Take off your shoes and sox

The Text: John 13:1-17, 31b-35

If you were asked to take off your shoes and socks I imagine you might be a little reluctant to do so. Feet have a reputation, don’t they? We don’t just cover them to make it easier to walk around. We tuck them away out of sight and out of smell. We can probably handle the smell of our own feet but the thought of a roomful of exposed feet is probably not what we want at the end of the day.

And it is the end of the day. Chances are some of us have been on our feet for much of it and that tends to take its toll. Look at the burden our feet have to bear. They carry our weight around from A to B and everywhere else we need to go.

In Biblical times they used their feet much more than what we do these days. Feet were the primary mode of transportation. They didn’t have cars or buses or trains and even horses and donkeys were available only to the privileged few. So if you wanted to get anywhere, from a kilometre to 100 kilometres, you had to walk.

The Romans were known for their road construction, enabling the efficient movement of their legions. But in Palestine this was the exception rather than the rule. There was the Via Maris, the coastal road, and the King’s Highway, a trade route, but that was about it for major roads in that area. The Jews were not into road construction as the Romans were. A beaten, worn out dirt path was basically considered a road to them. A goat track was sufficient to get around.

So we can understand why the washing of feet was as much a part of their culture as the washing of hands is in ours. It must have been a huge relief to wash away the grime of a day spent on your feet. Think of the relief you feel when you can kick off your shoes and socks at the end of the day and put your feet up.

With this cultural background, it shouldn’t be that surprising to find Jesus at the feet of his disciples, offering to wash them. Yes, it was a task normally reserved for a servant of the household or the wife of the host. Failing that, the host would at least provide a bowl of water and some towels for his guests to wash their own.

But Jesus had told his disciples: ‘the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Matt.20:28).

Jesus had got dirty in the past as he touched lepers, healed the demon-possessed and mixed with non-Jews. He had eaten with tax-collectors and sinners. So why should the washing of feet be so repulsive? ‘No, you shall never wash my feet’!

Well, the symbolism happening here is more significant and deep-seated than we realise. As the lowest part of the body feet were considered inferior. This wasn’t so much in terms of the function of the feet but their position. Feet acted as the interface between the individual and the ground, the dirt, they walked upon.

That is why the ultimate rejection is to wipe the dust from your feet, indicating that the other person’s dirt doesn’t even deserve to be on your feet.

It is also why it was considered to be an act of submission, reverence and humility to be found before the feet of another person. You can’t get any lower. It was expected for some people to be at the feet of others but not the other way round.

Throughout his ministry Jesus had people at his feet and for a variety of reasons.

Some of them were there because they needed his mercy. A beggar came before the feet of a lord or master in the hope of some morsel. So it is that the woman who was suffering from severe bleeding fell at Jesus’ feet (Mark 5:33). A woman whose daughter was possessed by an evil spirit fell at his feet (Mark 7:25). Even a synagogue ruler, Jairus, whose daughter was dying fell at his feet (Mark 5:22).

Others were at his feet out of sheer gratitude for the mercy that had been shown to them. The Samaritan leper fell at Jesus’ feet when he had been cleansed (Luke 17:16). Mary was at his feet, pouring perfume on them and wiping them with her hair after Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead (John 12:1-3).

Still others were at Jesus’ feet in submission to listen to his teaching and wisdom, as was Mary that day when Martha was busy doing all the work (Luke 10:39).

It was entirely appropriate for people to be at the feet of Jesus. After all, he is the King of kings and Lord of lords. You come before a king in all humility to seek his mercy and wisdom and to give him the praise and honour he deserves.

And let’s not forget that a conquering king would literally put his feet on the neck of his enemies (Joshua 10:24). This demonstrated the ultimate humiliation and defeat of that enemy. As Jesus taught in the Temple during holy week, he himself quoted Psalm 110 to refer to this kind of thing: “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet’” (Mark 12:36).

Think also of the first prophesy connected to the Messiah. In Genesis God said to the serpent: ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel’ (3:15).

With all of this in mind, it is truly fitting and right that ‘at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord’ (Philippians 2:10).

And yet, here was Jesus, bowed before his disciples and at their feet!

