A Different Law - John 14:23-31

I really liked Martin Luther’s sermons on this text. They reveal why he was viewed as such a threat to traditional Christianity. Traditional religion is so easily drawn into obedience to the laws of Moses as the right way to act because God declared it so. Brother Martin takes an ax and cuts off the branch of the law as a necessary part of our religious practice. This was his sermon for Pentecost, and he relates it to the Jewish practice of Pentecost. The Jewish tradition celebrated it as the 50 day journey to Mt. Sinai, after having been released from bondage in Egypt. At Sinai, Moses received the law from God and delivered it to the people.

The Christian Pentecost celebration, for Luther, comes at the end of 50 days of journey after we were released from bondage to sin and death through the resurrection, and on the 50th day, we received a new and different law – the gift of the Holy Spirit. He says the old law does not enter the heart, nor does it cause works to follow (like feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, etc.). “The Law is dead-writing only, and has ruled a dead people, for hearts are dead who do not willingly do God’s commandments” (1-#10). Notice that he doesn’t say the Law is of no value. Only the Spirit can change the heart to make one see the wonder and blessing of the Law of God, and thereby willing to follow it.

“We cannot make people godly by preaching the Law. There must be love in the heart, otherwise nothing is accomplished in keep the Law.” Thomas Merton said it right when he said, “In Christianity, motivation is everything.” That motivation is love. And love alone is the fulfillment of the Law (Rom. 13:10). Jesus said if you love me, you will keep my word. Love is what helps us commit to the well-being of our neighbor.

One of the key points for Luther is that the Holy Spirit changes our hearts by bearing witness to Christ, helping us to see God rightly, and this helps us to love God as we ought. In sermon 2, he says ‘the knowledge of Christ converts, nothing else.’ The Spirit helps us recognize God is kind and gracious, not angry. Since God is not angry, we can know peace, even when the conditions of life are anything but peaceful.

People are drawn to Jesus because of the peace and comfort he offers. The Law offers us no peace. So what do we preach most to others? Blessings, PWM

The Good Shepherd, John 10:11-18

To interpret this lesson for the current day, it helps to identify the individuals mentioned in the analogy. The Good Shepherd and the sheep are easy. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and his flock are those who follow His example. Concerning the relationship of these two, Jesus confirms that He came to lay down His life for the sheep. The first verses of John 10 talk about Jesus laying down in front of the sheep pen as the gate. Why did Jesus have to die? To show us a God who cares so much for us that He will go to ultimate lengths to prove it. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay his life down for his friends” (John 15:13). And if Jesus did not die, would anyone really believe He was fully human? Humans are born and they die. His death assures us that He knows our greatest fear – what will happen to us when we leave our earthly bodies? The Good Shepherd lays His life down so the sheep understand a God of love and compassion. The hirelings, on the other hand, watch over the sheep only for their own benefit. They do not care for the safety of their flock. When danger (the wolf) comes, they flee. The wolf, according to Luther, can be the devil, but also any person who harms the sheep. Most notably, that would be the pope or clergy who teach only what destroys the soul - the Law and doctrines of works (3rd sermon, #36). Neither of these can nourish the sheep because they are impossible to keep. Only Christ, the Good Shepherd, can give life to the soul. Luther points out that Christ is the only shepherd today who actively watches over us today in His kingdom. The kingdom of Christ is concerned about the weak, the poor, the sick, the broken, that He might help them. Sheep that are weak are not to be driven by laws and threats. They will only respond to consolation, so we should preach Christ as one who rejects no one (sermon 1, #11, 12, 14, 16, 20). In his 3rd sermon, Luther says Christ’s kingdom and Christ’s church are not bound to the Laws of Moses, nor Judaism, nor the pope. It’s okay to teach the 10 Commandments but not without telling where we can seek refuge since we cannot fulfill them (#14, 34). Brother Martin spends some time explaining that the Church is not an organized group of people, but a spiritual assembly who hears the Shepherd’s voice and follows His governance. He says religious legalists cannot conceive of a spiritual knowledge (hidden and secret) that they cannot organize and control with reason (#50, 56). How does this speak to us today? Is Luther on the right track? If we follow his interpretations, we ought be wary of law-toting, works-demanding religious leaders (hirelings and wolves) who create fear of the afterlife if we don’t do something they think we need to do. You can’t scare someone into eternal life. The law destroys us by showing us we cannot keep it. So to be required to follow it is not the point. It can’t be done. The point is Christ alone covers us with His innocence (3-#39). We ought to focus on the kingdom of Christ, helping the poor, rather than promoting or defending the law. Luther says faith is the distinguishing mark of a Christian, not baptism, going to church, or receiving the sacraments (3-#48). Only the Good Shepherd recognizes His own sheep. Let someone say these things today and watch the flames of theological argument erupt. Have a Blessed Easter! - PWM