"If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed" (Romans 8:36)


Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Holy Week: What Happened on Wednesday?


Wednesday in Holy Week is silent.

Although Holy Week contains arguably the most important seven days in the history of mankind... although we know much of the history of Jesus' words and actions throughout this week... Wedneday is silent. Whatever happened on this day is not revealed to us. The holy writers have drawn the veil.

Perhaps it was a day spent in quiet contemplation of Scripture... perhaps there were quiet hours spent in prayer. Pastor Weedon writes (1): "the heart of that mad, crowded Holy Week was quiet... Tomorrow the soldiers would come, and Friday there would be God's great signature in the sky... Thursday and Friday would belong to time and eternity, but Wednesday was of heaven alone." In any case, Holy Scripture is silent- as this Wednesday is silent.

This day, to prepare ourselves for adoration of Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection, let us also take time for prayer... time for quiet contemplation of our own selves using God's Ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)... time to lift the veil on our hearts and see the bitter evil which resides within us... within every single one of us (Rom. 3:10-31), and understand anew how desperate our plight would be apart from Christ.

The Passover of Christ is set to begin... as Christ's passes into death, and from death to life. Hosanna in the highest! Thanks be to God.
  1. This quote is perhaps from something called "The Pilgrim" pp.27-28. Pastor Weedon references it at the bottom of his blog post, but I'm unsure whether it includes these words or not.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Holy Week: What Happened on Tuesday?

Jesus' disciples see the withered fig tree on their return to Jerusalem from Bethany

Matthew 21:20-22
When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

Mark 11:20-21
As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered."



Jesus engages in conflict with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem


Matthew 21:23-23:39
And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From man,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
"What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. 
"Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons." 
Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." 
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. 
And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 
"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen." 
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. 
The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her." 
But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. 
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." 
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet'? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?" And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. 
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you--but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 
"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. 
"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. 
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
Luke 20:1—21:4
One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority." He answered them, "I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?" And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From man,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet." So they answered that they did not know where it came from. And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." 
And he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.' But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.' And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Surely not!" But he looked directly at them and said, "What then is this that is written: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." 
The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. So they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's." He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent. 
There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, 
and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. And the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife." 
And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him." Then some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well." For they no longer dared to ask him any question. 
But he said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is David's son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.' David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?" 
And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." 
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."



The Disciples marvel at the Temple; Jesus delivers the Olivet Discourse on their return to Bethany from Jerusalem


Matthew 24:1-25:46
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." 
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. 
"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 
"So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 
"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 
"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. 
"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Mark 13:1-37
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." 
And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?" And Jesus began to say to them, "See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. 
"But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 
"But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand. 
"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 
"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 
"But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning-- lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake."

Monday, March 29, 2010

Holy Week: What Happened on Monday?



On Monday morning Jesus and the Twelve leave Bethany to return to Jerusalem, and along the way Jesus curses the fig tree
Matthew 21:18-19
In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

Mark 11:12-14
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.


Jesus enters Jerusalem and clears the temple
Matthew 21:12-13
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them,“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Mark 11:15-17
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

Luke 19:45-46
And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”


In the evening Jesus and the Twelve leave Jerusalem (returning to Bethany)
Mark 11:19
And when evening came they went out of the city.

HT: Justin Taylor

Sermon for the Sunday of the Passion A+D 2010

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.
From palms... to passion; from exuberant joy... to somber grief; from shouts of "hosanna" (John 12:13)... to calls to "crucify him" (Luke 23:20). This Sunday has everything. It begins with the waving of palm branches in procession, it ends with the cross. As a result, over the years, this Sunday has had a number of different names. In some times and places it has been called Palm Sunday... in other times, Passion Sunday. We Lutherans use both: because, well... you see... you really can't have one without the other. Take the palms, for example. Palms are part of our Lord's Passion, yes, but they are not the only thing. Palms without the cross are like leaves and branches without the tree. The world isn't saved from sin by a palm tree but by the tree of the cross, and the passion of our Lord who hung on it.

