Tag: JEsus

Stop Following Your Heart

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(Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23)

Strong leadership is always going to be extremely valuable. Prior to COVID, an estimated $370 billion was spent on leadership training. Successful companies include leadership training in their annual budgets, and for good reason. It has been estimated that the ROI for leadership training is $7 for every $1 spent. Strong leadership can often be the difference between an organization flourishing or floundering. 

Companies and organizations aren’t the only entities who value strong leaders; so does God. Throughout history, God has raised up strong leaders to guide and direct his people and to oversee his church. Joseph’s leadership skills saw him rise to being the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, which God used to bless Joseph’s family and the establishment of his chosen people, the Israelites. God used Moses’ leadership skills to confidently challenge Pharaoh face to face and to navigate the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and journey to the Promised Land. David’s leadership skills showed themselves in war and in worship as God used him to rule over his people. Paul’s leadership skills in relentlessly sowing the seeds of the gospel through his mission trips and church planting could not be questioned. God has always raised up strong leaders to serve his people. And each of those strong leaders also share another quality that had as much to do with their successful leadership as anything else: they were exceptional followers.

While leadership is valued tremendously in the world, not as much is made about the importance of following well. In Christ’s church, however, it is essential. In fact, with Jesus Christ as our Savior-leader, the head of his church, a case could be made that the church never has a leadership problem as much as she has a followership issue. Where the church struggles or stumbles, it is not a lack of leadership or direction – our Good Shepherd provides that. Rather, it is a lack of faithful following or downright foolish following on the part of the sheep (and those leading the sheep). So as we work through this series, The Need for Followership, with the Lord himself as our leader, we pray for the Spirit to raise us up as strong followers.

If we are to grow in our capacity as followers, the church is a great place to start, because the world’s track record when it comes to equipping people to follow is rather poor. I base this conclusion on what is some of the worst – and sadly most widespread – advice that’s out there: just follow your heart. This is bad advice for a number of reasons; here are three of them.

First, it’s emotionally driven. It’s feelings-based. Now feelings aren’t bad, but making decisions based on them is unwise. Why? Because they change. Every one of us here has experienced the regret of having done or said something in the heat of the moment that was entirely emotionally driven. Later, when we weren’t as emotionally charged, we found ourselves having to do damage control for a situation that would have never gotten out of hand if we had not let our emotions get the better of us. So “just follow your heart” is bad advice because being emotionally healthy means managing your emotions rather than letting them manage you and your decisions.

The second reason “just follow your heart” is bad advice is because it’s driven by selfishness. True, while the decision you are likely struggling to make primarily affects you, it almost never only affects you. People belonging to God realize that we are here to love and serve our neighbors. That means we give consideration to how our decisions affect our neighbors. We don’t just dismiss or disregard others in making decisions, but like Jesus, consider the needs of others even before ourselves. So “just follow your heart” is also bad advice because it doesn’t take into account how my decision may affect others, what serves the common good, or what my neighbor needs from me (side note: ironically, as we lament the lack of social concern and compassion for others in out society, is it any wonder where this is coming from when we encourage everyone to follow their own heart and do what is best for themselves?).

The final reason “just follow your heart” is bad advice is that your heart is a horrible navigation system! There are plenty of navigation apps out there: Google, Apple, Waze, and others. We all have the one we like for a number of personal reasons. But I can bet you this: no one would keep using a navigation app that gave them the wrong directions 100% of the time. To keep relying on that source for direction or guidance would be foolish! 

In his interaction with the Pharisees from Mark 7, Jesus seeks to show them how misguided the heart is as a navigation system. Jesus peels away their outer veneer of venerability and exposes the real issue.

The Pharisees always serve as a good reminder for us of what happens when religion becomes a platform for performance. They had a reputation for adhering to rules and fancied themselves so good at it that they made up extra ones, a good number of which were traditions handed down from previous generations. Having become so wrapped up in themselves and enamored with each other’s daily displays of righteousness, they would immediately recognize when other supposedly religious folks dropped the ball in observing this custom or that rule. 

So when the disciples, dared to eat food without ceremoniously washing beforehand, the Pharisees jumped all over it. They were caught red-handed! Their hands were defiled! How dare they! Eating with your hands and not ceremoniously cleaning them first was a big no-no in their book.

Not out of compassion or caring concern, but because they were interested in discrediting Jesus as a respected rabbi by pointing out what a disgrace his disciples were, they called Jesus out. “So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” (v.5).

Jesus’ interaction with the Pharisees gets to the root of the issue. Look at the source of their concern. They did not reference the Law or the Prophets – the Word of God available to them in their day – but rather “the traditions of the elders.” Their man-made rules carried more weight than the God-given words of Scripture.

Jesus responded quite differently, not referencing man-made traditions, but highlighting the Word of God by quoting one of its prophets. “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’” (vs. 6-7). They had come to Jesus convinced that his disciples were in the wrong, but Jesus would make sure they didn’t depart without knowing how wrong they were. Jesus showed them something they needed to see. The issue was not the outward failures of his disciples, but the inward flaw in their own hearts. 

In quoting Isaiah, Jesus also has something to say to us. How does one honor God with lips while hearts drift far away from him? That’s what happens when we are going through the motions. Two people can both show up on a Sunday morning, and one is there to pay lip service to God while the other is there, longing to be served by God and to praise God from a heart of faith. I can do the things God calls me to do as mere obligation rather than opportunity to love, serve, and thank him. I can render my service begrudgingly because no one else will do it or I can render my service gratefully because I get to do it. I can support gospel ministry with my offerings because I am supposed to do so or because I am blessed to do so. All of those things can be done in the same exact way by two people and they may look identical externally. But God sees what’s going on internally, and it’s a Cain-and-Able-type difference! Hearts are in drastically different places!

