The Caiaphas Solution

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him; but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on thus, every one will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation." But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all; you do not understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they took counsel how to put him to death.

John 11:45–53 (RSV)

One would think that raising someone from the dead would be regarded as a good thing. One would think that raising someone from the dead, who had been in the tomb four days, beginning decompose, was a blessing from God.

One would think this, but the leaders of the Temple in Jerusalem held onto a different approach to God. They remind me of what someone once said in a meeting, 'If God knew what we know now, He would be for this, too!' Those who cannot distinguish their own will from the will of God cause no end of sorrow. They can assign someone to torture, go home, play with the kids, and be a loving husband.

Caiaphas was willing to see Jesus dead, for he thought Jesus to be a significant danger to their status quo. Better that one person should die than a whole suffer. Caiaphas was a survivor who made sure that he got through whatever came his way. If someone got hurt, well, that's the price of staying in power.

Yet even Caiaphas and his ambition will serve God's will. Caiaphas thought he could get rid of Jesus and be done with Him. God was leading Jesus to the redemption of the world. Caiaphas wanted to make Jesus disappear. The Father was preparing a future where billions would know Jesus' Name. Then one day, every tongue would confess that Jesus is Lord.

Reversing Death

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb; it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. I knew that thou hearest me always, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that thou didst send me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." John 11:38–44 (RSV)

The rabbis said the soul departed after three days. Martha's response to Jesus commanding the stone be removed from Lazarus' tomb, 'He has been dead four days, the stench of death is already here.' Someone had to have observed that the soul departure abandoned the person to the decay of death. As much as Martha wanted a miracle, the smell of death would not let her begin to believe it possible.

We try to forget that our bodies will begin to decay and return to the dust of the earth. We see skeletons excavated at an archeological site, never allowing ourselves to think that we might be the object of curiosity to some future archeologist. We don't permit ourselves to consider this. We pretend that we will remain uncorrupted in our grave.

The stench of decay leading to nothing save bones, and in enough time, not even bones are evidence of the reality of death. It is a sign of the finality of death. It is no wonder that we bury, entomb, embalms, and other such things. We make the dead appear as if they were sleeping, soon to awaken.

Martha ignores the pretense, Lazarus is dead, it's been four days, it already stinks, Jesus. Why won't you believe that you have run out of time? Martha would leave the stone on the entrance to Lazarus' tomb. She would return to her home, leave Lazarus and death's odor.

Jesus did not deny any of these realities. He did not pretend that the tomb would have the aroma of spring flowers. He knew He was standing outside His friend's tomb, where the natural course of all flesh has begun. Jesus knew all of this, but He also knew that the Father is greater than death. Jesus knew that He had been sent to confront the ugliness of death. He had come to serve notice on death that its reign over all things has come to its end.

Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out. He commanded death to leave, reverse the death process, and permit life to stand glorious at the entrance to Lazarus' tomb. Jesus has come to unbind us all from all that death will do to us. He has come to bring eternal life to all who believe.

Lord, If You Had Been Here

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." John 11:17–27

(RSV) Among the rabbis, the opinion was held that the soul would linger near the body for three days, after which it would depart. Once the soul had gone, there was no hope of life returning; death was final beyond this point. Jesus was arriving in a hopeless situation.

Martha knew it as did Mary, along with all the people who had come to console the sisters. 'If you had been here,' the heart-rending cry of Martha has echoed down through the ages. It has been heard in the hospital ward, on the roadside, the farm field, the child's crib, or the battlefield. Thousands of voices have raised this lament to God, 'If you had been here.'

As she stood before Jesus, tears tracing paths down her cheeks, her voice trembling with grief and anger, Martha let her accusation fly at Jesus. She believed Jesus could have done something for Lazarus while there was still time, but now it was hope beyond dreaming.

'Your brother will rise again,' promised Jesus. Martha gazed down the long ages to the last day and confessed it to be so. We, too, look from the graves of those we love, straining to see that final day when the dead shall rise. It lies beyond our imagining that it could ever come. How long will we lay in the earth ourselves before that hour?

Jesus does not count the decades, even the centuries or millennia, until the end should come. He speaks of the present moment; "I am the resurrection and the life." In this moment, the last day has already come, the final hour appeared, and those who have died are alive.

These things are too wonderful for us to contemplate. Our hearts can but imagine that the last day has already come, the fulfillment of all God's promises fully arrived. Like Martha, we may not yet understand this reality that has come with Jesus, but in faith, we can confess with her: 'Yes Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, He who is coming into the world.'

Even in the days after the soul has fled the grave, the Life which will bind body and soul as one again is here.

