and foremost, but also the Savior for all.” 

This leads to evangelism so that we can address the foremost need others have. After all, the second half of these verses will be true – all will know who he is. Let us use this week, this time that we have on earth, to do all we can so that others confess him by faith rather than by force on the last day, when even unbelievers will experience the regret of knowing they rejected the Savior.

If you shop while you’re hungry, your stomach will steer your purchases and you might ignore the list. So eat first, so that your own self-interest doesn’t get in the way. When you are full, then you can focus on the list. When we are filled up with Jesus, then we can focus on the other stuff. Fill up with as much Jesus as you can during Holy Week and Easter season and always, and be ready to find the true joy that will follow.

Crushing Rejection

adbLeave a comment

(Luke 20:9-19)

You’ve probably heard a list of books and movie scripts that were rejected numerous times before going on to be published or produced and become some of the most successful of all time. In fact, few and far between are the success stories that were not preceded by some level of rejection. Chicken Soup for the Soul, anyone? It was reportedly rejected 144 times before being published and developed into multiple series and even a cookbook. Authors like James Patterson, Stephen King, John Grisham, and even Dr. Seuss were all repeatedly rejected before their first book was ever published. The Help was rejected 60 times before being published and then eventually developed into a popular movie. The same is true of a good number of initially unpopular movie scripts that went on to enjoy wild success: Back to the Future, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, to name a few.

If only book manuscripts and movie scripts were all that ever got rejected! Unfortunately, every one of us knows that isn’t the case. We’ve all faced rejection. We’ve faced it in our relationships in general and even within our own families. We’ve faced rejection in the workplace. We’ve faced rejection in athletic competition, in the classroom – sadly, we may even have experienced it in one way or another in the church. Rejection is everywhere. And while it may be common, that doesn’t make it sting any less when we experience it. Rejection can be crushing.

Jesus told a parable about rejection in the Gospel of Luke. In that parable, one by one, each of the three servants sent to the vineyard was rejected. Then, as a last resort, even the son himself was rejected – and on a much more serious level, even being murdered by the tenants! After that, the final act of rejection was the vineyard owner, who turned the table on the tenants and rejected them, the very same tenants who had previously rejected his servants and his son.  

The meaning of the parable was quite clear to the religious know-it-alls hearing Jesus tell it, which Luke described. “The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately because they knew he had spoken this parable against them” (v.19). A student of the Scriptures familiar with Israelite history naturally sees how Jesus’ parable played out in the Old Testament. Throughout various stages of Israel’s history, the Lord sent prophet after prophet to his people to turn their eyes and hearts away from the distractions of the world and back to him. And prophet after prophet was rejected. Finally, the Lord sent his own Son into the world; the irony of course being that he was the very one speaking the words of this parable to them. Ultimately that very week, no less, they would put him to death. Jesus made sure the point of the parable hit home by forcing his listeners to see in him the fulfillment of the very well-known Psalm 118, “The stone the builder rejected has become the cornerstone.” The theme of rejection dominates Jesus’ parable on this occasion. 

Question: who is the one being rejected? Yes, Psalm 118 is an obvious reference to Jesus, who is clearly the Son in the parable. But, if we go back to the parable, who is it who really bore the brunt of rejection from the outset? Isn’t it the vineyard owner? Remember it was his vineyard, his servants, and his son who were rejected. Ultimately then, the rejection was aimed at the Lord, God the Father.

And no one has ever or will ever face more rejection than the Lord God. Fresh off the finish of his flawless creation, what was God faced with? Rejection from Adam & Eve, who opted for the serpent’s deception over grateful obedience. Fast forward to the Flood, where rejection of God had become so widespread that only Noah and his family were spared from its consequences. The escape from Egypt and entrance into the land of milk and honey prepared for them was a journey marked by rebellion and rejection of God and his chosen leaders. Kings were then raised up, the majority of whom rejected the Lord who had established them. Prophets were then sent on rescue mission after rescue mission and were repeatedly rejected, just as Jesus depicted in his parable. Finally, Jesus himself was rejected in the most shocking manner imaginable, which we focus on more acutely next week during Holy Week. The One again on the receiving end of all of this rejection? The Lord God himself! 

Thankfully all that rejection has finally come to a close in this New Testament era of the Church’s history! What a relief it must be for God to finally get a break from a history riddled with rejection; for his people, for Christians, for you and me, to finally move beyond that and blaze a new path – one of rejoicing instead of rejection! After all, we are believers – we are not like the ones Jesus was rebuking in his parable, for we have not rejected him and turned away from him in unbelief!

But… is unbelief a requirement for rejection, or can believers reject him, too? You know the answer because your guilty heart turns you in. The bigger question is whether or not we can actually even come close to keeping track of the number of times we have rejected him! When I am faced with a choice to do this or that, I not only choose the one option, but I am also rejecting the other! Every Sunday morning you wake up and you have a choice to do an endless number of things… or you can choose to gather for worship. When you choose the other options, what, or rather who are you rejecting? When you are faced with the choice of the social media scroll or quiet time in the Word and the Word remains closed, what, or rather who was rejected? When you are accepting of sin for the sake of keeping the peace instead of lovingly, patiently, gently – or firmly – pointing out what God’s Word says about it, what, or rather who was rejected? See how frequently we are the tenants in the vineyard, rejecting the owner, rejecting the Lord!

Do not think those little rejections don’t add up over time. Did you suppose the tenants had an easy time of it when they beat up the first servant sent to them? Perhaps not, but I suppose it got easier and easier each time. Look at the end result of the workers in the vineyard. Prudence was gone. All reluctance went out the window. There was no voice among them saying, “Hey guys, maybe we should think twice about this.” At that point, they were so far removed from a proper sense of right and wrong that murdering the son seemed to be an entirely justifiable action to feed their entitlement and greed.

One instance of rejection cracks open the door just a bit, making it a little easier to push on the door some more until eventually it’s all the way open and walking through it is the next natural step. So one missed Sunday cracks open the door to another missed Sunday, then two missed Sundays pushes the door open a bit more so that not being in church is actually more natural and normalized than being in church. But what did we think was going to happen when all those rejections of Jesus here and there added up over time?

Here’s another reason it’s so dangerous: rejecting isn’t just rejecting; it’s replacing. Another influence or interest will fill that vacuum left by our rejection of the Lord in one way or another. So it isn’t just about what we’re missing when we reject the Lord so easily in so many ways; it’s also realizing that we’re replacing him with something else. 

And guess who’s prowling like a lion ready to pounce into his place? The evil one. Not only are we not being filled with the Spirit, but we are being filled with the unspiritual. We are providing the evil one with an added opportunity to cement his influence and thinking on us. 

Don’t miss the terrifying outcome of that scenario! Jesus asked his listeners what the owner would do to those tenants, and then he answered his own question: “He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!” (v.16). God forbid, indeed! God, the Vineyard Owner, finally turned over his vineyard to others. The Jewish people rejected the Lord enough and he turned it over to the Gentiles. 