The awareness that Jesus sought to bring to the Pharisees is the same awareness that we need today. We so naturally gravitate toward the outward stuff, too. Outwardly, we can compare our highlight reels with the everyone else’s lows or bad days. That keeps us feeling pretty good about ourselves. That keeps us convinced we’re above average, doing better than most. That puts us… right where the Pharisees were. So we need not the traditions of men, but the Word of God, to direct us to the real issue. 

And Jesus does just that. “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come…” (v.21). Jesus’ words challenge our narrative that the evil in this world, and even that of which I am guilty, is a product of my surroundings. It’s “out there.” It’s someone else’s fault. It’s simply my response to the real issue, which is always some outward occurrence. My upbringing is to blame. The workplace environment is at fault. However we choose to spin it, Jesus stops the wheel, jams his index finger right into our chest and bluntly states, “Wrong. Your heart is the source of evil. It isn’t out there; it’s in here. That’s the problem.”

Ouch! There isn’t a more painful reality or realization than what Jesus reveals to us here: we are the problem! Our hearts are far from whole or holy, but instead are filled with holes, defiled and deficient, and incapable of the true holiness that God requires.

How did the Pharisees and teachers of the law response to Jesus’ charged accusations? They didn’t like the message so the planned to get rid of the Messenger. They rejected his words, rejected his teachings, and set their wicked hearts on getting rid of the One who exposed them. 

But grace moves us in a different direction. The confidence of faith, which beckons us to repentance, follows the encouragement given in the book of Hebrews: “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (10:22). We own our sins, confess them, and return to God again and again in repentance, completely confident that he has cleansed our hearts of evil. Having purified them and made them holy, he gives us new hearts that cannot get enough of Jesus and long to love and serve him and follow him in faith.

That heart is not naturally found in any of us. Rather, it is graciously given through faith in Jesus. The apostle Peter said it like this: “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them… for he purified their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8-9).

“Just follow your heart” is good advice… to avoid at all times. Here is much better advice: follow Jesus’ heart for you. Amen. 

The Bread of Life: Dine or Dash?

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(John 6:51-69)

What are the most terrifying words in the Bible? You might think of Jesus’ teaching about hell and weeping and gnashing of teeth, where he describes a place and experience that we would not wish on even our worst enemy. You may have your own section of Old Testament Bible History that has always left you unsettled or uneasy. Maybe snippets of Paul’s letters come to mind, sections where he describes in detail some of the suffering and hardships he endured as a result of his faith.

I would like to add a verse from John 6 to the list of terrifying words in the Bible. It’s right there in verse 66. “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” What is it about that verse that is so terrifying? I would point to the word “disciples.”

You see, it would be much more palatable if John had informed us that those who turned back were those who were searching or questioning and no longer followed. Or if those who turned back were those who were on the fence about Jesus. Or hypocrites. Or unbelievers.

But John doesn’t use any of those terms. Instead, he uses the word “disciple.” In other words, these were individuals who had, up to that point, chosen to follow Jesus. And then sadly, these are the same ones who at this point made the conscious decision to stop following Jesus. 

I wonder… might there be some reading this very post who have chosen a similar path, or are possibly dangerously close to doing so? There was a time in the past when Jesus and his church were a central part of your life. Maybe as a child growing up in a church-going home. Possibly as a teenager or young adult active in a local church’s youth ministry. Or you came to faith later in life as an adult. 

But then something happened. I suppose in many cases it wasn’t some big event, but rather a slow drifting away. Let’s also acknowledge, though, other scenarios that did leave their mark. A humiliating or even traumatic experience. A big change at church that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. A false teaching – or maybe just an offensive one. Whatever it was, that was the point when you, one of his disciples, turned back and no longer followed him. Or for others, perhaps that point hasn’t yet come, but it’s right around the corner for you if something doesn’t change.

So there are still many today who would fall into the category John was describing of those who turned back and no longer followed Jesus. That response prompted Jesus to ask if his Twelve disciples had similar intention; if they too, were planning to walk away.

Peter, always the vocal one, hit a home run with his response. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God” (v. 68-69). There is nothing terrifying about that response! Peter was listening to the same Bread of Life teaching that the others had heard, and to him, going elsewhere wasn’t even an option. It would have been ludicrous to do so when the source of eternal life itself was standing right before him!

Let’s take note of two general responses to Jesus’ teaching. The first reply from many of the disciples was, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it? (v.60). But Peter said he had “come to believe and to know that [Jesus is] the Holy One of God” (v.69). Even as drastically different as those two responses were, neither one argued that Jesus’ teaching was unclear. No one said it was confusing. No one claimed it was too complicated and that they needed help understanding it. No, they said it was “hard.” 

What was hard about it? It was hard because Jesus was saying that in eating him, in dining on the Bread of Life, he is to be our greatest priority. He is to come before all else in our lives.

It was hard because the Jesus who is about grace and love and compassion… is the same Jesus who has something to say to us about how we should live, how we should manage money, who we should sleep with, how much we can drink, how we should forgive those who wrong us, etc.

It was hard to let go of all other preconceived ideas of what religion or getting right with God was all about. It was hard because all of those in some capacity involved our effort or participation.

But Jesus’ teaching shot all of that down! Jesus said, “Nope. Just me. I’m all you need. Let go of your pride that insists on knowing better than I do what is best for your life or earning your own way or that you are somehow in a more deserving category than someone else. Put all of that behind you and see that I alone am the way to eternal life. All me. Only me. Not you.” See, that isn’t complicated or complex!

But it is hard. 

Not to Peter, though. To Peter, it was easy. And, if you’ve been listening to what Jesus has been saying in this whole teaching in John 6, one of the most worthwhile teachings of Jesus to wrestle with, it was reasonable. It was logical. It made perfect sense. 