Asleep In The Lord

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it." Thus he spoke, and then he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep." The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. John 11:1–4, 11–16 (RSV)

Lazarus is a Hebrew name, which means "God has helped". He has fallen ill, so ill that his family is trying to find Jesus. They hope that He will come and heal Lazarus as He had done for so many others. Lazarus was no stranger to Jesus. He loved Lazarus and his sisters, and they loved Him.

The disciples thought it strange that Jesus did not rush back to Bethany to lay hands on his friend. He seemed unconcerned, 'this illness is not unto death,' Jesus told them. They spend two more days where they were. The disciples are uneasy about the delay, Martha and Mary frantic that God does not appear to be helping. Where is Jesus? Why hasn't He come, or at least sent word?

The hours at Bethany seem to stand still waiting for Jesus to come. Jesus finally begins His journey to His friend, who is waiting for God to help him. But the steps toward Bethany are going to confront death. Mary and Martha are weeping hot tears for their pain and Jesus' delay.

'I am going to wake our friend from sleep,' Jesus tells His disciples. They make the same conclusion you or I would make, Lazarus is resting, the crisis is past, all will be well. Jesus clears things for them, 'Lazarus is dead.'

Still, Jesus was right in telling the disciples that Lazarus was asleep. Our brothers and sisters in the Orthodox Church speak of death as being asleep in the Lord. They do not say that someone has 'passed away.' They say that they have reposed in Christ, fallen asleep in the Lord.

Where we see death as the end of life and hope, the Orthodox see nothing more fearful than lying down to sleep. In our Lord Jesus, death has no more hold on us than does our bed. As the sun rising in the East signals the start of a new day, so will our Lord calling our name on the last day. We shall arise from our graves as we would from our bed, only this awakening will be the last we will ever know.

Martha and Mary will come to know that God indeed will help Lazarus. Lazarus is awakened from his sleep, and we still marvel at what the Father does through His Son.

On Preaching

When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to molest Paul and Barnabas and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country; and there they preached the gospel. Acts 14:5–7 (RSV)

The prophet speaks only when he is inspired. The parish preacher must speak whether he is inspired or not. I wonder whether it is possible to live on a high enough plane to do that without sinning against the Holy Spirit. ( diary excerpts from 1915). Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

Ray Engh was the assistant pastor at St. Olaf Lutheran in Ft. Dodge, IA, where I interned from the Fall of 1975 to August 1976. Ray was a very kind and thoughtful pastor who was a great help to the scared spitless intern. We would talk about the challenges of pastoral ministry as well as the joys. I give God thanks for Ray's guidance during that year.

We discussed my most recent sermon, going over what was useful, what was not, and which heresy I was in danger of espousing. I shared how challenging it was preaching to a real, live congregation instead of the fifteen or so classmates in preaching class at seminary. Ray pointed out that a good sermon is hard work. Any fool can get into the pulpit and babble on for twenty minutes; that was easy.

Preaching a sermon of fifteen to twenty minutes that got at the core of our faith and kept the congregation engaged demanded a focused effort by the pastor. Good sermons don't fall out of the sky on Saturday morning. They are wrestled with throughout the week, polished, then polished again, until it was a message worth hearing.

Ray called it the agony and the ecstasy of preaching. You struggle with the texts, trying to understand the promise within the Word, seeking to preach that Word with the clarity simple enough that a small child knows Jesus loves them.

I have never been in a situation like Paul and Barnabas, where people plotted to do them physical harm because of the Word they were proclaiming. Perhaps some in the congregation were thinking it, but it never got beyond that point.

I do understand Niebuhr's observation all too well. Sunday by Sunday, the Word must be proclaimed, regardless of how the preacher feels that day. It cannot be a careless word, for salvation is hanging in the balance. It may be that that Sunday's sermon is the one the Holy Spirit will use to ignite hope in a failing faith. The Sunday sermon is more than a few words strung together. Eternity is at stake; lives truly depend on what is preached.

By the grace of God, I find the courage to stand in the pulpit and preach the Word. The same Spirit of God that hovered over the waters of creation goes with me each time I obey our Lord's command to preach the Good News. Thanks be to God that He is merciful to those who are called to proclaim the Word.

Salt, Light & Grace

"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. 

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:13–20 (RSV)

Grace is so simple. It is simple for by it, our sins are forgiven, and we are raised to heaven where Jesus dwells in the unity of the Holy Trinity. We can do nothing to merit grace. It comes to us as a sheer gift. Among the great mysteries of the Father, grace is central to our life in Christ.