The warning for us? We have no right to Christ and Church, to God and his grace, so mishandle it, abuse it, ignore it – all at your own risk, for what has been entrusted to us can just as easily be taken away and given to another. We Christians are not immune to the long-term impact of a life filled with repeated rejections of the Lord. That is why Jesus quoted Psalm 118 to warn us: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” (v.17b-18).  

However, brothers and sisters in Christ, do not be surprised at the ease and regularity with which we reject the Lord; rather, be surprised at how he decided to respond in the face of that rejection. Appreciate even more that he gave his Son to a world ripe with rejection. He gave his Son for everyone who rejected him. He gave his Son for you and me. 

And then he rejected his Son. For you and me. He turned away from the Son, removing his grace and favor from him while he endured the crushing weight of our sinful rejection and our hellish suffering. He rejected the Son while he suffered hell so that he wouldn’t have to reject us while we suffer hell. He crushed rejection and all of its damning consequences. 

The rebellious mistreatment and rejection that the Lord and his representatives endured was not enough to deter him from sending his Son; neither was a lack of remorse or repentance! He sent Jesus anyway, not hoping he would live, but knowing full well that he would not. That he had to die.

Next week is holy week, where the Church has the opportunity to focus acutely on the Father’s rejection of his Son. Next week we see how determined Jesus was to crush our rejection. Stay tuned for the most holy week of the year! Process once again into Jerusalem with Jesus on Palm Sunday. Step into the upper room with him for the Last Supper, where he gave his body and blood to promise he hadn’t rejected us. Follow him to the cross with humble and repentant hearts to see what rejection looks like, to see the price he paid on Good Friday to crush sin, to crush death, to crush Satan, and to crush rejection.

Crushing Condemnation

adbLeave a comment

(Romans 8:1-10)

Though we may not readily admit it, we care what other people think of us. Their opinion, their judgment of us, matters to us. Now, while we try to manage their opinions in such a way that maintains a healthy balance between not caring too much or too little of what others think of us, we often end up tipping the scale to one extreme or the other: we either place far too much emphasis on how others feel about us, or far too little. 

Putting too much emphasis on what others think of us leaves us with a people-pleasing anxiety. That often means that our mood or the way we feel about ourselves rises and falls with the tide of positive or negative feedback we receive from others. We can be elated when receiving praise or commendation from others or deflated when hit with cruel words or criticism. The problem is, we have absolutely zero control over the words or actions of others toward us on any given day. We therefore enslave ourselves to feedback from others that, upon further inspection, may not have much to do with us at all, but instead may simply be the result of a good or bad day they’re having. So this does not leave us in an emotionally healthy place.

On the other hand, we can also become too indifferent to the impression others have of us that we come across as pompous or self-absorbed. Then we come across as always having a chip on our shoulder and resenting anyone else’s opinion of us, being completely unwelcoming of any commentary at all on our life. When that’s the case, we are perceived as prickly and rude, only looking out for number one. So caring too little about others’ opinions of us has its own problems! 

As if not enough of a challenge for us to handle other peoples’ opinions and judgment of us, perhaps the judgment that causes us the most consternation is the judgment we place on ourselves. We might do a good job of masking it behind bravado or overconfidence, but our low opinion of ourselves, our self-criticisms often leave us believing the absolute worst about ourselves, judging ourselves far more harshly than anyone else. You become aware of this as you pay attention to how you talk to yourself in your own mind. “I could never be good at that.” “I did a horrible job of this.” “He or she would not like someone like me.” “Surprise, surprise, I messed up again.” We are often our own worst critics.

Check that – there may be one more critic that hits us harder than even our own self-criticism and judgment: the way God’s law exposes us for who we really are. Then, to cap it all off, the more we know God’s Word, the more acutely aware we become of how impossible it will ever be to measure up to God’s standard of perfection. We have all come across one Scripture verse or another that describes in detail the kind of person we want to be, exuding this quality or that quality. We then commit to making the effort to be that very kind of person, demonstrating those very qualities, and it goes well… until the first time it doesn’t. And then the second. And the third. 

Suddenly the verse that we felt such a strong pull toward actually pushes us away and we’re relieved to let go of it because it was too hard to keep. Those experiences with God’s Word and the judgment we feel as a result make us acutely aware that the Bible is absolutely not a series of self-help steps to follow in order to get in good with God; rather, it shows us how far out of touch with his holiness we truly are. Along with that, it shows how deserving we are of the judgment God’s law declares!

How refreshing then, dear friends, are Paul’s words to us this morning! Writing to hearts that are heavy with judgment from others, judgment from self, and the awareness of the very well-deserved judgment from God’s law itself, Paul writes, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). 

Hear him again: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” I ask you, is that a complicated statement? Does it require a theological expert or Bible academic to explain it to you? It doesn’t, because it really doesn’t get much simpler than that. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). 

To worn-out souls living in what’s been called the “age of outrage,” a cancel-culture filled with judgment and anger, God himself has an entirely different declaration: “no condemnation.”  Not only is this such a refreshing, uncharacteristic verdict in our day and age, but it’s even more impactful as we consider the source. This verdict comes from the One whose judgment matters most. In fact, of all the judgments, his is the only one really worth paying attention to. 

Why? Jesus himself warned, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28). God is finally the One who determines where we spend eternity. He alone is able to sentence anyone to an eternity of distress in hell or delight in heaven. And friends, his verdict is not a secret! He has already revealed it! There is no condemnation!

I suppose we should mention the fine print, the little disclaimer you often find at the bottom of the page, the one that says “certain restrictions apply.” There is a restriction – this declaration of no condemnation applies to those who are in Christ Jesus. 

Exactly what does it mean to be “in Christ Jesus”? Paul wrote earlier in this same letter to the Romans, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (3:22). So God has not, as some falsely claim, declared that everyone automatically goes to heaven and no one goes to hell. No, this guaranteed assurance of no condemnation belongs only to those with faith in Christ Jesus. The righteousness – just a way of saying, “being right with God” – belongs only to those who are in Christ Jesus, because he alone was perfectly right before God in our place. So only if we are “in” him – have faith in him, does God’s declaration stand. Only “in Christ Jesus” is there no condemnation. 

Think of it like the umbrella you might be wise to have on hand the next day or two. If the forecast holds true and you’ve got your trusty umbrella with you when you’re out and about, the rain shouldn’t be a problem – provided you stay under the umbrella. If you don’t bother to open the umbrella and then stay under it, however, there’s no assurance you’ll stay dry. Stay under the umbrella, stay dry; step out from under it, get wet. 

So it is with God’s condemnation. Stay in Christ Jesus, no condemnation; step away from him and outside of the faith, and there is condemnation. 

