Category: Sermons

A Real Christmas Is (Not) All About You

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(Luke 1:39-55)

Whether you have it on repeat or you skip it every time it comes on, the song is popular enough to engrain in our hearts and minds that Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year.” Even if it’s been a while (or never) since you’ve sung carols in the snow (especially if you live in CA), toasted marshmallows, or gone “mistletoeing,” the song ushers in warm and fond memories of Christmases past that put us in the mood to celebrate once again. For so many, it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

But there’s another possible label that is very fitting for this time of year. It could also be known as “The Most Deceptive Time of the Year.” Consider how much of an emphasis is placed on giving. The expression “it’s better to give than to receive” probably gets more exposure during the month of December than it does the other eleven months of the year combined. Organizations have Giving Trees displayed to help those in need. Retailers even guilt us with the enticement to shop at their store to make sure you’re giving the perfect gift.

It might sound like I’m blasting all of those examples outright, as if they are inherently sinister or shady. That certainly isn’t the case. As they stand on their own, they are good reminders, and necessary ones, so that I don’t allow a season associated with gift exchanges to become entirely about what gifts I’m getting. 

No, the warning comes in recognizing how persistently our pride seeks to make everything – even giving – about us. Yes, our pride is such a master of disguise that it can even expertly hide behind something that on the surface appears to be all about other people. That’s why this season can be so deceptive. A season of giving and putting others first is simply another way for my pride to place itself on a pedestal for all to see.

Don’t underestimate our pride’s ability to hide behind giving. A whole season that is supposedly all about giving is the perfect cloak under which to hide my pride. So when I hear the reminder that it’s better to give than to receive, my pride perks up at the word “better,” and immediately zeros in on my own selfless acts of generosity and raises them up far above those other people who only complain about not getting this gift or that gift, or how cheap someone was toward them in their gift exchange. I don’t hesitate to impress others with my stories, making sure they haven’t missed the news of my participation in this Giving Tree campaign or that toy drive or that other cause for people in need. When others come to know me as the person who always gives such good gifts, is my giving really about finding that perfect gift for the other person or has it become more about keeping up that reputation of world’s greatest gift-giver? In each of these cases, can we see ourselves as the puffed up pharisee standing next to the tax collector, thanking God that he’s not more like that guy? It’s such a natural bent that we have toward sin that pride can even make something like giving all about me. Then we’re doing the opposite of everyone’s favorite Christmas magnet, “Keeping Christ in Christmas,” by taking out the “Christ” and replacing it with ourselves.

But here’s the rub: if we are going to experience a real Christmas this year, we have to come clean with our natural inclination to make it about us. As long as we imagine that the responsibility of making it a real Christmas or giving someone else a real Christmas, we’re going to end up with an artificial attempt that is worse than a fake tree so bad that not even Goodwill can unload it. So, want a real Christmas? Realize it’s not about you. 

Don’t you get a clear sense of that from both Mary and Elizabeth? Well, kind of, anyway. It was about them, but not about what they had done or achieved or about being recognized by others, but rather about what they had received: God’s grace. And as they express their amazement of being on the receiving end of such favor, they clearly realize how little they deserve it!

Appreciate first how Elizabeth reflected this. “In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (v.42-45). Elizabeth’s attitude wasn’t one of arrogant expectation that Mary would visit her, since she would after all be giving birth to John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Savior. No, she asks why she should be deemed worthy of a visit from the mother of the Savior of the world. That’s genuine humility! And following that, she belts out blessings to Mary, not praising her for any Mother Theresa-type good works or anything along those lines, but simply for having a humble faith that believed what God had promised to do for her. Remember, Mary was the one who came to visit Elizabeth,yet Elizabeth made it all about Mary.

Mary did something similar. She came to celebrate the good news with Elizabeth, but her celebration was all about her Savior. Her song, known historically in the church as the Magnificat, is a beautiful example of genuine humility. When Mary references herself, it is only in the context of being on the receiving end of what God has done and is still doing for her. Otherwise, the whole song is filled with “He” – as an ode to all of the amazing things that God has done and continues to do for his people. So both Elizabeth or Mary didn’t make it about themselves; they made it about their Savior. They humbly – yet jubilantly! – praised their Savior.

A real Christmas is about giving. But not about using giving as an outlet to put our pride into practice. And, even in those cases where our giving is genuine (and not a pretense for our pride), it’s still misguided if the intent of our giving is to somehow manufacture a “real’ Christmas. Instead, the kind of giving that makes for a real Christmas is giving Jesus the attention that Elizabeth and Mary did. 

And he deserves it, because as Mary confessed, in his mercy, he doesn’t give us what we deserve. “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation” (v.50). “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever…” (v.54-55a). God’s mercy means our pride no longer damns us! Mercy means God hasn’t treated our selfish pride as it deserves. Mercy means we have just as much reason to celebrate the Savior as Elizabeth and Mary did!

But for those not interested in that mercy, who prefer to remain in their pride, God has something for them, too. “He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones…” (v.51-52a). Pride is nothing more than a human attempt at raising oneself above God, and God is no stranger to dealing with it. He has shown throughout history how he handles it, and he won’t hesitate to humble those insisting they have something of which to be proud.

But that is not God’s greatest desire. Think about it differently. If God’s greatest interest was merely behavior modification (for example, to make us more humble), if that’s all that Christianity was about – doing the right things and living the right way, then God would have addressed pride (and all other sin!) much differently. He would have sent his Son – but perhaps with a team of elite angels to sniff out sin and immediately punish it wherever they found it. That would get people to shape up very quickly, wouldn’t it?!?

But his preference is to show mercy. And Christmas is proof. God didn’t send his Son to change your behavior; he sent his Son to be your Savior. When we set aside our pride long enough to see that Christmas isn’t about us, that’s when we’re free to see Christ clearly, and see that… he already made Christmas all about us! 

Do you get it? When I make Christmas all about me, I suffer the most, because I am blinded to the reality that God already made Christmas all about me. If not, he would not have sent his Son to save. But he did, which is how you can be certain that Christmas is all about you.

When we know that Christmas is actually all about us – in the right way! – then we can revisit that whole matter of giving. And we can do so by following in the footsteps of humble Elizabeth and Mary. Yes, give. Give glory and praise to God this Christmas! Make Christmas about Christ. Give to God by going to church. Give to God by getting in the Word. Give to God by giving a special Christmas offering. Give to God by taking time over the twelve days of Christmas to consider how to give him more of you in the next year. Give thought to how you can make Mary’s words your own and how you can put those words into practice in your life: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” (v. 46-47). 

A Real Christmas Requires Remembering Why Christ Came

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(1 Thessalonians 3:9-13)

Although it’s unlikely that Paul had just stuffed himself full of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, too many pieces of pie, and then passed out on the couch while the football games were on the TV. Nonetheless, the sentiments of Thanksgiving certainly are in line with what he wrote in this section to the believers in Thessalonica: “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of God because of you?” (v.9).

Paul was feeling gratitude. He was grateful for what God had done and had continued doing in the lives of the believers there. He directed his gratitude, his thanks, to God. He was rightly thanking God for the joy that the Thessalonians had brought into his life. And, as is the case with genuine gratitude, Paul was interested in more than just empty words, but backing that gratitude up with action. That’s why he desired to return among the Thessalonians to continue what had been started: keep feeding their faith by supplying what was still lacking (v.10-11). What Paul wrote after that is essentially a prayer.

In that prayer, Paul expressed his desire that  “the Lord make [their] love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else…” (v.12). It’s as if Paul is providing a flow chart for us to see how the Christian life works. It all starts with God, who then funnels his gifts to us through faith. Then, as we grow in our faith, those gifts – like an increase in love as well as the other blessings that will follow, will all increase, too. Do you want a “Real Christmas” this year? Here’s your recipe! Go back to the basics: God and his gift of faith and growing it, which leads to other spiritual gifts spilling over, like the ones Paul continues to pray for. 

Paul’s prayer continues. “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (v.13). We know the physical dangers of a weak heart. Not only can it cause complications, but even the slightest physical activity with a weak heart can potentially cause serious damage or even be fatal. 

But a weak heart spiritually is even more dangerous. A spiritually weak heart can lead one to drift from God or depend on some other source for strength and sustenance. That will certainly do damage for this life, but the greater concern of having a weak heart is how it potentially will leave us “in the presence of our God and Father” (v.13).

When will we find ourselves in that situation? Paul is looking way beyond the celebration of Christmas to the most monumental event, the Last Day, “when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (v.13). The Gospels in the Bible record Jesus teaching and preaching about this day. Even Paul, in this same letter, speaks of what that day will be like. The Thessalonians believers were someone what confused on the details of that Last Day. It’s worth noting that even that much closer to the life and ministry of Jesus, Paul was already focusing on his return and what its looks like to be ready for that day.

What does being ready for that day look like? It means we “will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God.” The first part of that may grab your attention, as “will be” almost sounds as if that status of being “blameless and holy” is something still to come, something to strive for, something to be attained at some point in the future. 

That view would certainly fit the common ideas people have of good people getting into heaven. It’s based on the idea that good people would do – and keep doing – good things. Then, at the end of the day when their time is up, God would sit down with them for what amounts to a sort of performance review to determine if they’re in or not. So long as they have a strong enough track record, they’ll be fine. It’s no surprise then, that since we all imagine ourselves tending to have a pretty good track record in our own minds, replaying the “best-of’s” and the highlights of our lives, we’re rather confident that we’ve got nothing to fear.

The idea of eventually arriving at being “blameless and holy” might also seem to be supported by Paul’s own words, even in these very verses. After all, a faith that is “lacking,” love that can “increase and overflow,” and hearts that can be “strengthen[ed]” would imply that “holy” hasn’t quite been achieved yet.

