Bearing Witness to Truth - John 15:26 – 16:4

Jesus didn’t tell his disciples from the very beginning that the hour would come when the religious establishment would excommunicate them and even seek to kill them. There was no need to because He was with them. But when harming them, the accusers would believe they were serving God in their actions. Martin Luther saw the biblical text speaking directly to reformers in the sixteenth century. This was no Scripture reading stuck in the first century. In hindsight, we can see how he would apply it in his own setting.

The real question is - can we apply it in our setting today? Is persecution happening in the 21st century where we live? Let’s address the same comments Luther made in his sermon: “The world defends God by killing the Truth itself (1-#4)” and today’s “religion is a human institution that cannot accept the Gospel (1-#11)” and “The Gospel is a teaching that offends human rationality/reason and will be condemned as the devil’s gift from hell (2-#10)” and “It is the church who suppressed the Gospel and compelled submission to the point of burning dissenters at the stake (2-#13)”. Enough. What is at the heart of the dissention?

The heart of the dissention is the Gospel. What is it and how does the church kill the Truth? The Gospel is the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is God and the “Christian faith is founded upon Christ alone, who accomplishes all for us (1-#12)”. Christ is a gift to us, and “to know Christ died for me and transferred the load of my sin on himself is to realize that what I do makes no difference (1-#20)”. The Gospel is that we don’t need indulgences, commandments, or holy living to bring us salvation. To kill Truth today is to promote law as the means to the end. This is wrong because Christ is the only means to the end.

The Holy Spirit has testified, witnessed, convicted us of this truth in Christ. With this knowledge infiltrating our being, we are comforted in facing any challenge before us…even if it leads to death.

We still have churches, denominations, today who require submission to certain doctrines, practices, obedience, even to the Holy Scriptures, before declaring the words of salvation to their members. Luther hits the nail on the head when identifies “those holy ones who call themselves Christian leaders persecute Christ’s people because they have not know the Father or Christ. They follow Moses in their doctrine (2-#24).” They promote putting the Ten Commandments in public places instead of the cross, and they call that Christianity.

Faith and the confession of faith, which Luther says is saying Jesus is Lord/God expresses itself and witnesses to the truth in godly actions. And the Spirit gives us courage and strength to live our faith. We no longer fear persecution, but only grow stronger. Peace – PWM

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

Robbers and thieves of the Kingdom - John 10:1-10

One of the first questions that comes up in this reading is the concept of the sheep fold. What is it for us? We can come in and go out of it, led by the Shepherd, so it really can’t be a reference to heaven. We don’t go in and out of heaven freely. The final statement of the passage may give us a clue when Jesus says, “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” The sheep fold is a place of peace, comfort, and safety for us. And we have that when we recognize Jesus’ voice and follow Him. This is eternal life, the abundant life. One of the more difficult concepts is in hearing His voice. How do we do that? Sometimes we hear it through the Scriptures, sometimes through other people, sometimes through revelations in our thoughts, and yet, how can we be sure it is the voice of the good shepherd and not thieves, robbers, or Satan? After all, Satan used Scripture to try to deceive Jesus in the wilderness. Martin Luther indicates that the sheep have the power to judge what is being fed them. This is a strange concept for us. Does that mean the people in the pews don’t have to buy what the preacher, or higher church, is feeding them? If it is not commanded in the Scriptures, then no. And even then, the bottom line for Luther is the conscience of each sheep. This is good and this is bad. Good because there is great freedom given to us as sheep to discern if what we are receiving is from Christ. Bad because sheep are really stupid, and they will follow just about anyone or anything. The foundation of the conscience must be Christ alone. Not the law, not the church, but if it matches what Jesus said and did, take it to heart. The robbers and thieves are those who try to get into peace, comfort, and safety by any means other than the gate, who is Christ. If someone thinks following the commandments will earn them the abundant life, they won’t find it that way. If they think money, fame, or power will bring peace and security, they are wrong. If preachers and religious leaders tell others that they have to do anything other than enter by Jesus Christ, they rob and steal and harm those who are in their care because they deceive the sheep who follow them. The watchmen in the story who open the gate are the people who point to Jesus Christ as the shepherd. They may use the Law to help others to recognize their need for a shepherd, but it’s the shepherd who leads the sheep to safety and comfort, not the Law. Luther points out that Galatians 3:23-24, the Law was given as our tutor to bring us to Christ. This is the function of the Law. Once we have faith/trust in Jesus Christ, we no longer need a tutor. Trust in Christ opens the gate to freedom that recognizes the wisdom of the Law and we realize we would be stupid not to follow it. Yet we don’t fear our destruction if we fail to keep it. I want to return to a previous point that seems to apply to the current discussions of the ELCA concerning the controversial topic of human sexuality. This regards the law versus the conscience of the sheep. In a previous sermon, Luther had said that the law was given as the servant of love, not the reverse. If a law serves love, by all means, follow it. If it does not serve love, then it can be set aside. In this sermon (sermon #1, #19) Luther said Christ interpreted his own words by saying he is the door to the sheep and whoever enters by him will be saved to go in and out and find pasture. Then Luther said, “Here Christ speaks of the Christian liberty, which means that Christians are now free from the curse and the tyranny of the Law, and may keep the Law or not, according as they see [conscience] that the love and need of their neighbor requires. This is what Paul did. When he was among the Jews, he kept the Law with the Jews; when among the Gentiles, he kept it as they kept it, which he himself says in 1 Cor. 9:19-23: ‘For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, [I lived] as under the law, not being myself under the law; to them that are without law, [I lived] as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law...' " He set this statement up by saying we are not to force the law on anyone. No one can be forced to believe. Sheep don’t come willingly to a harsh voice of law. They come to a gentle, loving voice of a good shepherd who they recognize cares for them and their needs. Christ wants willing followers, not driven sheep. Sheep will never find peace under the sword of the law. He says the sword of law “cannot force the heart and bring it to faith. In view of its inability, it [the law] must be silent in matters of faith (#18).” Some Lutherans will agree with Brother Martin on this, and some won’t. Let their conscience be their guide. Blessings, PWM