Does it surprise you that faith could be described in those ways? Peter wasn’t overthinking things. He listened to Jesus and applied what Jesus was saying. If one listens to what Jesus says about himself, the claims he makes, the invitation he extends, Peter actually drew the most logical conclusion. If any of Jesus’ words had any merit, then it would be crazy for anyone to dismiss him and turn somewhere else. To draw any other conclusion about Jesus’ words, one would have had to be willing to have Jesus admitted to a mental hospital as someone struggling with multiple personality disorder or who had clearly lost his mind. Because Jesus’ teaching is not complicated or complex.

But it is hard. 

Until faith comes into the picture. Jesus said it this way: “‘The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.’ He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them’” (vs.63 & 65). Yes, faith in Jesus is reasonable. It is logical.

But it is also a gift, a gift that can be received only through the Holy Spirit, only when in humble submission I set aside my arrogance and let Jesus be who he claims to be in my life: my only Savior from sin and my only assurance of eternal life.

When by faith I know that Jesus, the Jesus who forgives all sin and welcomes with open arms all who know they need him, the Jesus who loves unconditionally and loves harder than anyone else, when that Jesus is the focus of my faith and the bedrock of my belief, that which seemed to be so hard becomes much easier. 

One of those challenging elements of faith in Jesus that becomes easier to grasp is how faith in Jesus relates to the role of his church. A gap has grown in recent years between the perception people have of Jesus and the perception they have of the church. Regardless of how familiar they are with him or how well they know him, people still tend to have a very positive opinion of Jesus. His church, however, has not sustained that same image. What used to be viewed as a respected and appreciated institution, one that played a pivotal role within communities, has seen its once favorable reputation steadily decline.

This is sad. Why? Because too often it has been justified.

When an institution, and more directly priests or pastors like me, betray a trust and abuse it for selfish and even sinister motives, shame on us. When we as Christians have by our own words and actions earned the reputation of dismissing or diminishing society’s neglected, the marginalized, victims of injustice, or anyone in need, shame on us. When Christians are more concerned about chastising than charity, shame on us. When we as Christians have hypocritically stood in judgment of certain sins while cozying up to other sins, shame on us. When we as Christians have cared about protecting an established institution more than proclaiming the good news of Jesus’ peace, hope, and salvation to the lost and condemned, shame on us.

But, if we can be honest and transparent enough to own those sins, can we also be honest and transparent enough to admit that the church’s reputation isn’t always tarnished because it does the wrong thing; sadly, it also happens when the church, when Christians, are doing the right things.

When Christians firmly stand on the teachings of Jesus even when his teachings aren’t popular, good for the church. When the church recognizes that its responsibility is to govern God’s kingdom with God’s Word, and lets the secular government govern the worldly kingdom with the laws of the land, realizing those two very different purposes, good for the church. When the church rightly realizes the good news of Jesus is for all people, regardless of how different we all are or how uncomfortable others may make her feel, good for the church.

When the church is doing those things, good for the church. And if the reputation of the church continues to decline when it is carrying out its work properly, the problem isn’t with the church, but with those who insist on being offended by her. When that happens, there is no place for pretending to hold to Jesus while rejecting her church, because the two are inseparable. The church is the body of Christ. And to be offended by the church carrying out her business as Jesus calls her to, is to be offended by Jesus himself. 

Did you catch Jesus calling that out in his dialogue? He asked the question in a very straight forward manner. “Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you?’” (v.61). Look how ahead of his time Jesus was! In this day and age, where everyone is concerned about being offended and giving offense, Jesus would fit right in!

But it wasn’t Jesus’ church that had done anything wrong when he asked the question; it was his own teaching that came from his own lips. So Jesus acknowledges that even when his words are proclaimed and his teachings continue to be passed on, even by imperfect Christians like us and imperfect pastors like me, there will still be be those who are offended. 

So let us consider this: will you be one of them? Will you be so offended by Jesus, who by his perfect life, death, and resurrection in your place and in mine, claims to be your Savior? Will his teaching that you and I are sinners in need of his salvation so offend you that you, like many of the disciples at the close of Jesus’ teaching, turn away from him, perhaps even attempting to draw less attention to it by claiming that it’s his church you’re turning away from, and not him? 

Or, will you, as Jesus invites all of us to do, continue to draw closer to him by feeding ourselves the Bread of Life, by filling up with more – not less – of Jesus through his Word? His promises and blessings are assured for all who choose not to dash, but to dine on the Bread of Life. If that is your choice, please realize that is precisely why congregations exists. It is exactly what we are here to do: help each other nourish our faith with the Bread of Life. 

Suppose you were on an expedition with a group of highly trained professionals. This expedition put your life at risk. At every stage, at every turn, there are dangers that threaten not only your physical health, but your very life. Imagine that one of those threats catches you off guard and you somehow are separated from the rest of the expedition.

At that point, what are your feelings about the rest of the group in the expedition as it relates to your specific situation threatening you? Do you hope that the expedition forges ahead without you, plugging onward to carry out the mission, and that hopefully you’ll eventually get yourself out of your sticky situation and catch up with the rest of them? Or, do you hope and pray that they quickly discover you’re not with them, backtrack on a brief search and rescue mission, and eventually come to your aid?

I’ve just described for you one of the tremendous blessings of belonging to a local congregation. Our congregation is not a community of comparison. We are not here to stand in judgment of others or diminish those who aren’t where we are in our walk of faith.

We are an expedition, navigating our way together through an ever-challenging world that has far more risky and dangerous threats than any earthly adventure; the kind that can damage our soul and compromise our eternity. And it makes all the difference to know that I am surrounded by those who will drop everything for a search and rescue mission when any one of us is threatened. There are many things in the world that are terrifying; Jesus’ church should not be included among them. 

We’ve considered some of the most terrifying words of the Bible; let me now close with some of the most comforting. There are so many of them, but let’s be sure to include these words of Jesus himself: “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). Feast on Jesus, the Bread of Life, and you have nothing to fear.

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. 