We abuse God's grace, treating it like a 'get out of jail free card' and not the life-changing mercy that it is. True, this is nothing new among Christians, Luther, after he surveyed the parishes around Wittenberg, wrote:

 Although the people are supposed to be Christian, are baptized, and receive the holy sacrament, they do not know the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, or the Ten Commandments, they live as if they were pigs and irrational beasts, and now that the Gospel has been restored they have mastered the fine art of abusing liberty.  Martin Luther - 1528

Jesus is clear that not one small letter of God's Law has been set aside that we may ignore it. We have not been redeemed by Jesus so that we may go our own way. Many want this from our Lord, a pat on the head, 'your sins are forgiven, try to be better,' and off we go. Grace is treated as if all God was interested in was letting our sins pass. It insults Jesus on the Cross to think of God's grace in this way.

We are the salt of the earth; in Christ, we now have a purpose beyond ourselves. As salt is essential for life, so are we essential for living and sharing the life-giving Gospel. If we receive the grace of God solely for ourselves, we have become spoiled salt. 

Jesus also calls us the light of the world. A light hidden is useless and leaves people in darkness. We are to let our light shine. When a child is baptized, we light a candle, speaking Jesus' words: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

Yes, we are free in Christ, so we might use our freedom to worship our Lord and spread His Good News to the ends of the earth.

I AM the Good Shepherd

 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,  as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father." John 10:11–18 (RSV)

'I am the good shepherd.' Jesus speaks with a clarity of purpose that unsettles those who hear Him. Those who listen with any measure of attention cannot deny what Jesus is claiming. 'I AM' on the lips of Jesus leaves no doubt that He and the Father are One.

Once you hear it, you cannot unhear it. Jesus is either the Son of the Living God as Peter confessed at Caesarea Philippi, or He is a madman who should be locked up for His safety. If He is a madman, the priests, scribes, and Pharisees would have let him be, babbling like a fool in the marketplace.

If He is God, if He is the One who spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, then one must bow before Him. Or at least one would think that would be the case. It is a wonder that instead of rejoicing that the Messiah has come, plots and schemes are hatched to undo Him.

The leaders of the Temple had their religion to protect. They had the means by which they could insert themselves in the lives of others and demand obedience. If you have a solid religion, you don't even need to believe; you have the power. A madman Jesus would play right into their hands. They could point to Him and say, 'See, He is insane, He cannot be the One! We will keep you safe from Him.'

'I am the good shepherd.' Jesus cares little for religion. He has come to set people free. He will lay down His life for them, and be raised from the dead for them. He does this so that they might belong to Him, and He will be their Shepherd. There will be one flock, responsive to His voice, in a living relationship that reflects the love of the Father for the Son.

He taught the woman at the well; the Messiah will lead us to worship in Spirit and Truth. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, leads us out into the Father's pasture, where we will worship along with all creation.

Hope When God Is Silent

    "Oh that my words were written! 

      Oh that they were inscribed in a book! 

      Oh that with an iron pen and lead 

      they were graven in the rock for ever! 

      For I know that my Redeemer lives, 

      and at last he will stand upon the earth; 

      and after my skin has been thus destroyed, 

      then from my flesh I shall see God, 

      whom I shall see on my side, 

      and my eyes shall behold, and not another. 

     Job 19:23–27 (RSV)

The Book of Job is about suffering and the silence of God. Job never knows why his life has collapsed. His children are dead. Most of his servants murdered, his flocks and herds taken, and his health is a memory. All this happens, and Job has not even a guess as to why.

Job had lived a pious, righteous life. Everyone considered him among the blameless few on earth. He was humble in his faith and generous in his charity. All he has appearing to be as nothing when tragedy strikes. Job is left in great sorrow, sitting on an ash heap, mourning the wreckage of his life.

Even his friends turn against him. 'You must have done something to receive such misery. How have you offended God that He should bring such a fearful judgment on you?' It was common thinking that when evil befell a person, it was the punishment of God. Thus, Job must have sinned against God.

Job does cry out to God, "I hate the day I was born! I should have died and not see these days! Why are you far off, Lord? Why do my days drag on without relief or a word from You?" Who would blame Job? He lived his life in the Lord, and now all he has from God is silence.

We would bear the judgment and wrath of God better than the silence of God. The horror of the absence of God crushes us under the brokenness of life is a trial we would never choose. We would be tempted to listen to those who say there is no God because of the silence.

Job does not surrender to despair. Yes, his heart is breaking. Yes, he cannot begin to comprehend what has happened or why. He has reached the point where he either will surrender to the darkness without God or confess hope against hope that God is greater than the silence.