Those Who Hear God’s Word – John 8:46-59

How hard it must have been for Jews who were trying to be faithful to the Scriptures to hear this rebel prophet tell them their father was Satan and they were not of God. He said they didn’t understand God’s word, even though they were the experts in what was written in the Scriptures. Jesus’ approach wasn’t the most delicate and would make anyone defensive. Does that give us permission to be less than delicate in telling literalists and legalists they may know the words but they don’t understand what the Bible means? I guess that depends on whether you want to get crucified or not. Jesus infers that just because you read and know the words in the Scriptures does not mean you know God. Luther points out that preachers must practice what they preach so no one can discredit them because of their actions, as in Jesus saying, “Which of you can accuse me of sin?” How many religious leaders have we seen fall from their pedestals because of sin? Too many. One point of Luther is that a corrupt tree is known by its fruit. When one shows anger, bitterness, impatience, cruelty, and judgment because their ideas and ways are being rejected, that’s not the sign of a good tree. The fruits of the Spirit are peace, kindness, goodness, hope, love, etc., even in the face of rejection – like Jesus. What does it take to be of God? Doesn’t baptism make us a child of God? Or not? Is it one of the sacramental forms we cherish and perform, but isn’t effectual without the trust/belief/life component? And what does it mean to hear God’s Word? If someone puts a new interpretation on the Bible that shakes the foundation of someone’s belief, there is great resistance and fear when the ground you are standing on is being shaken. Many Christians still seem to stand on the Ten Commandments as their foundation rather than on Jesus Christ. Luther says the Word is not a word of the law but the gospel of Christ, and this is the only way Christ could be distributed to the world. Jesus couldn’t reach everyone in bodily form, so He is the Word in the gospel that is given to those who will hear it, in my words - above the din of the law. Brother Martin claims the evangelical office of the ministry is nothing but glorifying God. What he means by this is that people come to Jesus because He is the image of kindness, healing, peace, commitment, loyalty, love, and concern for human need. We don’t need to honor ourselves or what we preach when facing opposition, but we should always honor God in our teaching of His grace, knowing we are assured of God’s honor to us. Luther points out that when Jesus says He keeps God’s Word, ‘keeps’ does not mean doing or following the works of the law but rather holding the Word in the heart by faith so nothing can separate us from it, not even death. This is why Christians do not fear bodily death, because we know we approach death only as sleep. Ultimately, when we speak the truth about God, those with hardened hearts will only resist more furiously. Peace - PWM

