“God’s Love and God’s Justice”
Exodus 14:19-31; Matthew 18:21-35
September 11, 2011 (24th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
Does God exist? And if he does, then who is God? What is God like? People have been speculating about these questions since human beings could think. But as followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that God describes himself accurately in his Word, the Bible. Now, I think God is so infinite, so perfect, so amazing, that we will never understand everything about him. But the Bible tells us everything we need to know about God, especially what we need to know for our salvation.
So what does the Bible tell us about God? Two of his greatest attributes are “love” and “justice.” Both of these qualities are very much in evidence in both scripture readings, two of the better known ones. In the reading from Exodus, God is aiding his people, the Hebrews, as they struggle to leave their Egyptian captivity. Imagine what a daunting task that would have been. There were a huge number of Hebrews, that is true, but they were not an army. They were oppressed slaves, including the elderly, women and the very young. They did not leave in chariots; they went on foot, with all their possessions they could carry. And they would have to cross a harsh wilderness before reaching their promised land. Additionally, Pharaoh, angered at their rebellion, and seemingly learning nothing from the ten plagues that his people had suffered, sent his mighty army after the fleeing Hebrews. It seemed as if their flight to freedom would be a very short flight indeed.
But the Lord intervened! The Hebrews had been following a pillar of cloud sent by God (and just imagine what a sight that would have been, a massive, towering pillar of cloud, extending to the heavens, leading the people!). God moved the pillar to the rear of the Hebrew multitude, which hid them from the view of the pursuing Egyptians. During the night, the pillar served to keep the Hebrews and Egyptians separate. It served to confuse and confound the Egyptians. But God had not finished his marvelous works. Moses stretched out his hand and the Lord sent a mighty east wind over the water of the sea … can you imagine the fierce and howling wind? And then imagine the surface of the sea foaming and heaving, gradually being drawn apart, a depression in the surface becoming deeper and deeper until finally, the sea has been parted and dry land appears in a path across the entire sea bed to the other side. If you ever saw that spectacular movie “The Ten Commandments,” that may give some idea of what the people saw, heard and felt. If we take the text seriously, and accept it on its own terms, what happened was dramatic beyond comprehension. Two towering, seething walls of water flanked the pathway of dry land. Imagine how tall they were … if the sea bottom depth was 100 feet, the walls of water were 100 feet tall. If the sea bottom depth was 500 feet, the walls were 500 feet tall. What an extraordinary scene. And how intimidating it would have been for the Hebrews to venture down onto the dry pathway, knowing that countless tons of water were so close by, and it was only the hand of God that prevented the walls of water from flooding over them, from crushing and drowning them. But the people stepped out in faith, and crossed safely to the other side. In this way we witness the love of God.
But then the Egyptian army came in pursuit, and God allowed them to do so. But it was harder going for the Egyptians, because they were traveling with heavier equipment. The fully loaded chariots’ wheels sank into the dry but also soft sea bed. It was actually better to be on foot, as were the Hebrews. So by the time the Jews were safely on the other side, the Egyptians were still going slowly across the dry sea bed. And then, of course, came the deluge. The walls of water crashed down onto the Egyptian army, wiping out countless thousands of men. The lucky ones were crushed instantly. The unlucky ones suffered the agony of drowning. In this way we witness the justice of God.
And we witness both the love and justice of God set out in the well-known parable Jesus tells about the king, and the forgiven and yet unforgiving slave. The story is prompted by Peter’s question about forgiveness. If someone does something against you, how often should you forgive that person? Seven times? By asking that, Peter was going above and beyond the normal custom. Apparently, there had been a historical rabbinical teaching saying that three times was sufficient for forgiveness. So Peter may have thought he was being especially generous. But Jesus tells him that he must forgive far more than seven times. Different translations give different figures; either seventy-seven times or even seventy times multiplied by seven. Either number indicates that Peter is not following the way of God in his thinking. The number Jesus gave is not meant to be a specific number, but rather to be an incredible number … for the believer, forgiveness never stops.
Jesus elaborates his meaning in the wonderful story of a slave who owed his king an enormous, stupendous amount of money … ten thousand talents! To put that in perspective, a talent was a measure of money equal to six thousand denarii. A common laborer would earn about one denarius per work day, which means he would earn six denarii per week and 312 denarii per year. It would thus take an ordinary worker nearly 20 years to earn ONE talent. So after twenty years, it would be one down, and nineteen thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine to go (and that assumes the impossible feat of saving every denarius he earned.). Obviously the point of this story is to make the point that the slave can never pay off his debt, even though he promises his king to do so. So what happens then? The king would have been within his rights to sell off the man and his entire family as partial repayment of the debt. That was consistent with the laws of that time and place.
But the king does not do this. Instead, the king forgives the debtor. He wipes the slate clean. The debtor is no longer a debtor, burdened with an impossible amount to pay. Instead, he has been set free.
But how does the debtor respond? He encounters another slave who owes him money, about 100 denarii. That is not an insignificant amount. It would have been three or four months’ wages for an ordinary laborer. So the lender would be within his rights to demand payment from the debtor. Indeed, it was perfectly legal of him to have the debtor imprisoned. This action could be seen as simple justice.
But the slave who had received mercy could not legitimately demand justice, unless he was prepared to receive justice himself … and that is what he ended up receiving … justice. He was handed over to be tortured until he paid what he owed. But of course, he never could finish paying what he owed. So he would be tortured … forever. And Jesus warns his listeners that his Heavenly Father will treat them likewise.
Reflecting upon these two stories, I wonder if we prefer hearing about the love of God rather than the justice of God. God shows his love by using his great power to rescue the poor, oppressed Hebrews. That is something we can unambiguously cheer. But what about God using his power to utterly destroy the Egyptian army? How do we respond to a God who can act with such wrath. Surely other options were available, weren’t there? Could not God have found a less violent way to deal with the Egyptians?
And consider the story of the unforgiving slave. It’s wonderful that the king would forgive him. But did he really deserve an eternity of torture when he would not forgive? Wasn’t there some other way?
We have to ask ourselves what we think God owes us. God has created us. Does not the potter have power over the clay, to make one vessel unto honor and one unto dishoner? Does God owe us his mercy and grace? What have we done to earn God’s favor, really? What can we do to repay the unpayable debt? If we say we want justice, then we will receive the justice received by the Egyptians and the unforgiving slave. And in exercising his divine justice, God will be glorified. Either way, whether he exercises justice or mercy and love, God will be glorified. Indeed, for us to understand and appreciate God’s love and mercy and forgiveness, we have to understand his righteous judgment on sinners.
The good news is, it is not a hard thing to receive the love of God. He makes it freely available to those whom he has chosen, whether the people of Israel or the people of the New Covenant through Jesus Christ. You do not have to earn this love. You simply have to accept it. Does anything stand in your way? Are you disbelieving in God? Are you full of pride, thinking you are not such a sinner who needs mercy and forgiveness? Do you think your sins are too awful for God to forgive?
Whatever acts as a barrier between you and God, will you offer that up to God? Will you give it to Jesus Christ, who will gladly bear whatever it is? I am going to pray now, and I invite you, if you want a sure relationship with Jesus Christ, to pray with me now: “Lord Jesus, I confess that I have sinned against you and have grieved your Heavenly Father. I ask for forgiveness for my sins. I open my heart to you, Jesus, and ask you come into my life and lead it from this time onward. I do confess you as my Lord and Savior. Amen.”
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Billy Graham's Message After 9/11
Rev. Billy Graham gave a dignified and Gospel-centered message at the National Cathedral a few days after the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01, as part of the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. I think Rev. Graham's remarks are worth sharing on this tenth anniversary commemoration:
We come together today to affirm our conviction that God cares for us, whatever our ethnic, religious or political background may be. The Bible says that He is “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.”
No matter how hard we try, words simply cannot express the horror, the shock and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. September 11 will go down in our history as a Day to Remember.
Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes. Some day those responsible will be brought to justice.
But today we come together in this service to confess our need of God. We’ve always needed God from the very beginning of this nation. But today we need Him especially. We’re involved in a new kind of warfare. And we need the help of the Spirit of God.
The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”
But how do we understand something like this? Why does God allow evil like this to take place? Perhaps that is what you are asking. You may even be angry at God. I want to assure you that God understands these feelings that you may have.
We’ve seen so much that brings tears to our eyes and makes us all feel a sense of anger. But God can be trusted, even when life seems at its darkest.
What are some of the lessons we can learn?
First, we are reminded of the mystery and reality of evil. I have been asked hundreds of times why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I do not know the answer. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and that He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering.
The Bible says God is not the Author of evil. In 1 Thessalonians 2:7 the Bible talks about the mystery of iniquity. The Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”
The lesson of this event is not only about the mystery of iniquity and evil, but, second, it’s a lesson about our need for each other.
What an example New York and Washington have been to the world these past few days! None of us will forget the pictures of our courageous firefighters and police, or the hundreds of people standing patiently in line to donate blood.
A tragedy like this could have torn our country apart, but instead it has united us. So those perpetrators who took this on to tear us apart, it has worked the other way—it has backlashed. We are more united than ever before. I think this was exemplified in a very moving way when the members of our Congress stood shoulder to shoulder and sang, “God Bless America.”
Finally, difficult as it may be for us to see right now, this event can give a message of hope—hope for the present and hope for the future.
Yes, there is hope. There is hope for the present because the stage, I believe, has already been set for a new spirit in our nation.
We desperately need a spiritual renewal in this country, and God has told us in His Word time after time that we need to repent of our sins and return to Him, and He will bless us in a new way.
There also is hope for the future because of God’s promises. As a Christian, I have hope, not just for this life, but for heaven and the life to come. And many of those people who died this past week are in heaven now. And they wouldn’t want to come back. It’s so glorious and so wonderful. That is the hope for all of us who put our faith in God. I pray that you will have this hope in your heart.
This event reminds us of the brevity and the uncertainty of life. We never know when we too will be called into eternity. I doubt if those people who got on those planes or who walked into the World Trade Center or the Pentagon on Tuesday thought that it would be the last day of their lives. And that’s why we each must face our own spiritual need and commit ourselves to God and His will.
Here in this majestic National Cathedral we see all around us the symbol of the cross. For the Christian, the cross tells us that God understands our sin and our suffering, for He took them upon Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. From the cross God declares, “I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pain that you feel. But I love you.”
The story does not end with the cross, for Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the cross to the empty tomb. It tells us that there is hope for eternal life, for Christ has conquered evil and death and hell. Yes, there is hope.
I’ve become an old man now, and I’ve preached all over the world. And the older I get, the more I cling to that hope that I started with many years ago.
Several years ago at the National Prayer Breakfast here in Washington, Ambassador Andrew Young closed his talk with a quotation from the old hymn “How Firm a Foundation.”
