Gospel for March 27, 2022

This stained glass illustrating the Prodigal Son is in the church of St Mary de Castro in Leicester. Notice the disapproving expression on the face of the older son who is standing behind the father. [photo by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This parable is undoubtedly the most famous and most commonly cited as the hope for the lost.  It is typically entitled “The Parable of the Prodigal Son,” because of the younger son’s prodigal spending on his dissolute lifestyle.  But it could just as easily be entitled “The Parable of the Prodigal Father” because of the father’s prodigal generosity.  Or it could even be called “The Parable of Two Lost Sons,” as we’ll soon see.

The first verses of Luke 15 give us the context for the parable.  Jesus has become a magnet for those who have been shunned by the “nice” people:

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

It is important to remember that for the Pharisees and scribes the definition of righteousness was separation from and superiority to sinners.  So they are indignant that Jesus keeps company with tax collectors, whom they view as collaborators with the Roman government, and with sinners.

So, Jesus tells a series of parables that point out his passion and purpose, which is not to ostracize the lost but to reconcile them to God.

He tells a story about a family which has universal appeal.  Almost all of us come from families, and we can easily identify with the family members — the patient, longsuffering father; the wandering, irresponsible younger son; the responsible and resentful older son.

For the purposes of the story, the younger son asks an astonishing favor of his father:

“Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.”

Even more astonishingly, the father complies!

So he divided his property between them.

It would be as though an heir said to his father “you’re going to die anyway, and I can’t wait that long.  Let me have it now!”  The insult to his father is extreme.

Of course, the son’s purpose in cashing in his inheritance check isn’t so that he can invest or start a new business.  He wants to party!  He leaves home and cuts himself off from his family of origin, with its values and demands — and soon spends his entire fortune.

A famine occurs, which finds the young man desperate, having made absolutely no provision for the future.  He has truly lived only for the pleasures of the moment, with no fall-back plan.

He does the unthinkable, for a Jewish man:

he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.

Not only is he forced to work with unclean animals, he hungers for their unclean food.  His descent into the dregs is complete.

Note the irony — the boy’s father had given him his half of the inheritance, no questions asked.  Now:

 no one gave him anything.

He is alone, bereft, impoverished.  He is at his lowest point.

When he “comes to himself,” the reasons given have little to do with his feelings for his father or a sense of regret.  His motive for returning home is, frankly, financial:

 But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!”

Although this hardly seems a noble motivation for repentance, he at least seems to have a sense of perspective.  He doesn’t expect to be restored to his previous status:

I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”

We note that in his rehearsed speech, the son does acknowledge that his behavior has violated not only his personal relationship with his father, but has also violated God’s law.  As we so often see in the teachings of Jesus, there are two dimensions to our relationships — one dimension is vertical, addressing our relationship with God; the other dimension is horizontal, addressing relationships with other people.

This is most clearly illustrated by the teaching of Jesus about the essence of the commandments:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

However, the rehearsed nature of the boy’s memorized speech suggests that the son may still be insincere, and his motives may be purely self-serving.

Notwithstanding the motivation of the younger son, the father’s motivation is clear:

But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

The son doesn’t even have the chance to finish his rehearsed speech before the father interrupts him:

But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.

The son has declared that he is no longer worthy to be called a son — but the father sees his son’s return as no less than a resurrection!  The robe, the ring, the sandals on his feet, and the feast are all signs of restored inheritance.  The son may have cut himself off from his family and severed the ties of affection, but now he is completely restored!

The younger son had wasted his money on empty parties with false friends; now he experiences a genuine celebration with those who truly love him!

And now we have the second act of the story, the tale of the other lost son.

The older son is out in the field, presumably doing a hard day’s work.  And of course as he comes in from the field, he can’t help but hear the celebration.  His suspicious nature is revealed when he refrains from entering his own house, but instead:

called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.

His fact-check reveals his brother’s return — and the older brother is not happy!

Then he became angry and refused to go in.

Once again, the father must be the peacemaker, the reconciler, who goes out to reason with his older son.  Just as he ran to meet his younger son, so now he leaves the party and seeks out his angry first-born.

The older son is aggravated and aggrieved.  He cites his years of loyal service, working like a slave, and his consistent obedience.  And he faults his father for never throwing him a party.

The sibling resentment is palpable.  The older brother accuses his younger brother of devouring his money with prostitutes.  Just for the sake of clarification, earlier in the parable Jesus had merely said that he squandered his property in dissolute living. It is the older brother’s prurient imagination that goes to the next level in his accusation.

And we can hear the whining comparison:

you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.

‘But for this loser,’ he sneers:

you killed the fatted calf.