'I know my Redeemer lives,' is a consolation that untold numbers of believers have confessed as they too faced soul-crushing loss. C.S. Lewis, in his book, The Screwtape Letters, has a senior devil warn a junior devil:  

"Be not deceived, Wormwood, our cause is never more in jeopardy than when a human, no longer desiring but still intending to do our Enemy's (God) will, looks round upon a universe in which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys."

Our Redeemer lives. He has shattered death, undone the sickness of sin, and banished the despair of the devil. Our hope is in Him, even in the silence, our hope is in Him.

Who Is Blind?

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth.  And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man." They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know." They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division among them. So they again said to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." John 9:1–17 (RSV)

The disciples and the Pharisees were in agreement concerning the man born blind. Someone must have sinned for this calamity to have befallen the man. It has to be someone's fault; blame has to be laid. We need to figure out who it is. We don't like the ambiguity the man's blindness raises. We prefer to condemn someone.

Jesus did not see sin in the blindness. He saw the glory of God about to be revealed. The man who had never seen light of any kind is about to encounter the light of the world. He will see for the first time all the wonders of the Father's creation. The subtle variations of color as light plays on every object's surfaces will be a wonder to him. Yet Jesus, who gave him sight, will become for him the very light of God.

Being blind from birth is a great sorrow, but the Pharisees' refusal to rejoice that a blind man could now see is a tragedy. They could not allow God to be God, even when a miracle had just taken place. Though not all clung to their rigid image of God, some took the risk to ask a question. Some began to wonder at what Jesus had done, as the first rays of God's light broke through their certainty.

Jesus has taught us to pray, 'Thy will be done,' in all circumstances. Our lives are filled with moments where the will of God is being played out. It is not always easy for us to see that will at work, but we should not willingly blind ourselves. Even if we cannot imagine God at work, He still is.

I AM

The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, 'If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you claim to be?" Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God.  But you have not known him; I know him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad." The Jews then said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple. John 8:52–59 (RSV)

The Jews who were angry with Jesus kept escalating their accusations. People do when they either don't understand or are losing confidence in what they used to believe. Jesus answers their questions, not the answers they want to hear. 

In their defense, Jesus is speaking of God in ways they could not have imagined. Jesus taught them about God, who has acted in the past, whose past actions are now fulfilled promises. The Jews suffer from a widespread disease among religious folk. The faith that once was a vibrant living faith has become nearly fossilized. 

We are all subject to this danger. We believe and trust God, but over time our faith becomes so static that it will not tolerate anything that would cast doubt on its tightly-held ideas. The more we feel challenged, the tighter we hold on, even if we know we are wrong. 

The Jews struggled to see that Jesus is the focus of all things. We share that struggle as well. We know how the Gospel ends, yet we struggle with who Jesus is. Each generation must learn for itself the wonder of Jesus' words: Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."

What seems odd to our ears, 'before Abraham was, I am,' affirms the truth that Jesus is the focus of all things throughout all the ages.

Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " Exodus 3:13–14 (RSV)

Each generation must learn this lesson; Jesus is the eternal God. All things have come into being through Him, and it is His will that sustains creation. Jesus answered the Jews who could not begin to imagine that I AM is before them. 

Whatever we may think we know of God, all our questions are answered in Jesus.

Sin, Slavery & Freedom

They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:33–36 (RSV)

The human capacity for self-deception is impressive. The Jews arguing with Jesus make the remarkable statement that they have never been in bondage to anyone. It is true if you overlook that four hundred years as slaves in Egypt, the time the of the Babylonian conquest of Israel, followed by the Assyrians overrunning the land, and finally that small matter of Roman soldiers everywhere.

Jesus began to teach the Jews the reality of their circumstances. Not only were they physically subject to the Romans, but they were also in a much more severe bondage, a very deadly bondage. Sin is a fearful bondage. Sin always leads to death. There is no escaping it. If we remain enslaved to sin, we will not continue in the Father's House.

Yes, we Lutherans talk about sin often. Some might think we should let go of all this 'sin' talk and concentrate on something more upbeat. Of course, we do talk about the blessings showered on us and the blessings to come in the Kingdom. However, we are honest about sin. We don't minimize the danger of sin. We are truthful about sin in our lives and what it does to us.

The plain truth about sin is that no one is free from it. No one can atone for a single sin on their own. Sin, left to fester in our souls, will lead us down into destruction. Luther talks about having our theology be a theology of the cross. We speak the truth of what the thing is, regardless of what others think.

As we say time and again, the first step in our salvation in Christ is our confession that we are 'in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.' We confess this truth so that we might learn to turn from our sin to find our Lord ready to grant forgiveness.