So which is it? Are we holy right now, or is holiness a status that is arrived at by putting in the appropriate time and effort? How do we ensure that we’re blameless and holy on that final day?

Both can be true. We can be holy right now, and we can also be becoming holy. Now that doesn’t mean that we’re following in the footsteps of the world that says truth is relative and subjective, and that we can all have our very different truths, even when those contradict each other. There’s a difference between each of our individual constructs of truth as we drum it up in our own respective worlds and what we’d call a paradox in Scripture. Our subjective truths have no backing or support from anything authoritative – they are based purely on our own personal thoughts or feelings. The Bible, however, as the Word of God, is authoritative.

So when the Bible speaks both ways, so do we. And the Bible does. It says that we can grow in our faith. Nearly half of what Paul writes in the New Testament is Paul addressing Christian living and spiritual growth. It lines up with exactly what he is writing in these verses, encouraging growth in our spiritual lives. Moreover, we personally know how necessary it is for us to grow as Christians in all areas of our lives. Yes, we are saints, but on this side of heaven we are saints who still sin and are still a work in progress. We want to grow and mature in our daily responsibilities and vocations, and rightly so!

But the Bible also speaks about our status before God. God calls us holy, and he calls us holy right now, in the present, as we are in this very moment. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

We notice two things in just these two passages – and we could have mentioned many other passages as well. First, there are no “ifs” in these verses. There is no carrot-on-a-stick holiness that is held out to us if we meet certain conditions or criteria. Holiness isn’t conditional.

Second, the tense of the verbs speaks volumes! We “are” holy because we “have been made” holy. There is no “someday down the road if you play your cards right.” There is no “once this happens, then…” There is only who we are because of what happened to make us that way.

So how does it feel? You are holy right now! And it is because God declares you to be holy right now that you also strive to live holy lives right now as you grow in holiness.

Perhaps one of the clearer Bible passages that ties our status as holy before God with our call to continue growing in holiness is found in Colossians 3:12. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience aren’t the prerequisites to achieving holiness; rather, they are how our holiness is expressed as we grow in them and put them on display in our Christian lives. You are holy right now. And you are growing in holiness right now.

But if this holiness isn’t something we arrive at or achieve on our own, then how does it happen?

The answer is Christmas. Holiness left heaven and entered earth to bring holiness with him. If holiness is required to get into heaven, but holiness cannot be achieved outside of heaven, then holiness had to be brought to us. And to be brought to us, God had to come to us, which is exactly what happened at Christmas.

When you assemble enough things over the years, at some point you’ve experienced the frustration of arriving at a dead end. You can’t move forward because something is missing. You retrace all of the previous steps in the directions to make sure you didn’t use the wrong piece in the wrong place, and confirm that each step was properly followed. Just as you are getting ready either to disassemble everything and return it or contact customer service, convinced a piece was missing, in trots one of your children, caught up in some imaginary game, or possibly pretending to “help” you, and you notice they have in their hand the piece you need to finish the assembly. Now that you have that piece, you finish putting everything together.

Jesus is that piece. Only he is much more than a missing piece to our holiness (as if we were somehow almost there and he just needed to come in and supply what was missing)! He isn’t just a missing piece; he is the whole thing! He IS our holiness, through and through. We cannot have holiness apart from him. 

And for him to be able to be our holiness, he had to provide our holiness by entering a holi-less world and bringing it with him. On Christmas, he was born to bring his holiness into a holi-less world. His perfect life in perfect obedience to God’s perfect law resulted in our holiness.

Therefore, dear friends, because of what Jesus came to do in the past, we know that we already have what we need when he comes again in the future on that Last Day. By faith in Jesus, we have holiness. His holiness. Yes, we have all that we need to be “blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (v.13). Christmas can’t get any more real than that!

Live While Watchfully Waiting

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(Mark 13:26-37)

While it may make the productivity proponents among us cringe to hear it, there are areas of life in which complacency or indifference isn’t really the end of the world. Deciding where to eat on date night is not a life or death decision – food will be consumed regardless of where it will be. This or that color of paint on the wall will not result in visitors black-listing your home due to poor color choices. The dirty dishes washed before bed or first thing in the morning are still getting washed. It’s pretty harmless to be indifferent or complacent about these kinds of things. 

But that same approach doesn’t work if you’re planning a trip when there are only so many flights on the date or around the time you need to travel. Complacency may result in pretty significant changes to your travel plans or itinerary. The same attitude about a job opening could easily result in someone else jumping on it and getting hired before you. Indifference toward your retirement plans may find you without any actual plan when the time comes, leaving you working right up until the day you die. So there are also areas in life when being indifferent or complacent can leave you reeling.  

If you’re picking up what Jesus is laying down in these verses from Mark 13, one of the areas of life where indifference is not an option is being ready for Jesus’ return on the Last Day. Yes, some of you have been hearing this type of warning for as long as you can remember, having grown up in the church and being used to the ongoing warnings to make sure you’re ready for the last day when Jesus returns. With each passing year, and then decade, it becomes easier and easier to tune out, because Jesus still hasn’t returned.

Of course, this underscores precisely why Jesus gives the warning! He knows that the more time passes as he is patiently waiting for more of the spiritual lost to come to repentance, the more inclined we are toward indifference. So all the more reason – not less – for us to heed his warning. We do well to listen to his words: “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (v. 37). The time is coming when Jesus will return, so let us live while watchfully waiting.

To highlight the immanence of Jesus’ return, he gives us a botany lesson. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door” (v.28-29). Jesus could well have used any other type of tree or plant to make his point. When you pay attention to the stages of growth, they indicate what is coming next. A sprout that sports leaves is maturing. A fruit tree that buds is going to blossom, and after it blossoms it’s getting ready to bear fruit. We can see what’s coming next by paying attention to what the signs are showing us right now.

So it is with Jesus’ return. Since he has provided numerous signs that would precede his return on the Last Day, and we’ve seen and continue seeing those signs take place, his return is immanent. So what does it look like for us to live while watchfully waiting in the meantime? It involves working wisely. Working wisely includes 1) focusing on what lasts, 2) guarding against what doesn’t, and 3) staying on task. 

Focus on what lasts

Jesus basically covers one and two with a contrasting statement. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (v.31). Did you catch what lasts from Jesus’ words? Do you see what is never a waste of our time to focus on? If Jesus’ words will never pass away, doesn’t it make sense that they would receive much of our attention?

Not only will his words never waste away, but their power will always be present for us to take advantage of. When your sin’s guilt, shame, and embarrassment have had their way with you and you can’t shake them no matter how hard you try to make it right, turn to the words that will never pass away. The prophet Isaiah provides a beautiful example of such words: “But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail” (Isaiah 51:6).

Do those words from Isaiah help you appreciate why one of the best questions you can ask yourself when facing nearly and struggle is, “What has my time with Jesus in his Word been looking like?” If Jesus’ words will never pass away, and his words point us to who we are and what we have in him because of what he has done for us, why would we possibly start anywhere else? Rather than working backwards through a process of elimination after trying everything else that hasn’t worked and then finally turning to the Word, let me provide you with a helpful cheat code: start with the Word! Start with the powerful words that will never pass away. Focus on what lasts.

Guard against what doesn’t

That Word, which will never pass away, is unlike everything else. “Heaven and earth will pass away…” (v.31). Working wisely isn’t just focusing on what lasts, but also guarding against what doesn’t. To do that successfully, we have to be really honest with ourselves about what so easily gets our attention.

Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to do just that. As loved ones gather together and at some point take the time to share what they’re thankful for, take note of how many of the blessings mentioned are physical, temporal blessings that fall under the “will pass away” category. Now, it’s never wrong to be grateful for those things at all! However, when our expressions of gratitude default to what passes away rather than what will never pass away, that may be an indicator of some priorities that need adjusting.

Moreover, if we conclude that an unbalanced and unhealthy focus on what is passing away isn’t really that big a deal, then we have really failed to capture the tone of Jesus’ whole teaching here. For what else does Jesus have in mind by his repetition of warnings like “Be on guard! Be alert” (v.33) and “keep watch” (v.34 & 35) and “do not let him find you sleeping” (v.36) and “Watch!” (v.37)?

Warnings aren’t issued when nothing could go wrong. No one says, “Watch out, your grandkid is coming in for a big hug!” or “Be alert, someone is about to give you a gift!” Warnings are issued when there is potential danger or risk involved. Jesus’ warning is to guard against attachments to and distractions from the “heaven and earth” stuff that is on its way out. So while we’re focusing on what lasts, it’s equally important that we’re guarding against what doesn’t. 

Stay on task

To help us in both of these areas, working wisely also includes staying on task. Jesus compared our watchful waiting to a man leaving his servants in charge while going away for a time. “It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch” (v.34). His absence doesn’t mean an extended break or vacation for his servants; quite the opposite! Instead, they were to take care of things, “each with their assigned task.” You, Christian, have been assigned tasks to tend to until Jesus returns. 

That is to say, the Christian life is not one of spiritual unemployment. When Jesus paid a dear price for you, you were brought into God’s family by his grace. You were hired not for your qualifications, and not because you deserved some amazing compensation package, but by grace. And by grace you were paid salvation and eternity up front. They’ve already been credited to your account. We are saved by grace, not by works

But we are saved for works. As Christians, we are not sluggards. We are not slouches. Just because we don’t run ourselves ragged like much of the world busying itself with chasing after what will pass away doesn’t mean we check out and sit on our thumbs all day. Quite the opposite!

We have every reason to work harder than anyone else who only has this world to live for! Your work matters because you are the lips and the ears of Jesus, you are his hands and feet. You are how he gets his work done in this passing world, so work as hard as you can for him before the owner of the house returns on the Last Day.