He is demonstrating how unappreciated he feels, and how unfair the situation seems to him.  To the older son, this is a complete miscarriage of justice.

But the father points out that the issue is not justice but mercy — and even more than that, it is about love.

He tries to reassure his older son that his love for him has never wavered:

 “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.”

And the father strives to get his older son to see what he sees:

“But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”

He appeals to his older son’s sense of family, reminding him that this was his brother, whose life has been restored and who has been found again.

APPLY:  

This parable strikes home with us — literally.  Every member of a family can identify with the story — the grieved father who worries for his dissolute son; the irresponsible child whose poor choices lead to a downward spiral; the responsible and judgmental child who refuses to forgive or be reconciled.

The truth is, both sons are lost.  But there is a difference.  The son who squanders his inheritance and winds up in the pig sty comes to his senses. Hunger and want can powerfully focus the mind, and can be a great motivation for repentance.

But the self-righteous older son is just as lost, because he refuses to accept his brother and restore the broken relationship.  In order for his relationship with his brother and his father to be reconciled, he needs to be willing to forgive.

The truth is, the aggrieved party here is the father.  The younger son didn’t take anything from his older brother.  He wasted only his own half of his father’s estate.

And the father has forgiven and restored his lost son.

Most of us can certainly identify with the younger brother when we have  been confronted by the consequences of our bad decisions.  But we also may see ourselves in the older brother when we are resentful of those who seem to “get away” with stuff.

God’s love and mercy far exceeds our ability to comprehend his compassion.

RESPOND: 

Many years ago, I attended a Ministerial Alliance meeting in the city where I was a pastor.  I happened to be serving one of the largest churches in town, where a great many of the wealthy and powerful citizens attended.

I sat across the table from the director of a local mission.  He was a dynamic Christian, committed to leading the poor, the drug dealers, the addicts, and the marginalized into a relationship with Christ.  I admired him greatly.

But as I looked at him, dressed in a black leather jacket, wearing a beard and long hair, with tattoos and pierced ears, something occurred to me that had never occurred to me before.

I said to him, “You know, in some ways your job is easier than mine.  The people you minister to know they need Jesus.  My people are well-fed, successful, and prosperous.  I have to convince them that they need Jesus.”

The truth is we all desperately need the grace, mercy and compassion that Jesus offers.  Self-righteousness can alienate us from God just as surely as a dissolute lifestyle.

Lord, I confess that I have been in the shoes of both the young son and the older son.  I have made poor choices, and I have recognized my need for grace.  And I have sometimes been judgmental and unbending.  I repent of both sins, and find my relationship with you restored.  Amen. 

PHOTO:
“The Father and his Two Lost Sons” by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for March 27, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

All letters are written as a kind of dialogue in which the reader only has one half of the conversation.  That is especially true in the case of 1 & 2 Corinthians.

In this key passage, we have a snippet of the Apostle Paul’s explanation of his ministry and message to the Corinthians.

He declares to the Corinthians that:

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.

He is describing a change of perspective that can only be explained spiritually.  As we recall Paul’s own biography, we can certainly see the source of his dramatic change of perspective.  Prior to his conversion, he was legalistic, arrogantly convinced of his own righteousness, and determined to destroy any who disagreed with him.  Following his conversion, his basis for hope was grounded in grace, he knew he depended on the righteousness that comes by faith in Christ, and his one goal was to reconcile others to God.

All of this is because he himself had become what he describes so eloquently in this passage — a new creation. 

The spiritual change that occurs when someone comes to true faith in Christ is so radical that it can only be described in this way:

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

The renewal of one who is in Christ is so complete, it is like a new world. Not only has their perspective on life changed, everything has become new!

So radical is this change that Paul says elsewhere it is like a death and a resurrection:

Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).

The source of this radical change is from God.  This is in stark contrast to Paul’s previous life, when his life and character all depended on his own legalistic accomplishments and achievements.

Paul  expands on the source of this newness of life:

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.

There is a lot of meaning packed into this long sentence.  First, that the new creation derives from God, through the reconciling work of Christ. This has to be unpacked.

Reconciliation means to bring two different sides together, as when we might say we must “reconcile” the numbers in our bank statements — to make the numbers of two columns square with one another.

In this case, the metaphor of reconciliation goes even deeper.  The root of the Greek word for reconciliation means to literally “exchange one thing for another.”

This has poignant meaning in this passage.  As we will see in verse 21, Jesus himself is the agent of exchange between ourselves and God.  Because Jesus offers himself as the agent of reconciliation, he takes our sin upon himself and gives us his own righteousness.  Therefore the believer is counted as righteous, and united with God.

A second powerful message embedded in this passage relates to the nature of Jesus.  When Paul says that:

in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,

he is saying that Jesus is not merely an agent of God, he is God.