This week we watched in horror as planes crashed into the steel and glass of the World Trade Center. Those majestic towers, built on solid foundations, were examples of prosperity and creativity. When damaged, those buildings plummeted to the ground, imploding in upon themselves. Yet, underneath the debris, is a foundation that was not destroyed. Therein lies the truth of that hymn, “How Firm a Foundation.”
Yes, our nation has been attacked, buildings destroyed, lives lost. But now we have a choice: whether to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation; or to choose to become stronger through all of this struggle, to rebuild on a solid foundation.
And I believe that we are starting to rebuild on that foundation. That foundation is our trust in God. And in that faith, we have the strength to endure something as difficult and as horrendous as what we have experienced this week. This has been a terrible week with many tears.
But it also has been a week of great faith. In that hymn, “How Firm a Foundation,” the words say, “Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,/For I am thy God, and will give thee aid;/I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,/Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”
My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us and that as we trust in Him we will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us.
We know also that God will give wisdom and courage and strength to the President and those around him. And this will be a day that we will remember as a Day of Victory.
May God bless you all.
We come together today to affirm our conviction that God cares for us, whatever our ethnic, religious or political background may be. The Bible says that He is “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.”
No matter how hard we try, words simply cannot express the horror, the shock and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. September 11 will go down in our history as a Day to Remember.
Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes. Some day those responsible will be brought to justice.
But today we come together in this service to confess our need of God. We’ve always needed God from the very beginning of this nation. But today we need Him especially. We’re involved in a new kind of warfare. And we need the help of the Spirit of God.
The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”
But how do we understand something like this? Why does God allow evil like this to take place? Perhaps that is what you are asking. You may even be angry at God. I want to assure you that God understands these feelings that you may have.
We’ve seen so much that brings tears to our eyes and makes us all feel a sense of anger. But God can be trusted, even when life seems at its darkest.
What are some of the lessons we can learn?
First, we are reminded of the mystery and reality of evil. I have been asked hundreds of times why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I do not know the answer. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and that He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering.
The Bible says God is not the Author of evil. In 1 Thessalonians 2:7 the Bible talks about the mystery of iniquity. The Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”
The lesson of this event is not only about the mystery of iniquity and evil, but, second, it’s a lesson about our need for each other.
What an example New York and Washington have been to the world these past few days! None of us will forget the pictures of our courageous firefighters and police, or the hundreds of people standing patiently in line to donate blood.
A tragedy like this could have torn our country apart, but instead it has united us. So those perpetrators who took this on to tear us apart, it has worked the other way—it has backlashed. We are more united than ever before. I think this was exemplified in a very moving way when the members of our Congress stood shoulder to shoulder and sang, “God Bless America.”
Finally, difficult as it may be for us to see right now, this event can give a message of hope—hope for the present and hope for the future.
Yes, there is hope. There is hope for the present because the stage, I believe, has already been set for a new spirit in our nation.
We desperately need a spiritual renewal in this country, and God has told us in His Word time after time that we need to repent of our sins and return to Him, and He will bless us in a new way.
There also is hope for the future because of God’s promises. As a Christian, I have hope, not just for this life, but for heaven and the life to come. And many of those people who died this past week are in heaven now. And they wouldn’t want to come back. It’s so glorious and so wonderful. That is the hope for all of us who put our faith in God. I pray that you will have this hope in your heart.
This event reminds us of the brevity and the uncertainty of life. We never know when we too will be called into eternity. I doubt if those people who got on those planes or who walked into the World Trade Center or the Pentagon on Tuesday thought that it would be the last day of their lives. And that’s why we each must face our own spiritual need and commit ourselves to God and His will.
Here in this majestic National Cathedral we see all around us the symbol of the cross. For the Christian, the cross tells us that God understands our sin and our suffering, for He took them upon Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. From the cross God declares, “I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pain that you feel. But I love you.”
The story does not end with the cross, for Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the cross to the empty tomb. It tells us that there is hope for eternal life, for Christ has conquered evil and death and hell. Yes, there is hope.
I’ve become an old man now, and I’ve preached all over the world. And the older I get, the more I cling to that hope that I started with many years ago.
Several years ago at the National Prayer Breakfast here in Washington, Ambassador Andrew Young closed his talk with a quotation from the old hymn “How Firm a Foundation.”
This week we watched in horror as planes crashed into the steel and glass of the World Trade Center. Those majestic towers, built on solid foundations, were examples of prosperity and creativity. When damaged, those buildings plummeted to the ground, imploding in upon themselves. Yet, underneath the debris, is a foundation that was not destroyed. Therein lies the truth of that hymn, “How Firm a Foundation.”
Yes, our nation has been attacked, buildings destroyed, lives lost. But now we have a choice: whether to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation; or to choose to become stronger through all of this struggle, to rebuild on a solid foundation.
And I believe that we are starting to rebuild on that foundation. That foundation is our trust in God. And in that faith, we have the strength to endure something as difficult and as horrendous as what we have experienced this week. This has been a terrible week with many tears.
But it also has been a week of great faith. In that hymn, “How Firm a Foundation,” the words say, “Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,/For I am thy God, and will give thee aid;/I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,/Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”
My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us and that as we trust in Him we will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us.
We know also that God will give wisdom and courage and strength to the President and those around him. And this will be a day that we will remember as a Day of Victory.
May God bless you all.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sermon on September 4, 2011
“The Marks of the Believer”
Exodus 12:1-14; Romans 13:8-14
September 4, 2011 (23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
A police officer noticed a speeding vehicle that cut off some other cars, blared its horn, and gave a very aggressive impression overall. The police officer turned on his patrol car’s sirens and flashers, pulled over the speeding vehicle, and noticed what was stuck to that car/s rear bumper. He promptly arrested and handcuffed the man who was driving and took him to the police station downtown. The man was placed in a holding cell. That was highly unusual for a traffic stop. After a couple of hours, the police officer released the man from his cell and was very apologetic. “I am sorry for what happened, I don’t normally arrest people for traffic violations. But when I saw the fish symbol on the back of your car along with the bumper sticker that said Jesus Loves You,’ I thought you had stolen the car.”
What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ? What are the marks of the believer? We can discover these marks by turning to the passage in Exodus. The LORD God of Israel is establishing the feast of the Passover for his people. The elements of the Passover defined God’s people over three thousand years ago, and I would submit they continue to define God’s people today. What are the relevant marks of identification?
First, God’s people are people apart. In verse two, God instructs the Hebrews that they will live according to a different calendar than the surrounding culture. Some of the cultures of the Middle East considered the autumn season to be the start of the year, while others preferred the spring season. But instead of living by a seasonal calendar, God commands his people to live by a theological calendar, meaning that they live by a calendar centered on God’s saving actions for his people.
God also gave his people very specific commands for how they would prepare their Passover meal, from the type of food they would consume (a spotless male lamb or goat), to how it would be prepared, and indeed how it would be disposed of in case any was left. What is amazing about this ritual is that a version of it is practiced by devout Jews to this very day. The feast of the Passover is one of Judaism’s most important occasions.
God also commanded the Hebrews to display a sign of their separateness, which was to show the blood shed from the spotless lambs or goats on their door posts. The Angel of Death would “pass over” them on its way to destroying the first born of the Egyptians. Now, surely God knew who his own were. And yet he commanded the Hebrews to display a mark of their status.
So the separateness of the Hebrews is well established. But in a very important sense, they were also together. The painstaking regulations of the Passover meal were designed to bring the people together. Verses 3 and 4 demonstrate this. Moses was told that the whole community of Israel was to share the meal as households. In other words, individuals were not to eat the meal by themselves. Each household would have one goat or lamb to consume, and if the households were very small (say three people or less), verse four provides for a sharing of the meal with others. Everyone had to eat the meat, and all of the meat was to be consumed, with nothing left by dawn.
Finally, God commanded the Hebrew to be prepared. There is a lot of language concerning the preparation of the meal. This is not something that should be thrown together at the last minute, like throwing a frozen dinner in the oven or microwave. No, the lamb or goat must be chosen days before the meal, and there must be the most careful preparation. But this preparation is so that the Passover Meal can be quickly consumed, and that the Hebrews are to eat with their sandals on their feet, their belts fastened and their belongings packed up. The roasting of the meat over a fire, the use of unleavened bread, and herbs from the field, were all ways of fast preparation. And why? Because the day of deliverance is approaching.
You might be asking yourself what this has to do with you in this day and age. These regulations concern a distant people from over three thousand years ago, after all. The culture was dramatically different than ours. The very language of the Hebrews is impenetrable to most people today (and believe me, I know … I had to take a year of Biblical Hebrew in seminary and was amazed by how alien it seemed.). But the principles set out in this Exodus passage apply to followers of Jesus Christ today.
We are indeed called to be a “separate” people. Now, what does that mean? Like the Hebrews, we can display some symbols of God’s covenant with us. Jesus instituted two visible marks or signs by which we are known as his people. The sacrament of Baptism serves to mark us as Christ’s own. Now, God knows who belongs to him regardless of the outward sign. And yet this public mark of faith is something that sets the families of faith apart from others. The sacrament of communion also sets believers apart, because it is a symbolic and spiritual partaking of Christ’s Body and Blood, a remembrance of his sacrifice for us.
But our separateness does not just have to do with sacraments. It concerns the lives we lead. As followers of Christ, we are called upon to fulfill the law of God. What is the law of God for us? It is not the old Mosaic covenant, but rather the command from Jesus to love the Lord our God with everything we have and everything we are, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. That is the argument Paul sets out in the passage from Romans. Love fulfills the law. And what is extraordinary about this provision is that it includes everyone. The Christian is called not just to love other Christians, but all people. And that truly would set us apart, if we actually practiced it. It’s extraordinarily difficult. Only Jesus himself perfectly fulfilled it. But it is still what we are called to do.
Just as the Hebrews were a people together, so we are called to be a people together. Again, we can witness that in the way we come together for the Lord’s Supper. That is meant to be a communal activity. So is Baptism. There are exceptions due to emergencies or incapacity, but in the Presbyterian tradition, we generally come together around the Lord’s Table. And I think it is good to come together in other ways, too. We enjoy wonderful fellowship meals and Bible studies and prayer meetings together, united by our common bond in Jesus Christ. And we can fellowship with other believers in Christ beyond the walls of this church. I would submit to you that while our faith is individual in a sense, it is even more communal. Having a relationship with other believers is a vital aspect of our faith. That is why I just cannot affirm that watching a preacher on TV at home (and there are some TV preachers I've been blessed to watch, like Billy Graham and D. James Kennedy) is any substitute for gathering and worshiping with the people of God in the house of God.