But remember that condemnation was not the reason Jesus came! Jesus himself really expressed that truth long before Paul even wrote Romans. Jesus said it like this: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned” (John 3:17-18a). It’s interesting to hear others label Christians as judgmental, seeing as judgment – condemnation – overlooks the important truth that Jesus came for the very opposite purpose: to save, not to condemn! 

While it’s one thing for an obstinate, hardened unbeliever to characterize us as judgmental simply because he refuses to acknowledge the gravity and consequence of his impenitent sin, let us not relish that label or wear it as a badge of honor if the world never sees in us the reflection of the Son who came to save and not to condemn. 

Instead, may we reflect on an ongoing basis one of the most powerful words of Paul in verse one and let that ring true in our daily lives: the word “Now.” At this very moment. Right now. And when you leave here this morning. And when you are hit with the next wave of judgment this week. And… “Now” always applies. It’s always in the present. There is never a moment outside of now – it’s the only moment you constantly live in. Now. And in that very moment, every moment, for those who are in Christ Jesus, right now there is no condemnation. 

Does that reality impact how you live? How could it not?!? “Now” then, how do we live? “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (v.5). And that, dear friends, is how the world will come to know that we’ve been set apart for God’s special purpose. When our minds are set on what the Holy Spirit desires, and not self, we will stick out to the rest of the world. Sometimes that will make us awkward to the world, yes.

But in truth, it also makes us very attractive. When you live in the joy of knowing that right now you are not condemned because you are in Christ Jesus, you look different to the world. When the way that you carry out your job at work is in line with what the Spirit desires, your coworkers are attracted to you as an employee. When your neighborhood sees that you are a neighbor who treats others in the neighborhood in a way that is in line with what the Spirit desires, they are attracted to you as a neighbor. When others see in your marriage a husband and wife who have their mindset on what the Spirit desires, your marriage becomes very attractive. No, this isn’t rocket science – the world is used to seeing plenty of people living according to fleshly desires, so whenever the world sees us living in accordance with what the Spirit desires, we look very different. It attracts attention.

Let us then make the most of that attention not for self-promotion or to puff up ourselves, but to clearly point out what makes us different, which is simply this: we know and believe “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Then, when we’ve got their ear, in a world characterized by criticism and judgment, tell them that they, too, have a Savior who has crushed condemnation. 

His Faithfulness Crushes Self-Security

adbLeave a comment

(1 Corinthians 10:1-13)

If you have a driver’s license, you’ve experienced it. You catch a glimpse in your rearview mirror of a car accelerating rapidly. As it gets closer, you realize it’s a police car and you start to get nervous, realizing you were going over the speed limit. You tense up, hoping he doesn’t pull up behind you, ride your bumper, and turn on his lights to pull you over.

But suddenly he simply zips by you and you are flooded with relief. What do you do next? Do you slow down, vowing never to exceed the speed limit again because you’re grateful you got away with it that time? Or… do you maintain the same speed – or even speed up! – because you reason that you’ll be in good shape just as long as you stay behind the police car?!? 

We do something similar at work when we’re taking an extended break or a longer-than-allowed lunch. The boss or manager comes along and we panic… until they continue along without a rebuke or a write-up – or they even sit down and join us! After that, do you vow to never do it again, or do you reason that it must be permissible since you didn’t get in trouble? 

Children draw the same conclusion when mom or dad don’t enforce the rules. If they aren’t enforced, then it must be OK to break them, they figure.

Today, though, Paul wants to make sure that we don’t approach our relationship with God the same way we tend to handle situations like those just mentioned. He doesn’t want us to mistake God’s patience for permission. Simply because we didn’t get caught or avoided consequences for some wrongdoing does not translate into God being okay with it. 

These thirteen verses from 1 Corinthians 10 almost break down into nice even thirds, with each third serving as a crescendo into a glorious final faith-building chord. First, Paul identifies the source of self-security. Second, he highlights the “success” of self-security. Third, he points to the only solution to self-security. 

Before we dig into those verses a bit more, let’s just focus on the concept of self-security for a moment. When a term like that hits our religious ears, we likely think of those who don’t practice any religion or feel any need whatsoever to do so. They are confident in themselves, self-assured, and certain that in the grand scheme of things, they have nothing to worry about if there does in fact turn out to be a God. They’re pretty good people (at least better than plenty of others…). They are not drawn to be religious because they don’t perceive it as having anything to offer that they don’t already have or can’t figure out on their own. But self-security isn’t just an issue for the non-religious; it’s a danger that needs to be on our radar, too.

Doing the right religious things can also be a source of self-security. That’s when the practice of religion becomes a means to an end; when a relationship with the divine is viewed more as a transactional relationship. I simply deposit my religious acts for the purpose of being able to withdraw security or some other expected favor when I need it. It may simply be that my security comes from the structure and routine of doing the right religious things or having the right religious connections. It might appear externally to look a lot like what the Israelites had. 

Take note of the source of the Israelites’ self-security, to which Paul pointed in the first four verses. There was no doubt about God’s presence in their midst – he made it very visible, from the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night as they traversed the wilderness. There was no doubt about God’s divine hand in parting the waters of the Red Sea as they escaped Egypt. There was no doubt about God’s role in providing the miraculous manna and means by which he satisfied their hunger and thirst in the desert. And there was no doubt that God had appointed Moses as his leader and representative through whom he delivered and prospered his people. There was no doubt that God was with them!

And then in the very next verse, Paul absolutely shatters this rosy perspective of the Israelites’ relationship with the Lord using these words: “Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert” (v.5). You can almost hear the sound of the vinyl record scratching to a screeching halt as these words were read for the first time – what an attention grabber! What a shocking image to cap off what appeared to be shaping up as an “And they lived happily ever after” ending! There was no doubt that God himself was with them, yet the trail of dead bodies strewn about in their rear-view mirror as they made their way to the promised land was evidence that things were not as they seemed! 

Assuming Paul now has our undivided attention, perhaps it’s prudent to assess whether or not we’re looking to the same source of self-security. The Israelites presumed they had all their bases covered. They had God’s right-hand man in Moses leading them, God himself guiding them with his visible presence and making miracles wherever necessary to provide for their needs. 

Where do we presume to have all of our bases covered? What is the source of our own spiritual self-security? Is it found in the emphasis on doctrine and teaching in our Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)? Is the way that we worship (the “right” way) the source of our self-security, or our nearly spotless church attendance or Bible class attendance record (choose the better of the two, of course)? Is it having graduated from either one of our elementary schools or high schools (bonus points for both!) or having kids who have done so (even if it’s been years since they’ve set foot in God’s house again for worship)? Does the reassurance that a loved one “believes,” provide self-security, without bothering with the finer details of exactly who or what is “believed”? If we look to such things for the source of self-security, then we’re in for the kind of rude awakening the Israelites experienced!

Paul didn’t just leave us hanging after touching on the source of self-security for the Israelites; he also highlighted the grisly examples of the “success” of self-security. Where did their idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God, and grumbling get them? What kind of success did they enjoy from their self-security? One day 23,000 died, another day venomous snakes struck, and still another day a destroying angel took out the complainers. If that’s the kind of “success” that self-security brings, I’ll take a hard pass!