Christians often assume the most important work they can do is the work within the church. To be sure, that work matters, too. To have leaders to keep us all moving in the right direction, to manage our finances and pay our bills, to teach in our classrooms, to edify our worship with their musical and creative gifts, to roll out the welcome mats every Sunday, to manage the kitchen and meals, by greeting, by handiwork, through overseeing technology, coordinating events, facilitating Bible studies, etc. Yes, all of this and so much more is essential to the health and growth of any congregation, not just numerically, but more importantly, spiritually. This is all certainly included in the “assigned task(s)” of working wisely. 

Let’s widen our field of view, though. Let’s realize that each of us also has more than our share of assigned tasks to carry out for the kingdom right where we are in our own little station in life. When you clock in at work, you do so as a Christian, so let that be clearly known to others as the light of your faith shines so brightly that it cannot be ignored. As a student, you carry out the assigned task God has given you by studying hard, participating in class, and helping to encourage your classmates and show respect to your teachers whenever possible. As a parent, you have more influence on your child’s spiritual growth than any pastor or teacher ever will have, so carry out your assigned task with intention, highlighting Jesus daily. As a friend, you carry out your assigned task to others by listening patiently, speaking the truth in love, and being deliberate about drawing others – believers and nonbelievers – closer to Jesus. There is no shortage of work to be done ahead of Jesus’ return, so let’s make sure we stay on task.

“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (v.26).

Imagine, for a moment, just how amazing that day will be. Our Savior, arriving once again on the scene, visible for all to see, without question will be the single most spectacular event the world will ever get to witness. And all of that glorious display and all of that fanfare will be… for you.

Knowing all of that is coming, and knowing how supremely superior your eternity will be from that point on, what place does complacency have in our lives? There’s far too much to live for right now as we watchfully wait, so let’s make as much of a difference as we can with the time we have left by working wisely.

Focus on what lasts.

Guard against what doesn’t.

Stay on task. 

The Bread of Life for Eternal Life

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(John 6:35-51)

You are at the drug store looking for something to provide relief and recovery from certain symptoms you’re experiencing. While in the aisle you are scanning everything, sorting through what seems like an endless assortment possibilities. What exactly are you looking for? Something that not only claims to be able to provide the relief you’re looking for, but will effectively do so. You aren’t looking for a placebo. You aren’t looking for something that is cheap and ineffective. How do you know what will work? You read the box, assess the claims it makes, and end up purchasing the one that holds out the most promise to get the job done. 

As we continue giving our attention to Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse, we see a number of very bold claims on the part of Jesus. And his claims are not fuzzy. They do not cause confusion by lacking clarity, nor are they hidden in some mysterious verbiage that requires special enlightenment to understand.

No, just as you’d expect to see on the product in the drug store, Jesus clearly states who he is and what he’s able to do. When you find that, what you need, what not only claims to work, but which actually does, you take hold of it. You don’t keep on looking for something inferior that underpromises. You take what works. Jesus, the Bread of Life, reveals this morning that where nothing else works, he does.

The first part of Jesus’ teaching, which we looked at in the first post in this series, drew our attention to that which doesn’t work. Not only what doesn’t work, but what actually will end up doing more harm than good. Jesus emphasized the importance of not making our lives about food that spoils.

We do well to carry out a routine review in our lives to guard against slipping back into sloppy spiritual habits that find us favoring the pursuit of food that spoils instead of food that sustains and endures: Jesus, the bread of life. When any busyness of life that we have chosen prohibits us from feeding more on the Bread of Life in our own lives, we had better be aware: prioritizing a diet of food that spoils is going to leave us spiritually malnourished and potentially starved. Keep allowing the food that spoils at your own risk!

In this middle portion of Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse, we see the focus shift from avoiding the stuff that spoils to highlighting why we have every reason to purse the food that endures to enteral life. Similarly, parents don’t just warn their children against eating too much junk food; they also make sure they eat their fruits and vegetables and the stuff that’s actually good for them. There is nothing better for us than that which is best for us, Jesus, the Bread of Life.

The more I have reflected on these words of Jesus from John 6, the more I am convinced this might be one of the best places to direct a skeptic of Christianity. Why? Because these words of Jesus provide a great opportunity to simply put Jesus’ words to the test. 

Suppose someone recommended some superfood or nutrition that is going to improve your health and make you feel so much better. If they urged you to try it and you were reluctant, you’d probably look into it a bit more. You might ask some others if they’ve heard of it or know anything about it. You’d undoubtedly Google it to find out more about it. While you can do all of those things, and there is wisdom in doing so, you’ll probably come away with so much information on both sides – for or against the recommendation – that it hasn’t really helped you make a decision. You end up doing what you could have just decided right away: you try it. Assuming there are no dangerous side effects or risks, the worst that could happen is it doesn’t deliver what was promised.

But… what if it does? And what if the benefits of trying it far surpass even your wildest expectations? What if it’s life changing and positively impacts your daily mood and energy in a way that you could never have imagined? Well, you’d never know unless you tried it. 

These words of Jesus serve as an invitation to try him out. Read, study, and reflect on what Jesus is saying in all this talk about bread. Then you can make an informed decision on who this Jesus really is. And, as others have pointed out, there are really three possible conclusions to arrive at about Jesus. He must be an off-his rocker lunatic, a deceiving, fork-tongued liar, or he is the Lord God himself. He cannot be all three; only one.

I believe these words of Jesus to be powerful enough to set himself apart as the Lord God, the Bread of Life. He alone is able to provide what we cannot find anywhere else at all. So let us try him out. Let us, as the psalmist encourages us to do, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Let’s start with Jesus’ bold promise in the first verse of this section. “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’” (v.35). Since this teaching of Jesus came on the heels of his miraculous feeding of the 5,000, it would be natural for the crowds to understand Jesus to be speaking literally, as if referring to his miracle as proof of being able to provide unlimited food and drink.

Even if that were the case, however, the word “never” says more than that. I can personally make a promise to others to do this or that, but I cannot attach a “never” to it, because I won’t always be around to see it through. My days are numbered, so I cannot make promises of “never.” So Jesus’ claim that those who come to him will “never” go hungry or thirsty is on a different level. It sets him apart from your average Joe.

Another straightforward statement of Jesus highlights very directly what is different about him. “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (v.38). Hard to confuse that one, isn’t it? Who would make such a claim as to have come down from heaven??? 

Jesus’ statement is so bold that it might be natural for the modern reader to force some other interpretation of his words of here. However, the response of Jesus’ listeners indicates that they knew exactly what he was claiming, and it didn’t sit well with them. “At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven’” (v.41).

They thought Jesus was crossing a line. Healings and miraculous feedings and all that were one thing, but to have the audacity to claim heaven as one’s hometown? That was too far! So they knew full well exactly what Jesus was claiming. And in their minds, things only got worser from there. 

Their reaction provides insight in how to address the common argument from skeptic’s today who claim that if God existed, all he would need to do was appear and it would be all the proof they’d need. If he just made himself visible then they’d believe. Is that too much to ask?

Well, it isn’t too much to ask, but it’s pretty shallow thinking for a person in denial about God’s existence to contend that he’d suddenly believe if God just showed up. After all, that’s an atheist, an unbeliever, we’re talking about; but those listening to Jesus were Jews who already believed in a God. Not only did they believe there was a God, but they were about as devout as could be when it came to worshipping him! And if those who already believed in a God refused to believe that Jesus could be him, then it would be a far greater stretch for a God-denying atheist to believe so even if God showed up as he insisted.

Back to Jesus’ teaching. Those listening to him began to resent him. They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” (v.42). It just wasn’t adding up for them. They couldn’t fathom how Joseph and Mary’s son could be what he was claiming. They knew the family. They saw little Jesus grow up. They possibly even heard stories of the unique details about the day he was born. Certainly someone who was born didn’t just beam down from heaven! They made up their minds. Jesus was just another local citizen, albeit a wise teacher with the power to perform miracles. But that wasn’t unique – God had often permitted his prophets in the past to do such things. But none of them had ever claimed to come from heaven. So what could be so special about Jesus?

His claims. Jesus’ claims don’t line up with the claims of ordinary men. Multiple times in this teaching he made a claim that no ordinary human being could ever have made. We see one of the most profound in verse 40. “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (v.40).

We cannot miss the three bold claims woven into this statement. Jesus says that the Father’s will is for all to look on and believe in the Son – in Jesus! Remember that the Jewish people were monotheistic – worshipping only one God was a BIG part of their religion It set them apart from so many other religions with multiple gods to worship and please. They believed and worshipped in one God, but now Jesus’ claim was that that one God desired for them to believe in his Son, in Jesus, for eternal life!

He didn’t stop there. He also claimed to be the one to raise up believers on the last day. That kind of ability surpassed that of a doctor; it belonged only to the divine. People don’t rise from the dead alone; only God raises them or gives others the ability to do so!

Finally, we can’t miss the timing. Note that Jesus wasn’t talking about raising the dead yesterday, today, or tomorrow, but on the last day. How could man, whose life is determined by decades, not only raise anyone from the dead, but still be around on the last day to do so?!?

There is no misconstruing or confusing what Jesus is saying here. His words are not convoluted or complex. He is making clear, yet bold claims that are beyond the reach or ability of any human being.

So to the argument which some make that Jesus never claims to be God in the Bible, what other conclusion are we to draw about Jesus’ words here? There is no alternative! Jesus, the Bread of Life, is the ultimate manna from heaven. “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die” (v.47-50).

What a difference! The Israelites ate the bread from heaven, manna, and they died. But Jesus, the true Bread from heaven, died, so that all who eat him may live!

How could all of this be? How could Jesus make such a promise?

Because he had in mind the very sacrifice he was going to offer to make it all possible. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (v.51). Jesus was foreshadowing his crucifixion, where he gave himself up so that the world could have life. The Living Bread willingly died so that the spiritually dead – all people – could live. Only Jesus offers what cannot be found anywhere else: eternal life. 