Paul makes this clear also in Colossians:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation . . . For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:15,19-20).

Paul tells the Corinthians that a crucial effect of Christ’s ministry of reconciliation is to make Paul and his cohorts ministers of reconciliation as well.  Paul uses a term borrowed from statecraft:

So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Paul depicts himself as a representative from the heavenly kingdom, speaking on behalf of God to the “enemies of the state” whom he entreats to become citizens of that same heavenly kingdom.

Finally, he returns to the character of Christ and frames this profoundly paradoxical statement:

 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

It has been established that Christ is one with God.  And here we are reminded of his sinless nature.  But the astonishing claim is that the one who is without sin has become sin, so that believers might become righteous.

This returns to the imagery of reconciliation as a trade, an exchange.  Christ trades his righteousness to the believer, and the believer trades his/her sin to Christ!

Without saying so, Paul has touched on the deep mystery of the cross.  On the cross, Christ becomes sin as the perfect sacrifice.  This is a fulfillment of the foreshadowing of the sacrifices that were required in the Old Covenant:

When anyone offers a sacrifice of well-being to the Lord, in fulfillment of a vow or as a freewill offering, from the herd or from the flock, to be acceptable it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it (Leviticus 22:21).

The background of Paul’s thought-world is Jewish.  The sacrifice that is acceptable to God must be perfect; only God is perfect; therefore, Jesus must be God.  And only Jesus is capable of becoming the perfect sacrifice that takes sin on himself and conveys perfect righteousness to those who identify with him by faith.

APPLY:  

What a message with which we have been entrusted!  That God has entered into this world through Christ and recreates us.  This re-creation is grounded in Christ’s work of reconciliation, through this profound mystery — that the sinless one has become sin and given us the greatest exchange possible.

And what a trade!  He takes our sins, and gives us his perfect righteousness! This is the real miracle of reconciliation — that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us not because we deserve it, but because of the unbelievable love that he has for us!

It would be as though we gave him filthy toilet paper, and he gave us precious jewels in exchange!  There is no greater “bargain” in all the universe!

And more than that, as Paul points out, we as Christians have the opportunity to participate in this ministry as we, like Paul, become ambassadors for Christ and ministers of reconciliation.

What a miraculous bargain! What a momentous message to share!

RESPOND: 

One of my earliest sermons more than 30 years ago was based on this passage.  I remember finding an excerpt from a story that seemed to my mind to illustrate the new life that comes through faith in Christ.

It was a children’s book by Margery Williams called The Velveteen Rabbit.  The scene is set in a children’s nursery, where stuffed animals have consciousness and can talk.

The Velveteen Rabbit is worrying about what for him is an existential question — “What does it mean to be real?”  So he asks one of the older creatures in the nursery, the Skin Horse:

“What is REAL?”

The Velveteen Rabbit mistakenly thinks that being REAL means having mechanical parts and things that make a stuffed animal move.  The Skin Horse corrects his misunderstanding:

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse.  “It’s a thing that happens to you.  When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

When we come to Christ in faith, we are reconciled to God and are made new creatures in Christ.  We have become REAL.

Lord, I am flabbergasted by the mysteries of your grace!  That you would empty yourself and become one of us, even taking upon yourself my sin, and giving me your righteousness in exchange, so that I might become a new creation!  No words can express my gratitude.  My prayer is that you might use me as your ambassador so I can share with others what you have done for me.  Amen. 

PHOTO:
“My Life for Yours” by John is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for March 27, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 32
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm of David is a prayer of joy for the gift of God’s forgiveness.  However, alongside the focus on the happy consequences of forgiveness, there is a reminder of the darker consequences of sin.

In this Psalm, we see the “before and after” of sin and forgiveness.  Like one of the weight-loss advertisements we might see on television, we get a stark picture of the contrast between the ill-effects of sin and the healing power of God’s mercy.

This Psalm is called a maskil, which is a “teaching Psalm,” intended to give guidance.

The Psalmist begins with his thesis, which is like a sunburst of joy:

Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity,
in whose spirit there is no deceit.

But this Psalm also has penitential undertones.  David points out the dire consequences when the poison of sin is not addressed and healed:

When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy on me.
My strength was sapped in the heat of summer.
Selah.

The meaning of the term selah is uncertain, but at the very least it appears to be a musical instruction, not unlike a musical rest in a score.  It may mean that the musicians are to give pause so that the audience may reflect on their words, but we can’t know for sure. This instruction is given three times in the Psalm.

What we do know is that the Psalmist explores the benefits of confession:

I acknowledged my sin to you.
I didn’t hide my iniquity.
I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh,
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah.