It didn’t seem right. This wasn’t just a gracious act of service. This was a position of submission, reverence and humility. That is not where Jesus should be. This was a position of vulnerability, a place where those who are defeated get trampled on in disgrace. Surely not! ‘No, you shall never wash my feet’!

But Jesus answered: ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me’. Unless Jesus can serve us in such a way where he is trodden underfoot and humiliated and rejected and despised; unless he can be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities – we can have no part with him. The full extent of his love was not shown in the washing of their feet but in the piercing of his.

‘He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…he humbled himself and became obedient unto death – even death on a cross’ (Philippians 2:6-8).

This Easter as we come before the cross once again we will find ourselves at the feet of our Lord. But truly it is on the cross where he is at our feet. He is there in all humility to submit and to serve. He is there to show us the full extent of his love. Amen.

Jesus’ triumphal entry

The Text: Matthew 21

When ‘Ivan the terrible’ came into town he needed no introduction. That’s because ‘Ivan the Terrible’ (who was the Tsar of Russia) was exactly what his nickname said he was – terrible! He was terrible and he was terrifying. He would torture animals just for fun. He beat up his pregnant daughter-in-law because he didn’t like what she was wearing, resulting in her having a miscarriage. When his son confronted him over it, Ivan fatally stabbed him with the sharpened end of his walking cane, which he always kept sharp so he could jab people with it. He mercilessly murdered people and tortured them. He was a maniac. He was a terrible king but at least people knew who he was.

History is littered with kings and great political leaders who are instantly recognisable, not so much for being famous but for being infamous. If I put a picture of Hitler on the screen you would know who he is, and the people of his time would have known him too. The great Caesars of Rome, the kings and queens of Europe, the pharaohs of Egypt – whether they were good or bad – all of them could be identified by their people. And still today, when dignitaries move through the streets, they do so with a great entourage, body guards, fanfare and impressive vehicles. Whether they are infamous or simply famous, kings and rulers are recognised by their people.

But when Jesus, the king of kings, arrives in Jerusalem, what do his people say? Oh great, here’s the king? Oh wonderful, our saviour has arrived? No, the people of Jerusalem see Jesus on a donkey, with the crowds cheering around him and his band of followers by his side and they ask: “Who is this?!!?”

Well, I guess that Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem sends out some confusing messages. On the one hand you have this big crowd shouting out ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ Now, ‘Son of David’ is code for ‘the king’. They think they’ve found the Messiah. And yet, the people of Jerusalem look at Jesus in disbelief, that this unimpressive man riding on a donkey could possibly be a king.

That’s because we all know that kings back then rode on horses, and today they drive in big fancy cars. They don’t get about on donkeys. You don’t win wars with donkeys, you win them with horses and chariots, with tanks and planes and ships.

And yet Jesus was going to war. Jesus had already made it clear to his disciples what type of war he was going to be fighting in Jerusalem. In the previous chapter, as they headed for the great city, Jesus said: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

Jesus rides into Jerusalem ready for a war of a different kind. It’s the war for your soul. Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey as the king prepared to die for his people, the very people who didn’t even recognize him and the very people who would put him to death. What a king! Jesus came to Jerusalem to tangle with Satan, to defeat him and sin and death in one very foul and bloody swoop.

And how was Jesus going to win this war? Through submission. Now that’s not what kings are meant to do – submit! We are meant to submit to them! But Jesus rides into Jerusalem with the specific aim of handing himself over to die, where he will become the atoning sacrifice for all human sinfulness. What a king!

It should be no surprise to us that no sooner had Jesus told his disciples about his purpose for coming to Jerusalem, that two of them ask if they can sit at his right and his left side in his glory. ‘Glory!’ they said. ‘Jesus give us some glory!’ That’s the sort of king they wanted.

But Jesus was not a king who came for glory—Jesus was a king who came to serve and through his service to you and me and to the world he would give his life. By his work and service and sacrifice we are reconciled with God. The war has been won.

That’s the king that Jesus still is for you. Jesus is our great defender and protector and he is continually working to keep us safe from evil, from the power of the devil and from falling into unbelief. Jesus continues to serve us by forgiving our sins, washing us clean, hearing our prayers, answering our prayers and giving us his blessing. Jesus is a king who serves and as people of his kingdom we are also called to live a life of service.