Finally, we too care called to be a prepared people. Paul exhorts his listeners to remember that the time of salvation is drawing near. And how better prepared can we be but to live as followers of Jesus Christ? With all due respect to someone like Harold Camping, we cannot, in fact, know exactly when the time of salvation shall come. But it is good to live as if that time were imminent. Living in this way means having a robust faith in Jesus Christ, a faith that changes your life and allows you to act with love towards others.
To Him who showed us the way of faith and love to salvation, Amen.
Exodus 12:1-14; Romans 13:8-14
September 4, 2011 (23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
A police officer noticed a speeding vehicle that cut off some other cars, blared its horn, and gave a very aggressive impression overall. The police officer turned on his patrol car’s sirens and flashers, pulled over the speeding vehicle, and noticed what was stuck to that car/s rear bumper. He promptly arrested and handcuffed the man who was driving and took him to the police station downtown. The man was placed in a holding cell. That was highly unusual for a traffic stop. After a couple of hours, the police officer released the man from his cell and was very apologetic. “I am sorry for what happened, I don’t normally arrest people for traffic violations. But when I saw the fish symbol on the back of your car along with the bumper sticker that said Jesus Loves You,’ I thought you had stolen the car.”
What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ? What are the marks of the believer? We can discover these marks by turning to the passage in Exodus. The LORD God of Israel is establishing the feast of the Passover for his people. The elements of the Passover defined God’s people over three thousand years ago, and I would submit they continue to define God’s people today. What are the relevant marks of identification?
First, God’s people are people apart. In verse two, God instructs the Hebrews that they will live according to a different calendar than the surrounding culture. Some of the cultures of the Middle East considered the autumn season to be the start of the year, while others preferred the spring season. But instead of living by a seasonal calendar, God commands his people to live by a theological calendar, meaning that they live by a calendar centered on God’s saving actions for his people.
God also gave his people very specific commands for how they would prepare their Passover meal, from the type of food they would consume (a spotless male lamb or goat), to how it would be prepared, and indeed how it would be disposed of in case any was left. What is amazing about this ritual is that a version of it is practiced by devout Jews to this very day. The feast of the Passover is one of Judaism’s most important occasions.
God also commanded the Hebrews to display a sign of their separateness, which was to show the blood shed from the spotless lambs or goats on their door posts. The Angel of Death would “pass over” them on its way to destroying the first born of the Egyptians. Now, surely God knew who his own were. And yet he commanded the Hebrews to display a mark of their status.
So the separateness of the Hebrews is well established. But in a very important sense, they were also together. The painstaking regulations of the Passover meal were designed to bring the people together. Verses 3 and 4 demonstrate this. Moses was told that the whole community of Israel was to share the meal as households. In other words, individuals were not to eat the meal by themselves. Each household would have one goat or lamb to consume, and if the households were very small (say three people or less), verse four provides for a sharing of the meal with others. Everyone had to eat the meat, and all of the meat was to be consumed, with nothing left by dawn.
Finally, God commanded the Hebrew to be prepared. There is a lot of language concerning the preparation of the meal. This is not something that should be thrown together at the last minute, like throwing a frozen dinner in the oven or microwave. No, the lamb or goat must be chosen days before the meal, and there must be the most careful preparation. But this preparation is so that the Passover Meal can be quickly consumed, and that the Hebrews are to eat with their sandals on their feet, their belts fastened and their belongings packed up. The roasting of the meat over a fire, the use of unleavened bread, and herbs from the field, were all ways of fast preparation. And why? Because the day of deliverance is approaching.
You might be asking yourself what this has to do with you in this day and age. These regulations concern a distant people from over three thousand years ago, after all. The culture was dramatically different than ours. The very language of the Hebrews is impenetrable to most people today (and believe me, I know … I had to take a year of Biblical Hebrew in seminary and was amazed by how alien it seemed.). But the principles set out in this Exodus passage apply to followers of Jesus Christ today.
We are indeed called to be a “separate” people. Now, what does that mean? Like the Hebrews, we can display some symbols of God’s covenant with us. Jesus instituted two visible marks or signs by which we are known as his people. The sacrament of Baptism serves to mark us as Christ’s own. Now, God knows who belongs to him regardless of the outward sign. And yet this public mark of faith is something that sets the families of faith apart from others. The sacrament of communion also sets believers apart, because it is a symbolic and spiritual partaking of Christ’s Body and Blood, a remembrance of his sacrifice for us.
But our separateness does not just have to do with sacraments. It concerns the lives we lead. As followers of Christ, we are called upon to fulfill the law of God. What is the law of God for us? It is not the old Mosaic covenant, but rather the command from Jesus to love the Lord our God with everything we have and everything we are, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. That is the argument Paul sets out in the passage from Romans. Love fulfills the law. And what is extraordinary about this provision is that it includes everyone. The Christian is called not just to love other Christians, but all people. And that truly would set us apart, if we actually practiced it. It’s extraordinarily difficult. Only Jesus himself perfectly fulfilled it. But it is still what we are called to do.
Just as the Hebrews were a people together, so we are called to be a people together. Again, we can witness that in the way we come together for the Lord’s Supper. That is meant to be a communal activity. So is Baptism. There are exceptions due to emergencies or incapacity, but in the Presbyterian tradition, we generally come together around the Lord’s Table. And I think it is good to come together in other ways, too. We enjoy wonderful fellowship meals and Bible studies and prayer meetings together, united by our common bond in Jesus Christ. And we can fellowship with other believers in Christ beyond the walls of this church. I would submit to you that while our faith is individual in a sense, it is even more communal. Having a relationship with other believers is a vital aspect of our faith. That is why I just cannot affirm that watching a preacher on TV at home (and there are some TV preachers I've been blessed to watch, like Billy Graham and D. James Kennedy) is any substitute for gathering and worshiping with the people of God in the house of God.
Finally, we too care called to be a prepared people. Paul exhorts his listeners to remember that the time of salvation is drawing near. And how better prepared can we be but to live as followers of Jesus Christ? With all due respect to someone like Harold Camping, we cannot, in fact, know exactly when the time of salvation shall come. But it is good to live as if that time were imminent. Living in this way means having a robust faith in Jesus Christ, a faith that changes your life and allows you to act with love towards others.
To Him who showed us the way of faith and love to salvation, Amen.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
I Didn't Preach Last Sunday ...
... as I had a week off. I did preach the Sunday before, and didn't think it was one of my better efforts. Nonetheless, I share it here.
“God’s Sent a Savior”
Exodus 1:8-2:10; Matthew 16:13-20
August 21, 2011 (21st Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
At the end of Genesis, the people of Israel had settled in Egypt, which was, at the time, a place of refuge. The patriarch Joseph had risen to the heights of power, and his wise decisions had made Egypt a place of refuge for his people, who prospered and grew in numbers. But hundreds of years passed between the events at the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus. A new dynasty had arisen, one that did not have the same welcoming attitude to foreigners. The rulers of Egypt had become nervous about all of these foreigners in their midst. Indeed, the dynasty under which Joseph and his people had prospered was itself foreign, known as the Hyksos. So after the “native” Egyptians had again taken control, the policy towards the Israelites began to change. Out of fear and resentment, the Egyptian Pharaohs made life more and more difficult for the people of Israel. They feared the growing numbers of Hebrews, and worried that they would be an enemy within in the event of war. Thus, they were treated as serfs, forced to work so hard that they would theoretically become exhausted and not be able to grow further in population. The native Egyptians would also benefit from the labor of the Hebrews.
But these measures did not curb the Hebrews’ population growth. The harsher their treatment, the more they grew. We can detect in this pattern the hand of God. God does not always spare his people from hardship, but nonetheless he exercises his providence over them. The early church grew during periods of persecution. So did the nation of Israel.
In response, the Pharaoh increased the pressure in a truly evil fashion. He decreed that Hebrew midwives must kill male Hebrew children as they were born. This was an incredible order to give to Hebrew midwives, but Pharaoh must have calculated that out of fear of his authority, they would comply. But these midwives feared God more than Pharaoh, and they did not obey his diabolical command. And thus the Hebrew population continued to increase. So finally, Pharaoh gave his most vile command yet: the people of Egypt were called upon directly to kill the newborn male babies by throwing them into the Nile River. It seemed as if the Israelites were now confronted with an impossible situation.
And it was into this terrible reality that Moses was born. He was in grave danger of being discovered and killed. And here is another parallel to the time of Christ, for Jesus himself was in danger as a newborn boy, thanks to Herod’s similarly diabolical order to kill all newborn baby boys. But again, from such fragile beginnings, God makes great things happen. God delivers to his people a great savior.
And so it was with Moses. His mother successfully spared him from harm by hiding him in a basket and trusting that God would guide the current of the Nile. She had to let go of her baby in the hope that he would be alright. And that is a good lesson for us today. There are times when we have to let go of a situation beyond our control, trusting that God has it in hand.
And praise God that he did have Moses in hand. Baby Moses, at the most vulnerable time of his life, was protected from harm. The Egyptian Princess found his basket and rescued the baby. She knew that the baby was a Hebrew, but thank God that she had a more tender heart than Pharaoh. In an extraordinary event of providence, she summoned a Hebrew woman, none other than Moses’ actual mother, to nurse Moses. In that way, not only was Moses’ life spared, but he could grow up in close proximity to his mother. And when the time was right, Moses would become the leader of his people, bringing them out of bondage to freedom.
Jesus came for a similar purpose, but in a much greater way. In the passage from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples to identify him. First he asks what others say of him (i.e, the general public). Some think he is John the Baptist (come back from the dead). Some say Elijah. Some say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. One commentator suggests the disciples are being diplomatic and omitting the negative things people had been saying about Jesus, such as being blasphemous or a sinner. In any case, these estimates, even the good ones, were short of the mark. So Jesus asks his disciples who they say he is. And this is the question we all face … who do you say he is? People in the world say many things about Jesus, after all. Some people deny he even lived, in other words he was a made up, purely mythical figure. Other people will admit that he lived, but that he was not the actual Son of God in any unique way (meaning that if he was the Son of God, we are all sons and daughters of God). Some people say he was a teacher, a mystic, perhaps a cynical sage, maybe a revolutionary, perhaps a misguided or mistaken idealist. There are so-called Christians, including church leaders, who believe such things (again, Sadduccees among us). Muslims believe he was a prophet, but certainly not equal to God.
As you ponder who Jesus is, let us consider what his disciples said when asked. It was Simon Peter who responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” That was the right answer, of course, and it had been revealed to Peter by God the Father. And so Jesus proclaims that he will build his church upon the faith of Peter, which is like a rock.
Is your answer Peter’s? Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God? Are you a stone in the church of Jesus Christ? Are you part of his body? Do you accept what he offers, which is freedom? Moses offered his people freedom, as well. And doesn’t everyone want freedom?