Jesus has promised that the Son will set us free from our bondage to sin. If Jesus sets us free, we are indeed free for all time.

On Truth

Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31–32 (RSV)

How do we know when something is true? What are the measures by which we can determine that a thing is true? Many voices compete for the place of 'the truth' in our lives; it becomes a challenge to discern the truth.

Or do we accept the current view that there are many truths which we can subscribe to and have in our lives? Here truth is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope, never the same, changing as the situation demands. This fits a world where the individual is the measure of our humanity, each possessing their truth. Though it fits the spirit of the age, is it enough of the truth to stand the generations to come?

We are unique individuals created in the image of God. The witness of Scripture affirms this. There has never been a person like ourselves, nor will there ever be one like us in the ages to come. Yes, we are an individual. That is where the evil one would have us stop. The temptation in the Garden was to stand apart from God to be our own god.

When we wish to be the divine center of our lives as if we are the truth, we lose the truth, but ourselves as well. We become enslaved to whatever whim of culture or fashion is driving human hearts. It may stand for a time, but like the changing seasons, this truth does not hold. It cannot last for its source is the feeble flesh and blood of humans.

The only truth that lasts beyond the ages, beyond the ending of time and all things, is Jesus, the only Son of our eternal Father. We are joined to the living Body of Christ, there we find our truth, but our lives lived in His truth.

Blessed Are You

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1–12 (RSV)

A passage of Scripture that is as well known as the Beatitudes suffers from two distinct problems among the faithful. We know it so well that we hardly hear it as it is read, giving the words' gravity only a passing thought. It is also so well known that preachers dread preaching on it, often resorting to some 'cute' idea or approach so novel that it has nothing to do with the Scripture.

We forget that Scripture is read in the light of Christ and His resurrection from the dead. Jesus has begun His ministry. John the Baptist has been arrested, disciples have been called, sermons preached, healings done, evil spirits cast out, and God's Word is fulfilled.

We who live in time do not always recall that what we see as yet to come is for God already present. We look forward to a day when Jesus will return, bringing the Kingdom with Him. The truth is that the Kingdom has come, long ago, in a manger within a cave outside of Bethlehem. Jesus is the Kingdom alive and real among us. When he speaks of the Kingdom, He speaks of all that is happening as we now live.

We now live in the blessings of the Kingdom. We do not need them to come upon us; they are already here. Jesus teaches that we are already blessed in all the places of life, whether good or ill. Blessed not that we are poor in spirit or sorrow, instead blessed that Jesus is with us in such places. Though death may break our hearts, we are blessed with the comfort of the Risen Lord. As we are buried with Him in baptism, we are also raised with Him to a new life.

In Christ, we can be among the least among the billions, yet we are blessed in the Kingdom already here. We may be among those whose lives are tormented by those who do not need God. We may endure all manner of abuse at others' hands, but we know we are blessed to be in Christ and His Kingdom. In that strength, in that blessing, we are victors in Christ.

The world may regard our speaking of the Kingdom and the blessings that it brings as 'pie in the sky' thinking. We know that it has already come among us. Its reality brings blessings to all who have trusted and are trusting still in the promises of our Lord. We know that our present blessings are but a foretaste of all that is yet to come.

We who call upon the Name of Jesus know that all others think must come at the end of all things. We know that in Jesus, the Kingdom has already come. We know that we are blessed.

Past, Present and Future

And Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the word which he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest; not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.  And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts 10:34–43

No matter how far back we can trace our ancestors' line, we come to the point where there is no next name to add to the list. Beyond that last name where the search is stymied, lies a haze we cannot penetrate. Whoever they might have been, we cannot name them, nor can we journey with them to the places they knew, loved, and called home.

Among the myriad of sorrows that afflict our nation in these latter days is a rootlessness, no place to connect ourselves to the past. We can only define ourselves by the moment we happen to exist, always reassuring ourselves that we have meaning and purpose. But it is only a purpose of the moment, no cords of memory anchoring us in the tumultuous times of these days. It is no wonder that so many live in dread and anxiety that see no hope in the future, for it has no past.

Peter preached the history of the Messiah to Cornelius and his household. The new faith growing among the Gentiles who had bid Peter come to them needed the good soil of God's ancient promises. The fulness of God's purpose, which had come to fruition in Jesus, was built on generation after generation of hearts longing to see the day Cornelius had received.

We make two great mistakes when we seek to proclaim Jesus. We are tempted to look only at what has come before, longing for the 'good old days' we imagine were high points of our faith. We spend all our time trying to discover the path back to what has been. It is a frustrating and pointless exercise. Our past can help us understand today, but we cannot live there.