And herein lies the problem: the fact that we don’t experience those sorts of obvious judgments leads us to falsely conclude that our self-security is sufficient! Since I managed to avoid the poisonous snakes and the destroying angel, then God must be OK with me, right? I can have it both ways, looking to all the wrong things for self-security, while concluding that my idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God, and complaining clearly get a pass, since God hasn’t judged me. We are lulled into the false sense of security, thinking that we can manage to balance what the Israelites couldn’t – we can have it both ways. God is clearly with us, evidenced by all of our religious acts of righteousness, which provides the assurance he’s not really all that concerned about my idolatry, my sexual immorality, my testing, or my complaining. 

Paul says to wake up and smell the coffee! “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (v.11-12). In the initial examples at the beginning, we see how relaxed we become about breaking the rules if they aren’t enforced. Don’t make the same mistake with God! Just because our sin appears to go along unchecked, sometimes without consequences, do not reason that God is OK with it! Paul warns us to learn from the Israelites’ example! Just as God’s vivid presence in the midst of his people was not an indicator of relaxed expectations of his people, so your consistent Christian obedience does not grease the skids to permit self-serving sin! There is no success to be found in self-security!

So what is the solution? We know the source of self-security and we know the “success” of self-security (or lack thereof!). The real concern, then, is the solution to self-security. That’s what we need to know, because it’s only a matter of time before each of us slips in and out of that same self-security. So how do we solve it?

We don’t, as Paul assures us. God does. The solution is tucked right there in the three words of verse 13: “God is faithful.” God is faithful. While Paul didn’t hesitate to use the example of the Israelite death count in the desert wilderness as a warning, we also know this: Israelites still ended up in the Promised Land! They made it to the land God had promised his people. Not because of their faithfulness – clearly! – but because of God’s faithfulness. Then Israel established itself as a nation in the special land, only to endure far more downs than ups during the time of the kings and ultimately the exile. But even though he was deserted by his people, did God ever desert them in return? No, because God is faithful and keeps his promises.

The manger in Bethlehem was proof that God is faithful. The cross on Calvary was proof that God is faithful. The empty tomb of Joseph of Arimathea was proof that God is faithful. All served as proof of God’s faithfulness then and God’s faithfulness now!

Even when it comes to the temptation to rely on self-security – or any other temptation, for that matter – God doesn’t dismiss the struggle of temptation. He doesn’t deny that it will happen. He simply promises that he is the solution. He is the solution not only to standing up in the face of temptation, but also the solution for when we faceplant in the heat of temptation. 

While God’s faithful patience is not permission – remember the snakes and the destroying angel! – his faithful patience does mean limitless forgiveness and grace. And with that grace and forgiveness comes a resolve, a resiliency, not from ourselves, but from him, to find our security in him alone. He will not fail us – even when we fail in temptation. He will not forget us – even when we forget about him in our seasons of self-security. He will always forgive, for God is faithful. And his faithfulness crushes all self-security every time.

Shortcuts Crushed by Determination

adbLeave a comment

(Luke 13:31-35)

We are no strangers to the many advantages shortcuts can provide. Books and websites are filled with shortcuts and hacks that promise an easier way for just about anything. We have experienced the benefits of shortcuts in a lot of different ways. When we’re scrambling to be on time getting from Point A to Point B and a passenger in the vehicle shares knowledge of a shortcut, no one complains – that’s a good thing. Keyboard shortcuts when typing can save a lot of headaches and unnecessary keystrokes. Other shortcuts promise endless ways to help you get more done in less time, whether at work, cleaning the house, or in the kitchen. We know how valuable shortcuts can be. 

In the verses from Luke 13, we see a shortcut proposed to our Savior. It wasn’t a shortcut that merely offered to shave some time off his busy schedule so he could get more done. No, it promised substantially more than that. Would he take the shortcut? Could he take the shortcut? What would it mean for him? What would it mean for us?   

There were others seeking a shortcut in our verses from Luke today, too. We don’t know if what the Pharisees were passing along was the truth or not. Had Herod really threatened Jesus’ life, or had the Pharisees constructed a lie themselves in hopes that such a threat would be enough to scare him off when they told Jesus, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you” (v.31). While we can’t be certain of the origin of this information, what we do know is that the Pharisees did not make it a habit of having Jesus’ best interest in mind, so in sharing this information with Jesus, the desired outcome they were hoping for is clear: they wanted Jesus to skip town and get as far away from Jerusalem – their turf! – as possible. Consider how much time and trouble it would have saved the Pharisees if Jesus had simply left town! What an alluring shortcut that could have been for them to not have to plot and scheme in order to devise a solution for the problem of Jesus! This shortcut could have made it so much easier for them!

But… is easier always better? Is the tradeoff always worth it? Do shortcuts end up delivering on the promises they make? It probably shouldn’t bother me as much as it does, but when I’m hiking and see another hiker take a shortcut, either cutting through a switch-back or just straying from the trail, the cranky old curmudgeon inside my head shouts, “You’re only cheating yourself!” A coach or a trainer is going to be less than thrilled to hear about shortcuts being taken in practice or in the gym. Any runner or cyclist in any sort of long-distance race is going to be disqualified for taking a shortcut. And, if you’ve ever dabbled in any DIY projects, you know that shortcuts can end up being very expensive in the long run, either requiring more time, more work, or more money down the road (or all three!).

Unhealthy shortcuts can also actually leave us worse off than when we started. We’ll take just about any shortcut in our culture today that avoids pain or suffering. In terms of our health, for just about any negative symptom one could experience, there is a drug that promises relief. So rather than changing eating habits or exercising, we opt for the pharmaceutical shortcut. When work is a challenge or a relationship is hurting, we can resort to unhealthy shortcuts to feeling better, like drinking or binge-watching. Even suicide, as much as it shatters the lives of those it affects, is viewed increasingly by our culture as an acceptable shortcut to avoid some element of suffering.

If shortcuts are not always what they’re cracked up to be, then it’s probably good to evaluate some of those spiritual shortcuts that have also slipped into the church. Sometimes we have to confess the reason behind them is our own spiritual immaturity – we want to have the strong faith we see in someone else, but without all the time they’ve spent in Word and worship and prayer over the years. We want patience, but without having to endure the trials that someone else went through to grow it. 

Other times, spiritual shortcuts can start out with good intentions, but end up having less than desirable results. Being able to give offerings to the Lord online has been a huge blessing for churches throughout COVID, and a convenient way to set up a shortcut by setting up recurring offerings and not having to take the time to write out a check (ask your parents if you don’t know…). However, if the end result is that I never give my offerings a second thought, is the shortcut worth it? Recorded and streaming video online has allowed worship to be accessible when we were not able to meet in person. But, if that medium has completely replaced meeting in person when we’re perfectly healthy enough to do so, is that shortcut worth it to sacrifice the Supper and many other blessings of people in pews that will never be accessible via video? 