Do we forget that God originally created us to live eternally? There was no death in his design of things. The word “eternal” only had to be added to describe eternal life after sin and its separation from God changed everything.

So the same way jokes are made asking whether it’s called “Chinese” food if it’s in China or if the French call them “french” fries or just “fries,” there was no need to call it “eternal” life when God first created Adam and Eve, because that’s what life was originally. Sin and eternal death necessitated the distinction between “life” and “eternal life.”

Jesus has reversed that. Jesus restored eternal life, because the sinless One suffered and died and served the sentence for us. Jesus forgave our sins – including every time we sinfully slip into searching for food that spoils again and again.

But with the debt of our sin cancelled, the path to eternal life has been reopened. And it comes only through Jesus, the Bread of Life. Next time, as we close out Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse, we are faced with the question of how we will respond to Jesus’ invitation to feed on him as the Bread of Life. 

Ministry Means Care & Compassion

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(Mark 6:30-34)

“I don’t care.” The meaning attached to those words can vary, depending on the circumstances under which they’re spoken. They are spoken when it comes to avoiding having to make a decision. “There are plenty of options, just choose one, and I’m good with any of them. I don’t care which one.” Those words can also be spoken to convey that a certain issue doesn’t matter to one person as much as it does to another.

Whatever the context, the one place we want to avoid those words is when it comes to ministry, because meaningful ministry means caring; it means having compassion. We see that care and compassion expressed in different ways in the short verses from Mark 6. 

We’ll start with the most obvious way Jesus demonstrated compassion, highlighted by the Gospel writer Mark in how he sets the scene and builds tension that needs to be resolved. Jesus and his disciples had been putting the pedal to the metal, ministry-wise, and they needed some down time. As they stepped out of the limelight briefly to recalibrate, Mark sets up some potential conflict. “But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them” (v.33). Jesus and the disciples needed rest, and the crowds that had tracked them down threatened that. How would Jesus and the disciples respond?

Jesus and the his apostles were in need of food and rest, and they made a deliberate attempt to step away for a bit to find it. But no sooner had they found it then the crowds once again found them! So much for a little R&R! Knowing how irritable we can become when we get hangry, it would have come as no surprise to see the apostles flare up and shoo the crowds away for a bit. Or, even a polite request for some alone time would have been completely understandable.

It should be no surprise to us at that Jesus showed how much he cared. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (v.34). This is ministry. This is what gospel-geared, Savior-like service looks like in action. Meaningful ministry is not driven by convenience, but by compassion.

That means ministry is not limited to normal business hours. Since ministry is serving people and addressing their spiritual needs, those situations may arise at any time. When they do, we don’t shut the door and ask someone to come back during normal business hours. No, we serve as we’re able to, when we’re able to. 

Jesus’ compassionate heart got the better of him. He couldn’t turn them away, for when he looked, he didn’t see a bunch of time-sucking vampires always in need and draining him physically, mentally, and emotionally. Instead, he saw sheep without a shepherd. So, as the Good Shepherd, he sought to give these shepherdless sheep, these aimless wanderers who didn’t know what they didn’t know, the priceless gift of the Scriptures. He taught them timeless truths that would open their eyes to see Jesus as both their Good Shepherd and the perfect Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world. 

How desperately we all need such a compassionate Savior! And not only because we need someone to care so deeply about us, but also because we need someone to care so deeply about others in our place. Even the most tender-hearted and compassionate among us fails to reach the level of perfect concern that Jesus has in his heart for all people. So to see him not only patiently put up with the crowds hunting him down like paparazzi, but to genuinely long to meet their needs – Jesus is out of our league! Jesus is what we are not. His righteousness is demonstrated through his untainted, selfless concern for his neighbor. How essential for our salvation that in Jesus we don’t just have the Savior we need from sin, but also the Substitute who characterized compassion so beautifully for us. 

Oh to view people in need the same way! Instead, we so easily see people as a hindrance to the task at hand. When my plans are put on hold or scrapped altogether because of someone else’s time of need, I don’t look at myself and see the compassion Jesus demonstrates here. Instead, the audible huffing and puffing of reluctance and resentment or the snarky jab that accompanies my begrudging service are much more common. Jesus saw people in need and his heart ached; we see people in need and are annoyed. 

Imagine if Jesus harbored similar sentiments in his heart toward people in need – no way would he ever have made it to the cross! By that point he would have been sick and tired of serving all the needy souls that chased him down! Then, to take it to another level and be tortured and crucified for the same lot of destitute crowds? Not a chance… if it was you or me in that position.

Thankfully, it wasn’t. It was Jesus. Caring Jesus. Compassionate Jesus. Always, at all times. For us, no matter how much in need we may ever find ourselves to be.

And you know exactly what he longs to do with that compassion which he extends to us; he desires to express it through us to others in need. Ministry that is meaningful takes into account what is meaningful to my neighbor in his time of need. It sacrifices my own wants and plans and preferences when care and compassion for others overrides everything else. When compassion calls us to meet physical needs, we do what we can. When those needs are emotional, we support as we’re able. When those needs are spiritual, we jump at the opportunity to point the lost and the hurting to their healing, caring, compassionate Savior.

Jesus didn’t just show care and compassion to the crowds in this account, but also to his coworkers. Remember, it was the needs of his coworkers in ministry that prompted Jesus and the disciples to get away in the first place. Jesus cared about their physical well-being, too. “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place” (v.31-32). While it is absolutely the most rewarding thing we ever get to be a part of, that doesn’t mean ministry is easy. It isn’t, always. It can be exhausting. It can be draining. It can include long days. So we need to be aware of that for each other, as most of us here aren’t full or even part-time paid coworkers, but volunteers. 

There is of course the personal ministry that we carry out in our daily lives, but there is also the congregational ministry that goes on. We want to be sensitive to that for each other, so that we don’t discourage taking care of one’s self or including margin in our schedules. And when you do serve in some capacity, you must always know that it’s good and wise to say no, too, when necessary. Even when it comes to ministry, God has created our bodies and souls to need breaks, to need rest, to need restoration. Let’s make sure we’re giving that to each other, especially because sometimes, as we see this in this account from Mark, that rest can be rather short-lived!

We actually see the final example of care and compassion first in Mark’s introductory description of this account. Those sent by Jesus to carry out meaningful ministry were now reporting on that ministry, and Jesus cared enough to listen. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught” (v.30).

There are really two takeaways here: first, when we carry out meaningful ministry, a trust has been given to us. Since God calls us to carry out this work faithfully, we are responsible for holding ourselves accountable to others. Most often that takes the form of some sort of reporting, either formally or informally. If you belong to a church that has called a pastor to serve you with the gospel, you have every right to hold him accountable in carrying out that ministry. Just as the apostles did to Jesus, so also pastors report all that they are doing and have done in ministry.

You, too, are accountable for participating in this ministry as well. That is, after all, one of the most significant reasons we join a church – to use our gifts to participate in ministry.

Church membership isn’t like a trip to Costco, where I am solely a consumer filling my cart with more things than I need. You aren’t responsible for stocking the shelves at Costco. You don’t check out customers or scan their receipts. At Costco you are simply a customer.

But church is not Costco! At church you are a customer and a coworker. So when you take up a task, when you are involved in ministry, a part of that means caring enough to be held accountable to do what you said you were going to do.

That’s the first takeaway – reporting and accountability.

The second is simply that Jesus listened. They were reporting to Jesus what they had done. Now when you picture this taking place, do you imagine Jesus being the hardline boss, waiting to jump down the throat of us his employees? Probably not. More likely, he listened and offered encouraging feedback and direction to use the opportunity as a teachable moment to equip them for future ministry. 

We can do the same! When we are willing to serve in some official capacity as we carry out our ministry together, this is no small thing to which we have agreed! We are agreeing to give our best for the best, and rather than holding to the “they should be grateful I’m serving” attitude, we want to be eager to provide updates and progress. And on the other side, we want to eagerly hear such reports, so that we might encourage and uplift each other in service, and offer assistance or guidance whenever it’s needed.

Those serving care enough to hold themselves accountable, and those to whom they report care enough to listen and provide support. While it’s not the big picture idea from these verses, it is one more way that meaningful ministry involves caring for each other.

Meeting the needs of others is not the occasional good deed that we’re willing to do when we put “real” ministry on pause; meeting the needs of others is the ministry, the gospel-geared, Savior-like service to which we’re called. It isn’t an inconvenience; it’s our calling. It isn’t a hindrance to getting ministry done; it is how ministry is done as we serve to open doors through compassion that ultimately permit us to point others to their compassionate Christ. 

Is now a good time to consider how your congregation might extend the reach of care and compassion to more in the community? Could care and compassion be a calling card of your congregation? Could you offer grief support or a resiliency ministry for those struggling with addictions? Could you partner with other community organizations already involved in such things to enhance what is already being done?

We don’t have to look very far to see outlets for care and compassion. Could we put Jesus’ care and compassion into practice by meeting more of those needs? Meaningful Ministry is service that is willing to ask those questions and to provide answers as the Lord enables us to. May the Lord grant us such willing spirits.

Hold Firmly

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(Titus 1:5-9)

Last week, at the start of this Meaningful Ministry (aka, gospel-geared, Savior-like service) series, we began with the reminder that our efforts will not always be appreciated by everyone. In fact, we can expect our efforts to be opposed, sometimes with even great effort. Nevertheless, we carry on with ministry because it’s what God calls us to do. 

Now we find the confidence we need in remembering whose authority backs our ministry, and where we find that authority. As one pastor writing to another, Paul reminded Titus that “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (v.9). Therefore, as we continue to consider what meaningful ministry looks like, we must cling to the truth that meaningful ministry is that which holds firmly to the trustworthy message. Meaningful ministry holds firmly to the Word.