The Best Bread

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(John 6:24-35)

There are a lot of good things to be said for being more aware of our diet and nutrition in America, of having a better sense of what is going into our bodies and what effects certain ingredients have on us. However, such awareness is not without its consequences. One of those is that we end up taking the results of this study or that headline to the extreme when it comes to either the positives of negatives of a certain ingredient or type of food. So, rather than approaching food sensibly, in moderation one direction or the other, we go to extremes. We either over-do it on this miracle superfood that promises to help us live to 120, or we completely eliminate something that an “expert” warned could send us to an early grave if we have too much of it. One of the victims of our health-conscious, carb-cutting culture has been bread. We order our burger without the bun. We scoop our bagels. We don’t eat the crusts on the pizza.

That general perception in our culture that bread is nothing more than extra, unnecessary carbs could have a negative impact on our understanding of the imagery Jesus used in his teaching from John chapter 6. We may not as easily relate to the main point Jesus is trying to emphasize by using bread as his focal point, which is simply that bread represented a dietary staple. 

In Jesus’ day, and still today in many places all over the world, where Grub Hub or Door Dash don’t exist to bring directly to your door any delicacy or delight you crave at any given time, bread is essential. It represents one of the most basic needs in life. Elsewhere in his teaching, Jesus does the same thing in comparing himself to water; it is a basic need for life. So even though we may go days or weeks so much as a crumb of carbs, don’t let that conceal the main truth of Jesus’ teaching: just as bread is a basic need for life, so also – albeit on a much grander scale – is Jesus!

As we listen to Jesus teach, certainly we wouldn’t question his teachings on salvation or eternal life. After all, where would we expect to find a more qualified expert to speak and teach on salvation than the Savior himself? When Jesus speaks on the matter of forgiveness and salvation, we listen and believe, because he is the authority on the subject. 

But let’s also realize something else about the authority and author of our salvation: if he is the expert on such things, then wouldn’t he also be the most qualified to warn us about the most dangerous threats to salvation? In other words, Jesus’ warnings are not just fringe possibilities or long shots to forfeit our salvation, but are in fact the most serious threats of which we need to be aware. So let us listen to Jesus, not only when he speaks of the stuff of eternal life, but also when he warns us about that which seeks to rob us of it.

In the first part of Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse, we see quite clearly the warning Jesus provides. “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (v.27). Here is the question with which we are forced to wrestle if we want to appreciate all of Jesus’ teaching: are you working for food that spoils? Before you answer that question, we have to clarify what Jesus is emphasizing. We have to look at his warning as he sets it up in contrast to the “food that endures to eternal life.” 

Jesus isn’t throwing out a blanket prohibition against all of our personal pursuits or passions in this world. He isn’t saying the olympic athlete driven to be the best in the sport is sinning. He isn’t saying it’s wrong to want to advance your career. He isn’t saying you can’t have nice things. What he is saying, though, is that when our drive for those things surpasses or overshadows our pursuit of the food that endures to eternal life, then we have a problem.

With that understanding, we can ask the question again: are you working for food that spoils? What (or who) is it right now that you really really want? What do you have to have? What is receiving the bulk of your time and energy? What is consuming your thoughts? What will crush you if you can’t eventually get it or have it? What might even be a permissible reason for you to justify setting aside your integrity or ethics to get it? What are you willing to make significant sacrifices for as you seek it out? However you might answer any of those questions could be the indicator that you’re working for food that spoils.

And you know what happens to food that spoils, don’t you? Look at what happened to the Israelites who gathered too much manna in the wilderness (Ex. 16). It was covered in maggots! What a powerful visual aid for anything, everything, we could possibly work for or pursue with our short time here on earth that isn’t the stuff of eternal life! That’s what it all will come to! Whatever it is you’re burning the candle at both ends for will not amount to anything. It will all spoil and be gone. 

If it has hit you that you’ve been working for food that spoils for some time in your life, that’s the first step in turning things around. But beware – it’s very hard to give that up cold turkey and trade it in for the bread of life just like that.

Another pleasant visual aid that illustrates this can sometimes be found when bringing in your trash bins from the curb after they’ve been collected. Even after the trash has been emptied from the bins into the garbage truck, depending on what’s been in the bin all week, it isn’t uncommon to peek down into the bottom of the trash bin and see squirming maggots still hanging around. The trash is gone, but its effects are lingering.

So when it hits us that we’ve been giving our lives to working for food that spoils, and in repentance we want to turn things around, be aware that the effects of having worked so long for food that spoils can linger for a bit. It takes time to get rid of it.

But admitting that I’ve been working for food that spoils is the first step. Once I realize that, I can come to grips with how fruitless that endeavor has been, and how fruitful it will be to work for food that endures to eternal life.

Jesus had the crowd’s attention. While they didn’t fully understand yet, they did want to know what that looked like. They wanted to know what Jesus considered to be the kind of work he was calling for. “Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’” (v.28). While curious about turning things around, they still couldn’t detach themselves from the concept of working and pursuing and pleasing. 

This is understandable, given the essence of their religion, which was all about keeping laws and following rules. The Jewish faith emphasized obedience and righteousness and holy living. But, while these are all good things, they are not and never will be salvation things. They don’t save. People today who still share the sense that good people go to heaven are clinging to a work-based salvation. But good works for salvation is not only impossible; it’s also not what Jesus is after. There’s another “work” that is far more important. 

Jesus spelled it out for them. “Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (v.29). Jesus’ take on work was not about what you had to be, but rather who you had to believe. That’s what God was after because that’s the only way God saves – through belief in his Son through whom salvation is secured. Believe in him and you are working for food that endures. And, even as Jesus is imploring his listeners to believe, notice who gets the credit for that work – even that is God’s work! When belief – faith – is created, it is always only God’s work, not ours.