Why wouldn’t we serve a king like that? Many kings, like Ivan the Terrible, could scare us into serving them. But Jesus doesn’t do that. Our king comes to us gentle and riding on a donkey—an animal of peace. There is no frightening sound of galloping hooves, no cracking whips, no shouting. There are no tanks rolling or guns blazing. Jesus comes to us with gentleness to save and protect us. He is the King of Kings—and with him there is nothing to fear. Amen.

The emotion of death

As a way of breaking into the text about Lazarus and his death and resurrection we are going to explore the different emotions and reactions in this story; The disciples, Martha and Mary, Jesus, the Jews and also Lazarus.

It seems to be so often the case that the disciples don’t really understand what is going on. When the message comes to Jesus that Lazarus is sick, he pretty clearly explains to them that the end will not be death. But you can’t help but wonder how many of them thought; ‘we’d better get there quickly!’ But they don’t go quickly and the text indicates that Jesus deliberately waited until Lazarus had died so that he could achieve the goal of this encounter. “for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

This is the same goal we’ve heard over the last couple of weeks of Lent in the gospel readings, that on lookers and participants in the narratives might identify Jesus as the Christ or The Anointed one and give glory to God.

I can see why the disciples get confused. First Jesus wants to wait, then suddenly he tells them ‘let’s go to Lazarus because he is asleep.’ Now to be fair this is a common idiom for death, the disciples should have known what he meant. But their first reaction to their impending journey to Judea is not their concern for Lazarus but concern for themselves. They fear death, the fear their own death, they even fear Jesus’ death, as they remind him that last time they were in that area, the Jews tried to stone him!

But Thomas seems to quickly change his mind when they realise Lazarus is actually dead and not just sleeping to regain strength and gives a strange response. One minute the disciples are concerned that being in Judea could lead to their own or Jesus death, the next Thomas proclaims: “let’s go that we might die with him.” It’s as if in one phrase he realises what is going on and is prepared to die with him. We assume the ‘him’ is Lazarus, it could well be Jesus, that Thomas expects to go to Judea and where Lazarus is already dead and by going there Jesus will die and the disciples will follow. But he has obviously jumped the gun, it’s not Lazarus who the disciples will follow into death and certainly not so quickly.

The disciples are confused, and scared, then suddenly ready to go but in the process, they fail to identify Jesus as the Christ, or at least fail to fully comprehend what his identity means.

So the disciples head off with Jesus and seem to just follow along, because they have no further recorded interactions.

Mary and Martha on the other hand have much to say.

Martha is the first to greet Jesus, does that fit with your picture of Martha? Remember Martha is the busy one, getting things done, Mary is the one sitting and listening. It makes sense then that Martha runs out to meet Jesus, maybe she has learnt from their previous encounters that Jesus is priority number one. Or maybe she is in her ‘get things done’ mode and rushes out to meet him, in the hope that he would comfort her, but she doesn’t sound like a woman looking for comfort.

I can just imagine Martha and her meeting and greeting Jesus. How do you picture it, is she gentle and subdued or is she really telling Jesus that he has failed her? Perhaps she made herself as big as possible got up in his face and demanded; ‘Lord if you have been here my brother would not have died.’

And she is correct. Jesus could have healed her brother.

How often do we have that same reaction to God, or others? If you had been here… this terrible thing would not have happened. This is the accusation of a hurting and burdened person. Someone who is angry with God.

But even though Martha is angry with Jesus, his words to her should be a greater comfort; ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’ In this story of Lazarus and his sisters and Jesus raising him from the dead, the family and bystanders are getting a glimpse of what is to come. It is like a pointing to Jesus own death and resurrection. And a pointing to their own resurrection, the resurrection of the listeners and participants in the story, Martha, Mary, Thomas, the other disciples, and even the Jews who watch and join in.

And it is a pointing to our resurrection with Christ as did our opening verses in today’s service from Romans

¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Just like Lazarus coming out of the grave alive with his body intact, and just as Jesus came out of the grave alive with his body intact, we too will rise with our bodies intact. We will not be just unembodied spirits floating around with God, we will have a body and a spirit, it will be a return to our intended state before the fall.