The Passion of Christ. From the Latin "passus," meaning 'to suffer,' as in the Apostles' Creed: "passus, mortus, et sepultus est." He suffered, died, and was buried. Out of His passion to save the world from sin and death, our Lord endured His passion.

In any case, that is our theme for today—  the dramatic move from Palms to Passion on this Palm Sunday and Sunday of the Passion.

Time permits but a few highlights. We will hear these things in greater depth and detail during the course of this week. On Thursday, we will rejoice in the upper room and the Supper of Jesus' body and blood. On Friday, the cross and the Crucified One. On Saturday, His rest in the tomb and our Baptism into His death. And on Sunday, the open, empty tomb and the glory of Jesus' resurrection. For today, just a few things.

It starts out as you heard in St. John with Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem as a king, riding a donkey in peace, with palm branches waving. "Hosanna!" the cry goes up. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna" — "save us," the traditional way to greet a victorious king coming home from battle. But this King is headed toward His battle, into holy war with sin, death, and devil.

Half a week later it's the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The time is Passover. The setting is a borrowed, upper room. The Passover lamb is killed, bled to death at the temple. Roasted in the fire until well done. The four cups of wine are filled. The table is set with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. With sour bitterness on their tongues, the disciples hear Jesus speak of His betrayal. One of His own will do it. He knows this — He even knows which one it will be. And yet Jesus allows that betrayal... for us. This is His passion to save.

It's at that same time that Jesus takes the unleavened bread, the Bread of Affliction, gives thanks, breaks it into pieces, and gives a piece to each of the disciples. "This is my body, given for you" (Luke 22:19) He takes the third cup after the meal, gives thanks, and gives it to each of them. His cup is theirs to drink. "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:20). His body and His blood, soon to be offered on the altar of the cross, here He gives as food and drink. He is the Bread of Life, the Wine of heaven. He gives the very same Body and Blood to you here today - for your forgiveness, life, and salvation. This is His passion to save.

They head to the place called Gethsemane. He is deeply distressed and troubled. The sin of the world weighs heavy on Him. It drives Him to the ground in prayer. "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). He prays for us all, for everyone who has cried out in the silence in an hour of despair and death, and heard nothing return from the silence. He prays, "Thy will be done" (Matt. 6:10) as He taught His disciples. And the will of His Father is that He should drink the bitter cup and die for the world. This is His passion to save.

He is betrayed with a kiss, a sign of friendship, and arrested like a criminal. They come with "swords and clubs" (Luke 22:52) against this gentle Shepherd, who healed their sick and brought good news of the kingdom. For this, you see, is the hour of darkness (Luke 22:53). It is Satan's hour... not ever the hour that Jesus longed for... not ever the hour that Jesus wanted... but still the hour Jesus willingly underwent, for this is His passion to save.

Jesus is brought before the Sanhedrin, the religious high court. The priests, elders, and teacher of the Torah examine Him... to accuse Him: "if you are the Christ, tells us" (Luke 22:67). Every religion must ask this question, and hear the answer. Who is this Jesus? Is He the Messiah, the Son of God? "You say that I am" (Luke 22:70), He says... alluding to the great Old Testament name of God, Yahweh, the great "I Am Who I Am" (Exod. 3:14) adding to that the promise that "from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God" (Luke 22:69). Really?!? That's what He chooses to say? He's either a liar, a lunatic, or He is who He says He is. There is no other option. You can't say, "He's a great prophet, a great teacher, a great example, a great anything" unless you also say that He is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matt. 26:63).

At that, Religion renders its verdict. In their eyes, Jesus has condemned Himself by speaking blasphemy. God in the flesh is a blasphemy to man's religion, which wants to keep God nicely in a box on a shelf somewhere in heaven. God in heaven is safe; God dwelling in the flesh among us is a threat to our religions, our attempts to be gods in place of God. Jesus endures it all silently. He offers to apologetic, no protest. It has to happen this way. His rejection is the world's salvation. This is Jesus' passion to save.