No, we aren’t saved by works; we are saved by believing in Jesus. But you may wonder, since believing is a relatively simple thing, why can’t we then carry on with our daily lives and continue pursuing our other interests and goals in life, the stuff that possibly qualifies as the “food that spoils” which Jesus warned against? If I believe, and that is enough, and that is the work God requires, well count me in. I believe! Good enough, right?

Yes, it is good enough. But here’s the problem: you aren’t.

You aren’t good enough to sustain or maintain – let alone grow in – that belief, that faith. Think of a simple flashlight. It has one task. In shines light. And it will do that one task well and it will do that one task for a long time. But eventually you’ll notice the light from that flashlight begins to dim a bit. It isn’t quite as bright as it used to be. Once that happens, the rate at which it dims seems to accelerate until finally, there is no light. The flashlight stops doing its one job. Why? It’s time to recharge it or change the battery. 

We are not unlike that flashlight. We are called to shine in our faith. We really have one job: believe, which leads us to reflect that faith in our daily lives. But we cannot shine endlessly, and we cannot shine brightly, without either a regular charge or new batteries.

Or, to switch back to the picture Jesus is using, the focus of our series, we cannot function in faith without regularly being fed the bread of life. We need Jesus. A lot of Jesus, not just a few crumbs here and there. That may make our carb-sensitive culture a little uneasy, but trust me, you can’t have too much of this Bread! It is hands down the best bread!

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.

Surviving Snubbed Service

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(Ezekiel 2:1-7)

Would say that you love your job? Do you have the kind of job that makes you dread weekends because you have to wait until Monday to get back to work? Does your job make you pop out of bed in the morning with energy and excitement because you get to go to work? I’m guessing that even if you really enjoy your work, you’d still agree that the scenarios I just described are pretty exaggerated. Some are blessed to really enjoy their work and thrive in it, while others dutifully carry on out of necessity, because it pays the bills.

Regardless of how you feel about your job, as people belonging to God, you have another calling, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it is absolutely the most important thing that anyone could be a part of during their lifetime here on earth. For that reason, it is also more meaningful than anything else we could do on earth. Why? Because heaven and hell hang in the balance, and would you believe it – God uses us to factor into that outcome. How?

It’s called ministry. If we hear that word and all that comes to mind are things like pastors, teachers, church work, and schools, we have far too narrow a view of ministry. Ministry is not limited by a location or a timeframe – it’s possible anywhere and everywhere and at any time. The simplest definition of ministry is “service.” But it’s more than that. After all, the person waiting on your table at the restaurant is involved in service. The librarian assisting you with checking out a book is providing you a service. 

Ministry, however, has a special purpose: it’s gospel-geared, Savior-like service. The ministry to which we are called – all of us as Christians – is in service to the good news of Jesus as Savior of the world. Sometimes our service may include directly communicating that beautiful gospel; many times it is simply service prompted by that gospel or building a bridge to that gospel down the road. Since it is gospel-geared, Savior-like service, that is what makes it meaningful ministry. 

So our focus in this first post of the series may be a bit unsettling. It’s not the kind of inspirational pep-talk that you might expect to get everyone geared up to go out and thrive in their ministry. But it is a hugely important truth that needs to be included anytime we talk about ministry. It’s essentially the sad reality that as meaningful as ministry is to God – it’s his favorite thing, by the way – there will be many for whom ministry is not meaningful at all. In fact, there are and there will be many who not only want nothing to do with it, but who also despise you for carrying it out. 

If anyone could relate, it was the prophet Ezekiel. After having just witnessed quite the strange vision, he had now dropped faced down to the ground and was being given his marching orders. He was being send as God’s spokesman. Awesome! What a privilege! What an honor! To get to be the one to personally relay God’s message? Amazing!

There was just one catch: he wasn’t being sent to people who would be tickled pink to hear it. Oh, they should have been, for sure. God’s chosen people ought to have delighted each and every time God valued them enough to personally send a spokesperson to them. What other nation could make such a claim, that God cared enough about them to repeatedly, determinedly, persistently, send prophet after prophet to them? They should have been honored to have been thought so highly of by God to take such measures. 

But that wasn’t how God described them to Ezekiel. Not even close. In fact, by my count, some form of the word “rebellious” was used five times in just this short section! Sprinkle in an “obstinate” and “stubborn,” here, and “revolt” there, along with the flattering description of “briars and thorns” and “scorpions,” and it sounds more like Ezekiel is being sent to war against the enemy rather than to proclaim God’s Word to God’s own people!

Even that would have had some appeal if God had revealed that this would be the ultimate turnaround story and that the Israelites would return back to God as a result of Ezekiel’s ministry. But God gave him no such promise. In fact, he prepared him for the more likely outcome that that they would fail to listen, based on their rebellious tendencies. 

Wouldn’t our ministry together be easier if we had the kind of promise from God that assured us that whenever we have the chance to be his spokesperson to someone else, it will always be received with a warm welcome? It will always result in repentance? It will always lead others to turn to Jesus in faith? God didn’t give Ezekiel that kind of assurance, so we probably shouldn’t expect it either.

That, however, does not nullify our need to carry it out, just as it didn’t for Ezekiel. God warned him, “You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious” (v.7). Ezekiel was sent to carry out his ministry regardless of the outcome – “whether they listen or fail to listen.” So are we. That is both frustrating and freeing.

It’s frustrating because we always want the Word to work the best possible outcome, resulting in eternal life for everyone who hears it. But it doesn’t, and that means at times our ministry is going to feel like a waste of time. Sometimes we’ll get snubbed. Sometimes painfully so. And this may happen rather quickly, right out of the gates at times, or it could be a much longer, drawn out process. 