The other error is made by those who see only what lies ahead; in the future, we imagine will be the fulfillment of the Kingdom here on earth if we can only shed the fetters of ancient days. I encountered this in a young pastor who flatly declared that we should pay no attention to anything written over twenty-five years ago. As far they were concerned, the only Church is the one that is yet to be.

Both these places are barren ground in which nothing faith can grow. Like the apostles, we hear in Moses's promises and the Prophets an assurance of a future in which God will complete all things. We also see in the resurrection, an unbounded future rooted in the fulfilled Word of the Father. The One who holds all this in living harmony, past and day yet to come, is the living Lord Jesus.

He has undone sin and death, now the past and future of all things are bound up in Him. We live in Jesus, as we always have and always will.

The Body of Christ

Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men that were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down, and accompany them without hesitation; for I have sent them." And Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?" And they said, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to hear what you have to say." So he called them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went off with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him. And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his kinsmen and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man." And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered; and he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit any one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Acts 10:17–28 (RSV)

What does it mean to be the Church, the Body of Christ? From the very beginning, the Church has sought to answer that question. It has responded well at times, other times, not so much. Thankfully the Church is not only made up of humans; it is led by our Lord, who is its head. Through the work to the Holy Spirt among us, the Church is guided to faithfulness.

I have been apart of several intense discussions about how the part of the Church called the ELCA should serve our Lord. We discussed and debated the Historic Episcopate in the early '90s and Full Communion partnerships with other denominations. In the late '90s to 2009, we argued back and forth on the nature of human sexuality-related to the faithful Christian life. The outcome of that debate has not been a blessing. It has left the ELCA divided and depleted. Many congregations and members departed as they could not in good conscience agree with the decision.

These are challenges that are as old as the Church. Peter had received a vision about what was clean and unclean. Those distinctions were critical to large segments of the early Church. Most Christians at the time Acts was written were Jewish.

Many Jewish Christians clung to the notion that only those who were Jewish by birth, or who had fully converted to Judaism could be Christians. A Gentile (the category of everyone who is not Jewish) could not be a Christian. They were, by definition, unclean. Even though Jesus had welcomed Gentiles, many in the early Church would not. It took a vision from God to convince Peter that Gentiles could become Christian.

Peter's visit to Cornelius' household was the beginning of the Gospel reaching to a much wider world. Gentiles heard the Good News and came to Christ in the thousands. What had been a local Church, centered on Jerusalem, was now spreading throughout the Empire. It would take time for the young Church to fully grasp Jesus' command to go into all the world, proclaiming the Gospel.

Thankfully it did, for we are the beneficiary of the Gospel spread. As we move into the future, we will face more challenges to what it means to be the Church. I am confident that the Holy Spirit will guide us as we seek to make Christ known. The Father will forgive us where we err and bless us where we more closely follow Jesus. At least not until the New Heaven and New Earth comes, we will never be a perfect Church. However, we can strive with all we have to be faithful as Christ's Church.

On Confirmation

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." Matthew 28:18–20 (RSV)

Confirmation marks the completion of the congregation's program of confirmation ministry, a period of instruction in the Christian faith as confessed in the teachings of the Lutheran Church. Those who have completed this program were made members of the Church in Baptism. Confirmation includes public profession of the faith into which the candidates were baptized, thus underscoring God's action in their Baptism. Minister's Desk Edition - LBW page 324 Affirmation of Baptism.

I don't have accurate accounting, but my best guess is that I have taught over 1500 confirmation classes. I could probably total the number of students if I took a couple of weeks to dig through my records. Let's say somewhere around 800 seventh and eighth graders over forty-four years. I have taught my children, and this year my third grandchild, Gabriel Cummer, will begin confirmation.

If you grew up in the Lutheran Church, you took confirmation, as did your parents, grandparents and on back the days of Martin Luther. We all generally learned the same lessons, one year studying the Bible and exploring the Catechism. We will spend two years learning the basics of the Christian faith.

We do this in obedience to our Lord's command to go, make disciples, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them all that Jesus has commanded us to teach. Parents promise to see to this Christian education when they bring their children for baptism.

Our Lord desires that we all come to Him through faith that is His gift to us through the Holy Spirit. Faith does not depend on how well I understand what God has done through His Son. Faith trusts the promises of God.

We rejoice that even an infant becomes a believer through Holy Baptism. If an infant did not progress in learning to crawl, babble, stand, begin to talk, walk everywhere, and host other skills, we would be worried.

So it is with a newly baptized believer, we desire their growth in Christ. Confirmation is an essential step in that growth.