If I may say so, although the title of this post is “Hold Firmly,” some of you are, quite frankly, holding rather loosely to the Word of God. That might hurt a little bit to hear, but if so, thank God that his Word – specifically the law – is doing what it is supposed to do. We might be inclined to push back against such a statement (because after all, what about all the others who are not reading this or who don’t regularly attend church?!?), and to do so wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. But those Christians not reading or listening to sermons aren’t alone in their loose grasp on the Word of God – there are plenty more right there with them who have a rather soft grip on the Word. 

That can happen if Sunday morning worship or reading the occasional sermon online is about as engaged as one ever gets in ministry. If there is one thing that believer and unbeliever alike know about Christianity and Sunday mornings, it’s that Sunday mornings are for worship. While the unbeliever obviously doesn’t see any need to be there, the danger for the believer is to see worship as the bare minimum in his affiliation with the church. Yes, one of the greatest blessings God has given to his church as it carries out meaningful ministry is the blessing of worship; but even that blessing can become a bottleneck to anyone who severely shortchanges ministry by defining it as nothing more than going to church. Such a view is a soft grip on the Word. 

Imagine an actor just showing up for the performance. No study of the storyline or character. No rehearsing lines or any thought on how they might be delivered. Or an athlete just showing up for the games. No practice. No drills. No preparation or game-tape on the other team. Very few could pull either off, and to do so with such little effort beforehand not only reflects poorly on the craft, but also fails to set a high standard or raise the bar in that field.

Why would Christians settle for mediocrity in our ministry, settling for less than our best in carrying out Christ’s calling? Why would some idea of minimal means of grace involvement ever be satisfactory? No, we want to practice like we play. Prepare. Be in the Word. Deeply.

There is great reason to hold firmly to this Word of God. We do so because through it God sends us and serves us. Meaningful ministry is our lot, not because we wisely figured out on our own that Jesus might be good for people to know about, but because Jesus sends us, just as he sent his disciples. They went out with his backing, with his authority. And they went out not because they were qualified in and of themselves, but because they were called. He was the one sending them.

He is the one sending you. Not because you are qualified in and of yourself, but because you were called. You carry out ministry with his backing, with his authority. That started when he made you what you are today, when he gave you your most precious status and title: his. You belong to him. You are his. He made you his when he paid with his life and then gifted you with the faith to believe it. 

I most commonly close my emails with that very signature, “His.” It reminds me of the title that carries more weight than any other ever could. My worth and my value and my significance and my purpose are all wrapped up in the One to whom I belong. In a very real way, one of the simplest little hymns many of us ever learned to sing as children still holds dear in our hearts: “I am Jesus’ little lamb, ever glad at heart I am.” I have different titles. I have various responsibilities and roles. Like an umbrella over them all at all times is the precious truth that I am his – and I always will be. 

And he, dear friends, is the One who sends us. When we forget that bond, that relationship, and all that God did to establish it, ministry is less meaningful. That is when it becomes a job, nothing more than a series of tasks, as if the boss just gave you a list of things he needs you to get done. To lose that bond, that connection with our Savior, and allow it to fray, easily turns ministry into misery. I think you’d agree that Miserable Ministry would be a significantly different sermon series. So remember why we hold firmly to this Word: it is a constant reminder of the One who sends us.

It is also the way he has chosen to serve us. This might be the most significant hurdle that keeps many Christians away from more meaningful service: a willingness to continue to be served by God through holding firmly to the Word. Remember, ministry is gospel-geared, Savior-like service. Another reminder: you are incapable of carrying that out on your own. It must be worked into you through the Word. So there is no, “Jesus did this for me, and now I’d like to graduate beyond that and get busy with all of the work of his kingdom.” No, there is only, “Jesus did this for me, and now he will do this through me.”

So we do not busy ourselves with church work while avoiding church Word & worship. They are inseparable. Service is prompted by being served, and if I don’t have the humility to continue being served a steady diet of Word and Sacrament, then my service will be short-lived and running on fumes in no time. It will become about me. It will become a burden. It will burn me out. It will turn me against other Christians as I begin to resent them for not doing what I’m doing. When I am at that point, I fail to notice how much I have come to resemble Martha, begrudging the others who are too preoccupied with the Word in worship and Bible study to actually do the work to which we’ve been sent.

At that moment we are reminded of why it’s so essential to hold firmly to the Word: my jaded heart daily needs its forgiveness and renewal. In the Word alone do I find what my heart longs for: grace for my misguided ministry that somehow turned what is God’s around and made it all about me. That joy of salvation renews me, taking my me-minded ministry and making it captive to Christ. His sacrifice and salvation for me prompts my sacrificial service to others for the sake of that same salvation. It makes ministry meaningful again.

When I hold firmly to the Word of God at work in all of this, I see that same Word of God at work in me. 

In these verses, Paul laid out quite the list of qualifications for ministry to Titus. While this standard of expectations certainly applies to all Christians, there is an especially important reason Paul emphasizes it for a pastor: because the pastor is understandably associated most directly with God and his authority. As one called by Christians to serve them with the gospel in Word and Sacrament, he is God’s representative. But just as surely as all of these qualifications apply to all Christians, so does the call to hold firmly to the Word of God apply to all Christians. 

In fact, without this final point in this section of Paul’s words to Titus, what precedes is purposeless. Why? Because apart from the Word at work in us, there’s no innate desire to embody the qualifications Paul lists, nor is there any ability to carry them out.

Take note of how Paul refers to the usage of teaching and doctrine, which as often as not seems to get a pretty bad rap – even within the church these days. Many view doctrine as divisive (despite the reality that it is actually what unites). Many view doctrine as a hindrance to Christian living (despite the reality that Christian living flows from it).

But see how Paul touches on it! He uses the word “encourage.” To remain faithful to the Bible’s teachings, to hold the view that doctrine is so very important and matters greatly – this is encouraging. What is discouraging is to see it downplayed, to hear the point of view that only the Jesus and salvation stuff really matters, and we can politely agree to disagree on all the other stuff. The problem with that view is that all of the “other stuff” flows from the Jesus and salvation stuff; it isn’t some add-on or take-it-or-leave-it a la carte menu. It all ties to Jesus, and for that reason, it is encouraging, as Paul maintained. 

So hold firmly to that Word of God – all of it. Our Meaningful Ministry will be blessed as we do so. For it is through the Word of God that he sends us and serves us. And as he does, he will serve us and equip us with everything that we need to carry out faithful, meaningful ministry.

Defying Death Is Not Death-Defying

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(Mark 5:21-24a, 35-43)

Have you noticed the shift in the way we discuss death and prepare for it as a society? A friend recently shared an article from a rabbi regarding death. The article had some good insights in preparing for death that would be very beneficial for anyone to consider. He presented a number of thought-provoking questions that could probably help anyone struggling with the reality of death. The general approach he took in his article was to emphasize the importance of making sure you’re living the life you want to live right now that lines up with your priorities.

Ironically, what his article on death did not address, is what actually happens to us when we die. More and more, this seems to be the trend regarding death and end-of-life issues – we avoid the death part. Certain practices that are becoming more prevalent, like holding “Celebration of Life” events in place of funerals or memorial services, or even a living funeral that allows the person to participate in their own funeral before they die, reflect this avoidance of death. Our aversion to discussing death isn’t necessarily a surprise, as it likely comes from either a fear of what that might be, or the uncertainty that prompts us to keep our collective heads in the sand and avoid the topic altogether.

But if there is anyone in our society who should have no problem taking the lead in discussing this topic that applies to everyone, it should be Christians. Death does not need to be a taboo topic for those of us who by faith cling to the One who undid death and its terrifying threats. Death is different for the children of God than it is for the children of this world. Jesus reminds us why in this section of Mark’s Gospel, and as the current series (“A Top-Down Faith”) concludes, we thank God for the top-down faith that allows us to see death differently – not as the world does, but as it really is.

The man named Jairus would never view death the same. We don’t know much about Jairus outside of this account. His position as synagogue leader would have been similar to someone serving on a church council or even as the church president. He was responsible for overseeing and managing the synagogue. When his daughter became sick, Mark details for us how he approached Jesus. “Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live’” (v.22-23).

The disciples in the boat last week could have taken a page from the synagogue leader’s request in how to appropriately approach Jesus! We see in Jairus two things that are noteworthy. One, he demonstrates a confident trust that Jesus was able to heal his daughter, and two, the manner by which he asks displays an endearing measure of humility. Unlike the disciples, Jairus didn’t arrogantly conclude in the midst of his own personal storm regarding his daughter’s terminal illness that Jesus must not have cared. Instead, he humbly expressed his confidence in Jesus by politely asking him to heal her.

Jesus obliged. He then accompanied Jairus to his home. However, tragedy struck while they were on their way. Before they had arrived, they were met with the devastating news that it appeared to be too late. His daughter had already died. The messengers reasoned that there was no point in having Jesus continue on to the house anymore since she was already dead.

But Jesus had other plans. “Overhearing what they said, Jesus told [Jairus], ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe’” (v.36). When you have a miracle of this magnitude where a dead person is raised to life, it isn’t surprising for that kind of a thing to generally grab all the attention in the narrative. But we would miss out on so much if we neglected to delve more into the details of Jesus’ response to Jairus!

“Don’t be afraid.” Fear surrounding death comes in all shapes and sizes. There is a fear of the unknown surrounding death. While the Bible makes it clear what happens when believers die, it doesn’t walk us through the actual experience of dying itself, nor do we always know how we’re going to die. There is also a fear of the unknown regarding the remaining family members after a death. How will they handle it? How will they be cared for? How will they get through x/y/z without this person? And to all of these fears, the unbeliever can add another: the fear of uncertainty in not knowing where he is going, or even the intuitive awareness that her life has not measured up, and she will have to face the consequences. 