It may come from something as simple as an offer to pray for someone in a difficult situation, only to have that offer immediately rejected because the person doesn’t want any prayers to some “imaginary” God. It may come from a tersely rejected offer to share with someone else what your faith has meant to you. If you’ve shared your faith enough times, you have stories of rejection. A door slammed in your face. A conversation cut short the minute it became about Jesus. A relationship that suddenly more or less dissolved the moment your religion became a part of it. The butt of jokes from others – possibly even family members. No, we know full well that our service, our ministry, will be flat out rejected at times rather quickly.

Other times that rejection, that snubbed service, may be longer and more drawn out. This could be a relationship that you’ve patiently tried to reconcile over time, only to have those efforts rebuffed by the other person. It might be a family member you’ve prayed for over the years and have been very persistent with in your conversations about Jesus who hasn’t seemed to have budged at all. It’s the unchurched person you have gone out of your way to know and serve as every opportunity has come up who has never once expressed appreciation or thanks. It’s the straying member you have reached out to for months to let them know you care and to check in on them, only to have them fall away and reject their faith altogether. All of these things can happen in ministry, and it’s frustrating when they do.

But it’s also freeing that God involves us in meaningful ministry because he didn’t task Ezekiel and he doesn’t task us with being responsible for the outcome. While it can be extremely difficult to do, we have to keep our faithful ministry efforts separate from their results. The results aren’t your responsibility. They aren’t my responsibility. The results are the responsibility of God alone – and for good reason! That helps us from getting puffed up with pride when God uses us to bring about amazing results in his kingdom, and it keeps us from despairing and feeling worthless when our efforts seem to amount to nothing.

In either case, regardless of the outcome – even if it’s rejection – the reason our ministry will always be the most important thing? Because there is no plan B. There is no alternative method or approach that serves as a backup plan by which people might be saved. It’s only through the gospel. Apart from the gospel, no one can ever know their guilt and shame has been released by the Savior who was pierced and crucified for them. No one can ever know the blessings of sins forgiven unless they hear about and believe in the only One who can forgive sins: Jesus. No one can ever have peace in the face of death unless they hear and believe in the One who died for them. No one can ever have the hope of eternal life unless they hear and believe the gospel. 

That’s why your ministry matters. God can use the gifts he’s given you in ways to serve the gospel, even when you yourself haven’t directly communicated the gospel. Your hospitality to your neighbor or your kindness to a coworker might make such an impression that they want to know more about what drives that. Your offerings support mission work in new churches and in foreign lands so that others can proclaim the gospel (and those same offerings just sent ten of our teenagers to the WELS Youth Rally where they were enriched with the gospel). Your labor or service around the church property reflect positively when guests are present. Your efforts at connecting with new families a school ministry let them know they are welcome and that yours is a place for them to hear more good news. Your invitations to others to come to your church will also bear fruit. There are no little, trivial, unimportant efforts regarding ministry, as God is able to use all of our collective efforts to advance his gospel and build up his kingdom. 

Yes, at times our service will be snubbed. But we’ll survive. We’ll survive because other times our service won’t be snubbed; instead, it will bear spectacular fruit. Other times God will use you in ways you could never have predicted to radically change someone else’s life with the gospel, and to forever change their eternal life as well. What could be more meaningful than that?

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.

Serving Through Storms

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(Mark 4:35-41)

We have it wrong. I suppose the easy explanation as to why would be the fall into sin. Ever since the devil led Adam & Eve to question if God was hiding something from them or had their best interest in mind, we’ve followed suit. With the Fall, a default of doubt was established. When coupled with suffering or difficulties in our lives then, that doubt leads us to question God’s care and concern for us. Our upbringing and how we were raised can also add to this challenge. If we weren’t allowed to experience failure or adversity, if parents guarded against any notion of hardship or suffering, then our lives may seem to fall apart when they do hit.

Going a step further, when those storms we face in life are associated with certain people or organizations, we naturally conclude the same about those responsible: they don’t really care about us. The child asked to clean up after himself or carry out chores or help around the house is convinced that dad & mom are out to make life miserable. The teenager who isn’t granted the same permissions or freedoms that his friends’ parents allow presumes his own parents are uncaring or just downright mean. The extra protocols at work and exhausting policies for how everything is to be carried out are nothing more than a power play from management to flex authority. The government imposes this tax or passes that law that is deliberately oppressive just because it can. 

We therefore conclude that all hardship or struggle is negative and to be avoided at all costs. The path to peace and happiness is to altogether avoid, limit, or as quickly as possible put an end to whatever is hard or hurts, or distance ourselves from those responsible for it – even God.

But we have it wrong. What if God has other purposes in mind through such adversity? What if, bear with me for just a moment, God actually wants to serve you through suffering? Could it be? Rather than presuming a good God must be a God who removes anything hard or hurtful from our lives, what if a good God is instead one who uses what is hard or hurtful even for our good? This is not easy to believe, which is why it fits in with our current series – only a top-down faith can grasp this!

That kind of faith still had plenty of room to grow in the disciples who were with Jesus as the stormy squall suddenly showed up and nearly swamped their ship. To their credit, when things looked bleak, they did the right thing and sought out Jesus. To their shame, however, they drew the wrong conclusion when they found him sleeping through the storm.

“The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’” (v.38). In their minds, the fretting and the fear in the face of the storm was normal, appropriate behavior. After all, their lives were in danger, and they knew Jesus could do something about it. Since he wasn’t, they concluded that he must not care about them.

This wasn’t their first outing with Jesus, remember. They had already witnessed many times what Jesus was able to do. Miracles followed everywhere they went. Jesus had cast out demons. Jesus had healed the sick, including Peter’s own mother-in-law. Jesus had shown what he was capable of doing when people were enduring hardship or hurt: he took care of it. So if he had shown himself able to take care of such dilemmas in the past, but wasn’t so much as lifting a finger in the present dilemma, the disciples concluded he must not really care.