And so He's brought before Pilate, the Roman governor, the representative of Caesar. He taught His disciples to render unto Caesar, now Caesar will render unto Him (Mark 12:17). To the heavy handed world of Politics, Jesus is a threat to the peace, a usurper to the throne, a troublemaker, a subversive. King of kings and Lord of lords, yet His kingdom is not of this world. Pilate shakes with fear at the glimpse of an authority greater than His own. One day every knee will bow to this King. But not this day. For Christ is silent and makes no defense (Luke 23:9).

Pilate tries to cut a compromise. Political correctness isn't new to our day. He offers the people a way out, a choice - Barabbas the murderer... Barabbas the terrorist... or Jesus the messiah. Who would want the likes of Barabbas loose on the streets? But Barabbas goes free, and Jesus goes to His death. The guilty one gets off, the Innocent One dies. He becomes our sin, we His righteousness. This too is His passion to save.

And so the die is cast. The Creator of the World stands condemned by the world and is led away by soldiers through the city. Through the city to a place called "the Skull" Led through the city to a place called "the Skull" to hang an innocent man among thieves. Jesus... Jesus the Christ, Jesus the King, Jesus the Son of God. He is all these, and more, hanging there in the darkness, forsaken by His Father, that forgiveness might be won. This is His passion to save.

Dear friends in Christ, faith (Christian faith) is a passion for the Passion of Jesus. The bad news is that you and I have no credential to wave before the Lord. No perfect work that makes us pleasing to God. We cannot  —we must not— try to justify ourselves. That's the bad news. The good news is you and I already have all that you need to stand before God on the day of judgment: the passion of Jesus - His suffering, death, and burial. Your Baptism declares it; the Supper confirms it. He is passionate to save you.
The peace of God –which surpasses understanding– guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
  

Friday, March 26, 2010

Fantastic new Biblical Resource from Concordia Publishing House

How do You Read and Apply the Bible? The Key is Understanding the Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel

  By Paul T. McCain

I'm very excited to tell you about a project my colleague here at Concordia Publishing House, Rev. Charles Schaum, has been working on diligently for quite some time. It is a new edition of CFW Walther’s The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel. It will be out by this July. You can place your order here to be first in line to receive your copy.

This is a book known to many confessional Lutheran pastors in this country, but not much beyond them, since the translations of this book are intimidatingly obscure and inaccessible to most people. And this is most definitely not “just a book for pastors” but every layperson will be deeply moved by Walther’s poignant and powerful explanation of the very key to understanding the Bible. Our Lutheran Confessions put it this way:
"The distinction between the Law and the Gospel is a particularly brilliant light. It serves the purpose of rightly dividing God’s Word and properly explaining and understanding the Scr8iptrues of the holy prophets and apostles. We must guard this distinction with special care, so that these two doctrines may not be mixed with each other, or a law be made out of the Gospel. When the happens, Christ’s merit is hidden and troubled consciences are robbed of comfort, which they otherwise have in the Holy Gospel when it is preached genuinely and purely. For by the Gospel they can not support themselves in their most difficult trials against the Law’s terrors." (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article V.1; Concordia, pg. 552).
"These two doctrines, we believe and confess, should always be diligently taught in God’s Church forever, even to the end of the world. They must be taught with the proper distinction." (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article V.24; Concordia, pg. 557).
Note also what Melanchthon states in the Apology, Article IV.5-6:
"All Scripture ought to be distributed into these two principal topics, the Law and the promises [the Gospel]. For in some places it presents the Law, and in others the promise concerning Christ, namely, either when [in the Old Testament] it promises that Christ will come, and offers, for His sake, the remission of sins justification, and life eternal, or when, in the Gospel [in the New Testament], Christ Himself, since He has appeared, promises the remission of sins, justification, and life eternal. Moreover,in this discussion, by Law we designate the Ten Commandments, wherever they are read in the Scriptures."
But all this will change with Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible—A Reader’s Edition. For the first time in English, we will “hear” Walther  in a way that those who first heard this collection of evening lectures, heard him in German. The most widely used translation of Law and Gospel has some serious deficiencies. William Dau took great liberties with Walther’s text, and tried to sanitize him . This new translation sparkles and the real Walther comes through loud and clear. Dau took it upon himself to recast Walther into the image of a British academician, not the Saxon German Lutheran pastor/theologian that he was. The challenge is that Walther’s work consists of notes based on his oral lectures. Dau was not content to let the lectures stand as presented, but tried to turn them into a loftier, literary work. He made three general decisions: First, he changed or deleted Walther’s language when he believe it was necessary, including changing how Walther phrased theological terms and concepts. Dau also did not like it that Walther was in places rough with his language. Second, Dau forced on Walther a flowing, flowery literary British style that was common in the academic era of Dau’s era. Third, Dau introduced extensive editorial changes and additions within the main text of the lectures, rather than using footnotes to help the reader.