Of those fears just mentioned, only the last one is justified, for if nothing changes for the unbeliever, there is no more legitimate fear than that of suffering in hell for eternity! To the other fears, though, just as Jesus said to Jairus, so he says to us: “Don’t be afraid.”

Let your anxious fears be drowned in those words. Do not insist on following them with a “but…” or a “how…” or any other uncertainties for which we might be inclined to seek out an answer. Just take Jesus’ words to heart.

He didn’t explain to Jairus why he didn’t need to be afraid. He didn’t lay out his plans for raising his daughter so that it made sense to Jairus why he didn’t need to be afraid. He just eased his aching heart with the assurance that he had nothing to fear. In fact, instead of being afraid, Jesus encouraged Jairus to replace that fear with something else: faith.

“Just believe,” Jesus said. It’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s also the hardest thing in the world.

On the one hand, since the work of conversion, of coming to faith in Jesus, is entirely and completely the work of the Holy Spirit through and through, it couldn’t be easier! He did that work in us. We have no claim to make or any role to play in coming to faith. It is all God’s work, not ours. We did nothing – that’s easy!

However, having been brought to faith in Jesus and now being aware of all of the gracious promises he gives us in his Word, it becomes more difficult to “just believe.” That’s because we start to see how often our own thoughts and experiences in life seem to test our trust in those promises. It is easy to say I believe in Jesus; it is hard to live in his promises by faith. It’s hard not to demand knowing the answer when we’re at a crossroad in life. It’s hard not to insist on being in control of challenging situations. It’s hard when things don’t work out the way I want them to or think they should. Regardless of whatever the circumstances may be, to look to and lean on every word and promise of God – this is a hard thing! 

But it gets easier the more we do it. Rather than trying to understand why it’s reasonable or makes sense in this or that scenario to believe, just believe. Just listen to Jesus. It doesn’t have to make sense first. I don’t have to see the clear, logical path first. I don’t have to have the answer or solution first. No, first, believe. Then, faith will see what happens next. For example, a dead daughter being raised back to life.

Notice that Jesus didn’t raise Jairus’ daughter because Jairus understood it or could explain to the crowds what Jesus was about to do. No, Jesus raised her because… Jesus raised her. Because he could. Because he cared. Because there are no limitations to what God can do. He is capable of doing anything at any time. Just believe.

Some didn’t. Some didn’t believe. In fact, not only did they not believe Jesus, they took it a step further and ridiculed him with laughter. “When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.’ But they laughed at him” (very.38-40). They did not, as Jesus had encouraged Jairus, “just believe.” And for their lack of faith, they weren’t allowed to witness the miracle first hand. Jesus dismissed them and cleared out the home.

But Jairus, who had already displayed the confidence that Jesus could powerfully intervene on behalf of his daughter, saw his faith rewarded, and along with him his wife, who likely shared his trust in Jesus. Together with the three disciples of Jesus’ inner circle, they all witnessed the impermanence of death when Jesus is involved. “He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished” (v.41-42). Jesus didn’t disappoint. 

Neither does our faith in Jesus. 

A faith in Jesus that fully trusts what he is capable of doing does not have to insist that he do it. What I mean is this. Sometimes people – even Christians – make the measure of their faith conditional. Their faith is dependent upon whether or not God acts on their behalf in accordance with their desired outcome in any situation. If he doesn’t, their faith diminishes. But that sort of a faith doesn’t really have much of a foundation.

Rather, a faith that fully believes that God can do something, but also remains intact – strong even – in the times when God chooses not to act in accordance with our desires or wishes – now that is faith! To believe that God can heal my loved one dying of this or injured by that, but nonetheless embracing the outcome by faith even if he doesn’t – this is the faith we’re after! Because it is a faith that really sees death as it is: temporary. A nap. Nothing more than restful sleep.

Doesn’t it stand out how casually Jesus treats death in this account? There was no special potion or concoction that needed to be crafted, no ritual or rite that needed to take place. There were no steps to carry out beforehand for it all to work out. Jesus simply told a little girl to wake up from her nap. That is what death is to Jesus! What do we, who are in Jesus, have to fear?!?

So let us apply this to our own death, and to the deaths of those we love who are in Christ. When facing what appears to be imminent death, is God able to intervene and hold off death? Absolutely. We know he is. But will he choose to do so just because he can? Not always, for he personally knows two things that we can’t fully grasp.

One, he knows how much more incredible it is for the believer to cross the finish line home into heaven. What a great reminder for us to shift away from speaking of those who have died as being “taken from this world.” Death is not being taken from this world; rather, it is being brought into the presence of Jesus!

Two, Jesus fully knows that death is a short-lived sleep from which all physical bodies of believers will be raised. We will be glorified to live eternally in the new heaven and earth that is coming. And it will be one without cemeteries.

Therefore, we can face death fearlessly. Having been washed in the waters of our baptism, having been fed a steady diet of Word and Sacrament, having heard the absolving words of Jesus from the pages of Scripture and from the lips of fellow believers, “you are forgiven,” death is nothing more than a peaceful sleep, a restful nap, that does more than just open a window into pleasant dreams, but ushers us into the perfect reality of home in heaven. 

The raising of Jairus’ daughter was not the headliner – just the opening act. The real performance was Jesus’ own death and resurrection! Because of that, death and fear do not go hand-in-hand for the believer.

Here is a reminder from Hebrews to cement this truth in your hearts. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15). In Christ, God took on a body so that the power of death could be broken and that we would be freed from death and freed from being enslaved by the fear of death.

Defying death is not death-defying. There is no danger or risk in dealing confidently with death. You know and believe in the One who undid death. So be unafraid to discuss death with others, and alleviate their fears by pointing them to Jesus, who defied death for us.

Real Rest Is God-Given

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(Mark 2:23-3:6)

Are you well-rested? Typically when that question is asked of us, we take it to refer to whether or not we got a good night’s sleep. Certainly that matters when we gather in God’s house for worship. Running on a few hours of sleep or a restless night of tossing and turning presents a very real challenge to remaining alert and fully engaged.

While there is a place for speaking about the importance and benefits of sleep for our bodies, we gather for worship in search of a different type of rest. So I ask again: are you well-rested – spiritually?

We aren’t bound to the Old Testament mandate that worship had to take place on Saturday, which was known as the Sabbath. However, is there perhaps something lost in our not associating that biblical term more frequently with our Sunday morning worship? Its meaning is a good reminder of why we gather, for the word Sabbath means “rest.” That is why we gather worship with God’s people around Word and sacrament – so that God might provide rest every week for sinners stumbling into his house, saddled with a surplus of sins from yet another week. In worship, we find spiritual rest for our souls.

But is it just spiritual rest that God offers us? Are physical and spiritual rest as unrelated as we might think? Consider Jesus, Peter, and Paul in the New Testament. They worked tirelessly for the gospel, so often willing even to put their lives on the line and to stretch themselves physically beyond what the average person is capable of. Do you suppose that was because they had three nutrition-packed meals a day, exercised regularly, and got a full night’s sleep each night? We acknowledge those things are all important, but it isn’t likely an accurate description of their typical day! And yet they had energy and zeal to carry out the work given to them. Why was that?

Might it be that they knew the source of real rest? They had the spiritual rest that flows from the good news of the gospel, the absolute forgiveness and freedom they had through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Could that kind of rest have the benefit of providing what is needed to not only function, but to thrive – even when physical rest is lacking and the body might otherwise feel depleted? Could it be that the benefits of the rest God gives go well beyond the realm of the spiritual and extend into the physical as well? After all, Jesus does invite us to, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33). Is it too limited a point of view to presume that his promise referred only to tangible blessings like possessions, or could that promise be stretched to include even the physical rest our bodies need? Maybe that point merits further discussion for another time.

Nonetheless, because spiritually we are like the stubborn toddler refusing to go down for nap time even though he’s exhausted, we always need reminders of why spiritual rest is so important and where we are to go to find it.

Sadly, we have an example of where not to seek out that rest in Mark 2. Rest is not found in a rigid adherence or disciplined obedience to the law. Rest is not earned, as the Pharisees thought of it was. Their upbringing and understanding was that rest was waiting on the other side of righteous living. 

They could not have been more wrong. To approach the law as if it could possibly serve that purpose is to grossly misunderstand the law.

Have you ever played the game of Operation? The goal is to remove all of the bones/ailments without allowing your tweezers to touch the metal rim surrounding each area of “surgery.” Otherwise, the electric buzzer sounds the alarm of failure, which only startles and stresses you out all the more. Yet as stressful as that game may be, at least someone can win it. It has an end.

But there is no end, no way to win when it comes to keeping the law, because it’s a never-ending thing. All day, everyday, the buzzer sound of God’s law is constantly going off, signaling yet another failure on our part, and with no end in sight. What a far cry from rest that is! 

And so instead, to fabricate their own little “wins,” the Pharisees would do primarily two things: 1) add extra laws that they could keep on occasion to boost their ego and confidence, or 2) draw attention to how miserably others failed to keep the law by comparison. How easily they deceived themselves! They believed that either course of action was somehow providing the ever-elusive rest they sought in the law. In reality, all either one of those options ever achieved was to distract and deceive them from a real awareness of their own epic failure at keeping the law. That’s because the law can’t achieve what they wanted it to. It cannot offer peace. It will never bring rest. It only accuses, condemns, and kills.

Jesus clearly demonstrated this for them one day in the synagogue. Appealing to their deep affinity for the law, while also showing them how far off they were from understanding it, he introduced his miracle by calling their understanding of the law into question. “Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’” (v.4). He plainly asked the experts of the law what their understanding of it was, and their response spoke volumes: “But they remained silent.”