Living Bread from Heaven – John 6:44-51

This text promised to be a fun one to decipher from the first sentence to the last. Where are the biblical literalists when you need them? The first verses take the pressure off me as a preacher/pastor. The Father is the ultimate power in drawing people to Jesus, not me. Because the Father is all-knowing and all-wise, every person God chooses to draw to Jesus accepts Jesus. If not, then God has failed and God doesn’t fail. Humans fail. I’m not sure we are privy to the election/choosing decisions of God, at least not yet. To be drawn to Jesus is to hear good news about Him. According to Luther, people came to Jesus because they heard He was a powerful healer, that He cared about them and was willing to help them. This is our single best evangelism tool: our stories of how Jesus has helped us in powerful ways with exceptional timing. God wants to do this for everyone. Others can experience the same. This is the good news. Luther says this text is about trust in Christ that saves us in God’s way, which is different from the way we plan. The right way is through Jesus, while the wrong was is through the Law. Human plans for salvation are always about heaven when we die. Does God have another plan? Brother Martin says we must lose faith in ourselves and our good works in order to trust in Christ. In fact, nothing is asked of us except trust in Jesus. That sounds pretty easy, not to have to do anything. However, if you believe someone died in your place while successfully pushing you out of the path of a subway car (or snatched you out of the jaws of eternal hell), you are not going to diss that person and live like it doesn’t make any difference. Your life would never be the same. Those who trust Jesus has done this for them have eternal life. There’s that ‘eternal life’ phrase again. In biblical days, this was a reference to the quality of life only God could give you, now and never-ending. Why? Because one’s relationship with Jesus is up close and personal. Luther says St. Paul teaches that “if we only knew and understood what God is, then you would already be saved, gaining love for Him and doing only what is pleasing to God. Our goal ought to be to increase in the knowledge of God” (#7). And this knowledge of God only comes from God (who is also God’s Son). Jesus said in John 5:24, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes [trusts] Him who sent me has [not WILL have] eternal life and will not be condemned; he has [not WILL] crossed over from death to life." When Luther talks about preaching the Law and the Gospel, he means to tell how the Law shows us we are sinful and displeasing to God. We aren’t to push following the Law because we can’t. The Law reveals why we need a Savior, not more than that. Otherwise, the Law can make us despair and have no hope. That’s why the Gospel 'must come quickly': “Christ teaches those who come to Him that God is nothing but a very gracious Savior who wants to be gracious and merciful to all who call on Him” (10). Luther likens partaking of the bread of heaven to having faith in Christ. When we have accepted Him to ourselves, we love our neighbor like a brother, we accept everyone as he is, speaking evil of no one, finding joy and pleasure in serving him. Fruits are always the evidence of faith that is real. Peace - PWM

Feeding the Five Thousand in John 6:1-15

How does Jesus feeding the five thousand apply to us in the 21st century? Do we see any instances of Jesus multiplying bread and fish? Yes. In our Hook ‘Em for the Hungry mission every May, we get fish donated from people outside our church, and Thrivent Financial contributes a matching amount in cash that helps us buy 800 lb. of processed chicken to send to the local food distribution agency, along with our fish. After the recent ice storm, lots of local people lost food that their refrigerators and freezers couldn’t maintain without electricity; people couldn’t work for a week or more; and our conference/synod churches sent $2,800+ in donations to assist with additional food and utility needs. As Luther pointed out in his sermon, Jesus knows our needs and knows how He’s going to meet those needs before we are aware we’ll need them. When we are seeking the kingdom/reign of God in our lives, we don’t need to worry about our basic needs being met. Even when we don’t think we have enough to offer, we forget it’s not about what we have to offer but Who it is that uses the meager amount that is available. For example, I was the perfect example of Andrew in the story only ten minutes before our discussion group met. A man came into the church looking for information about our congregation. He is semi-retired and his two grandchildren (8 + 12 yr) live with him. He asked if we had a children’s ministry. This has been one of my frustrations in a rural, retirement-living community – very few young families, very few kids – “only five small barley loaves and two sardines.” The church secretary helped get me up off my apologetic explanation so we could detail the positive things we do with the kids placed in our care. It’s not about what resources we have, but about what Jesus does to multiply our small offering to satisfied the needs of others. It turned out this man has a very nice website for a children’s ministry he has conducted in other congregations. Maybe he will be the abundance Jesus will use to uplift our own ministry… We noted in this version of feeding the 5000, Jesus gives the bread and fish after he blessed them. What’s that about? Maybe if the disciples gave out the food, the people would have had reason to think the disciples multiplied the bread and not Jesus. How can anyone be a biblical literalist when in Matthew, Jesus gives the bread to the disciples to give to the people? The difference is because each gospel writer was saying something specific about Jesus and the detail of who gives the bread is ancillary to the Person who multiplies it in whatever ways He wants. We don’t have time to study the details of the other gospel writers’ versions here. Luther looked at this story allegorically, as spiritual food for the soul. He noticed there was much grass to sit on, which he compared to the grass as a picture of holiness and righteousness in the Old Testament that flourishes for a while and then fades and dies like the grass. It is only good to be eaten by animals – food only for fleshly hearts, not those who possess the Spirit. The Word of God, the Bread of life, nourishes the common, hungry people. The five loaves of barley bread stand for the words of the voice that are spoken by the mouth that are understood by the five human senses (reason/logic) and found ‘locked’ in the basket of Scripture. Jesus takes these words, blesses them, and increases them for our understanding – He multiplies the meaning of the words to be far beyond what the written words mean. The two fishes are the prophets and patriarchs, also found in the basket, and these strengthen Christian doctrine; there are two because the examples of love require two people, a giver and a receiver. The twelve baskets left over are all the writings of the Apostles and Evangelists (New Testament) that are what remain from the Old Testament. Philip and Andrew are disciples who want to help but all they have are the laws and words at their disposal. Christ alone can explain with His Word to satisfy and deliver from sin and death to give peace and joy. This is another example of how Luther believes the words and ink on the pages of Scripture are like five barley loaves and two fishes. When we give them out to people on our own, they don’t go far. Only Jesus can change them into something that nourishes and satisfies the hunger of the soul. Fed by the Spirit - PWM