This new edition offers a translation by Rev. Christian Tiews, a native German speaker, which is lively and full of the energy that Walther exuded throughout his life. Here are other features of the new edition, from the book’s product description on our web site.

This edition of the classic work of The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel will make this powerful resource available in a format for all readers of the Bible. Offering a fresh look of the older translation, it will provide comprehensive notes and annotations to aid reader’s understanding bringing to life the power and excitement of the original German lectures. This new unabridged edition restores Walther’s witty, staccato fire, including text omitted in prior English versions. Read Walther’s lectures like no one has since he originally spoke them:
  • Foreign-language terms are in footnotes
  • Encounter information on Lutheran history and theology that identifies concepts, events, and people.
  • Maps, timelines and rare photos
  • References to Scripture, Lutheran Confessions, Luther and other sources appear in the margins
  • References to English sources have been added when possible
  • Transcription errors from the original lecture notes have been corrected

[p.s. from the Ninja Pastor: I've already ordered mine - and I can't wait until it arrives :) ]

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Festival of the Annunciation of Our Lord

March 25th is the day set aside in the Church to celebrate the Annunciation of Our Lord. The Annunciation (Latin for 'announcement') commemorates the day that the angel Gabriel visited Mary to announce to her that she would be the mother of Our Lord... that she would give birth to the Son of God. The date of March 25, you might note, is nine months before Christmas.

In any case, we celebrate the Annunciation because it is the day in which God finally set in motion the great plan of salvation which was first announced to Adam and Eve in the Garden after the Fall (see Gen. 3:15). There was never a doubt, of course, that the Messiah would come, as all God's prophets had predicted... but to have the time be NOW! Praise be to God that He would send Son into this fallen world of ours, to redeem us and save us from our sins.

Mary's response? After she gets over her fright and her confusion, that is?  "Let it be to me, according to Your Word" (Luke 1:38) and then later, when she visited her cousin Elizabeth, she said, "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46-48). With Mary, at the fervency of His love and the faithfulness of His mercy, our souls, too, magnify the Lord. Our souls, too rejoice in in God our Savior.

The Annunciation is a festival full of joy. We rejoice that God keeps His promises to us (see Joshua 21:45) and that His greatest of all His promises is being fulfilled with Mary, that she would be the mother of God. For with the angel's announcement, the Holy Spirit conceived a son in Mary's womb, a Son would truly be the Second Adam. It is this Second Adam, Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who "came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:26).

In the words of the great Christian hymn which Germanus (A+D c.634-c.734) wrote so many years ago: what "a great and mighty wonder, a full and holy cure [that] the virgin bears the infant with virgin honor pure" (LSB 383:1). The announcement to Mary is that the Lord is come and is among us. Beginning in Mary's womb," the Word became flesh and dwelt Mong us" (John 1:14). What glad tidings!

The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
With wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame:
'All hail to thee, O lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favored lady."  Gloria!
"For know a blessèd mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee;
Thy son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
Most highly favored lady. Gloria!
Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head;
"To me be as it pleaseth God," she said.
"My soul shall laud and magnify God's holy name."
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!
Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
In Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn,
And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say:
"Most highly favored lady." Gloria!       (LSB 356)

Let us pray: O Lord, as we have known the incarnation of Your Son Jesus Christ by the message of the angel to the Virgin Mary, so by the message of His cross and passion bring us to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.