We have to be real and clear about why we’re taking the shortcut. If we don’t know why we’re doing it, then we run the risk of enslaving ourselves to shortcuts without considering if we’ve actually gained anything from them! What we often fail to do is consider the opportunity cost of our shortcuts. If you aren’t familiar with that phrase, it simply refers to the practice of being aware of how much something really costs.

For example, if you have been saving up for a trip for some time, but then some shiny new kitchen appliance comes on the market that you “must” have, if you take the money from what you’ve been saving for your trip, then that means you’ll either have to put off the trip longer or maybe not go. So the opportunity cost was not just the price tag of the kitchen appliance, but also realizing what you’re giving up or going without when you decide to make that purchase.

Shortcuts are the same way. When we seek to take a shortcut, we don’t always consider the tradeoff or sacrifice. Maybe a simple question to ask ourselves: with this shortcut what am I giving up and what do I gain, and is it worth it? What am I avoiding and what do I attain, and is it worth it? A shortcut that gets a person from point A to point B faster might be worth it to one person because of the time it saves, but to another, it might not if that shortcut requires driving through what feels like an unsafe part of town. One person may determine the opportunity cost of a shortcut is worth it, while another may not.

Let’s now return back to Jesus and to the course of action the Pharisees proposed. What exactly was the potential shortcut for Jesus, and how would he weigh the opportunity cost of the temptation to take it? What would he be giving up and what would he gain? What would he be avoiding and what would he attain? It seemed pretty clear that the shortcut the Pharisees were offering Jesus was to avoid something: death! The choice must have seemed a no-brainer in their minds as they pointed it out to Jesus – leave town and avoid dying! If you value your life, just keep your distance from Herod and you’ll be just fine. Give up going to Jerusalem and what you stand to gain is your life!

So… shortcut or no shortcut for Jesus? His answer was quite clear. “He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” (v.32-33). Jesus wasn’t taking the bait. He wasn’t interested in the shortcut. In fact, he knew the shortcut wasn’t even an option, insisting that he “must” press on. This is a word Jesus uses elsewhere in the Gospels when explaining why he has to take a certain course of action. There is so much more wrapped up in it than how we use it. We take it to mean that we have to do something to avoid consequences. I “must” do this or I’ll get fired, I “must” do that or I’ll lose screen time, I “must” complete this or I’ll get a bad grade, I “must” file taxes on time or I’ll have to pay a penalty. Our “must” is to avoid a negative.

Not so with Jesus. His “must” is to ensure a positive: our salvation. The opportunity cost of the shortcut Jesus was offered was simply not worth it. Jesus “must” press on because souls are at stake. He must press on because eternity hangs in the balance. He must press on because Jesus’ perfect and holy heart cares more about completing his Father’s will than even his own personal well-being. He must press on because there was no other acceptable payment plan for covering the cost of sin – only the shedding of his priceless blood would serve as payment. He must press on to die, so that through his death we might live. 

Jesus could not take the shortcut, not when it served only to allow him to give up or avoid something; he was more interested in what his suffering and death would gain, what they would attain for mankind. So he was resolutely determined to do what he “must” do to make it happen. No shortcut would allow him to succeed in carrying out that goal. And he was determined to carry it out for everyone – even the very enemies trying to talk him out of it. 

In one last-ditch effort, Jesus threw out to them the life-line of repentance, warning them not to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (v. 34-35). The invitation to repentance is an open-ended one for you and for me, too. Confess the spiritual shortcuts that we’re all too willing to take. Repent for all the times we have opted out of the burden of carrying our cross and following Jesus in favor of the cross-less shortcut. 

Then turn to the cross that Jesus not only carried but also died on… because he willingly chose to crush any shortcut that would sidestep your salvation. The opportunity cost of saving his own life and losing yours for eternity wasn’t worth it. So he died. And now we get to live. And he promises to give to you and to me the strength to bear the crosses that come up in our lives as Christians. We can face the difficult and the demanding without searching for the nearest exit or shortcut, for we have a Savior who with dogged determination not only secured our salvation by his own cross, but who also promises that he’ll always be right there with us to help us carry our crosses as well.

Crushing Temptation

adbLeave a comment

(Hebrews 4:14-16)

We’ve all done our share of daydreaming about what our lives would be like if we had certain things in life. Yes, it can be a very fine line between simply letting our imaginations entertain such possibilities for a time and having an unhealthy preoccupation with something that amounts to what is essentially coveting or envy, but a little bit of “If I won the lottery…” or “If I had a vacation home…” or “If I could travel to…” on occasion can be done in a healthy, harmless way. While most of us probably don’t need to be reminded to daydream or wonder about such imaginary scenarios, what we may need to be reminded of on occasion is to remember and appreciate the people and the things that we do have. But when the bulk of our time is given to thinking about what it would be like “if” we had this or what we don’t have and we give precious little time to acknowledging what we do have that can find us in a not so great place. 

Under the current circumstances, as we read reports of evacuations and shelters and lives turned upside down for people living in Ukraine, it can make us a little more appreciative than normal of what we have. It’s really hard to complain about rising gas prices when you pit that against the concern about whether or not your home or apartment building will still be standing when you come out of shelter. It seems pretty silly to be irritated by the indecision of where to go out to eat when thinking about those who are just praying for anything to eat. So it’s a good time for us to take inventory of all that we do have and be appreciative of it.

The writer of Hebrews gives us one such example of what we do have. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God…” (v.14). There is no daydreaming necessary, no need to imagine “what would it be like if…” – we have a great high priest. We’re not talking in hypotheticals here; this is the reality. This is what we have: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our high priest.    

And how do we know? He ascended. In addition to the disciples who were present at Jesus’ ascension, the writer to the Hebrews also shares his confidence in the Ascension. This added evidence provides even more credence to the belief that Jesus actually is the Son of God he claimed to be. And if he ascended, that would put him in position to continue carrying out the work of a high priest for us. We’ll come back to that role and responsibility of the high priest shortly, but for now simply appreciate how the reality of his Ascension validates that in Jesus Christ, we do in fact have a high priest. 

The rest of verse 14 shows us one of the reasons that matters. “Since we have a great high priest… Jesus… let us hold firmly to the faith we profess” (v.14). It encourages us to hold on to our faith. At times that is what we need most: assurance that our faith is not in vain, that we aren’t wasting our time or being played for fools with all of this Christianity stuff. That’s necessary because we have all had seasons of going through some pretty heavy stuff in life, whether self-inflicted wounds or those caused by others. It’s in the heat of those moments when our old adam seems to find fresh confidence to raise doubts and question if God is really there or if our faith in him is foolishness. Since Jesus, our high priest, really did ascend into heaven, let your faith cling even tighter to the promises of God and the words of Scripture. God never promised that our road would be without potholes, but he did promise us that staying the course in faith and navigating those potholes would find the greatest reward when we reach the destination. So stay the course and stay buckled in with that seatbelt of faith.  