Of course, to answer that question, one must define what is meant by “freedom?” What does a Savior do for us? Consider what Moses did for his people. He would lead them to freedom. But this was not only a freedom from the oppression of the Egyptians, but the freedom to be the people of God. The Hebrews were not released from captivity to do whatever their sinful selves desired. Instead, they were freed to observe God’s sacred laws, as he handed them down to Moses at Mount Sinai.
So what about does this mean for us? Jesus is our Savior. What does he saves us from? He saves us from the dreadful consequences of our sin and Satan’s power, which oppresses us as the Egyptians oppressed the Hebrews. But if we are set free from the power of sin and evil, for what are we freed? We are not freed to be autonomous and independent. We are not freed to pursue our own momentary desires. We are freed to lead a more meaningful life. We are freed to be the people of God. For indeed, we are fated to serve a Master, but we must consider which Master we will serve. Will it be Satan, or will it be God?
So what is your answer? Will you accept the gift of salvation as offered through Jesus Christ? Do you want to cast off the shackles of sin that are determined to weigh you down and will destroy you if they are not removed? Then turn to our Moses, our great Savior, our great Liberator from captivity, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.
To Jesus Christ, the One who has come to rescue us from sin, guilt, and death, be all glory, honor and praise, now and forever. Amen.
“God’s Sent a Savior”
Exodus 1:8-2:10; Matthew 16:13-20
August 21, 2011 (21st Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
At the end of Genesis, the people of Israel had settled in Egypt, which was, at the time, a place of refuge. The patriarch Joseph had risen to the heights of power, and his wise decisions had made Egypt a place of refuge for his people, who prospered and grew in numbers. But hundreds of years passed between the events at the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus. A new dynasty had arisen, one that did not have the same welcoming attitude to foreigners. The rulers of Egypt had become nervous about all of these foreigners in their midst. Indeed, the dynasty under which Joseph and his people had prospered was itself foreign, known as the Hyksos. So after the “native” Egyptians had again taken control, the policy towards the Israelites began to change. Out of fear and resentment, the Egyptian Pharaohs made life more and more difficult for the people of Israel. They feared the growing numbers of Hebrews, and worried that they would be an enemy within in the event of war. Thus, they were treated as serfs, forced to work so hard that they would theoretically become exhausted and not be able to grow further in population. The native Egyptians would also benefit from the labor of the Hebrews.
But these measures did not curb the Hebrews’ population growth. The harsher their treatment, the more they grew. We can detect in this pattern the hand of God. God does not always spare his people from hardship, but nonetheless he exercises his providence over them. The early church grew during periods of persecution. So did the nation of Israel.
In response, the Pharaoh increased the pressure in a truly evil fashion. He decreed that Hebrew midwives must kill male Hebrew children as they were born. This was an incredible order to give to Hebrew midwives, but Pharaoh must have calculated that out of fear of his authority, they would comply. But these midwives feared God more than Pharaoh, and they did not obey his diabolical command. And thus the Hebrew population continued to increase. So finally, Pharaoh gave his most vile command yet: the people of Egypt were called upon directly to kill the newborn male babies by throwing them into the Nile River. It seemed as if the Israelites were now confronted with an impossible situation.
And it was into this terrible reality that Moses was born. He was in grave danger of being discovered and killed. And here is another parallel to the time of Christ, for Jesus himself was in danger as a newborn boy, thanks to Herod’s similarly diabolical order to kill all newborn baby boys. But again, from such fragile beginnings, God makes great things happen. God delivers to his people a great savior.
And so it was with Moses. His mother successfully spared him from harm by hiding him in a basket and trusting that God would guide the current of the Nile. She had to let go of her baby in the hope that he would be alright. And that is a good lesson for us today. There are times when we have to let go of a situation beyond our control, trusting that God has it in hand.
And praise God that he did have Moses in hand. Baby Moses, at the most vulnerable time of his life, was protected from harm. The Egyptian Princess found his basket and rescued the baby. She knew that the baby was a Hebrew, but thank God that she had a more tender heart than Pharaoh. In an extraordinary event of providence, she summoned a Hebrew woman, none other than Moses’ actual mother, to nurse Moses. In that way, not only was Moses’ life spared, but he could grow up in close proximity to his mother. And when the time was right, Moses would become the leader of his people, bringing them out of bondage to freedom.
Jesus came for a similar purpose, but in a much greater way. In the passage from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples to identify him. First he asks what others say of him (i.e, the general public). Some think he is John the Baptist (come back from the dead). Some say Elijah. Some say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. One commentator suggests the disciples are being diplomatic and omitting the negative things people had been saying about Jesus, such as being blasphemous or a sinner. In any case, these estimates, even the good ones, were short of the mark. So Jesus asks his disciples who they say he is. And this is the question we all face … who do you say he is? People in the world say many things about Jesus, after all. Some people deny he even lived, in other words he was a made up, purely mythical figure. Other people will admit that he lived, but that he was not the actual Son of God in any unique way (meaning that if he was the Son of God, we are all sons and daughters of God). Some people say he was a teacher, a mystic, perhaps a cynical sage, maybe a revolutionary, perhaps a misguided or mistaken idealist. There are so-called Christians, including church leaders, who believe such things (again, Sadduccees among us). Muslims believe he was a prophet, but certainly not equal to God.
As you ponder who Jesus is, let us consider what his disciples said when asked. It was Simon Peter who responded, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” That was the right answer, of course, and it had been revealed to Peter by God the Father. And so Jesus proclaims that he will build his church upon the faith of Peter, which is like a rock.
Is your answer Peter’s? Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God? Are you a stone in the church of Jesus Christ? Are you part of his body? Do you accept what he offers, which is freedom? Moses offered his people freedom, as well. And doesn’t everyone want freedom?
Of course, to answer that question, one must define what is meant by “freedom?” What does a Savior do for us? Consider what Moses did for his people. He would lead them to freedom. But this was not only a freedom from the oppression of the Egyptians, but the freedom to be the people of God. The Hebrews were not released from captivity to do whatever their sinful selves desired. Instead, they were freed to observe God’s sacred laws, as he handed them down to Moses at Mount Sinai.
So what about does this mean for us? Jesus is our Savior. What does he saves us from? He saves us from the dreadful consequences of our sin and Satan’s power, which oppresses us as the Egyptians oppressed the Hebrews. But if we are set free from the power of sin and evil, for what are we freed? We are not freed to be autonomous and independent. We are not freed to pursue our own momentary desires. We are freed to lead a more meaningful life. We are freed to be the people of God. For indeed, we are fated to serve a Master, but we must consider which Master we will serve. Will it be Satan, or will it be God?
So what is your answer? Will you accept the gift of salvation as offered through Jesus Christ? Do you want to cast off the shackles of sin that are determined to weigh you down and will destroy you if they are not removed? Then turn to our Moses, our great Savior, our great Liberator from captivity, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.
To Jesus Christ, the One who has come to rescue us from sin, guilt, and death, be all glory, honor and praise, now and forever. Amen.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Sermon for August 14, 2011 (20th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
“God’s Great Mercy”
Genesis 45:1-15; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32.
August 14, 2011 (20th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
“Lucy, you got some splainin’ to do.” That’s one of best remembered catch phrases from “I Love Lucy.” Ricky is calling Lucy to account for one of Lucy’s typically hare-brained schemes. We laugh at that, but at root it reminds us of an uncomfortable truth … it is highly unpleasant to be called to account. When you are a kid, you may worry about your parents finding out about something wrong you have done. When you are a pupil in school, you may have anxiety about going to the principal’s office (at least I hope there is anxiety, because that anxiety indicates that there is still such a thing as ‘discipline’ in that school. And without discipline, you eventually end up with riots, looting and disorder as we just saw in London, England). When you are an adult, you may have anxiety when called to the bosses’ office, or pulled over by the police … there is nothing like the flash of blue and red lights to get your heart pumping, is there?
So there are many ways in which we can be called to account, and it never feels good to anticipate those occasions. And I think the level of anxiety rises with the level of offense. If a cop pulls you over and you have been speeding, maybe 10 miles over the limit, that is one thing. But what if you are obviously intoxicated? I think you might anticipate a worse reaction. Or if you have illegal drugs in the car? The worse the offense, the worse the reaction.
I would shudder to imagine what is going through the minds of Joseph’s brothers when he reveals his true identity to them. To summarize what has happened previously, Joseph was the favored son of the patriarch Jacob. As a young man, Joseph was guileless, or arrogant, or a mixture of both. He had a dream in which his other brothers were like stalks of wheat bowing down before him … and he told them about the dream! This kind of behavior enraged his brothers, and they plotted to kill him. One of them had second thoughts about such a drastic action, and convinced the others to “merely” ambush Joseph, confine him in a pit, and sell him into slavery. Joseph ended up in Egypt as a result, and as a result of his brilliance and his closeness to God (he dreamt accurate prophecies), he rose from slavery to become, aside from Pharaoh himself, the most powerful man in Egypt, which was then the greatest empire the world had ever known. Joseph foresaw that the region would enjoy seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. So he had a portion of grain stored during the good years, so that the people of Egypt would survive the years of famine.
People from outside Egypt even came to avoid starvation. And among those people were Joseph’s brothers. Much time had passed since they cast him away, and they did not recognize him at first. But on the occasion described in the passage from Genesis, he finally reveals his identity. As his brothers stand before him, this man they have so grievously wronged, and who now holds the power of life and death over them, what must be going through their minds? What would be going through your mind under such circumstances? I think you would be waiting for the hammer to drop … for Joseph to make a scathing denunciation of your crimes and then to have you executed or, if you were lucky, to be banished from his presence forever.
But we see that Joseph does not do that. Instead, he sends away his advisors and servants, because his heart and emotions are overflowing. He astonishes his brothers by bursting out weeping, weeping so loudly that he can be heard around the palace. He then bids them to come close. And then, he reveals who he is …” Joseph, your brother, whom you have sold into Egypt.” But he immediately counsels his brothers not to be “distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here.” If I had been in Joseph’s place, I might not have told them that … I might have said, “oh, go ahead, be distressed and angry with yourself.” But Joseph tells them otherwise, because he understands the providence of God. “God sent me before you to preserve life … to preserve a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.” Joseph then recounts what happened since his brothers ambushed him. He will not punish them for what they had done to him.
And not only that, he will provide for him. As he embraces them, Joseph tells them to bring their father Jacob and his whole tribe to Egypt, where they will be safe. He has in effect prepared a place for them.