In Ezekiel we hear of the vision of the dry bones. The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘wind’, ‘Spirit’ and ‘breath’ in that passage is the same word. The wind blows the spirit into the bodies and it becomes breath. To have wind, breath or spirit is to be alive. Just like when God created Adam from the dirt, he breathed into him and he was alive. We still do the same today, when someone has stopped breathing, we breathe into them in an attempt to give them life. As it is in the New Testament, a different language but the words Spirit, wind is the same word. So without God’s spirit we are dead.

But we do have God’s Spirit, he has been poured out on us, blown into us. An internet image depicts this well, in that picture; A person had opened the bible, behind the bible was a glowing face, blowing his spirit into the reader. That is what God’s word does, it brings the Spirit and so brings life. When we hear the word the Spirit comes on us to give us life.

And we know we have the Spirit; we know that we belong to Christ because he has claimed us as his own in our baptism. We can be assured that in baptism his Spirit blew into us, giving us life, taking us through death into new life.

Shall we go back to the emotions of Lazarus’ resurrection…

Martha and Mary experienced anger, disappointment, Jesus failed them. They trust, they know who Jesus is, what he can do, but he didn’t get there in time.

What about Jesus emotion–

Jesus hates death

Jesus hates sin that causes death

Jesus hates the pain that death creates

Jesus hates the fact that even though Lazarus is going to live (even that Lazarus is going to see Jesus die) Jesus hates that Lazarus will die again also.

We know God hates death for he had the Psalmist proclaim; Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15 (ESV)

This story is filled with emotion from Jesus, he is here identified as truly human. He shares in human emotion and pain. The sadness of losing a loved one, the distress of not being with them as they suffered, and the anger He displays because He knows that it is sin that leads to death, the fallen nature of humanity.

Then we have the Jews lurking around, watching the proceedings, wondering what it might mean. Some believing that Jesus is the Son of God, others going off and telling the leaders what Jesus has done. And the reaction of the leaders, who wonder ‘what are we doing’ scared that they might lose their place of power should Jesus actually lead a rebellion, absolutely oblivious to what Jesus knows he will have to do and yet by the power of God still able to prophesy in John 11:50 ‘that it is better that one man should die than the whole nation.’

The main player, the person who has his name on the title of this story, Lazarus, the man who actually dies and is brought back to life, what of his reaction. He has no speaking or acting parts, so how can we know, it would be pure speculation. His death, his reaction to his own death, and new life is of no consequence to John. It is all the other people that show their true colours by their reactions. That is often the way with death, it is the loved ones, those who are left behind that have the biggest emotional struggles, the strongest reactions to death come from the siblings, the spouse, the children or the parents.

That’s why we have Christian funerals, to comfort the living, with the good news that Jesus Christ has overcome death by his death and resurrection. It is not to glorify the person recently deceased, it is to glorify God and point mourners to Jesus the Son of God.

There are a range of reactions to Lazarus’ death and subsequent new life. From anger and disappointment to confusion and trust. But we need to see that Lazarus’ resurrection is not foreign to us. Just like Lazarus we also die in baptism and rise to new life. We could even say Lazarus’ resurrection is like baptism, he dies and then is called out of the grave to new life. We die in baptism, that is our flesh, as Paul describes it, is put to death so that Jesus can call us out of that death (sin) into new life. He calls us out like he called out Lazarus; Come out into new life with him.

Jesus says I am the resurrection and the life; Come out of your death in the flesh into your new life in the Spirit. Amen!

Jesus opens the eyes of the blind man

The Text: John 9:1-41

Today we are going to focus on our Gospel reading from John chapter 9:1-41 in which we heard how Jesus healed the man born blind and how the Pharisees investigated the healing. It concluded with Jesus speaking about our spiritual blindness

This story about Jesus healing the man born blind is a dramatic gospel presentation, filled with heated exchanges and clever dialogue.

There is the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples, and Jesus and the blind man.

There is also the dialogue between the blind man and his parents, his neighbours and even a divided group of Pharisees who wanted to condemn Jesus.

What makes this healing miracle stand out from the many other healing miracles that Jesus performed is the fact that this blind man did not approach Jesus asking for healing. Rather, Jesus approached him.

This blind man had been blind from birth. Jesus took pity on this man and on the society that had to support him.

So Jesus gave to this man something that he had never experienced before – he gave this blind man the ability to see!