One of those potholes we face on a daily basis can leave us discouraged and debilitated if we don’t know how to handle it: temptation. It may very well be the same sin over and over that calls to us, entices us, lures us. Different sins on different days may expose our weaknesses on multiple fronts. Temptation hits us differently, but what we all have in common is that it hits us. It isn’t that we don’t know any better. It isn’t that it doesn’t bother us. It’s simply that we are not as strong as we like to think we are when the devil goes to work on us. 

Remember also that his tempter’s toolbox is not limited to just trying to get us to do bad things (we call those sins of commission); he tempts us just as effectively to ignore doing the good things we’re called to do (we call those sins of omission). “I can skip out on meeting the needs of the less fortunate – someone else will take care of that.” “I can press pause on loving my enemy while I am working on loving my neighbor first.” “Seek first his kingdom and righteousness? Maybe after I’m more comfortable in my own kingdom.” Whether stumbling into what is bad or avoiding doing what is good, Satan and those on his side are constantly collaborating to tempt us from all sides.

Why? Do you ever ask why he is so desperate to tempt us and lead us into sin? After all, we know we’re forgiven, right? What does it matter if we stumble here and there in temptation if we are confident of our forgiveness? I would suggest at least two possible outcomes, either of which would delight the devil. One, we stumble into the same sin so repeatedly that it ceases to trouble us, that we become so comfortable with it, that we no longer see it as sin. Then there comes a point where we fail to see the great wall that we have constructed between God and us putting blocking ourselves off from God with that sin. We become so accustomed to that sin that we are deaf to the warnings of others who clearly see that it has blocked us off from God, no matter how much we might convince ourselves otherwise.

The second possible outcome is that we sin the same sin so repeatedly that we get to the point of failing to believe that God could still forgive it any longer. One time, sure. Two or three times, OK. We’ll even grant that God is really patient and forgiving, so he’ll cover even above and beyond two or three times. But when we hit that breaking point, whatever it may be for us individually, the same point that Judas did when he despaired of forgiveness and plunged into unbelief, then we are so racked with guilt and shame that we, too, cannot conceive of even abundant grace allowing God to forgive that sin of ours any longer. So Satan tempts us, and will continue to do so until he hits his goal of driving an eternal wedge between God and us. 

That’s why the devil doesn’t want you to know what you have. Remember what you already have: a high priest. Jesus. So why a high priest? Why not a battle-hardened general or some mighty warrior like the one the Philistines put forth in Goliath? Why not give himself to us as something along those lines?

Because a high priest is better. A hardened general can lead an army to victory with a well-thought-out strategy. A mighty warrior can drop his opponent. But we don’t just need victory. We don’t just need to take down the enemy. We need access to the Father. No battlefield success or knocked down enemy ensures that we’re any closer to being able to approach God. Only a high priest grants that kind of access.

That was the role he played in the OT. The high priest was the one to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. The priest offered up prayers on behalf of the people. The high priest represented God before the people, illustrating that no one had direct access to a holy, righteous God without someone to go between and intervene. 

We still default to this idea today. People tend to think that a pastor or a priest is somehow further up on a higher rung of some ladder that they imagine reaching up to heaven. So they ask the clergy to say the prayer, as if God is more likely to bend his ear to the pastor or priest. They want a visit from the pastor, as if another brother or sister who cares enough to share comfort from the Word of God is not enough. The confessional booth in the Catholic Church will never be completely vacant because of the belief that the penance prescribed by the priest somehow certifies grace and forgiveness. Still today we perceive others as serving as a sort of go-between to soften up God a bit for us. 

So having Jesus as our high priest is spectacular, because it means that we will always have access to God; we don’t need another human being to serve as our go-between; in Jesus Christ, we have our go-between! We have the one who guarantees that the prayers that leave our lips hit the ears of the Father. His one-time sacrifice – himself the perfect lamb – satisfied what all the blood of bulls and goats and sheep never could. His holy precious blood was the price necessary to cover the complete cost of our sin. There is nothing left to pay. The debt of our sin has been paid in full.

While this is all true – and not at all a small thing! – this isn’t even what the writer to the Hebrews is highlighting about our high priest, Jesus, in these verses. Yes, he paid for our sin, but he did something else that blows our mind: he had no sin himself to pay for. He never sinned. His life was marked by obedience. He perfected righteousness for us. He hit the mark we all miss – an entire life of perfect bullseyes in thought, word, and deed. Someone like that must be far beyond relatable to us, right?

Wrong. He knows exactly what you’ve been through and what you’re going through. In that regard, he’s just like you. He hurt. His heart dropped in seeing the suffering of others. He experienced being physically depleted and having Satan throw his best shot at him in temptation, as we saw in the Gospel (Luke 4) today. So he’s like us. He gets us. 

There’s just one difference, and it’s a HUGE difference – just five words: “yet he did not sin” (v.15). No sin. None. Just like you… except for the sin part! “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (v.15). 

This is why Paul could write what he did in Romans 5:19: “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” He didn’t sin. He was righteous. And because he is our high priest – no “if only’s” – he is our high priest, then you have all that you need to stand up in the face of temptation and crush it. 

What fear of sin remains? Do not make little of it, but there is no need to be mastered by it – your high priest paid for it and crushed sin on the cross. He crushed temptation by sending Satan packing every single time he tried to tempt him. Throw Scripture at Satan, just as your Savior did, and send him packing, just as your Savior did. You can fearlessly crush temptation as well, confident that when you fail, when you fall short, his perfect obedience has already met the standard for you.

Oh, and one more thing: your high priest allows you to level up in crushing temptation. He gives you this invitation: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (v.16). He holds out help to you. Whenever you need it. It’s yours. Just ask. Do so with the confidence that Jesus’ perfect obedience offers you. It’s been done. Now get after it and get it done yourself in the face of temptation. Crush it, as Jesus already crushed it for you.

Visibly Hidden

adbLeave a comment

(Luke 9:28-36)

People hide things for two reasons. They hide something to keep it from being found. Think of pirates and plundered treasure. Such tales include buried treasure hidden on an island to keep anyone else from discovering it. There are more somber stories from the WW2 era of families hiding Jewish people or other minorities to keep them from being found by the nazis. We probably all have a spot or two in our house where we stash away valuables or other special items to keep them hidden. Some things are hidden to be kept from being found.

But people also hide things for the very specific purpose of being found. Doing so can provide someone else with the thrill of finding it. Kids still delight in playing hide and seek, both because of the challenge of finding a good hiding spot, but also the accomplishment of finding where others are hiding. Children are elated to find their hidden easter baskets or easter eggs. A hobby like geocaching is popular because of the satisfaction of finding what others have cleverly hidden. Some things are hidden for the very specific purpose of being found.