The law is summed up in one simple four-letter word: love. And yet, they refused to grasp what Jesus was saying because their own loveless hearts were so attracted to their twisted misunderstanding of the law that it blinded them to the neighbor in need right in front of them. Not only that, but their understanding of the law was so corrupted that they couldn’t even rejoice in the merciful miracle of healing that Jesus had carried out; instead, they went out and plotted how they might murder the loving Healer!

The law can never provide us with rest, because that is simply not a path it provides. The law’s path provides just one purpose: to show us how loveless we are. Do you understand that?

That is why you will be disappointed when using the law as a metric for anything other than judgment within the Christian faith. Judgment is all the law can bring. So if we seek rest through the law, we either end up like the Pharisees, choosing from those two options of either creating extra laws or focusing in the inability of others to keep the law. The greatest danger of either option is that we end up driven away from Christ and Christianity altogether. That is because rather than ending up at the cross, where God desires his law to lead us, the one who rejects the cross in favor of remaining on the path of the law will always and only end up at a spiritual dead-end.

This happens gradually. It happens subtly. It happens when more and more, we put the acknowledgment of our own sin on autopilot, as if confession is merely a prerequisite for focusing our attention on the real problem: how bad everyone else is. While we sin, others sin in worse ways AND they don’t even admit their sin like we do!

In this way, instead of the awareness of our own sin leading us to deep sorrow and contrition, we actually pridefully spin our awareness of our sin as proof that we’re on a level above other sinners who not only do worse stuff than we do, but they’re so bad that they don’t even acknowledge it!

While we might deceive ourselves into thinking that short-term satisfaction is a rest that comes from repentance, it isn’t at all. Instead, it’s the temporary high of a puffed-up pride that wants to cling to the false rest of being a higher-class sinner than other low-life sinners. Eventually, though, it all comes crashing down. Eventually we are set straight by the realization that the very thing that we looked to for temporary relief from sin – zeroing in on other worse sinners, is not relief at all! On the contrary – it is actually more condemnation and guilt! Because now we must heap yet another sin onto the existing pile of our own sins: the sin of pride, for thinking ourselves to be superior to other sinners! Mark my words: there is no rest in the law!

Jesus set us straight with two truths from his profound words in verses 27 & 28. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” First, the Sabbath was not given to man as another religious ritual that was required, but rather as rest to be received. It was not another item on some perceived to-do list that God required as a prerequisite to rest. No, it wasn’t “do this, then rest,” but rather, “ rest, for all is done for you.” 

But who could make such a claim? Only the One who is “Lord even of the Sabbath.” What does it mean to attach the title of “Lord” to some activity or achievement? It means that the one named is the owner, the supreme, the authority, the master of that thing. The “lord” of anything means he’s over it and oversees it.

So if Jesus is Lord – master – even of Sabbath rest, then where else would anyone turn for rest? Where else, other than to the One who is over it, who owns it, who determines how to dispense it? If Jesus is the master of rest, then, dear friends, go to him alone for it!

Rest in the waters of your baptism, water that was poured over your pride and washed away the heavy burden of your sin! Hear the words of the Invocation at the beginning of worship and let them take you back to the baptismal font. There the Triune God placed his name on you, and when he did, he purified you from all sin and made you his family member. Rest easy in your identity as a baptized child of God, a reality and a status that cannot ever be stripped from you.

Rest in the words of the absolution that fall upon sinners’ ears to set the tone for our worship every Sunday! Don’t just mindlessly mumble the opening confession of sins each Sunday like a bunch of brain-dead zombies. Prepare for worship beforehand each Sunday by reflecting on the past week and all of the things your sin damaged or destroyed and all of the ways your sin sabotaged the good blessings that God would otherwise have worked through you in the lives of others. Think on those sins and as you do so more and more and their weight grows heavier and heavier, bring them with you to God’s house and leave them their in confession. Then, rest, as through the lips of your pastor and your brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus himself speaks the assurance of your forgiveness in the words of absolution.

Rest in his body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine in the Supper, for there he provides food that feeds and strengthens weary souls! The forgiveness that has touched our ears and hearts already in worship then also touches our lips, that we might taste the reality of our forgiveness, even as we remember the very sacrifice that was made to offer it. With this sacred meal he feeds us forgiveness and rest follows. Just as dinner on Thanksgiving Day begs to be followed by even a brief rest, so this sacred Dinner of Thanksgiving in Holy Communion is followed by the spiritual rest which flows from it.

Dear friends, are you well-rested spiritually? You are when you run to the Lord of the Sabbath, the master of rest, for what we are so eager to receive, and he is so eager to give.

Not Alone

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(John 15:26-27; 16:4b-11)

They might be among some of the most damaging and destructive words we can hear. They have the power to turn someone’s world upside down.

“I’m leaving.”

Those words might be spoken by the coach or a player to his college or professional team, informing them that he has signed or taken an offer from another team. These could be the words coming from a long-time business partner who wants out or desires to pursue new ventures. And of course, perhaps among the most dreaded, these words might be the bombshell one spouse drops on the other.

So we try to understand the impact Jesus’ words had on his disciples when he informed them that he was leaving. Through the ups and downs of their three-year training during Jesus’ ministry, he had always been there. Even their slow-to-get-it faith at times wasn’t enough to lead Jesus to throw up his hands in frustration and be done with them. Even after he had rebuked them he had always reassured them in their continued commitment to ministry together. Nothing was ever so extreme that Jesus felt compelled to “clean house” and bring in an entirely new crew of disciples to turn things around. They all were with him from the beginning, and he had remained with them.

But soon that would change. Jesus informed his disciples, “Now I am going to him who sent me” (v.5a). He had come from the Father and was now going to be returning to the Father. On Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ arrival as the Savior born in Bethlehem. On Ascension, Jesus departed and carried out these words by returning to his Father in heaven. He would no longer be physically present in person to mentor and equip his disciples for ministry as he had been for the past three years. 

Nevertheless, Jesus also assured his disciples that his departure would bring blessing. “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away” (v.7a). That actually might be the more surprising element of Jesus’ words; not just that he was leaving, but that it would be for their good!

Yet, think of certain scenarios involving the relationship between children and parents. We can see how quickly a situation that looks to be like an undesirable case of departure can turn into something positive and exciting. Parents leave… to pick up grandma from the airport, or to bring home pizza for dinner. dinner. They aren’t leaving for good; they’re just leaving for something good, which will make the return even better! 

So it is with Jesus. He wasn’t leaving for good; he was leaving for something good, and that will ultimately make his return on the last day even better! Why? Because in the meantime he has sent the Holy Spirit to carry out his work.

And what does this gift, the Holy Spirit, do? He keeps our attention where it needs to be, on Jesus, our greatest gift. The disciples weren’t alone – Jesus gifted them his Holy Spirit to assure them of it. We need the same assurance that we aren’t alone. And in the Holy Spirit we have it!

It isn’t just cases of desertion or abandonment; isolation in general is leaving us reeling as a society. We have more ways than ever to connect with other people, yet we remain as disconnected as ever. We have fewer friends than we have in the past. We socialize and spend less time together with them than we have in the past. Sure, there are many contributing factors, and there’s plenty of room for healthy debate about why we’re seeing this trend, but there is little disagreement about the conclusion: it is negatively affecting us. We were not created nor are we wired to be alone or isolated.  

When God created Adam, his creation was good – flawless, perfect, lacking nothing in terms of how God had created him. Yet for Adam to function optimally, God gave him a companion – another human being. Even in our pet-loving society, God didn’t intend for animals to replace the role of human interaction that would enable Adam to thrive. So God gave Eve, his absolute best companion to Adam, to bring his creation to completion.

Even though Adam’s relationship with God was in perfect harmony, not marred in any way by sin, God went a blessed step further, guarding Adam from loneliness and isolation by giving him another human being. And even though our sinful self-centeredness after the Fall forever changed our relationships and how we interact with other people, we still need each other. In fact, one might contend that loneliness and isolation are even more dangerous threats because of the Fall. 

So today we find needed assurance in the Pentecost promise that we are not alone. Single? You aren’t alone. Empty nesters? You aren’t alone. Battling cancer by yourself? You aren’t alone. Surrounded by people but still feeling as lonely as ever? You aren’t alone. New job? New school next year? Not alone. You aren’t alone. 

Hear Jesus’ promise to you again: “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me” (v.26). What is Jesus promising the Holy Spirit will do? “Testify about me,” he said! Jesus wasn’t going to become an afterthought at all! Quite the opposite – he was going to be receiving even more attention.

Recall how many times Jesus followed up a miracle by telling those healed not to tell anyone about it. Well that time had passed! Now that Jesus was promising to send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit’s whole work is to make Jesus and his salvation known to everyone. The Spirit’s message was that in Jesus, we have a Savior for life, a Savior for eternal life, a Savior who will never leave us. The Spirit and the Savior are on the same team, comforting us with that simple promise: you aren’t alone.

Even the title applied to the HS – Advocate – indicates as much. Think of what it means to have an advocate, to have someone speak up for you is to have someone for you, and someone can’t be for you if they’re not with you, if they don’t know you. That’s what we have in the HS. What is the greatest way the HS can speak up for us as our advocate? By pointing us to Jesus! By reminding us we’re not alone. That is what he does in his Word. That is what he does in baptism. That is what he does in Communion. 

And this assurance doesn’t just apply to us when others have left or deserted us; it also applies when we’re the reason for our loneliness or isolation. It could be as simple as withdrawing and making no effort on our end to engage or connect with others, slowly turning sour because “no one ever cares enough about me to reach out and check on me.” Or, when others do reach out to connect, we’re always too busy or have other priorities.