P.S. the painting at the top of this post is Campin's Annunciation. Robert Campin (A+D c.1375-1444) was a Durch master who painted in the Early Netherlandish style. The Ninja Wife tells me that every aspect of the painting has symbolic meaning and she has graciously agreed to explain the symbolism on her blog. Check it out here if you're interested.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, A+D 2010

Readings for this sermon are available here.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Listen to the parable of the vineyard, a parable Jesus tells about a landowners and his tenant farmers. "A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while" (v.9). As Jesus tells the story, he begins first of all with a note of grace. The landlord plants the vineyard. He does all the preparation, all the work to guarantee a harvest. The tenants simply have to tend the plants, harvest the fruit, and pay the owner his agreed-upon share.

But the relationship between tenants and landlords is rarely easy. In part because most of us would rather be owners than renters. It makes sense. Renters pay out rent, while owners collect rent. Owners control the property while tenants are under another's control. And let's face it, we do not like to be at another's mercy, even when the other is God Himself.

Which, of course, is the actual case. We are all tenants, after all, not owners. Everything we have is on loan from God. We might imagine that we're owners: "It's my money and I can spend it as I please." "It's my body and I can do what I want with it." "It's my life and I don't need God or the Church or anyone to tell me how to run it." But that's the myth of this age. But the truth is that God is the owner; we are his tenants. We are simply stewards with a responsibility to use His gifts faithfully.

Anyway, in the parable, the tenants stage a revolt. When harvest time comes, the land owner sends a servant to collect his share. Instead, though, the tenants beat him and send him away empty-handed (v.10). When the owner tries again they beat that servant up and send him back (v.11). A third time this takes place (v.12)!

Clearly this method of collection has failed. It's at this point that most landlords would give up and take legal action. But this landowner goes one more step, hoping against hope to receive a harvest instead of hostility. "What shall I do?" he says to himself. "I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him" (v.13)

Of course, there's nothing in the track record of those tenants to suggest they would. And you have to stop and wonder. What kind of father would send His beloved Son to a bunch of thugs who've already beaten up three others? What sort of father would send His beloved Son to a bunch of murderous deadbeat tenants?

  • "God so loved the world that He gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

  • "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:9).

  • "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10).
While we were still His enemies, turned against Him in rebellion, the Father sent His Son into the world, to take on our humanity, to become one with us, to save the very world that rejected him. Even after Israel had beaten and stoned and killed God's prophets! But that's the nature of God's mercy. He keeps coming back again and again, seeking the fruit of repentance and faith, risking everything.

The parable's not yet done, of course. When the tenants see the son, they assume that the owner's dead. They come up with a plot: "This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours" (v.14). It sounds crazy, but it's actually not. If the landowner died and left no heirs, the tenants could claim title to the land free and clear. Provided, of course, they could first get away with the son's murder, which is why they killed him off the property.

It's a picture of Jesus' impending death. Within a few days of speaking this parable, the religious authorities of Jerusalem would stir up Jesus' crucifixion at the hands of Pilate, on a hill named Golgotha outside the city. The parable would become reality. God sent His Son to His vineyard, to His Israel, and His Son was despised and rejected and killed outside the city gates.

"What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those [ingrate] tenants, and give the vineyard to others" (vv.15-16). The message is this: reject the Son and there's nothing but judgment. Jesus is God's last Word to the world. There is no other way to the Father except through Jesus (see John 14:6). There is no other Savior from sin and death but Jesus, the beloved Son of God, who came to His own, who was rejected and crucified, whose death the Father received as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. To reject the Son is to reject the Father's will to save you.

The tenants in the parable are condemned (not because they were worse tenants than any other in the neighborhood... not because their harvest was poor... they were condemned) because they rejected the Son. The parable is a warning to the religious leaders of Jesus' day and to the Church of every age not to take God's grace for granted, not to reject the Son who comes to us in the name of the Lord, not to despise His Baptism or the Supper of His body and blood or His Word of forgiveness. God forces His grace on no one. He forces no one to be saved from death and hell. He gives His gifts; He sends His Son; He gives us the Holy Spirit who delivers all that Jesus died to win for us.