I have enjoyed teaching confirmation. I love helping our confirmands learn about their faith. I wish I could do more for them. Two years is only enough to make a beginning, as each class makes public affirmation of their faith, my joy for them is colored by sadness that there was so much more I could have taught them.

Even if you do not know who are confirmation students will be this year, remember them in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to open their hearts that they might be filled with Jesus and His love.

To Whom Shall We Go?

Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:60–69 (RSV)

Martin was one of the interns I supervised over the years. I had some good interns, but Martin was unique. God had blessed him with gifts and talents, which he used well. I would tease him, "When I grow up, I want to be a pastor like you, Martin." He was a good friend.

Martin invited me to participate in his ordination, which I was glad to do. I was especially pleased when he began serving Trinity Lutheran at Malcom, IA. Malcom was not that far from my parish, so Martin and I often talked on the phone and got together when we could.

I called him on Saturday, April 30, 1994, to set up a golf outing. I needed a day away from the parish, and Martin agreed a round of golf would do us good. We set Monday, May 2, and promised we wouldn't worry too much about the score.

Sunday noon, as I walked into the kitchen, Jackie met me at the door, "Martin died this morning." My knees nearly buckled as if someone had struck a blow against me. I wept, refusing to comprehend what I had just heard. As I called Martin's wife, Doris, I was praying that it was a mistake. Martin could be ill, but not dead. I had talked to him less than twenty-four hours ago. We were playing golf on Monday.

An undiagnosed aortic aneurism had burst as Martin was preparing for Sunday worship. My friend was gone in less time than it takes to write these words. At forty-one years, my friend was gone, Doris had become a widow, Kimberly and Matthew had lost their Dad.

Martin requested that John 6.60-69 be read at his ordination. I read this lesson at his funeral. "Lord, to whom shall we go?" was the question in my heart that day. My friend has died far too soon. I am lost in sorrow. Jesus, where can I go to find hope?

Martin chose this passage from John's Gospel for his ordination for the promise it offered. Yes, Peter's question by itself could sound hopeless. But Peter confessed what he had learned from his time with Jesus. Peter knew that no one else had the words of eternal life, who is eternal life. Jesus is the long-promised Savior, the Son of God.

Martin's faith was in those words of Peter. Jesus was his Lord in whom he trusted. I know it was the faith Martin proclaimed as an intern, then as a pastor of Christ's Church. I cling to that faith, for Jesus is the only One to whom we can go.

Twenty-six years have come and gone since my friend fell asleep in the Lord. I still miss him. I cannot read John 6.60-69 without sadness in my heart. But I also cannot read it without the hope that Peter confessed, that Martin confessed, that I still confess. Martin will greet me in the Kingdom. Thanks be to God that this is so.

On the Body and Blood of Jesus

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. John 6:52–59 (RSV)

If you would, read this passage from John's Gospel again, then sit and think about it for a couple of minutes. Now read it once more, and ponder what you just read. Can you begin to understand why the Jews were responding so strongly to what Jesus was telling them?

'Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.' What we barely hear, the Jews heard with horrifying clarity. We are used to the words and the promised attached to them. The Jews hearing them for the first time, cannot get their minds wrapped around what Jesus has just said.

Are we so insensitive that the thought of eating and drinking the body and blood of Jesus no longer stirs us? Or do we take the bread and wine, not even considering them to be anything other than what they appear to be? What lies between the disgust of the Jews and our joyful reception of His Body and Blood?

Holy Thursday, Gethsemane, Good Friday, and the Holy Cross stand between ours and the Jew's hearing. Jesus risen victorious from the dead, having destroyed death's power forever, stands between us. They could not imagine Jesus being God, let alone Jesus transforming the Passover, Jesus becoming the Lamb of God who takes away the world's sin.

The Passover lamb's blood on the doorposts and lintels of their slave dwellings deterred death's angel. The lamb was their freedom meal to be eaten on the night death passed over them. John the Baptist foretold this moment when he cried, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the world's sin.

Jesus is our Passover feast. He offers His Body and Blood to stay the angel of death, not for a night, but all eternity. His blood shed on the cross outside Jerusalem's walls has become the doorposts and lintels of our heavenly home, the gate by which death's cruel work is undone.

On Reading Your Bible

After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald. Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads. From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. 

And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing, 

      "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, 

      who was and is and is to come!" 

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 

       "Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, 

      to receive glory and honor and power, 

      for thou didst create all things, 

      and by thy will they existed and were created."

Our confirmands are going to study the Bible this year. I always tell them two basic things they need to know about studying the Bible. A lifetime of 100 years is not enough to begin understanding the Scriptures. The second is equally important, let the Scriptures say what they say, not what you want them to say.