The logic is clear — forgiveness by God brings true happiness; suppression of guilt brings misery and even sickness; therefore, confession of sin is a sign of repentance and the source of forgiveness by God. 

David then follows up this lesson in moral theology and forgiveness by pointing out the benefits of faithfulness.  The faithful are safe from distress, and given a hiding place:

You are my hiding place.
You will preserve me from trouble.
You will surround me with songs of deliverance.

Ironically, those who may once have hidden their sin from God now find that God hides them from danger because they no longer hide from God!

David then continues to describe the blessings of belonging to God:

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go.
I will counsel you with my eye on you.

The Psalmist is promised teaching and counsel — this is not merely speculative or theoretical instruction, but practical wisdom in how the faithful are to live their lives before God.

But there is a caution:

Don’t be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding,
who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you.

True understanding mustn’t be stubborn or resistant, according to this metaphor of the horse and mule which must be forcibly broken and controlled.

David returns to the contrasts of the wicked and faithful:

Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but loving kindness shall surround him who trusts in Yahweh.

Therefore, assured of God’s mercy and forgiveness, David can proclaim:

Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous!
Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!

APPLY:  

The benefits of confession are obvious.  1 John 1:9  says:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

James 5:16 says:

Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.

Suppression of guilt can have a scarring effect on the soul.  The emotional and spiritual catharsis that can come with confession can in itself be liberating.

Roman Catholic and Orthodox priests offer confession to their communicants so that they can experience absolution and know they are forgiven.

In the Methodist tradition, the early members of classmeetings inquired “how is it with your soul?” and confessed their sins to one another for the purpose of accountability and transformation.

Even today, if you enter an AA meeting, there is a sense of confession as members introduce themselves by giving their first name, and admitting “I’m an alcoholic.”

The purpose of all of this is not to fixate individuals as sinners or alcoholics, or anything else — rather, the purpose of confession is to name one’s condition so that one may be delivered from it.  If we can name our sin, that is one step toward no longer being controlled by it.

I wonder sometimes what might have happened if, instead of hiding from God in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had fallen on their faces and confessed their sins to God?  Would there have been a dramatic difference in the direction of history?

Unconfessed sin can be corrosive, as William Blake’s poem points out:

I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water’d it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night.
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole,
When the night had veil’d the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

RESPOND: 

As part of her own personal devotional life, my wife used to write songs based on the Psalms.  So even today,  when I read this Psalm I hear her song in my mind:

I will instruct you and teach you the way
I will teach you in the way which you should go.
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
I will teach you in the way which you should go.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But: he who trusts in the Lord, he who trusts in the Lord:
Lovingkindness shall surround him.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous ones
And shout for joy all ye who are upright, all ye who are upright in heart!

I hope that such Psalms can become the song of my everyday life.

Lord, I confess that I am desperately in need of your mercy and forgiveness.  I may be able to hide the truth from others, but I can’t suppress it and I can’t hide it from you.  I confess my sins to you not because I need to let you know what a sinner I am.  I confess to you so that I know what you already know – that I am a sinner saved by grace.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"Psalm 32-8" by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for March 27, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Joshua 5:9-12
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The events described in this passage illustrate the transition of Israel from wanderers to settlers in their new land.

After their parent’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt by the mighty hand of God, and their sojourn in the wilderness for forty years, the descendants of those slaves have crossed over the Jordan River from the East and are beginning the conquest of the land promised to them.

To mark this momentous event, they camp in Gilgal and hold the first Passover in this new land.

This is significant not only because it is the first Passover, but because this marks the end of the provision of manna that they have eaten regularly for forty years.  From now on, they would eat the crops of the land of Canaan. 

God’s original goal for the Israelites was now being realized.

APPLY:  

This passage represents the transition from the uncertainty of life “in the wilderness” to an orderly, settled life in the Promised Land.

And yet, despite the fact that Israel now begins to eat the produce of the land, they remember their slavery and deliverance with the feast of the Passover.

This illustrates the importance of ritual and tradition.  Lest we forget where we have been and what God has accomplished, it is imperative that we celebrate those feasts that anchor us in time and place, and give us our heritage.

As Christians, we are reminded that Jesus takes the elements of the Passover feast and consecrates them to a new purpose.  The bread and wine of Passover become the elements of a ritual of remembrance of death and resurrection.

RESPOND: 

I wonder if there was something a little melancholy about the celebration of the Passover at Gilgal.

After all, for forty years, the Israelites had developed a child-like relationship with God, depending on God directly for provision and protection.  Now they were being challenged, by God and with his full approval, to take responsibility for taking possession of the promises God had made to them.

I wonder what it means for us to “come of age” in our relationship with God?  Certainly we must take responsibility for our lives — but it is also important that we remember who we have been and who we are through the rituals of our spiritual family.