Your Lord God, the heavenly Father, awaits the harvest: the harvest of broken and contrite hearts, the harvest of faith in His Son Jesus, the harvest of love for one another. Don't be deceived by appearances. The Son may appear weak. God's servants may appear as the wimps and losers of this world. The Church may look like a fractured and failing institution against the backdrop of this world's success stories.

Jesus said, "the stone that the builders rejected has become cornerstone" (v.17) and "everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces" (v.18). We must be broken, if we are going to be made whole again. We must die, daily to ourselves in repentance, if we are going to live. The alternative to falling on Christ in repentance is to be crushed by Him. Verse 18: "And when [that rejected stone] falls on anyone, it will crush him." Either receive the forgiveness, life, and salvation Jesus won for you by His death on the cross, or... be crushed resisting and refusing Him.

Dear friends in Christ— every sin has been spoken for in the death of Jesus. Every sin is forgivable. Every sinner has been died for. Only unbelief is unforgivable because unbelief is rejecting the forgiveness Christ won on the cross.

Trust in the Son, that rejected Stone who is now the cornerstone of your salvation. Fall on Him with all the brokenness of your life, for He was broken for you. He will raise you up and give you life, "just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity."
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Faith versus Doubt in the Life of a Christian

Recently I had a conversation with someone experiencing real doubts about one aspect of Christian doctrine. The question centered in an area of the faith that is key to the salvation which Christ Jesus our Lord won for us through His cross and resurrection.

How best to respond to something like this? This individual certainly knew what the right answer was; he/she knew what the Bible has to say about it... the problem is simply that he/she is struggling to believe it. He/she is certainly not alone in this. We have all experienced doubts and questions about the faith. It's hard. It's disturbing. It makes us worry. We might even ask, "the fact that I am questioning this, does this mean I'm losing my faith?"

One thing that is helpful in situations like this is to highlight the distinction between rejecting the Word outright and struggling to accept the Word. It is a key distinction. The thing is: doubt is natural to anyone living in the sinful flesh. This side of eternity, we will never ever be perfectly in tune with all of God's Word, it's just not possible... not without some doubt or struggle with what God tells us in His Word. Even though we may never give up trying, we understand that we will never be able to fully understand and accept everything God says in Holy Scripture.

It's like that time that Jesus told a father whose son was possessed by an unclean spirit, "All things are possible for one who believes" (Mark 9:23). The father's response? "I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). Certainly it's true that this "I believe; help my unbelief" characterizes much of the Christian. We are, after all, both saint and sinner.

When we sinners approach our Lord and Savior Jesus in trust, we are at the same time trusting in Him and doubting Him.

When we sinners approach our Lord Jesus, we are at the same time trusting His divine goodness and mercy and struggling to understand how that mercy plays out in our lives.

When we sinners approach our Lord, we are at the same time trusting in the merits of the cross and wondering if all of this can possibly be true, struggling to accept all that His Word says.

We come with both: faith AND doubt. We come with both to lay both at the foot of the cross, under the authority of the Word. We submit ourselves to the authority of the Word even while we struggle to understand and accept all that is in it.

I suppose it's a little like the first day of kindergarten for a little boy. He's scared. He doesn't know what to expect. Everything is new and intimidating. Yet the child walks forward into this great unknown because Mom is holding his hand. He's filled with fears and worries, yet is content to place all those fears and worries in the strength of Mom's presence.

This is a lot like the journey is all for all of us. The future is uncertain, it's new, it's intimidating. We can't know what will come, but we walk into the future hand in hand with the beloved Savior Jesus. Though we may have a thousand questions and a thousand doubts, our trust and our confidence in the sufficiency of His grace (2 Cor. 12:9) gets us through the day.

Hebrews tells us that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (11:1). And it is by faith that we walk, and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). That faith trusts in things we do not know and cannot understand. That faith trusts in things which we will struggle to accept—  but still it is faith (however weak and however wavering) in the loving mercy of the God who sent His Son Jesus Christ to the cross for us... for us and no one else.

No matter how hard it is, if we look for the answers in God's Word, He will not disappoint us. He will lead us to the Truth which is His own Son Jesus (John 14:6). The Lord says:
"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live" (Isaiah 5:1-3).