Before we can understand what sight is, we must try to understand what it is to be blind. Close your eyes for a moment. Now imagine how different life would be if God had created people without eyes to see. Imagine if everyone was guided only by the ability to touch, taste, smell and hear.

Without our eyes we have no way of comparing colour or light. Without eyes there would be no such term as blind; for there would be nothing to compare blindness with.

But the blind man in our Gospel reading certainly knew that he was blind. From the time that he could understand speech his parents and friends probably told him that he was blind. The blind man had no way of understanding sight – yet he longed to be able to see. If he could see he would be able to stop begging and start working. The ability to see would change his life.

So when Jesus came to the blind man, Jesus changed the life of the blind man forever by giving him the ability to see.

When he was blind, he did not understand what it meant to be blind for he had never experienced the ability to see. Once he was blind, but now he could see.

The reading gave us a detailed description of the healing: Jesus came to the blind man. He took a handful of clay, spat on it and worked it in his hand. He then put it on the blind man’s eyes and told him to go and wash in The Pool of Siloam (Si-lo-am). He did this and amazingly he came back seeing.

With his new ability to see, he now understood what it meant to be previously blind. Now he is able to see for the first time! It’s hard to imagine what that first moment of sight would have been like!

He rushed to tell people of his new found sight. He told people whom he thought were able to see clearly too!

He thought they would be so happy for him – that he could see like them! Instead, they wanted to have little to do with him.

There seemed to be something different about the sight that Jesus had given to this man compared to the sight of his family and friends.

The sight that Jesus gave was more than seeing in the ‘physical’ sense. Jesus also gave him the ability to see in the ‘spiritual’ sense. He gave to this blind man the ability to see spiritually – Now what might seeing spiritually mean?

Jesus gave the healed man the ability to identify that the person who healed him was Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God; the one God promised to send to be the saviour of the world.

To see spiritually is to see what God already sees. It is to see what God is doing!

Today, let’s call this spiritual seeing – spiritual vision.

The Pharisees had a real problem with this miracle because it had taken place on the Sabbath – a day when no Jew could do anything that could be interpreted as work.

So the Pharisees interrogated this man several times about who it was that healed him. And each time the healed man was interrogated, his spiritual vision became more focussed.

His explanation of who Jesus is became clearer. The healed man’s spiritual vision became so focussed that he even boldly claimed to be a disciple of the one who healed him. To this the Pharisees replied: ‘You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.’

To this the healed man answered: ‘Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’

But the Pharisees eyes were still blinded. And they could not recognise that the one who healed the man was the Son of God. It was as if the Pharisees had been blinded by their religion to the point where they could no longer recognise God at work in this person’s life. They did not have spiritual vision.

Just like the blind man in our story and these Pharisees we are all born with spiritual blindness. This is because sin is part of the world. Because of sin we are born into this world without the ability to see spiritually. On our own we cannot see God or recognise his works amongst us.

Because of sin none of us are born with spiritual vision.

God alone can give us such vision.

Through baptism God begins to grow our spiritual vision. He makes it possible that we can see in ways that we could have never dreamed of. In our baptism God has washed away our sin so that we may grow to see spiritually.

In Baptism God washes away our sin and sends us the Holy Spirit who gives us the faith to see that God is with us – to see in the spirit that Jesus is our saviour – to see that we will live with him forever in perfect relationship.

Spiritual vision allows us to be able to recognise our sin. Spiritual vision also allows us to see how the crucified Jesus comes to us and gives us the forgiveness and the new life that he has won for us. With Spiritual vision we can see that Jesus heals our hurts and makes us whole. With spiritual vision we can see God at work in our lives guiding us with his Holy Spirit until we arrive at our heavenly home.

Spiritual vision is very different to our physical vision. Often our physical vision deteriorates with age. But our spiritual vision if cared for and nurtured can develop with age.

This happens as we continue to receive God’s gifts to us. When I think of caring for our physical vision: I remember the old saying: “Eat your carrots – that way you will be able to see in the dark!” Yes our food helps us grow physically strong and strengthen our physical vision.

But eating carrots and other healthy foods will not grow our spiritual vision! There are other gifts God gives to grow our spiritual vision.