In one of my churches years ago, we welcomed a woman who was Jewish by birth and who had come to embrace Jesus as her Messiah.  She led us through the Passover Seder meal, much like what she had experienced as a girl.

She reminded us of the symbolic meanings of the foods and the liturgy that hearkened back to the days of Exodus.  However, she also pointed out that for Jesus and his disciples (also observant Jews), this feast had taken on a new meaning for all who believe in Jesus.

It struck me that my relationship with the Bible isn’t “either/or,” but it is “both/and.”  As I read the New Testament, I am reminded of my heritage in the Old Testament as well, and my faith is enriched.

Lord, for all that you have done in the past, I give you thanks, and I claim my heritage by faith.  And for all that you promise to do, I look forward with the same faith.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“No More Manna!” uses these photos by Counselman Collection: “Drama3” and “Drama1“. They are both licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for March 27, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Luke 24:1-12

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

As with other key accounts in the Gospels, there are variations in the descriptions of the resurrection of Jesus.  This shouldn’t alarm us.  The accounts that we have are snapshots of different moments in the events of that extraordinary day, from different points of view, with somewhat different narrative perspectives.  However, the central Truth to which they bear witness is that the one who had been crucified had been raised from the dead.

In this selection of Luke’s Gospel, the focus is on the empty tomb.  The risen Jesus doesn’t appear until he joins the two disciples on their journey to Emmaus, and then later in the room where the disciples are gathered in Jerusalem.

We recall that some of the women who followed Jesus had accompanied Joseph of Arimathea to the tomb, and then went away for the observance of the sabbath.  While they were away, they prepared spices, and then returned to the tomb when the sabbath was over for the purpose of embalming the body of Jesus.  In Mark’s Gospel, the women discuss the problem of rolling the stone away from the tomb, but the question doesn’t come up in Luke:

…on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,  but when they went in, they did not find the body.

So, the first phenomenon that occurs in Luke’s Gospel is the removal of the stone, and the absence of the body of Jesus.

Before they have much time to speculate about these surprises, there is a supernatural appearance — not of the risen Jesus, but of beings who appear to be angels:

While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.  The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”

Not only do these supernatural beings confirm that Jesus is alive, they interpret all of the events that have occurred as part of his original plan.

The women are reminded of Jesus’ teaching about his rejection, death and resurrection, and they return to the community of faith to report what they have experienced.

Luke interrupts his narrative to identify these women:

Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.

From Luke’s Gospel, we know that Mary Magdalene was a woman from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2).  According to the other three Gospels, Mary Magdalene was also one of the women at the cross.  And in John’s Gospel, Mary had a unique encounter when she alone beheld the risen Christ, and was the first witness to his resurrection (John 20:11-18).

Earlier, in chapter 8, Luke identifies a certain “Joanna” as:

the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza (Luke 8:3).

She provided financial support to Jesus’ ministry, and likely was the very same Joanna that see in chapter 24.  No doubt she was taking a huge risk because of her connection with the royal court!

We can’t be absolutely sure who Mary the mother of James is.  Matthew describes a Mary who is the mother of James and Joseph who is at the cross, so this could be the same woman. Is she the mother of James the lesser, (also known as James Alphaeus) who was one of the twelve disciples?  Again, this is likely.

However, the women’s excited report is met with skepticism from the disciples:

 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

This is not only a reflection of the extraordinary nature of their news, which would certainly be difficult to believe.  We must also remember that in first century Judea, women were regarded as second-class citizens.  Their account may have been dismissed as “wishful thinking” and “women’s tales.”

But Peter must have had a glimmer of hope and faith:

 …Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Peter has confirmed at least a part of the women’s report, that the tomb is open and Jesus is not there.  However, we are told that Peter is amazed — but not that he totally believes — at least not yet.   

APPLY:  

We can identify with this passage in many ways.  These women, who loved their rabbi, wanted to show him one last vestige of love in his death by applying the spices to his body.

We know what it is to lose someone we love, and the desire to honor them in some way.

The empty tomb doesn’t prove the resurrection; neither does the witness by the two beings in dazzling clothes. It is like a “lead” in an investigation.  If this evidence is followed, it will lead inevitably to the conclusion that Jesus has indeed been raised and is alive.

From the perspective of the 21st century, we need to overcome our over-familiarity with these accounts, and see them with fresh eyes.  We notice that the disciples are incredulous when the women bring back their report from the angels.  And Peter, though he sees the graveclothes in the empty tomb, is amazed — but we don’t have evidence yet that he believes that Jesus is alive. That will come later.