Oh how often we draw the same misguided, mistaken conclusion! When God, who can act and intervene on our behalf in the face of hardship or hurt doesn’t, then he must not really care. When my singleness becomes a cross to bear and the God who instituted marriage and brings husbands and wives together in marriage still hasn’t done so for me, doesn’t he care? When the God who has shown he can heal others of their cancer hasn’t done so for me, doesn’t he care? When I struggle to rub two pennies together and find myself financially strapped, doesn’t he care? When others talk behind my back and trash and trample my name and reputation, doesn’t he care?

And we often allow our shock to reach even higher levels when we revisit our own behavior in these situations and like to highlight the good we’ve been doing on our end. I’m using my singleness to give more attention to my faith, to better myself and to grow, but still I’m single. I make my appointments, pay attention to my diet, and go above and beyond, but still the cancer spreads. I give generous offerings, but still have financial hardships. I treat others kindly and respectfully, always avoiding gossip, and still my name is mud.

What we’re telling ourselves and God in those situations is essentially, “God, I’m doing my part – why aren’t you stepping in and doing yours? Why are you letting this storm continue in my life?” When we wrestle with these kinds of conclusions in our own minds, I wonder if we can see ourselves in the boat with the disciples, in line right behind them, waiting for our turn to rustle Jesus awake and chide him for not caring about us more by stepping up and doing something. 

The disciples were surprised at what they found when they sought out Jesus in the storm. “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion” (v.38). How could Jesus nap at a time like that? Why wasn’t he awake, his mind overthinking everything and playing out the worst-case scenarios? “What if a disciple is lost overboard?” “What if the boat capsizes and everyone drowns?” “What if this is a premature end for Jesus and he dies before he has been able to carry out the full work of salvation?” Where was the worry? Where was the concern?

Rather than questioning Christ’s care, they should have been shocked for an entirely different reason. A better question would have been “Where do we find this kind of peaceful rest in the midst of the storm?” That should have been the question on the mind of the disciples. But they could only see what was in front of them. They could only focus on the choppy water and the clouds clapping with thunder and the pelting rain as the boat was thrashing back and forth, completely at the mercy of the sea. 

It is so difficult for us to look beyond those things, too, isn’t it? We only see the turmoil and testing right in front of us. We have tunnel vision and the rest of the world – including other people’s concerns and worries and problems – is blurred out to us while our own problems sharpen into focus. That’s all we see – our problems… and God’s lack of intervention to do something about them.

But why was Jesus able to sleep? Because he knew his Father was on 24-hour watch. He could sleep peacefully because he had a perfect faith that trusted his Father’s promise to never leave or forsake him. He knew and believed his Father’s promise to deliver him. He could rest because while he did, nothing would ever escape the notice of his faithful Father, watching over all things at all times and weaving them into good for his people – yes, even the storms.

Nevertheless, Jesus used this opportunity to also remind his disciples of who he was and the authority he had over all of creation. “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm” (v.39). Wow. Jesus’ commanding words control nature itself! When we consider that it was God’s powerful word that brought everything into existence at creation, we cannot help but draw the obvious conclusion here – the connection is even more powerful: God was right there in the boat with his disciples! The very author and designer of all of creation was himself present with the disciples, showcasing his absolute authority.

His rebuke of the wind and waves was not Jesus’ only rebuke, however. He then turned from the storm to his disciples. “He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’” (v.40). Even as we marvel at Jesus’ power over nature, his own display of divine might accentuates the absurdity of the disciples and their foolish doubts. Did they really doubt the One who just bid the storm to cease just like that? Did they really question his care for them? Did they really think he didn’t care? That One, who just shut down a storm with his voice? What a faint faith they had!

And… what a faint faith we have. All these years later and we have not only ample evidence in the Scriptures for us to learn from, but even our past personal experience to confirm that God does care. Yet still at times it is as if we have no faith at all. We resort to our default, doubt, even with so much evidence to the contrary. Not only should Jesus have slept out the storm and left the disciples in their doubt; he also ought to leave us swimming in our own doubts to let us see how that works out for us.

Jesus, though, has done far more for us since that storm at sea. By his crucifixion and resurrection, he has since shut up Satan’s accusing charges. He has shut down his power over us. He has shut up hell to those who cling to him. He has shut the door on death’s permanent separation. 

And he has calmed much more than a storm at sea; he has calmed the Father’s rage against sin and rebellion by his crucifixion. He brought peace to us because he was willing to be punished in our place. He opened access to heaven in all its holiness – and all this for those who have no right being there on their own! He does not just have power over nature, but over death itself! He makes the dead alive. He kills the deadly storm of death and only through Jesus, the sin-torn soul knows peace and forgiveness. 

Does he care about you? May we never doubt his care for us again. He doesn’t just serve us by removing the storms; he does better – he serves us through them. 

Sow What?

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(Mark 4:26-34)

You don’t have to have a green thumb to be fascinated by seeds. When it comes to growing things, without diminishing the hard labor of farmers or gardeners, the seed is really responsible for doing all of the work. Once the seed is in the ground, it more or less takes over from there. The one tending to it may be able to control certain variables, like irrigation or fertilizer, but the seed is going to do what God designed it to do regardless: grow. 

It doesn’t always work like that, though. Consider the baker. The cake doesn’t bake itself. Multiple steps like properly following the recipe and baking it at the correct temperature for right length of time are necessary for the cake to turn out. That work does depend on the baker. Or take the software designer – if his coding is off, the software will have bugs and glitches and not work as it is supposed to. There are plenty of jobs that require constant monitoring and following the appropriate steps and procedures for everything to go smoothly. But when it comes to making a seed grow, the seed does all the work. 

The Word Works

Jesus emphasized this in his first parable. Once the seed was in the ground, look at what happened next. “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (v.27). To a degree, whether the farmer works hard or hardly works, whether he puts in a full day or slacks off by sleeping in, either way, the seed is going to do what the seed is going to do: grow. And, it doesn’t need anyone’s help, as Jesus reminded his listeners: “All by itself the soil produces grain” (v.28).