In this scene, we witness the great mercy of Joseph, a mercy that is covered by the providence of God, a mercy that is undeserved, a mercy that not only spares one’s life, but provides as well. And we are invited to consider the character of God as shown in Jesus Christ. When we approach God, in one sense we are like Joseph’s brothers. We are sinners. In one of our Prayers of Confession we says that we have “offended and grieved” God by violating his law. Every sin we commit strikes at the heart of God. Approaching God could be a fearful experience for us, for he is the ultimate judge, who knows everything we have done or have even thought of doing. We should tremble before him,
But consider what we hear from Jesus Christ. He tells us to come closer to him. He opens his arms to us and embraces us. He tells us not to be afraid. He forgives us for our sins. And he opens the gates of heaven to us where we may enter. And why is that? I think it is because we have been adopted into God’s family. And God will not cast away members of his family. We are in the positions of Joseph’s brothers and the Prodigal Son of Jesus’ story, who sinned against his father but was nonetheless welcomed back into his father’s house with open arms.
Paul’s words in Romans, chapter 11, reinforce the idea that God does not reject those who belong to him. Paul also refers to the mysterious providence of God, which uses unlikely events to advance his purposes. Referring to the Jewish-Gentile relationship, he tells his Gentile listeners, “They (the Jews) are enemies of the Gospel for your sake …” which means the Gentiles have an opening to receive the Gospel. But God has not abandoned the Jews, because they are still in God’s family line: “But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers, for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” Paul also explains that God has given mercy to the Gentiles in spite of their disobedience, and will give mercy to the Jews in spite of their disobedience.
What do we learn about God? He works his providence out in ways that are sometimes hard to understand. He gives room for humans to act badly, and in so doing they can do great harm. But his purposes are certain and irrevocable. All events will lead to his providential plan for his elect people. There is no sin than can separate the people of God from the love of God. If God has elected you to his family through Jesus Christ, he will never let you go. Now, do not take that as a license to commit evil acts! A redeemed life reflects itself in good conduct. But do be assured that whatever you have done in your life, however your sins have offended God, you do not need to fear approaching him in repentance and faith. If you abhor your sins and ask for God’s forgiveness, you will receive it. I am reminded of a sermon given by Charles Spurgeon concerning the repentant thief in Luke’s Gospel. The thief admitted his guilt and confessed his faith in Christ shortly before his own death. Spurgeon wrote, that if we wonder if the thief went to heaven, do not ask if he went to heaven if he were sincere. The only right question is, if he was sincere. In other words, with his sincere repentance, the thief was guaranteed entry to paradise, as Jesus himself said on the cross. There was no more question to be asked.
And that is the hope you can have. Speaking for myself, I have a lot of respect for other Christian traditions. But I cannot belong to any church that would not affirm the assurance of salvation. The idea that you can have salvation and somehow lose it is not Biblical, it is certainly not supported in Paul’s writings. It also does not provide the blessed assurance that the Gospel should provide. If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior but can nonetheless lose your salvation through your own actions, what does that say about the sovereignty and power of God? What does that say about the promises of God as attested to in the Scriptures? How much sin would be just enough to tip you over into Hell rather than Heaven? You would become so preoccupied with counting your sins, and so anxious about your fate, that you could not serve Jesus Christ in the best possible way … without fear.
And indeed, there is a message for us in these passages, not just to us as forgiven sinners, but also as saints called to service. What kind of service to God can we offer? We can strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ. Even though Joseph lived before Jesus was born, he was anticipating Christ’s example in his radical, all encompassing, total forgiveness of those who had wronged him.
So, while we are given assurance, we are also given a challenge. And they are tied together. If you are willing to accept the assurance, you must be ready to accept the challenge. Are you ready? Salvation and service await you.
May the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to save us and show us how to serve others, give us the faith to accept salvation, and the character to forgive others as he has forgiven us. Amen.
Genesis 45:1-15; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32.
August 14, 2011 (20th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
“Lucy, you got some splainin’ to do.” That’s one of best remembered catch phrases from “I Love Lucy.” Ricky is calling Lucy to account for one of Lucy’s typically hare-brained schemes. We laugh at that, but at root it reminds us of an uncomfortable truth … it is highly unpleasant to be called to account. When you are a kid, you may worry about your parents finding out about something wrong you have done. When you are a pupil in school, you may have anxiety about going to the principal’s office (at least I hope there is anxiety, because that anxiety indicates that there is still such a thing as ‘discipline’ in that school. And without discipline, you eventually end up with riots, looting and disorder as we just saw in London, England). When you are an adult, you may have anxiety when called to the bosses’ office, or pulled over by the police … there is nothing like the flash of blue and red lights to get your heart pumping, is there?
So there are many ways in which we can be called to account, and it never feels good to anticipate those occasions. And I think the level of anxiety rises with the level of offense. If a cop pulls you over and you have been speeding, maybe 10 miles over the limit, that is one thing. But what if you are obviously intoxicated? I think you might anticipate a worse reaction. Or if you have illegal drugs in the car? The worse the offense, the worse the reaction.
I would shudder to imagine what is going through the minds of Joseph’s brothers when he reveals his true identity to them. To summarize what has happened previously, Joseph was the favored son of the patriarch Jacob. As a young man, Joseph was guileless, or arrogant, or a mixture of both. He had a dream in which his other brothers were like stalks of wheat bowing down before him … and he told them about the dream! This kind of behavior enraged his brothers, and they plotted to kill him. One of them had second thoughts about such a drastic action, and convinced the others to “merely” ambush Joseph, confine him in a pit, and sell him into slavery. Joseph ended up in Egypt as a result, and as a result of his brilliance and his closeness to God (he dreamt accurate prophecies), he rose from slavery to become, aside from Pharaoh himself, the most powerful man in Egypt, which was then the greatest empire the world had ever known. Joseph foresaw that the region would enjoy seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. So he had a portion of grain stored during the good years, so that the people of Egypt would survive the years of famine.
People from outside Egypt even came to avoid starvation. And among those people were Joseph’s brothers. Much time had passed since they cast him away, and they did not recognize him at first. But on the occasion described in the passage from Genesis, he finally reveals his identity. As his brothers stand before him, this man they have so grievously wronged, and who now holds the power of life and death over them, what must be going through their minds? What would be going through your mind under such circumstances? I think you would be waiting for the hammer to drop … for Joseph to make a scathing denunciation of your crimes and then to have you executed or, if you were lucky, to be banished from his presence forever.
But we see that Joseph does not do that. Instead, he sends away his advisors and servants, because his heart and emotions are overflowing. He astonishes his brothers by bursting out weeping, weeping so loudly that he can be heard around the palace. He then bids them to come close. And then, he reveals who he is …” Joseph, your brother, whom you have sold into Egypt.” But he immediately counsels his brothers not to be “distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here.” If I had been in Joseph’s place, I might not have told them that … I might have said, “oh, go ahead, be distressed and angry with yourself.” But Joseph tells them otherwise, because he understands the providence of God. “God sent me before you to preserve life … to preserve a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.” Joseph then recounts what happened since his brothers ambushed him. He will not punish them for what they had done to him.
And not only that, he will provide for him. As he embraces them, Joseph tells them to bring their father Jacob and his whole tribe to Egypt, where they will be safe. He has in effect prepared a place for them.
In this scene, we witness the great mercy of Joseph, a mercy that is covered by the providence of God, a mercy that is undeserved, a mercy that not only spares one’s life, but provides as well. And we are invited to consider the character of God as shown in Jesus Christ. When we approach God, in one sense we are like Joseph’s brothers. We are sinners. In one of our Prayers of Confession we says that we have “offended and grieved” God by violating his law. Every sin we commit strikes at the heart of God. Approaching God could be a fearful experience for us, for he is the ultimate judge, who knows everything we have done or have even thought of doing. We should tremble before him,
But consider what we hear from Jesus Christ. He tells us to come closer to him. He opens his arms to us and embraces us. He tells us not to be afraid. He forgives us for our sins. And he opens the gates of heaven to us where we may enter. And why is that? I think it is because we have been adopted into God’s family. And God will not cast away members of his family. We are in the positions of Joseph’s brothers and the Prodigal Son of Jesus’ story, who sinned against his father but was nonetheless welcomed back into his father’s house with open arms.
Paul’s words in Romans, chapter 11, reinforce the idea that God does not reject those who belong to him. Paul also refers to the mysterious providence of God, which uses unlikely events to advance his purposes. Referring to the Jewish-Gentile relationship, he tells his Gentile listeners, “They (the Jews) are enemies of the Gospel for your sake …” which means the Gentiles have an opening to receive the Gospel. But God has not abandoned the Jews, because they are still in God’s family line: “But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers, for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” Paul also explains that God has given mercy to the Gentiles in spite of their disobedience, and will give mercy to the Jews in spite of their disobedience.
What do we learn about God? He works his providence out in ways that are sometimes hard to understand. He gives room for humans to act badly, and in so doing they can do great harm. But his purposes are certain and irrevocable. All events will lead to his providential plan for his elect people. There is no sin than can separate the people of God from the love of God. If God has elected you to his family through Jesus Christ, he will never let you go. Now, do not take that as a license to commit evil acts! A redeemed life reflects itself in good conduct. But do be assured that whatever you have done in your life, however your sins have offended God, you do not need to fear approaching him in repentance and faith. If you abhor your sins and ask for God’s forgiveness, you will receive it. I am reminded of a sermon given by Charles Spurgeon concerning the repentant thief in Luke’s Gospel. The thief admitted his guilt and confessed his faith in Christ shortly before his own death. Spurgeon wrote, that if we wonder if the thief went to heaven, do not ask if he went to heaven if he were sincere. The only right question is, if he was sincere. In other words, with his sincere repentance, the thief was guaranteed entry to paradise, as Jesus himself said on the cross. There was no more question to be asked.
And that is the hope you can have. Speaking for myself, I have a lot of respect for other Christian traditions. But I cannot belong to any church that would not affirm the assurance of salvation. The idea that you can have salvation and somehow lose it is not Biblical, it is certainly not supported in Paul’s writings. It also does not provide the blessed assurance that the Gospel should provide. If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior but can nonetheless lose your salvation through your own actions, what does that say about the sovereignty and power of God? What does that say about the promises of God as attested to in the Scriptures? How much sin would be just enough to tip you over into Hell rather than Heaven? You would become so preoccupied with counting your sins, and so anxious about your fate, that you could not serve Jesus Christ in the best possible way … without fear.
And indeed, there is a message for us in these passages, not just to us as forgiven sinners, but also as saints called to service. What kind of service to God can we offer? We can strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ. Even though Joseph lived before Jesus was born, he was anticipating Christ’s example in his radical, all encompassing, total forgiveness of those who had wronged him.
So, while we are given assurance, we are also given a challenge. And they are tied together. If you are willing to accept the assurance, you must be ready to accept the challenge. Are you ready? Salvation and service await you.