On Transfiguration, our final paradox of this series deals with something that is visibly hidden: God’s glory. But why does God hide it? Is his desire that it wouldn’t be found, or does he want it to be discovered? Perhaps confusing the matter even more, the Bible speaks of God’s glory both being evident to all, but also hidden and needing to be revealed. “The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory” (Ps. 97:6). “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 40:5). “Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’” (John 11:40). So hidden or revealed – which is it?

Understand that God’s glory is multi-faceted. Glory can simply refer to the praise or acclaim that is rightly due someone for something magnificent. One can hardly live and breathe and discover all that this created world has to offer and ignore the overwhelming urge to give glory to something or someone outside of us – it is only natural (even the atheist or unbeliever does this by ascribing such glory to “nature” or “evolution”)! Yet that glory, well-deserved as it is, doesn’t scratch the surface of the full eternal plan God had in mind. There are other facets of God’s glory – the glory that emanates from his holiness, as well as a glory that can only be viewed through eyes of faith. 

The encounter with God that Moses had in our First Reading (Exodus 34:29-35) demonstrates why the glory of God’s presence must remain hidden from us – we could not handle it! His holiness would surely shatter sinners in its midst. It was a unique and special arrangement that allowed Moses to be in the presence of the Lord and live to tell about it. Not only did he live to tell about it, but he also literally reflected a glimmer of that glory as his face radiated after spending time with the Lord! 

It was the other facet of glory about which Paul wrote in our Second Reading (2 Corinthians 3:7-18) – a glory that can only be viewed through eyes of faith. Without eyes of faith, Paul likens a person’s inability to see God’s glory as having a veil covering his face. As long as that veil is there, God’s glory can’t be seen; it remains hidden. Once the Holy Spirit plants the seed of faith and allows it to sprout and flourish, however, the veil is removed and the once-hidden glory becomes visible. This allows us to see God’s glory on display in multiple ways within the Church that would otherwise appear to be anything but glorious to those with the veil still covering their eyes. 

Although the disciples were accustomed to witnessing Jesus do plenty of amazing things, they had not yet witnessed anything like what they experienced on the mountain. “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus” (Luke 9:29-31). That was a different side of Jesus, and to see two of the greatest Old Testament heroes, Moses and Elijah, to top it off – that was an amazing display of glory! But even then God took it up a notch: “a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him’” (v.34-35). God’s own voice declaring his approval of Jesus – what a complete and total display of glory the disciples witnessed! 

And then… it was back to normal. No more bright face and blinding clothes. No more Moses or Elijah. No more Father’s voice. No more glory. And how far removed from this experience it must have felt for the disciples so soon after when they would see beatings and bloodshed and a crucifixion. Surely a far cry from the glory they witnessed on the mountain! The glory, it appeared, had gone. It was nowhere to be seen. 

It can feel like that for us today in Christ’s church. Where is that kind of mountain top, transfiguration-glory? What are we left with? We have baptism, but what, after all, is so glorious about baptism? The font isn’t fancy or ostentatious, but rather plain and simple. Infant or adult, a splash of water and a few words, and it doesn’t appear to be anything overly spectacular. Few would speak of any noticeable monumental transformation from the moment before they were baptized to the moment after, and surely a little one is clueless as to what is going on, so “glorious” might not be the description any unknowing bystander would use when witnessing a baptism.

Couldn’t the same be said of Holy Communion? A rather bland thin wafer and a thimble of common wine. There is no secret handshake or ritual required. What appears to be plain old bread and wine are simply distributed to eat and to drink. Aside from the fact that it happens inside this sanctuary, it might otherwise appear to be no different than the line that forms for snacks after church. Again, “glorious” might not be the description any unknowing bystander would use when witnessing Holy Communion. 

Then of course there is the Word. Always the Word. It permeates our worship by means of the liturgy. Not only do we have not just one, but three readings, but the Word is woven into our pattern of worship from beginning to end. If someone would expect to witness some earth-shattering impact from it, they would not likely notice it while observing our typical Lutheran worship. There are no hands swaying in the air, no emotional cries, no shaking or convulsing on the ground. Stoic, serious, or even “sleepy” might instead be words used to describe our worship before the word “glorious.” 

So is there something wrong with us? Is there something wrong with God? Are we doing it wrong? Is he hiding something from us? Yes and no. It’s there, right in plain sight, visibly hidden for all to see. God’s glory isn’t generated by emotions – whether genuine or manufactured. God’s glory isn’t conjured up by going through the right motions. God’s glory is found elsewhere, yet is wrapped up in each of these: Baptism, Holy Communion, and the Word.  

What do these all have in common? Jesus. So connect the dots with me. Jesus gives us Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Jesus is the Word. So if we are to find God’s glory, we find it in Jesus. And what else do all of these things – we call them the means of grace, for they are the tools, the instruments by which God lavishes his grace on his Church – what else do they have in common? They are all given their power at the cross.

Take away the cross and the veil once again covers up. Take away the cross and it isn’t baptism, but merely water. Take away the cross and there is no body or blood, just the stuff of a simple meal: bread and wine. Take away the cross and the Bible is a sad story of a broken promise and nothing more. 

But with the cross comes the greatest glory, visibly hidden in plain sight. To those with the veil still covering their eyes, just another common criminal on the receiving end of justice being carried out. But to those with faith, for whom the veil has been removed, the sinless Son of God, the Savior, hanging in place of every human, bearing the brunt of every sin and the agony of abandonment as he suffered hell so not a single other soul would have to. 

But since it is hidden in plain sight, we can stare as long as we like. Even though we still sin. Even though we are so often lukewarm toward him. Even though we are indifferent to his glory. Even though we still chase after the world’s visible glory over God’s glory hidden in Jesus. We can ponder in faith the glory of the cross and stand in awe of an empty tomb without God needing to make special allowances for revealing his glory to us in that way. There is no fear of being consumed by the greatness of his glory or being struck down as a result of the immense gap that exists between his holiness and our sin. The glory of the cross is that that gap has been removed. His glory is accessible to sinners. We can stand in his presence. We can have a relationship with him, just as Moses talked with God on the mountain. We have access to him at any time, in any situation! 

As we begin the season of Lent this week, once again we will see the glory of Jesus, visibly hidden on full display. As we see him once again walk the path of suffering necessary for our salvation, remember that it wasn’t just on a mountain with Moses and Elijah where Jesus revealed his glory. It’s in your baptism. It’s in Communion. It’s in the Word, proclaimed in word and song. See Jesus regularly throughout Lent in all of these glorious ways, just as God hid it for you to see. 

Loving Hate

adbLeave a comment

(Luke 6:27-38)

We’re conflicted, aren’t we? A tension exists between two desires that many of us have: we want to fit in, but we also want to stand out. Sociologically speaking, we want to be a part of a group rather than be isolated or lonely or the odd person out. We don’t want to be on the outside looking in. So we have different group dynamics that help to meet that need. It might be our nuclear family. It might be a gaming group or online community. It might be a group that enjoys a shared interest or hobby. We want to fit in.