Lutherans read the Bible as a whole witness. We do not build our theology on snips of text sewn together, so Scripture says we would like to say. Solid Lutheran theology lets the Scripture say what it will say. 

The Revelation of St. John is a prime example. So many people read Revelation as a road map predicting the end of days. The numbers in Revelation are given meanings they were not intended to carry. St. John's visions are interpreted according to current events. The plain meaning of the Revelation is ignored.

Before any study of Revelation, I always point people to what Jesus has said about the end times: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. Matthew 24:36 (RSV)

If Jesus does not know the day and hour of the end, why in heaven's name are we trying to use the Revelation of St. John figure it out? Revelation is about a far more critical matter, who are you worshiping? If you read Revelation asking, 'what does this vision say about worship?' you will discover a far better purpose for St. John's vision. The first chapter is about God's praise, the Father, who has saved and redeemed us through Jesus. There is the theme of all that follows. 

Most who read the Revelation do not ask a straightforward question, 'why is this written?' Christians at the time St. John received this revelation were under great persecution in the Roman Empire. The emperor had come to believe himself as divine and used that to cement control over the empire. The emperor's worship was demanded and expected by burning incense before the altar dedicated to the emperor, confessing 'Caesar is lord.' 

A Christian could not make such a confession. Jesus is Lord is the only confession; the only Lord we can claim. Freedom of religion was not a concept Caesar considered. Refusing to say 'Caesar is lord' was considered treason, and we have seen how Rome responded to treason, real or imagined. 

The martyrdom of St. Polycarp, a disciple of St. John, gives evidence of this. As the persecution swept through Smyrna's region, St. Polycarp was arrested for refusing to burn incense to Caesar. He was arrested, tried for treason, and condemned to be burned alive. The local magistrate pleaded with St. Polycarp, 'Burn the incense; you don't have to mean it. Why die, old man?'

St. Polycarp responded: 'Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior?' Jesus was his Lord, and Jesus alone was the one he would worship.

Revelation is written for Christians under terrible pressure to worship false gods instead of Jesus. It was written to encourage those who faced horrible suffering and death for confessing Jesus as Lord. It has a living word for us today as we are tested and tried, enticed to worship other gods instead of Jesus. 

True, we are not faced with being burned alive for our confession of Jesus as Lord, not yet. But should that day come upon us, the witness of St. John's Revelation will stand out for us as strong word as we endure all that would lead us from Jesus.

Read your Bible, read it daily, read it as a faithful witness to Jesus crucified, and risen from the dead. Don't seek what is not there; rather, let what is there nurture your faith so you may ever confess, "Jesus Is Lord!"

Silence and Loss

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to condole with him and comfort him. And when they saw him from afar, they did not recognize him; and they raised their voices and wept; and they rent their robes and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. Job 2:11–13 (RSV)

Job not only lost his children, his wealth, and servants, he was afflicted with terrible boils all over his body. It is hard to imagine the physical, spiritual, and emotional pain he felt as he sat on the ash heap. His wife was of little comfort: 'Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die.'

Job was not alone in his misery. His friends heard of all that had befallen him. They agreed to go to Job and comfort him as best they could. It was a right and good thing for them to do.

It is a Christian charity to be with someone who is suffering. Job's friends came to him, wept with him, and mourned with him. They then sat with him, in silence, for seven days. No one spoke a word for no words could be spoken to overcome the suffering.

Job's friends showed compassion for him. They suffered with him. Their compassion was in their tears, their mourning, and their silence. Their silence was at the heart of not only their compassion but all compassion. Our presence is often the most healing thing we can do. Yes, we may weep with them, and our hearts may ache for them, but to with them in silence is where love is powerfully shown.

When someone is bearing great sorrow, we are tempted to think that we must say something. It is not wrong to say, 'I am so sorry.' Beyond that, we must guard our words. The one who is grieving is the one who is to speak. Ours is to listen, to take in all they say as they let their anguish flow. We may respond to their pain with the assurance of our love for them. We may speak of the love of the Father for us, even in a dark and painful place.

Unless you have yourself gone through the same loss and pain they have, it is best to keep silent rather than say, 'I know how you feel.' Our hope and prayer that the pain will ease with the passing of time, but when the loss is still new, again, silence is the best.

A gentle touch can bring more healing than ten thousand words. I have sat for many hours with someone as they were dying, merely holding their hand. A touch of love and compassion will connect the grieving with the community of love that surrounds them.

We are with them for as long as they need us to be. Compassion has no time limit; our love in Christ will not flag or fail. It will simply be.