Friday, March 19, 2010

Leaver on the Theological Character of Music in Worship

I'm continuing to study the role of music in the Divine Service in hopes of leading a Biblical and Confessional study of the nature of the Divine Service and the role of music therein. It's been an interesting and an eye-opening journey that is far far from complete.

I thought I would share this tidbit with you; it certainly has me thinking. It's from Robin A. Leaver. Mr. Leaver is an internationally recognized hymnologist, musicologist, liturgical expert, Bach scholar, and Reformation specialist — he has taught at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, Westminster Choir College, Princeton, Drew University, Madison, and is currently  visiting professor at the Juilliard School, NYC, and at Queen’s University, Belfast.

The following is some of his introductory comments on the intertwined relationship of music and theology. Hopefully it will get you thinking as it has me. To God alone be the Glory (SDG). Leaver writes:

The intertwining duet of music and theology form the substance of Biblical theology. Although there is no specific chapter and verse in which is to be found a clear theological statement concerning the nature and function of music, there is nevertheless hardly a page of the Bible from which some musical inference cannot be drawn. Music is the accompanying counterpoint to the Divine message and in all the mighty acts of God music is never very far away. From eternity to eternity, from creation to judgment, from Genesis to Revelation, the sound of music is to be heard. At creation the "morning stars sang together." The people of God in the Old Testament were the singing church of the old covenant, whose responsorial art was begun with the Song of Moses after the birth of the nation in the exodus from Egypt. The birth of Jesus was accompanied by the song o the angels. And in the world to come all the redeemed will join together in singing the "Song of Moses and the Lamb." James Montgomery expresses it well in his familiar hymn:
Songs of praise the angels sang / Heaven and earth with Hallelujahs rang / When Jehovah's work begun, / When He spake, and it was done.
Songs of praise awoke the morn, / When the Prince of Peace was born; / Songs of praise arose, when He / Captive led captivity.
Heaven and earth must pass away, / Songs of praise shall crown that day: / God will make new heavens and earth, / Songs of praise shall hail their birth. (1)
As the Bible unfolds the records of the acts of God the continuous sound of music heard. That continuity is broken only once in the silence of Calvary. However, even here it has to be recognized that silence is not mere nothingness but rather an active constituent in the structure of music and its performance. (2) "Someone has said that all history is point and counterpoint—two melodies running side by side—God's and man's. Alone one of them is always incomplete, even God's. He preferred to die rather than be without us. Taken together there is meaning and beauty in their rise and fall, their temporal dissonance which is resolved into final harmony." (3) Music is therefore bound up with theology and theology with music.
Source: Leaver, Robin A., "The Theological Character of Music in Worship," part of the Church Music Pamphlet Series, Carl Shaclk, Editor. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, pp. 5-6.
  1. Leaver's footnote (#8 in his text) is as follows: J. Montgomery, The Christian Psalm: or, Hymns, Selected and Original, Glasgow 1825, p. 455f. The hymn was first published in 1819; see J. Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, London 1907, p. 1068.
  2. Leaver's footnote (#9 in his text) is as follows: See T. Clifton, "The poetics of Musical Silence", The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 62, 1976, pp. 163-181. There were, of course, occasions when man's answering counterpoint ceased (see M. Harvey, Worship and Silence, Bramcote 1975, p. 6f), but these were mere pauses compared with the general silence of Calvary.
  3. Leaver's footnote (#10 in his text) is as follows: O.P. Kretzmann, in Festschrift Theodore Hoelty-Nickel. A Collection of Essays on Church Music, edited by N.W. Powell, Valparaiso, Indiana 1967, p. v.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Aquinas on the "efficacy" of the Passion

We've been walking our way through the Passion Account according to St. Mark in our midweek Lenten services this year. We have walked with Jesus through the night of His anointing beforehand for burial by Mary (Mark 14:1-11)... we sat down with Jesus to celebrate with Him His final passover (Mark 14:12-31)... we prayed with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-52)... we witnessed the false charges and the verdict of blasphemy be laid against Jesus (Mark 1453-63)... last night we read of Peter's denial of Christ and faced the truth of own denial of our faith in Christ (Mark 66-72).