There are stages in our faith development.  We approach Jesus as a dead figure in history.  Then there are those who testify to us about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  We may be amazed at all of this — and ultimately we must respond in faith or disbelief.

RESPOND: 

I sometimes wish that two dazzling beings would appear on Easter Sunday morning and confirm what I already know by faith:

“He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”

But I have other witnesses: the Scriptures; 2,000 years of Christian testimony; the changed lives of Christians I have known; and the inner witness of my own spirit.

I can identify with Rev. Alfred Ackley, who was once asked by a young Jewish man, “why should I worship a dead Jew?”

Ackley responded:

But Jesus lives! He lives! I tell you. He is not dead, but lives here and now. Jesus Christ is more alive today than ever before. I can prove it by my own experience, as well as by the testimony of countless thousands.

These words, and his efforts to share the Gospel with this young man, inspired him to write the familiar lines:

I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;
I know that He is living whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.
He lives, He lives,
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives,
Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

Lord, you are alive!  I know this not because of the empty tomb, which I’ve never seen; nor because of angels who have appeared to me, because they haven’t; I believe because of the certifiable witness of your Scriptures, and because I know it in my own heart to be true.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"The Holy Women at the Sepulchre" by Peter Paul Rubens is in the Public Domain.

Epistle for March 27, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

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OBSERVE:

This selection is from a very systematic and thorough treatment of the resurrection of Jesus by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.

In verses 1-11,  Paul has already established the core of the Gospel message:

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

This claim, that Christ was raised from the dead, is backed up by the appearances to many of the disciples, to a family member of Jesus, to more than five hundred at one time, and finally to Paul himself.  Paul is not relying merely on hearsay.  He is demonstrating the resurrection by offering empirical evidence from witnesses.

In verses 12-18, Paul refutes those who have begun to doubt the literal nature of the resurrection of Jesus.  He makes it clear that if Christ has not been raised, the Apostles are all lying, the faith of Christians is futile, their sins are not forgiven, and there is no hope of eternal life for those who have died. If Christ has not been raised from the dead, the Gospel is a fraud.

This is what leads up to his statement:

If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Rhetorically, Paul’s argument is brilliant.  He has raised the very questions that the doubters are raising, and then demolishes them with evidence.  And he points out that Christianity is not merely an “existential philosophy” that helps us find meaning in this life.  If Christ has not been raised, and our hope is only in a fuller, richer life that he offers in the here and now, then Christians are pathetically deceived.

And then he strikes the resounding chord of the Christian faith:

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

Now he turns from the historical evidence and the impact of the resurrection on the faith and hope of Christians to a theological interpretation.

He references the same analogy that he has used in Romans between Adam and Christ:

Therefore just as one man’s [Adam’s] trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s  [Jesus’] act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all (Romans 5:18) .

Paul further develops this contrast between Adam and Christ here in 1 Corinthians 15:

 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being;  for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

Paul also finds an analogy in his Hebrew scriptures that explains Christ’s relationship to the faithful who have died— he is the

first fruits of those who have died.

The offering of the first fruits of the crop and the first born of the flock is commanded throughout the Torah ( the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament).

The first fruits are a representative offering, which signifies the reality that all the rest of the crops also belong to God.  God “deeds back” the 90% to the worshipper, but the offering has been made as a kind of pledge.

So, Jesus is the first fruits from the dead, both in terms of time because he’s the first to be raised; and he is the representative sacrifice who opens the way for all  who believe:

 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

The resurrection of Christ is a foreshadowing of the ultimate resurrection at the end of time:

Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

This is the description of a conquering victor, who is battling against supernatural foes, and who will humble them under his feet.

However, though the outcome is not in doubt, the battle is not yet complete.  Death has been subdued by Christ, who is the first fruits from the dead,  but it will only be completely conquered at the end:

when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father.

APPLY:  

Ultimately, the death of Jesus on the cross is not the death of a helpless victim.  He is a soldier who, through his death, overcomes sin, death and the devil.  His is the ultimate sacrifice of a heroic warrior, not a passive surrender.

The sacrifice of Jesus is redeemed by his resurrection. What seemed an agonizing defeat is actually a glorious victory.

When we face death as believers, we have this assurance: death has been defeated, and we look forward to the resurrection at the end of all things.

RESPOND: 

One of the concepts that really helped me to understand what Jesus has done for us was introduced by Oscar Cullman in Christ and Time.

He compares the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus to D-Day in World War II.  Just to refresh memory, Europe was still the stronghold of  occupying Nazi powers as of June 6, 1944.  But on June 6 — D-Day — a massive Allied force landed on Normandy beach.