May the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to save us and show us how to serve others, give us the faith to accept salvation, and the character to forgive others as he has forgiven us. Amen.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Sermon for August 7, 2011 (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
“Why We Evangelize”
Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45; Romans 10:5-15
August 7, 2011 (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
What is it that makes church different from other worthy endeavors such as the Chamber of Commerce, or the Kiwanis, or any other business or charitable endeavor? As members of the church, meaning members of the Body of Christ, we are called to evangelize. The very beginning of Psalm 105 calls upon us to “give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name …” and to “make known his deeds among the peoples.” We are also exhorted to “tell of all his wondrous works!” And God’s works are wondrous indeed. Anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear understands how wondrous are the works of God. Every day, when we see the sun rise or set; or we walk through the beautiful pine trees of this area; or we experience the laughter of a baby; we truly experience the wondrous works of God. God’s work is inescapable. It is in nature, in human relationships, in all things beautiful and noble, and in our very concept of perfection. That is known as general revelation, and we are indeed called upon to point to this revelation as evidence of a great and gracious God.
But we are called even more to tell the story of God’s redemptive plan for the human race. Where does God reveal this? Well, we may be able to deduce from nature, from creation, perhaps from logic or philosophy, that there is “a” God, some kind of divine intelligence. We may even be able to understand, from the many evidences of God’s common grace, that God is a God of blessings. But the light of nature or of human understanding cannot show us what we must know for our salvation. But in the words of the 4th century church Father John Chrysostom, God has graciously condescended to us by providing his Word to us, both the Word written and the Word made flesh, meaning Jesus Christ. And so it is that we turn to consider these elements of God’s special revelation to us. And not just consider, but to evangelize, to share God’s plan of salvation with others.
Over these last few weeks we have considered together the patriarchs chosen by God, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He chose these men, and their wives Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, to head a new nation, Israel, who would be God’s chosen people. These patriarchs often faced setbacks, frequently of their own making. On more than one occasion, it seemed as if the line of Abraham would die out. But God was true to his covenant, made first with Abraham. This Psalm, in verses 16 through 22, makes reference to the patriarch Joseph, son of Jacob, whose self-confidence, perhaps boastfulness, enraged his brothers, driving them to ambush him, cast him into a pit, and sell him into slavery. But God showed his providence in this way: he made good come out of the evil actions of Joseph’s brothers. As a prisoner in Egypt, Joseph advanced because of his natural brilliance and leadership ability. From such humble status as a slave, Joseph was raised up by God to become the second most powerful man in Egypt. And as such, he foresaw that Egypt would face years of famine, and so he had them prepare for the famine by storing up their surplus food. And when the famine came, there was enough to feed everyone, including Joseph’s own family, even the very brothers who had hated him and cast him out! Had it not been for Joseph’s position in Egypt, the line of Jacob might have perished. So we see that while God allows his people to be chastised and humbled, he also acts to preserve them.
And why does God preserve them? Look at verse 45: “that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws.” That was the purpose of Israel, the nation of God among the pagan nations, the people of God amidst the Gentiles, a continuing witness to the law of God in a lawless and sinful world. And by God’s grace, he sent his Son to spread that message to the gentiles as well. Because of Jesus Christ, all of us, whatever our background, whether or not we descend by blood from the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are grafted onto the tree of Israel.
But how well did the people of Israel keep the statutes and laws of God? The Old Testament is, among other things, an account of Israel’s fidelity to God and his laws. And the record is not unblemished, to put it mildly. God both chastised and blessed his people in the continuing cycles of falling into sin and being restored to goodness. Indeed, the Old Testament is an account of these cycles. It seems as if the people of Israel never get it quite right.
But then again, do we? We are heirs to the promises made to Israel. Are we without sin? Can we fulfill the demands of the law? I submit to you that we cannot. Now, the church has held out different ways of dealing with this harsh reality. Over the centuries, into the Middle Ages, the Catholic church (which was the only church in the Western world, as opposed to the Orthodox church that existed in the East) developed an intricate sacramental system, including the sacrament of penance, to bring a believer back into God’s favor after committing a sin or sins. I am not going to deliver a dissertation on the Roman Catholic sacramental system, but I do want to say that this system did not produce a feeling of safety in God among discerning people, such as Martin Luther, who started his ministry as an Augustinian monk. He was haunted by the knowledge of his sinfulness and the agony of knowing that as soon as he confessed and was absolved of one sin, he would commit another. He was terrified of dying outside of God’s grace. Luther wanted to please God but was frustrated at his inability to perfectly keep the law of God. And it was all of this fear and frustration that drove Luther back to God’s revealed Word, uncorrupted by the centuries of tradition that served to obscure its beauty and clarity. And Luther rediscovered the central truth of the Gospel … that we are not justified by the works of the law, but rather by the grace of God through faith.
As Douglas Moo writes in his magisterial commentary on Romans, “central to the Reformers’ teaching on salvation was their distinction ‘law’ and ‘gospel.’ ‘Law’ is whatever God commands us to do; ‘gospel’ is what God in his grace gives to us. The Reformers uniformly insisted that human depravity made it impossible for a person to be saved by doing what God commands; only by humbly accepting, in faith, the ‘good news’ of God’s work on our behalf could a person be saved.” This was the message of the Apostle Paul, a devout Jew who wanted both Jews and Gentiles to come to a saving relationship with God. Paul was the Reformer of his age, proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to a people who had forgotten the importance of faith (meaning many of the Jews of the time). Paul taught that the Old Testament itself proclaims the indispensability of faith. How were Jews God’s chosen people? It was not by their adherence to the Law, for the Biblical account itself shows how often they fell short of the Law. The law could save them only if they kept it perfectly, but they could not. And so we cannot. We share that reality with the people of Israel. And so Paul’s message is that in the time of the Old Testament, the people called upon Yahweh to be saved. And “now” (meaning in Paul’s time) people may call on the name of Jesus Christ to be saved. This shows how highly Paul valued a relationship with Jesus Christ, for it was the same thing as a relationship with God … Jesus Christ was and is fully God, one with the Father. And so, Paul says that we must simply call on the name of the Lord, and to confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. And thus we shall be saved.
This is truly good news! Paul’s understanding of the Jewish Scriptures links them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a consistent narrative of God’s grace for sinful people. But as Paul writes, one must receive this good news for it to be effective. How does this happen? Well, God has established the method for spreading the good news. As Paul writes in verses 14 and 15, “how can a person call on one in whom he has not believed? And how shall they believe in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Now, when Paul refers to a preacher, I don’t think he really had someone like me in mind. In other words, when Paul wrote, there was no professional Christian clergy. There were no denominations with various ordination requirements. There were no Christian seminaries. Pretty much everyone who believed could be a preacher … not necessarily in the sense of speaking before a lot of people at one time, but in sharing what we believe with others.
Are you prepared to do that? Although the Bible contains 66 different books covering 2,000 years or so, the central message is simple. God created us. We fell into sin. We cannot save ourselves from God’s righteous judgment. But God … the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who revealed himself fully in Jesus Christ … will save anyone who calls on him. Do you believe this? If you believe it, it is the best possible news for you. Why wouldn’t you share it with others? That is what our Lord commands, to extend the invitation to salvation and a new life to all the world. What a privilege! What a joy! Will you take part?
To the One who extends his grace from Abraham through Jesus Christ be all glory and honor, now and forever. Amen.
Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45; Romans 10:5-15
August 7, 2011 (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
What is it that makes church different from other worthy endeavors such as the Chamber of Commerce, or the Kiwanis, or any other business or charitable endeavor? As members of the church, meaning members of the Body of Christ, we are called to evangelize. The very beginning of Psalm 105 calls upon us to “give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name …” and to “make known his deeds among the peoples.” We are also exhorted to “tell of all his wondrous works!” And God’s works are wondrous indeed. Anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear understands how wondrous are the works of God. Every day, when we see the sun rise or set; or we walk through the beautiful pine trees of this area; or we experience the laughter of a baby; we truly experience the wondrous works of God. God’s work is inescapable. It is in nature, in human relationships, in all things beautiful and noble, and in our very concept of perfection. That is known as general revelation, and we are indeed called upon to point to this revelation as evidence of a great and gracious God.
But we are called even more to tell the story of God’s redemptive plan for the human race. Where does God reveal this? Well, we may be able to deduce from nature, from creation, perhaps from logic or philosophy, that there is “a” God, some kind of divine intelligence. We may even be able to understand, from the many evidences of God’s common grace, that God is a God of blessings. But the light of nature or of human understanding cannot show us what we must know for our salvation. But in the words of the 4th century church Father John Chrysostom, God has graciously condescended to us by providing his Word to us, both the Word written and the Word made flesh, meaning Jesus Christ. And so it is that we turn to consider these elements of God’s special revelation to us. And not just consider, but to evangelize, to share God’s plan of salvation with others.
Over these last few weeks we have considered together the patriarchs chosen by God, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He chose these men, and their wives Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, to head a new nation, Israel, who would be God’s chosen people. These patriarchs often faced setbacks, frequently of their own making. On more than one occasion, it seemed as if the line of Abraham would die out. But God was true to his covenant, made first with Abraham. This Psalm, in verses 16 through 22, makes reference to the patriarch Joseph, son of Jacob, whose self-confidence, perhaps boastfulness, enraged his brothers, driving them to ambush him, cast him into a pit, and sell him into slavery. But God showed his providence in this way: he made good come out of the evil actions of Joseph’s brothers. As a prisoner in Egypt, Joseph advanced because of his natural brilliance and leadership ability. From such humble status as a slave, Joseph was raised up by God to become the second most powerful man in Egypt. And as such, he foresaw that Egypt would face years of famine, and so he had them prepare for the famine by storing up their surplus food. And when the famine came, there was enough to feed everyone, including Joseph’s own family, even the very brothers who had hated him and cast him out! Had it not been for Joseph’s position in Egypt, the line of Jacob might have perished. So we see that while God allows his people to be chastised and humbled, he also acts to preserve them.
And why does God preserve them? Look at verse 45: “that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws.” That was the purpose of Israel, the nation of God among the pagan nations, the people of God amidst the Gentiles, a continuing witness to the law of God in a lawless and sinful world. And by God’s grace, he sent his Son to spread that message to the gentiles as well. Because of Jesus Christ, all of us, whatever our background, whether or not we descend by blood from the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are grafted onto the tree of Israel.
But how well did the people of Israel keep the statutes and laws of God? The Old Testament is, among other things, an account of Israel’s fidelity to God and his laws. And the record is not unblemished, to put it mildly. God both chastised and blessed his people in the continuing cycles of falling into sin and being restored to goodness. Indeed, the Old Testament is an account of these cycles. It seems as if the people of Israel never get it quite right.