"Jesus, grant that balm and healing in Your holy wounds I find. Every hour that I am feeling pains of body and of mind, should some evil thought within tempt my treacherous heart to sin- show the peril, and from sinning, keep me from its first beginning" (LSB 421:1).

With all this background in mind, I picked up my Treasury of Daily Prayer this morning and what do I find? An interesting writing from Thomas Aquinas (A+D 1225-1274) in which he responds to arguments that the Passion of Christ has no worth for us Christians. It's interesting, because if the Passion of Christ Jesus has no "efficacy" for us Christians in this day and age, what would be the worth of meditating upon it? Just for purely historical value? If so, I think we could find better things to do with our time! Read what Aquinas has to say:
The argument against the power of Christ's Passion: the devil exercises his power over men by tempting them and molesting their bodies. But even after the Passion he continues to do the same to men. Therefore we are not delivered from his power through Christ's Passion.
Aquinas responds: God permits the devil to tempt men's souls and harass their bodies, yet there is a remedy provided for humanity through Christ's Passion, whereby a person can safeguard himself against the enemy's assaults, so as not to be dragged down into the destruction of everlasting death. And all who resisted the devil previous to the Passion [in Old Testament times] were enabled to do so through faith in the Passion, although it was not yet accomplished.
A further argument is put forth: according to Hebrews 10:14 ["For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified"], the might of Christ's Passion endures forever. But deliverance from the devil's power is not found everywhere, since there are still idolaters in many regions of the world; nor will it endure forever, because in the time of Antichrist he will be especially active in using his power to the hurt of men, because it is said of him (2 Thess. 2:9[-10]): "The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception." Consequently it seems that Christ's Passion does not deliver the human race from the power of the devil.
Aquinas responds: God permits the devil to deceive men by certain persons, and in times and places, according to the hidden motive of His judgments. Still, there is always a remedy provided through Christ's Passion for defending themselves against the wicked snares of the demons, even in Antichrist's time. But if any man neglect to make use of this remedy, it detracts nothing from the efficacy of Christ's Passion. 
source: Treasury of Daily Prayer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2008, pp.124-5.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Commemoration of St. Patrick, Bishop and Evangelist

Paul T. McCain on his Cyberbrethren blog has a fantastic account of St. Patrick, along with a description of why the Christian Church commemorates him as bishop and evangelist. St. Patrick was a wonderful orthodox missionary in the 4th century and his story is one that has inspired the saints of Christendom ever since. Unfortunately, today in America, his story is almost entirely unknown. St. Patrick's Day is simply a day for dressing in green (lest one be pinched) and for guzzling alcohol (often beer infused with green food coloring). I would say that America's celebration of St. Patrick has nothing at all to do with the real account of this humble, devout man of God. Read it here: Commemoration of St. Patrick, Bishop and Evangelist

The Collect during Lent

HT: the idea for this post comes from Weedon's blog


One aspect of the Divine Service that often people don't understand is the role of the Collect. The Collect of the Day is a historic, short prayer that the pastor prays on behalf of the gathered congregation during the Service of the Word. These are prayers that (in modified form) have been handed down to us over the centuries from the pre-Reformation unified Catholic Church. Typically, they take up the Gospel theme of the day- taking its note from the assigned reading of the Holy Gospel.


I have copied out the actual petition component of each collect below for the entire season of Lent. As you read them, consider what it is that each petition is asking of God. To my mind, these prayers are not only beautiful and well-crafted, their content is breath-taking and goes right to the heart of everything we need from our loving and gracious Triune God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

"Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness" (Ash Wednesday)
"Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come" (Lent I)
"By Your might power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul" (Lent II)
"Be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word" (Lent III)
"Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience" (Lent IV)
"Mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul" (Lent V)
"Mercifully grant that we may follow the example of His great humility and patience and be made partakers of His resurrection." (Sun. of the Passion)
It truly is a season of bold requests to present at the throne of grace! May these prayers of the Church be your prayers throughout Lent - today - and every day.