Yet within that group, there can be a desire to stand out. We don’t want to be just cookie-cutter copies of everyone else. We want to be somewhat different, an individual. We want others to take notice so that we aren’t just lost in the crowd of our particular group. We might want to stand out by being the best. We might have some odd or quirky contribution for which we become known. That’s our thing. It’s what makes us stand out.

For those wanting to stand out, look no further than Jesus’ words today. How do you stand out? Let Jesus tell you again: “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you” (v.27-31). There you have it. There are plenty of ways for you to stand out.

But it’s easier to just fit in with the rest of the world, isn’t it? And for those not interested in standing out, Jesus also laid out how you can easily continue to just fit in with the rest of the world. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full” (v.32-34). If we summed up these words, it might be to say simply that we fit in with the rest of the world when we are kind to those we feel deserve it. If others are kind to us and treat us well, then we are kind to them and treat them well. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours, and we’ll all get along just fine in the world. 

Sounds good in theory, doesn’t it? But look around in the world today and ask how well that appears to be working out. If the criteria upon which we base our decision to be kind to others is whether or not they’re kind to us, then everything already starts to fall apart the very first time someone is unkind. If someone is unkind to me and I fail to show love to him because of it, now what happens when a third party unfamiliar with the situation sees me being unkind to that person? Now they have a reason not to show me love, and so on and so forth, until everything inevitably snowballs into a world devoid of kindness. What ends up happening then is that we aren’t looking for people to love; we’re looking for reasons not to love people. And frankly, we don’t have to look very hard, do we? Just like that, following the “be good only to those who are good to you” principle, we have a very badly broken world. 

And the real underlying problem is this: if I am using others’ treatment of me as the determining factor for whether I will show them love or not, then who is fixing me? If the behavior of others is the only concern guiding my decision to love others or not, then I have blinders on regarding my own behavior. I am not dealing with me. I am by default always saying that any love the world expects to see from me will always and only depend on if the world loves me first. If I get love from the world, then I’ll show love to the world. 

Stop right there and consider a most terrifying thought. What if Jesus had entered into our world determined to lead his life governed by that approach? “If I get love from the world, then I’ll show love to the world. If Jesus had decided to love only those who loved him, no one ever would have experienced Jesus’ love! No one would have been on the healing side of his miraculous touch. The 5,000 would have departed with empty stomachs. There would have been no good news delivered on the hillsides, the seasides, or in the synagogues. There would have been no cross or empty tomb. There would have been none of it had Jesus chosen to show love to the world only if he had received it first, because he never would have received it first. And had that been the case, everyone’s ticket for eternity would have been stamped for the same destination: damnation.

If there was ever going to be any love between God and men, God had to be the one to initiate it, because his enemies – you and me – were not interested. St. John reminds us, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Jesus did not come into the world waiting to receive love before he dished it out; rather, he came into the world to love the loveless, to love everyone who by nature hated him, to love you and me. And Paul describes that love, pointing out how radically different Jesus’ approach was. Jesus didn’t extend love only to those who loved him first. Jesus didn’t base his treatment of others on their treatment of him. Quite the opposite. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus didn’t wait for the world’s love; rather, he loved his enemies first. 

You think these words from Jesus are hard? Tell Jesus something he doesn’t know! Can we really take issue with how challenging Jesus’ call to love enemies really is when he knows from experience exactly what that entails? When you are caught up in how impossible it is to carry out these words of Jesus this morning, stop and reframe them. 

See, when we hear or read these verses from Jesus, we automatically place ourselves in the role of “good guys” having to exercise all of these daunting actions toward the “bad guys.” But these words will take on a whole new meaning for you when you first hear them the way they need to be heard: seeing yourself in the role of the “bad guy,” or enemy, or the one who hates, or the one who curses, or the one who mistreats, slaps, steals. That’s your role and my role! That’s an accurate depiction of how we daily treat Jesus in our rebellious sin. With that understanding in mind, give thought to how you would treat you when acting that way. Would you have as much patience, understanding, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, etc. with you as you expect others to have with you? Absolutely not!

But Jesus did. And that’s what makes Jesus special. Miracles wow. Wise sayings amaze. Even his death and resurrection are astounding. But can anything top that these verses capture perfectly how Jesus chose to deal with us? Now that is astonishing!

And absolutely necessary, if we are to find any hope at all for being able to live out any of these hard sayings of Jesus, if we are to carry out the paradoxical charge to love haters. Jesus acknowledged that it isn’t easy. Easy is loving those who love you. That’s easy. But he rightly points out that anyone can do that, so it makes you no different than the unbelieving world. 

Jesus, though, didn’t save you and set you apart to blend in with the world, but to stand out so that he might use you to draw others in. Stand out to draw others in. And do it by loving others. Everyone.

Do you know why it’s so important that you stand out in the world? It’s because God made you stand out. He saved you. He made you his. He promises you heaven. You stand out, but if you look and act and speak and behave exactly like the rest of the world, then you hide what he’s done for you. How will others ever know what God has done for you if you blend in? Stand out to draw others in. Otherwise they will glance right past you and not even know what they missed. 

Billy Graham liked to tell a story of something that happened to him, early in his ministry. He had just arrived in a small town, having been invited to preach at an evening revival service. Graham had a few letters to mail, so he asked a young boy if he could tell him the way to the post office. The boy gave him directions, he thanked him and turned away — but then, on impulse, he turned back to the boy and said, “If you’ll come to church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven.” “I don’t think I’ll be there,” said the boy. “You don’t even know the way to the post office.” If people fail to see that Christians don’t know the way to love radically, then why would they think Christianity is the way? Why would they consider Christ if Christ’s followers show the same lovelessness, impatience, self-righteousness, judgment, spite, bitterness, etc. that is the norm for the world? Why would they ever think twice about asking or exploring what is different about you if they don’t notice anything different about you? 

Love others. Love everyone. Even the haters. Instead of throwing all of your energy into lamenting how rough we have it as Christians at the next persecution pity party, discuss how you could show love to those making your life so miserable. Instead of the disgusted eye roll the next time you hear of or interact with someone openly broadcasting their recent decision about their gender or identity, love them by listening to better understand them, remembering that they are in fact a human being. Instead of allowing your own pride to continue standing in the way of improving a strained or non-existent relationship with a friend or family member, swallow your pride and love them by gently and patiently bending over backward to meet them wherever they’re at, again and again, if necessary. The next time you’re struggling to love someone else in the way that person needs loving, ask yourself if Jesus would have withheld his love from you if you were in their shoes. And then immediately give thanks because you know he didn’t. He wouldn’t. Know that it is 100% possible to love your enemies. After all, Jesus loved you, didn’t he? And it changed your eternity. Love your enemies and take what could be the first step in changing their eternity, too.