Sometimes it’s worse than that. It’s our words or actions, our habitual behavior, our sin, that drives others away, leaving us isolated. Then, rather than make the effort toward reconciliation that would require our repentance, we keep to ourselves, ruminating on the situation that caused all of it. We allow it to linger and fester, and we spin the narrative in our own heads. This leads us to end up justifying our behavior and refuse to pursue peace and reconciliation because we dig in our heels waiting for the other person to initiate it. And we wonder why we’re isolated or lonely when we’ve manage to plug our noses to the stench of our own sin! 

And on top of all of that there is the guilt, the guilt we have from our own neglect of our relationships. Of course relationships with others matter, but we can only maintain so many of them. So when we don’t keep in touch with others and feel like a crummy friend, guilt settles in. When we don’t call our Mother’s on Mother’s Day, and we feel like horrible children. We can’t seem to follow through with that “let’s get together” that’s been going on for months or even years with someone else.

So on top of the isolation we feel, often self-imposed, our own actions have heaped a pile of guilt on us as we languish in our loneliness! But see what the Spirit reminds us of; see what he came to do and how he points us to the solution. “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness,  because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned” (v.8-11).

Sin doesn’t smother those who believe in Jesus, because in him it is washed away. In its place he grants us his righteousness. Judgment doesn’t crush us when we’re in Jesus, because look who stands condemned – it is not your name that Jesus inserts there, but the prince of this world, Satan. See how the Holy Spirit reminds us of the victory we have in Jesus! We aren’t cut off from him, even for cutting off others with our sin. It is forgiven and paid for in Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will never tire of testifying that truth.  

And just as the Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would testify about him, so too, do we. “And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning” (v.27). Yes, we testify to others by imitating the Holy Spirit and directing the attention to Jesus – through our words, of course. But often times, for our words to hit ears willing to listen, they must be preceded by action. 

Through our actions, we become the antidote to isolation and loneliness. We don’t need pills, we need people. We need each other. When we see that we understand the joy John expressed in his letters in seeing God’s people walk together in Christian lives filled with love and truth. Event planning brings together like-minded moms who not only maximize their efforts to organize a fantastic event, but keep loneliness at bay by connecting together in the process. Individuals separated by states connect online on a weekly basis to check in and dig in to the Word. The weakened body of a live alone cancer patient requires a hair cut and a light switch, to say nothing of company. In his church family he finds what he needs and isolation is avoided. A motorcycle repair job between two guys is a channel for teamwork and connection, offsetting loneliness in the process. We need each other, and we can give ourselves to each other because we’re not alone. 

And that time spend together, both internally with one another, but also in the important relationships we have with those outside the Christian faith, by our actions gives us permission to speak in a way that follows up our actions. And we can testify as the Holy Spirit did, that in Jesus we have what we need. We are not alone. We have Jesus. The Holy Spirit guarantees it.

Real Triumph

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(1 John 5:1-6)

“Jesus Crushed” might have been what the headlines would have read on Good Friday as the story started to spread. To those present, whose eyes had watched the most unjust death sentence ever carried out in all of history, it would have felt like an appropriate description. To those whose ears were filled with his final agonizing cries as God’s Son died, “Jesus Crushed” would have felt like an appropriate breaking news headline for what they witnessed firsthand. It certainly appeared that way.

But Easter Sunday exposed the headline as fake news – or entirely incomplete, anyway. The headline had to be extended to accurately reflect the truth: “Jesus Crushed… the Serpent’s Head!”

Jesus wasn’t defeated on Good Friday; rather, he was delivering the death blow to his enemy. Jesus was unraveling all of Satan’s plans to leave mankind culpable and condemned by sin. Jesus hadn’t been overcome by the plans his enemy had carried out. Instead, by those very plans he had overcome the enemy and won the ultimate victory, guaranteeing forgiveness and eternal salvation. No, Jesus hadn’t been crushed; he had carried out the crushing blow. He had overcome. 

That understanding provides some context to John’s words in our verses. “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is theSon of God” (v.4-5). The victory, the triumph is real, and it belongs to those who belong to Jesus by faith.

The certainty of our connection to Christ and his victory on our behalf is one of the beautiful blessings of baptism, spelled out for us in Romans 3, where Paul wrote, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4). Just as surely as he died and rose, so in baptism we have died and risen with him. He has overcome; so, therefore, have we!

But what are we talking about? Really, what does it mean for us as believers to have the assurance of this victory, this triumph? What does it mean that we who are born of God “overcome the world?”

Admittedly, it does sound like a pretty pumped up pep talk to know that we’ve overcome the world, but that elation will fade pretty quickly if it doesn’t translate into understanding for us. Otherwise, it would be like flipping through channels to stumble upon some infomercial that grabs our attention because of the guy’s energy level and excitement. While we pause because we are drawn to that energy and excitement, if after a few moments we still can’t figure out what product he’s peddling, then we’ll just resume flipping through the channels. So for this confidence that we “overcome the world” to resonate with us, we really have to understand what John is telling us. 

Let’s not overthink it. Take that word “overcome” and flip it around. We know what it’s like to be overcome by something. Someone trying to explain their out-of-character behavior might chalk it up to being overcome with emotion. Parents watch their child’s team play a great game, only to see the other team overcome them in the end and steal the victory. 

Perhaps another common word speaks to us a little more clearly: overwhelmed. When we talk about being burdened or overcome we are saying that we’re overwhelmed. It’s too much. We have too much on our plate. We can’t keep our head above water. We aren’t getting done everything that needs to get done, or at least aren’t getting it done as well as it needs to get done. We’re failing. We’re suffocating. We’re overwhelmed and overcome. Sometimes it may even just be a feeling or emotion we’re experiencing and aren’t sure why. One way or another, we’ve all experienced that overwhelm to some degree! So how do we get the upper hand when we’re feeling overwhelmed, overcome? We tell ourselves the truth.

A pastor friend shared an insightful encouragement that he had recently come across that he found helpful to pass on to others: “Talk to yourself more than you listen to yourself.”

Think about it. Nobody talks to you on any given day more than you talk to yourself. The conversations, the dialogue – it’s going on non-stop in your head. It’s the thoughts you have about another person who enters the room. It’s the way you react when you read something online. It’s the memory that is narrated in your head when a nostalgic aroma arises.

Every experience we have throughout the day involves some back and forth inside our minds. That’s fine – so long as we realize we’re in control of what we tell ourselves. We determine the narrative. And we can tell ourselves either the lies that the devil would have us repeat or we can tell ourselves the truth that God reveals to us in his Word.  

So hear again the truth that God reveals to us in his Word for any who for any reason whatsoever are feeling overwhelmed and overcome in this world: “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is theSon of God” (v.4-5). Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? Then the world doesn’t overcome you; rather, you overcome the world. In and through Jesus, we have victory. We will triumph. 

Let’s also understand what this does not mean. It isn’t a guarantee that he’ll get the girl or that she’ll get the guy. This is not a blank-check promise that you’ll land the job of your dreams or get accepted into your first choice for college. This is not the promise of some divine forcefield that will shield you from every financial woe or sickness. 

No, it’s actually better than all of that. John’s promise that we overcome is directly connected to some of the most powerful, peace-possessing words our Savior ever spoke. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

I absolutely love these words of Jesus! He tells us like it is. He doesn’t pretend to hide the ugliness of our broken world with some flowery greeting-card language, but gives it to us straight. Yes, ours is a dysfunctional and distraught world… and Jesus has overcome it. This world’s troubles are not permanent. The best is yet to come, and it is ours because he has overcome. Take heart! Have peace!

Occasionally at a sporting event, you may hear the players or fans cheering a familiar chant at some point in the game. They’ll repeat the words, “We believe that we will win. We believe that we will win.” Each refrain gets louder and more intense, as the players do their best to rally and win. Such a chant can inject the confidence needed to pull out the victory. 

As Christians we can chant something similar. But we need to change it slightly because we already know the outcome. “We believe that we have won! We believe that we have won!”

We have. We know where we’re going. We know the worst of this world is temporary. We know we overcome. We know it. How can we be so sure?

John provides proof to eliminate any doubts that may exist. He points to the evidence in verse six. “This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.” Even though there are a number of ways these words could be interpreted, any way we take them, John’s purpose is the same – he’s pointing to proof that Jesus was and is who he claimed to be. The Messiah. Our Savior. Our Redeemer. 

One interpretation takes John’s words to refer to his own eyewitness testimony of Jesus’ crucifixion. To make sure Jesus was dead, when his side was pierced, John’s Gospel points out that not just blood, but blood AND water flowed from the wound. Jesus had really died.

A second interpretation takes the water to be a reference to the start of Jesus’ public ministry at his baptism and the blood to refer to the completion of his ministry by his sacrifice on the cross.

A third interpretation takes the water, blood, and Spirit to picture the means of grace. The water refers to baptism and the blood to Holy Communion. Together with the powerful promises of the Word, the Holy Spirit uses those means to testify and proclaim the truth of the gospel, by which he creates and strengthens faith.

Whichever interpretation one takes, they all serve the same purpose of the author here: to provide proof that we can know beyond mere speculation or feelings or emotions that because of Jesus’ completed work as our Savior, we overcome. We have the assurance of real triumph. Live in that triumph as you remember your baptism. Celebrate that triumph through the Supper. 

In light of our triumph, our victory, consider some of the differences between the behavior of the losing side versus the winning side. Losers are dejected. Losers make excuses. Losers blame the refs. Losers give up. Losers complain about it not being fair.

We aren’t losers. In Christ we are triumphant. We win because he wins. Winners are joy-filled. Winners celebrate each other. Winners keep working hard. Winners give credit where it’s due. Winners love God by carrying out his commands. Live like it! Love others like it. That’s how we celebrate that Jesus crushed the serpent’s head and has overcome. That’s how we celebrate real triumph!