Cullman points out that the war in Europe wasn’t over on that day.  It didn’t officially end until after more battles and more fighting for almost a full year, on May 8, 1945.  But he asserts that D-Day was the beginning of the end.  From that point on the Nazi armies were fighting a losing battle.

Cullman says that this is a good analogy for the work of Christ.  Jesus conquered death and crushed the devil beneath his feet on Calvary, and in his resurrection.  This was like D-Day.  It was the beginning of the end.

However, the Devil continues to resist, even though the works of evil have been defeated.  Like a snake whose head had been severed, he writhes and lashes about, seeking others whom he can harm.  But it is only a matter of time until he is destroyed.

Victory Day, Cullman says, arrives when Jesus returns in victory.  Sin, death and the devil have been decisively defeated. On V-Day, there will be no doubt.

Our Lord, the resurrection demonstrates that all of your enemies are under your feet. You are the conqueror of sin, death and the devil; therefore I am forgiven, I need not fear the future, and you have given me the power to resist temptation.  Amen. 

PHOTO:
“Mitigat Accensam Divini Numinis Iram Post Varios esu Casus de Morte Resurges,” by Maerten de Vos is in the Public Domain.

Psalm Reading for March 27, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

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OBSERVE:

This selection from Psalm 118 is a song of joy and victory that is appropriate for Easter Sunday, the Day of Resurrection.  Obviously, the original context preceded that event by many centuries.

Scholars tell us that this is the last of six  Hallel  Psalms (Psalms 113-118), which were Psalms of praise and thanksgiving.  It is likely that this Psalm is associated with the Jewish feast of Tabernacles and other Jewish festivals.

This Psalm begins with a liturgical phrase that frequently appears in the Psalms, especially here and in Psalm 136, as well as others.  We surmise that this may have been a call and response between the worship leaders ( possibly the Levites) and the congregation:

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”

In the verses from 14 to 24, the Psalmist explores the nature of the Lord, his blessings, and the response of the grateful congregation.

The Lord is acknowledged as strength and might —  and the Psalmist then describes a new characteristic that he has begun to experience from the Lord:

he has become my salvation.

He then explores what this salvation means to him—  victory, for one thing.  In an allusion to the nomadic life of his ancestors, or perhaps to the encampments of a military campaign, he refers to the songs of praise sung in the tents like those used in the feast of Tabernacles:

There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”

Salvation also means life, not death:

 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
 The Lord has punished me severely,
but he did not give me over to death.

The Psalmist calls for the gates of righteousness to be opened to him —  this is likely both literal and figurative, as the congregation is led in procession into the temple.  The occasion is the opportunity to give thanks to the Lord.  But it is also clear that there are requirements for those who enter:

 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.

The Psalmist again gives thanks that the Lord has answered his prayer and has become his salvation.  And then there is a verse quite familiar to readers of the New Testament:

 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.

The cornerstone was the bondstone at the corner of the foundation of the building. This image is used by some of the prophets as well.

From the Psalmist’s perspective, this metaphor probably suggests that Israel is the cornerstone that was rejected by the Gentiles but has become a great nation through the blessing of the Lord.

However, from a Christian perspective this proverb describes the ministry of Christ —  rejected and crucified, he is nonetheless the chief cornerstone, chosen by God and raised to life to provide the foundation of a new spiritual temple.

This verse is quoted by Jesus in the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 21:42; Mark  12:10; Luke 20:17) as a comment on his parable of the wicked tenants who reject the messengers from the landowner, and then kill his beloved son.  Jesus is the cornerstone whom the wicked tenants have rejected.

In the New Testament, the chief cornerstone  is clearly identified with Jesus:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20).

This selection of the Psalm concludes with an exhortation very appropriate for the observation of Easter Sunday:

This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

APPLY:  

This selection from Psalm 118 is perfect for Easter Sunday, reminding us that God brings life out of death, and hope out of despair.

We are especially reminded that Christ, though rejected, despised and crucified, has been vindicated by his resurrection.

No wonder the early church saw this Psalm as a prophecy of Christ.  Jesus himself refers to himself as the stone rejected by the builders who has now become the chief cornerstone.

RESPOND: 

There are so many hymns that we sing in church that allude to Christ as our cornerstone and  the foundation of our faith.

One of my favorites extols Christ:

Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ the head and cornerstone;
chosen of the Lord and precious,
binding all the church in one.

Though the historic “temple” of the Christian church has been built with elaborate chambers and columns, arches and domes and spires, so to speak, by Christians of every denomination and tradition, one thing is certain —  they all build upon Christ as the one foundation.

Lord, I rejoice that you are the cornerstone of my faith, and the structure of my life is founded upon you.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

“Omaha North Presbyterian Church cornerstone” by Ammodramus is in the public domain.