But then again, do we? We are heirs to the promises made to Israel. Are we without sin? Can we fulfill the demands of the law? I submit to you that we cannot. Now, the church has held out different ways of dealing with this harsh reality. Over the centuries, into the Middle Ages, the Catholic church (which was the only church in the Western world, as opposed to the Orthodox church that existed in the East) developed an intricate sacramental system, including the sacrament of penance, to bring a believer back into God’s favor after committing a sin or sins. I am not going to deliver a dissertation on the Roman Catholic sacramental system, but I do want to say that this system did not produce a feeling of safety in God among discerning people, such as Martin Luther, who started his ministry as an Augustinian monk. He was haunted by the knowledge of his sinfulness and the agony of knowing that as soon as he confessed and was absolved of one sin, he would commit another. He was terrified of dying outside of God’s grace. Luther wanted to please God but was frustrated at his inability to perfectly keep the law of God. And it was all of this fear and frustration that drove Luther back to God’s revealed Word, uncorrupted by the centuries of tradition that served to obscure its beauty and clarity. And Luther rediscovered the central truth of the Gospel … that we are not justified by the works of the law, but rather by the grace of God through faith.
As Douglas Moo writes in his magisterial commentary on Romans, “central to the Reformers’ teaching on salvation was their distinction ‘law’ and ‘gospel.’ ‘Law’ is whatever God commands us to do; ‘gospel’ is what God in his grace gives to us. The Reformers uniformly insisted that human depravity made it impossible for a person to be saved by doing what God commands; only by humbly accepting, in faith, the ‘good news’ of God’s work on our behalf could a person be saved.” This was the message of the Apostle Paul, a devout Jew who wanted both Jews and Gentiles to come to a saving relationship with God. Paul was the Reformer of his age, proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to a people who had forgotten the importance of faith (meaning many of the Jews of the time). Paul taught that the Old Testament itself proclaims the indispensability of faith. How were Jews God’s chosen people? It was not by their adherence to the Law, for the Biblical account itself shows how often they fell short of the Law. The law could save them only if they kept it perfectly, but they could not. And so we cannot. We share that reality with the people of Israel. And so Paul’s message is that in the time of the Old Testament, the people called upon Yahweh to be saved. And “now” (meaning in Paul’s time) people may call on the name of Jesus Christ to be saved. This shows how highly Paul valued a relationship with Jesus Christ, for it was the same thing as a relationship with God … Jesus Christ was and is fully God, one with the Father. And so, Paul says that we must simply call on the name of the Lord, and to confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. And thus we shall be saved.
This is truly good news! Paul’s understanding of the Jewish Scriptures links them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a consistent narrative of God’s grace for sinful people. But as Paul writes, one must receive this good news for it to be effective. How does this happen? Well, God has established the method for spreading the good news. As Paul writes in verses 14 and 15, “how can a person call on one in whom he has not believed? And how shall they believe in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Now, when Paul refers to a preacher, I don’t think he really had someone like me in mind. In other words, when Paul wrote, there was no professional Christian clergy. There were no denominations with various ordination requirements. There were no Christian seminaries. Pretty much everyone who believed could be a preacher … not necessarily in the sense of speaking before a lot of people at one time, but in sharing what we believe with others.
Are you prepared to do that? Although the Bible contains 66 different books covering 2,000 years or so, the central message is simple. God created us. We fell into sin. We cannot save ourselves from God’s righteous judgment. But God … the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who revealed himself fully in Jesus Christ … will save anyone who calls on him. Do you believe this? If you believe it, it is the best possible news for you. Why wouldn’t you share it with others? That is what our Lord commands, to extend the invitation to salvation and a new life to all the world. What a privilege! What a joy! Will you take part?
To the One who extends his grace from Abraham through Jesus Christ be all glory and honor, now and forever. Amen.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Sermon for July 31, 2011 (18th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
“Undeserved Gifts” (Genesis 32:22-31; Matthew 14:13-21)
July 31, 2011 (18th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
It can be hard to ask something of someone, especially if you have the sense that you are asking for something unnecessary, like a privilege or luxury. I think of the man who asks his wife if he can play poker with the boys that night, and he would be out late as a result. While his wife is bathing the kids and putting them to bed, the husband would be playing cards, smoking a cigar, drinking a beer, and sharing racy jokes with his pals (the great poker playing scenes in the movie and TV series The Odd Couple comes to mind. I know I am dating myself by mentioning that).
Or the wife has everything she needs in the way of clothing, but she just has to have that new dress or hat. But since her husband is the breadwinner, she has to get his OK to buy of keep the article of clothing. And that reminds me of an episode from I Love Lucy (my tastes in TV comedy are old fashioned) where Lucy and Ethel return from a shopping trip. Lucy pulls out a box containing a pretty dress, and expresses her hope that Ricky will let her keep it. Ethel says “I hope Fred lets me keep what a bought,” and she pulls a toilet plunger out of her bag. Obviously Ricky and Fred have different ideas of what constitutes “luxury” or “undeserved gifts.”
Today we encounter two of the better known stories from Scripture, both of which illustrate the nature of undeserved gifts. First, there is Jacob’s wrestling encounter with a stranger. Jacob actually had been seeking solitude, walking around while thinking. I’ve done that myself on many occasions. Jacob is apprehensive about his upcoming reunion with Esau. You will recall that Jacob had obtained Esau’s birthright and fatherly blessing (from Isaac) by dubious means. He eventually settled in with Laban’s family for a long time, partly because he was cheated by Laban. At one point, Jacob and his family fled from Laban’s property and had a confrontation that ended well enough for Jacob, because of God’s gracious provision, but it was still a harrowing encounter.
Now Jacob is preparing to meet the brother who would have reason to hate him. He has prayed to God to spare him from his brother’s likely wrath. He then takes his wife and family members and possessions and sends them across the ford of the Jabbok river, really a stream. He remains behind. In the dark of night a mysterious man appears suddenly and engages Jacob in a wrestling match. The match lasts for hours. Jacob displays tenacity in refusing to release the stranger. The stranger cannot vanquish Jacob even when he dislocates Jacob’s hip (although in Hebrew the possibility exists that the stranger hurt a more sensitive part of Jacob’s anatomy, which makes Jacob’s persistence even more impressive.). Jacob will not let go out the stranger until he receives a blessing. This very request suggests a dawning realization on Jacob’s part that he is wrestling with an angel of the Lord, or perhaps the Lord himself! And Jacob receives the blessing. Indeed, he receives a blessing that he probably could not have imagined. This stranger tells him that he has a new name to match a new identity. No longer is her Jacob, a name that implies grasping and supplanting. Instead, his new name is Israel, which means one who has struggled with God and with men, and has prevailed. And after this amazing encounter, Jacob names the place “Peniel,” because “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” Notice that Jacob expresses no sense of triumph over his struggle with God, but an attitude of awe and gratitude that he even survived the encounter. Slowly but surely, Jacob is learning a proper faith that is accompanied by humility.
When I think of this encounter, I think about the power of God as opposed to our power. Realistically, who among can expect to prevail over God, who is infinite in power, who created the whole cosmos and gave us life? And yet, on this occasion, God did not use his awesome power to swat Jacob away like a fly. He did not grant Jacob’s request easily, but he did grant it. I think this shows that God is willing to hear our prayers, and will indeed respond to our faith, but that we also must show patience and perseverance and even endure setbacks. A true faith is a deeply rooted faith, one that will withstand the pressures and disappointments and sorrows of life. And for all of his faults and flaws, Jacob demonstrated such a faith. His faith was the reason for God’s blessing him, not any of his works. I think one reason why God chose Jacob as a patriarch was to show that one is saved by grace through faith. God was not required to choose Jacob, and God is not required to choose any of us, by virtue of our works or character. But by God’s mysterious providence, he chooses some for salvation and service.
And we witness another example of the graciousness of God in the story of the feeding of the multitude, an event recounted in all four Gospels, indicating an especially big impact. This story provides a very interesting counterpoint to the one from Genesis. Like Jacob, Jesus is under a terrific amount of stress. In Jesus’ case, he has learned that the man who was perhaps his greatest friend, John the Baptist, was beheaded by the cruel Herod Antipas, fulfilling a reckless promise he made to his evil wife and daughter at a typically decadent dinner party.
Jesus has withdrawn to the wilderness for a couple of reasons. First, he is leaving the territory controlled by Herod. Herod thinks Jesus may be the resurrected John the Baptist. It would be potentially hazardous for Jesus to stick around. Now, we know from later in the Gospels that Jesus would willingly give himself up to suffering and death … so he was not acting selfishly in this incidence. Rather, it was not the appointed time for him to die. He still had an earthly mission to fulfill. It would have been against God’s perfect plan for Jesus to die at that particular time.
Second, Jesus is attempting to withdraw from large groups of people to have a time of relative solitude and rest. He is searching for some quiet time in the midst of great stress, something that Jacob did as well.
Of course, a great difference in the stories is that Jacob is the one who makes a request of God. Jesus is the one who receives a request. And, as Matthew’s account makes clear, it was a request that only would have added to Jesus’ stress. Jesus had wanted to get away from large crowds of people. But somehow, a huge mass of people, 5,000 men at minimum (and I say “at minimum” because it is not entirely clear whether or not they were accompanied by additional women and children). But whatever the exact number, a very large group of people decided, for whatever reason, to follow Jesus into the wilderness. And there were no provisions to be had … not a McDonald’s or even a Whataburger in sight.
Jesus had had a horrible experience, learning that his friend John had been killed. And suddenly a huge crowd shows up, anything but invited, but obviously hungry and in need of food. Jesus and his disciples have a few loaves and fishes (and when the Bible says “loaves,” these are likely not what we think of as loaves, but rather large slabs of pita bread or flat bread. There was barely enough to feed the disciples. And yet Jesus commands them to feed the great multitude. And there turns out to be more than enough for all five thousand (or perhaps ten thousand?).
Traditionally, this passage has been understood to describe a miracle … the blessing of Jesus Christ allowed the scanty amount of food to be multiplied to such an extent that everyone received his fill, and there was enough left over to fill twelve baskets
… reminds me of some of the meals we’ve had here! In recent times, with the rise of skeptical and rationalist biblical criticism, it has become fashionable in the academy to treat this event as some kind of psychological happening … that Jesus convinced everyone to share the food they had already brought. I think that reduces the story to a kind of kindergarten lesson: “see, children, it’s good to share!” But according to one of the most learned expositors of Matthew’s Gospel, R.T. France, the text does not support the idea that Jesus engaged in “psychological manipulation.” The intent of the author was to affirm that a supernatural miracle occurred! I just mention that because it disturbs me that supposed church leaders sometimes favor these rationalistic, miracle-defying interpretations, simply because that matches their own experience, regardless of what the Bible says about certain events. Their attitude reminds me of a French philosopher who once declared that if the entire population of Paris told him they witnessed a bodily resurrection, he still would not believe it because it could not occur in the natural order of things.