Jesus’ is interested in more than just agriculture here; he is illustrating how God’s Word grows his kingdom. His Word, and his Word alone, does all the work.

The Bible doesn’t need our help to be effective. It doesn’t need to be wrapped up in a catchy sermon series or marketing. It doesn’t need to be supported by flashy professional media. The Word doesn’t work better because the church is bigger or smaller or has a cooler name. The style of worship doesn’t enhance the Word, nor does our logic or reason make it more likely to take root. It’s not anything we do at all. The Word does the work all by itself. The Holy Spirit uses it to bring life from death. He uses it to create and keep faith, faith that receives an abundance of rich gifts which he continually distributes through that same Word. 

Neither do we need to know the inner workings of the Word to know that it will work. In fact, you can’t. That’s why one individual soaking up everything about Christianity with a fervor that is contagious, suddenly becomes MIA and turns into a cold case. It’s also why the obstinate atheist unexpectedly becomes filled with faith. Why the one and not the other? I don’t know. Neither do you. God does, and we know how he does it and we know that he only does it one way: through his Word.

That’s why we understand how essential that small sentence at the beginning of Jesus’ parable is, “A man scatters seed on the ground” (v.26). If it starts with that, then we need to start with that. Nothing happens without the seed being scattered. Nothing happens to stored away seed. It won’t grow. It won’t produce. It won’t… anything.

So the Word must be sown. The seed must be scattered. The bedside Bible that is rarely opened is nothing more than another item to be dusted off when cleaning. The Bible app on your phone that never sees the light of day is only adding more clutter to your home screen. For the Word to work, just like anything else, it has to be used. If the Word is not spoken, shared, read, studied, confessed, preached, taught, passed on, etc., it will not produce. The Word needs to be communicated for it to work. The seed needs to be scattered. Are you scattering the seed?

When the stranger in line next to you opens up and ends up sharing some personal matters she is working through, are you looking for a chance to scatter the seed? When your unchurched friend returns from traveling to a family member’s funeral and expresses to you his doubts and uncertainty regarding death and the afterlife, do you scatter the seed? Your classmate is wrestling with feeling worthless and insignificant – do you scatter the seed? A church member close to you confesses something they’ve done that has left them reeling in guilt and shame – do you scatter the seed? 

Scatter the seed under your own roof, too. Fathers, are you taking the lead in this area? Are you scattering the seed of the Word in your marriage and in your home? If not, what is holding you back? If it’s your fear of having an inadequate understanding of the Bible or feeling that you aren’t qualified, look again at Jesus’ words: “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (v.27). God isn’t calling you as a father to be an expert in the Word; he’s just calling you to scatter it so that he can do the work of building his kingdom. The Word works, so put it to work. And as you do, you’ll begin to notice the blessings over time.

The Word Works Big Blessings from Small Beginnings

The Word works, and it works big blessings. But it does so from small beginnings. Jesus explained, “It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade” (v.31-32). The Word’s work is like the mustard seed – it starts small, but over time grows and develops into something big.

A newborn infant and splashes of water accompanied by God’s powerful promise. God is able to grow the small seed planted there into something magnificent. A small beginning, yes, but big blessings will follow. An ongoing dialogue between two friends, one of whom is asking questions of the other about God and the Bible. A small seed is being planted, which God can grow into much bigger blessings over time. 

A sermon is shared, a service is streamed, an invitation is extended. A passage is quoted, a prayer is said. A hurting soul is comforted. A small bit of bread and wine are received. A devotion is read together. In all of it, the small mustard seed of the gospel is being scattered, and through all of it, God is causing big blessings to grow. 

But because it starts so small, and because at times it seems to take so long to grow, we must fight the urge to give up on it when we fail to see immediate results. The atom-size attention spans we have in our day and age have not helped. We hardly have to wait for anything anymore, so when we do, we become quickly irritated and give up to move on to something else. Perhaps the days of dial-up internet and rotary phones weren’t as bad as we make them out to be – at least they fostered a measure of patience in our everything-is-instant age! Regardless, keep scattering the seed with the complete confidence that from that tiny gospel seed, God will grow big blessings. 

The Word Works in Me

It isn’t necessary for us to know how the Word works to be able to trust that the Word works, since the Holy Spirit is the one doing the heavy lifting. While that is true, one of the blessings that Word produces in us is the desire to learn it, to know it, and to understand it better. Look at Mark’s description of Jesus’ teaching at the conclusion of these two parables. “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything” (v.33-34). They grew in their learning. Jesus used parables to explain to them things they didn’t understand. And what they didn’t understand, he explained to them. And this happened on an ongoing basis!

Such is the cyclical relationship we have with the Word. The more we’re in it, the more we crave it. To those who avoid it because they don’t understand it, the solution is to be in it more – not less! – so that it will provide us with better understanding.

What did you do the last time you didn’t understand something.? Perhaps a movie ending didn’t make sense. Maybe you couldn’t explain why something that appeared to be in good working order wasn’t doing what it was supposed to. What did you do? Did you just walk away, clueless and content to remain in your ignorance? I doubt it! I’m guessing you googled it in hopes of finding an answer. You may have even texted or talked to a friend about it. You very likely took at least some step toward having a better understanding.

Why are we so reluctant to do the same with the Word? If you don’t get it, that’s fine, but getting away from it is not the solution to getting it. The solution is to scatter more seed. More, not less, and give the Word time to germinate in your heart and mind. Allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten and open up the Scriptures to you.

It’s been said that people overestimate what they can accomplish in one year, but underestimate what they can accomplish in 3-5 years. Reading the Bible in a year may not be for you, but what about reading it in three? What about finding others in whom the seed has just been planted and is starting to sprout, and committing together to keep after it for the long-term? It starts small. It takes time. But it can and will grow great things in your life, because the Word works! Scatter the seed!