Reading from Acts for March 27, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Acts 10:34-43

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a specimen of some of the first preaching in the early church.  What is extraordinary about this is that it is one of the first sermons preached to Gentiles.  Prior to this, the Gospel had been shared with disciples and the crowds that gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, to believers in their homes, to sympathetic worshipers in the temple, to hostile officials and angry mobs,  almost all of whom were Jews.

Then the Gospel began to spread to Samaria, and then to an Ethiopian eunuch.  Now, Peter must overcome his bigotry and exclusivity and go into the home of a Roman Gentile.

Truly, the command and the promise of Jesus to the disciples just prior to his ascension is beginning to come to pass:

“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”(Acts 1:8).

This is the context:  Peter has gone toward the Mediterranean coast of Judea, preaching and healing in Lydda and Joppa.  He was a guest of Simon the Tanner in Joppa when a strange vision from God appeared to him, which gives him the message:

“What God has made clean, you must not call profane” (Acts 10:15).

At that very moment, messengers from the Centurion Cornelius, stationed with the Italian Cohort of the Roman Legions thirty miles to the north in Caesarea, arrive at Simon’s house asking for Peter. Cornelius has sent his messengers because he also has experienced a vision in which an angel has instructed him to reach out to Peter.

Based on his own vision, Peter accompanies them back to Caesarea, to the house of Cornelius, which is the setting of this message.

The message is an important example of Peter’s preaching:

• It illustrates that the Gospel is beginning to spread to the Gentiles.
• It includes the essential kerygma of the early church, which is the basic proclamation of the Gospel.
• It reemphasizes the commission to take the message to the world.
• Peter makes clear that this Gospel is the fulfillment of the revelation of God to the Jews in the Hebrew Bible.

Peter confesses that he himself has undergone a kind of “conversion” when it comes to being open to non-Jews.  He sees now that God’s covenant is not exclusive but inclusive, even of the Gentiles:   

“I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

However, Peter quickly adds that this Gospel has come first to Israel:

You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.

Notice that Peter makes clear that the Lordship of Jesus is universal:

He is Lord of all.

Then Peter focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus, of which Peter and his fellow disciples were all witnesses:

That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem.

But at the heart of Peter’s message is the cross and the resurrection:

They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,  not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

Note Peter’s distinction: not everyone  saw the risen Christ, but those who had been chosen by God as witnesses.  Because they were witnesses, they had been given an apostolic authority and commission to preach the Gospel:

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.

Peter closes by reminding his Gentile audience again that this message about Jesus that is now offered to them was revealed first to the Hebrew prophets.  The universal message of the Gospel is the forgiveness of sins through Christ:

 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

APPLY:  

Because of the passage of time and the differences in modern culture, we can sometimes forget just how radical it was that Peter consented to go to the home of a Gentile — who also happened to be a member of the hated Roman army!

Imagine being called upon to go to the home of a military officer in communist North Korea, or a  member of the radical Islamic group ISIS, and we may catch a glimpse of how difficult this was for Peter.

However, God’s vision to Peter was very clear — God has no partiality, and anyone who has faith in the crucified and risen Christ will be forgiven, no matter what their race, ethnicity, or culture.

The message of Jesus Christ is eternal and universal— his offer of salvation is offered to all who are willing to repent and turn to him in faith.

RESPOND: 

When I preach the Gospel, it is vital to me that I include a few key ingredients that seem to me to be embedded also in Peter’s message.

It is important to me that I let people know how Christ has impacted my own life.  Peter does that.

But even more important, Peter proclaims the forgiveness of sins and faith in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead.  I really strive to make sure that the message of Christ is conveyed in every sermon I preach no matter what my text may be and how many other issues I may address.

John Wesley once wrote:

We are not ourselves clear before God, unless we proclaim him[Christ] in all his offices.

Although this seems like an old-fashioned way to speak, Wesley really is on to something.  Wesley also says that it is by faith that we:

receive Christ; that we receive him in all his offices, as our Prophet, Priest, and King. It is by this that he is “made of God unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”

What this means to me is that Jesus guides us into all truth as the Prophet who is our source of wisdom — that’s why we read the whole Bible, because it reveals the whole counsel of God.  As our Priest, Jesus reconciles us to God through his sacrificial death on the cross,  and continues even now to pray for us as our High Priest.  And as King, Jesus is the risen Christ who rules over us forever, fulfilling his law of love in us as he restores his image in us and brings in his everlasting Kingdom.

Lord, help me to clarify the message you have revealed to us so that I can claim it by faith and, like Peter, do the very best I can to proclaim the Gospel so that others might also come to Christ and be strengthened in faith.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Peter Baptizing the Centurion Cornelius” by Francesco Trevisani is in the Public Domain.