My comments on miracles are not merely to show my concern about modernistic interpretations of Scripture. The miracle Jesus performed showed two great things about our God. First, it showed God has the amazing power to make something great out of something very small. This is a consistent pattern of God’s. He created the universe from nothing at all. He created the line of Israel from the unpromising beginnings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, all of whom had serious obstacles in fathering children. He brought the church into being from a small band of Jesus’ followers to the ever growing Body of Christ, a church that has immensely changed history and the very way we think about reality. God brings great abundance out of small beginnings.
God has the power to perform miracles, and God has the desire to comfort and uplift his people. Remember that his people bring nothing to the table other than themselves. That is why the miracle of the feeding of the multitude is so important. They came with nothing and God blessed them with abundance. And this was so even though Jesus was likely tired, and stressed, and desired solitude. But he placed the needs of others ahead of his own. The king became the servant. That is the God we worship and adore. He gives us everything, and expects nothing, for there is nothing we can give to him that can merit his love. He loves us because he chooses to. He provides for us because he chooses to. He saves us by grace through faith on his own accord.
So what is there, really, for us to do? There are two things we can consider. First, search your heart and ask yourself honestly, the most honestly you have ever asked yourself this question: are you truly born again? Do you truly trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Do you know that if you come to him that he will give you the food of eternal life, just as he gave loaves and fishes to the multitude in the wilderness. And do you want this in your heart? Do you want this assurance more than anything else in the world? Do you want to know this so deeply that you will cling to the promises of God and be blessed by them, much as Jacob held on fiercely to God in their struggle?
Search your heart with these questions, and may God’s Spirit bring you to the place of salvation. Amen.
July 31, 2011 (18th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Rev. John B. Erthein
It can be hard to ask something of someone, especially if you have the sense that you are asking for something unnecessary, like a privilege or luxury. I think of the man who asks his wife if he can play poker with the boys that night, and he would be out late as a result. While his wife is bathing the kids and putting them to bed, the husband would be playing cards, smoking a cigar, drinking a beer, and sharing racy jokes with his pals (the great poker playing scenes in the movie and TV series The Odd Couple comes to mind. I know I am dating myself by mentioning that).
Or the wife has everything she needs in the way of clothing, but she just has to have that new dress or hat. But since her husband is the breadwinner, she has to get his OK to buy of keep the article of clothing. And that reminds me of an episode from I Love Lucy (my tastes in TV comedy are old fashioned) where Lucy and Ethel return from a shopping trip. Lucy pulls out a box containing a pretty dress, and expresses her hope that Ricky will let her keep it. Ethel says “I hope Fred lets me keep what a bought,” and she pulls a toilet plunger out of her bag. Obviously Ricky and Fred have different ideas of what constitutes “luxury” or “undeserved gifts.”
Today we encounter two of the better known stories from Scripture, both of which illustrate the nature of undeserved gifts. First, there is Jacob’s wrestling encounter with a stranger. Jacob actually had been seeking solitude, walking around while thinking. I’ve done that myself on many occasions. Jacob is apprehensive about his upcoming reunion with Esau. You will recall that Jacob had obtained Esau’s birthright and fatherly blessing (from Isaac) by dubious means. He eventually settled in with Laban’s family for a long time, partly because he was cheated by Laban. At one point, Jacob and his family fled from Laban’s property and had a confrontation that ended well enough for Jacob, because of God’s gracious provision, but it was still a harrowing encounter.
Now Jacob is preparing to meet the brother who would have reason to hate him. He has prayed to God to spare him from his brother’s likely wrath. He then takes his wife and family members and possessions and sends them across the ford of the Jabbok river, really a stream. He remains behind. In the dark of night a mysterious man appears suddenly and engages Jacob in a wrestling match. The match lasts for hours. Jacob displays tenacity in refusing to release the stranger. The stranger cannot vanquish Jacob even when he dislocates Jacob’s hip (although in Hebrew the possibility exists that the stranger hurt a more sensitive part of Jacob’s anatomy, which makes Jacob’s persistence even more impressive.). Jacob will not let go out the stranger until he receives a blessing. This very request suggests a dawning realization on Jacob’s part that he is wrestling with an angel of the Lord, or perhaps the Lord himself! And Jacob receives the blessing. Indeed, he receives a blessing that he probably could not have imagined. This stranger tells him that he has a new name to match a new identity. No longer is her Jacob, a name that implies grasping and supplanting. Instead, his new name is Israel, which means one who has struggled with God and with men, and has prevailed. And after this amazing encounter, Jacob names the place “Peniel,” because “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” Notice that Jacob expresses no sense of triumph over his struggle with God, but an attitude of awe and gratitude that he even survived the encounter. Slowly but surely, Jacob is learning a proper faith that is accompanied by humility.
When I think of this encounter, I think about the power of God as opposed to our power. Realistically, who among can expect to prevail over God, who is infinite in power, who created the whole cosmos and gave us life? And yet, on this occasion, God did not use his awesome power to swat Jacob away like a fly. He did not grant Jacob’s request easily, but he did grant it. I think this shows that God is willing to hear our prayers, and will indeed respond to our faith, but that we also must show patience and perseverance and even endure setbacks. A true faith is a deeply rooted faith, one that will withstand the pressures and disappointments and sorrows of life. And for all of his faults and flaws, Jacob demonstrated such a faith. His faith was the reason for God’s blessing him, not any of his works. I think one reason why God chose Jacob as a patriarch was to show that one is saved by grace through faith. God was not required to choose Jacob, and God is not required to choose any of us, by virtue of our works or character. But by God’s mysterious providence, he chooses some for salvation and service.
And we witness another example of the graciousness of God in the story of the feeding of the multitude, an event recounted in all four Gospels, indicating an especially big impact. This story provides a very interesting counterpoint to the one from Genesis. Like Jacob, Jesus is under a terrific amount of stress. In Jesus’ case, he has learned that the man who was perhaps his greatest friend, John the Baptist, was beheaded by the cruel Herod Antipas, fulfilling a reckless promise he made to his evil wife and daughter at a typically decadent dinner party.
Jesus has withdrawn to the wilderness for a couple of reasons. First, he is leaving the territory controlled by Herod. Herod thinks Jesus may be the resurrected John the Baptist. It would be potentially hazardous for Jesus to stick around. Now, we know from later in the Gospels that Jesus would willingly give himself up to suffering and death … so he was not acting selfishly in this incidence. Rather, it was not the appointed time for him to die. He still had an earthly mission to fulfill. It would have been against God’s perfect plan for Jesus to die at that particular time.
Second, Jesus is attempting to withdraw from large groups of people to have a time of relative solitude and rest. He is searching for some quiet time in the midst of great stress, something that Jacob did as well.
Of course, a great difference in the stories is that Jacob is the one who makes a request of God. Jesus is the one who receives a request. And, as Matthew’s account makes clear, it was a request that only would have added to Jesus’ stress. Jesus had wanted to get away from large crowds of people. But somehow, a huge mass of people, 5,000 men at minimum (and I say “at minimum” because it is not entirely clear whether or not they were accompanied by additional women and children). But whatever the exact number, a very large group of people decided, for whatever reason, to follow Jesus into the wilderness. And there were no provisions to be had … not a McDonald’s or even a Whataburger in sight.
Jesus had had a horrible experience, learning that his friend John had been killed. And suddenly a huge crowd shows up, anything but invited, but obviously hungry and in need of food. Jesus and his disciples have a few loaves and fishes (and when the Bible says “loaves,” these are likely not what we think of as loaves, but rather large slabs of pita bread or flat bread. There was barely enough to feed the disciples. And yet Jesus commands them to feed the great multitude. And there turns out to be more than enough for all five thousand (or perhaps ten thousand?).
Traditionally, this passage has been understood to describe a miracle … the blessing of Jesus Christ allowed the scanty amount of food to be multiplied to such an extent that everyone received his fill, and there was enough left over to fill twelve baskets
… reminds me of some of the meals we’ve had here! In recent times, with the rise of skeptical and rationalist biblical criticism, it has become fashionable in the academy to treat this event as some kind of psychological happening … that Jesus convinced everyone to share the food they had already brought. I think that reduces the story to a kind of kindergarten lesson: “see, children, it’s good to share!” But according to one of the most learned expositors of Matthew’s Gospel, R.T. France, the text does not support the idea that Jesus engaged in “psychological manipulation.” The intent of the author was to affirm that a supernatural miracle occurred! I just mention that because it disturbs me that supposed church leaders sometimes favor these rationalistic, miracle-defying interpretations, simply because that matches their own experience, regardless of what the Bible says about certain events. Their attitude reminds me of a French philosopher who once declared that if the entire population of Paris told him they witnessed a bodily resurrection, he still would not believe it because it could not occur in the natural order of things.
My comments on miracles are not merely to show my concern about modernistic interpretations of Scripture. The miracle Jesus performed showed two great things about our God. First, it showed God has the amazing power to make something great out of something very small. This is a consistent pattern of God’s. He created the universe from nothing at all. He created the line of Israel from the unpromising beginnings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, all of whom had serious obstacles in fathering children. He brought the church into being from a small band of Jesus’ followers to the ever growing Body of Christ, a church that has immensely changed history and the very way we think about reality. God brings great abundance out of small beginnings.
God has the power to perform miracles, and God has the desire to comfort and uplift his people. Remember that his people bring nothing to the table other than themselves. That is why the miracle of the feeding of the multitude is so important. They came with nothing and God blessed them with abundance. And this was so even though Jesus was likely tired, and stressed, and desired solitude. But he placed the needs of others ahead of his own. The king became the servant. That is the God we worship and adore. He gives us everything, and expects nothing, for there is nothing we can give to him that can merit his love. He loves us because he chooses to. He provides for us because he chooses to. He saves us by grace through faith on his own accord.
So what is there, really, for us to do? There are two things we can consider. First, search your heart and ask yourself honestly, the most honestly you have ever asked yourself this question: are you truly born again? Do you truly trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Do you know that if you come to him that he will give you the food of eternal life, just as he gave loaves and fishes to the multitude in the wilderness. And do you want this in your heart? Do you want this assurance more than anything else in the world? Do you want to know this so deeply that you will cling to the promises of God and be blessed by them, much as Jacob held on fiercely to God in their struggle?
Search your heart with these questions, and may God’s Spirit bring you to the place of salvation. Amen.
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