God gives us his written and spoken word and the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive in his Holy Meal. Through these means the Holy Spirit is at work growing our spiritual vision.

Spiritual vision allows us to see the world in a new light. It allows us to see the world as God sees it. We can see and identify God with us and working through us to others and others to us.

Spiritual vision helps us to celebrate what God is doing amongst us. With a healthy spiritual vision we can see Jesus at work shaping our lives and the lives of those around us. A healthy spiritual vision will enable us to see every person as special to God. It will help us to value and respect, to love and to serve each other at the point of their greatest need, just as Jesus has come to serve us according to our need.

Ultimately a healthy spiritual vision leads us to worship Jesus as our Saviour. Those who have a healthy spiritual vision are the ones who give glory to God by loving and serving those around them.

As our spiritual vision matures and becomes more focussed we are able to boldly proclaim the name of Jesus Christ crucified until he comes again. We will live in the light and show our love for God by loving one another and turning away from sin.

God is growing our spiritual vision. The spiritual vision that he is growing in us will help us see ourselves the way God sees us—forgiven, redeemed and healed by the blood of Jesus. Our spiritual vision will help us see who Jesus is and what he has done for us. With spiritual vision we will see his light, we will see our sin in a new light. We will daily drown the old sinful nature and trust in Jesus alone. May this be true for us all. Amen.

I can see that you are a prophet.

The Text: John 4:19-26 (NRSV)

19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you[b] say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I am he,[c] the one who is speaking to you.”

Today’s text is part of our Gospel reading from John chapter 4 where Jesus is talking with a Samaritan woman at the well.

I read again from verse 19:

‘Sir’, the woman said , ‘I can see that you are a prophet. Our Father’s worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.’

Jesus declared, ‘Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation comes from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.

God is Spirit, and his worshippers must worship in Spirit and in truth.

Let us pray. Lord Sanctify us by the truth, Your word is truth. Amen.

If a strange man asked you for a drink of water and then started talking to you about water that would quench your thirst forever, what would you do?

Would you ask for a drink of his thirst-quenching water?

If this foreigner, whom you do not know, then revealed your deepest darkest secrets, cutting your conscience to the bone, exposing your guilt, what would you do?

Would you recognize that this foreigner is someone special who has been sent from God?

Would you try to steer the direction of the conversation to something lighter and less threatening?

Maybe you would prefer to talk sport or politics or dare I say it even religion?

Well, this is what our Samaritan woman does.

She decides to talk religion.

At first she didn’t recognize that this man was Jesus – the Messiah! She saw him simply as a Jewish prophet. But in their discussion Jesus did something that only a God who knows each of us personally could do. He cut to the bone of her secret problems and revealed her broken relationships, her promiscuity and all that troubled her conscience.

To have our hurts and weaknesses revealed is one of the most humbling experiences that any human can face. We would all prefer to put on a brave face and pretend nothing was wrong by changing the subject. We may be able to hide the truth we don’t want others to know, but nothing is hidden from God.

Yet to try and turn the subject away from her deep dark sins, the Samaritan woman starts a conversation about religious matters. She highlighted one of the big issues that separated the Samaritans and the Jews.

The issue concerned the correct place of worship. You see, the Samaritans believed the only correct place to worship was on Mt Gerazim. (Gera-Zim) The Jews believed the only correct place of worship was at Jerusalem on Mt Zion. So the Jews and Samaritans lived as two separate nations.

The Samaritan woman was looking for an answer to this long standing division. But the answer which she got was radically different to what she may have expected. It cut deeper into her problem.

Jesus revealed that the key issue was not where we worship

but who it is that we worship, and how!

In the coming of Jesus, the time had come when true worshippers would worship God as their Father. Jesus said: They will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.

But what does this mean? What does it mean to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth?

Created as God’s chosen children we are called to worship God as our Father. He provides for us, he cares for us, he guides us.

We are to fear him, love him, serve and obey him just like we are to fear love, serve and obey our earthly parents. Just as we trust our earthly parents to provide for us in our childhood so we are to trust God to provide for us as we journey to the promised land, for he is our creator and he has made us his children.

Today we have come together to worship God our Father in Spirit and in Truth. We called on the name of our God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

When we call on the name of our Triune God we acknowledge that we belong to the eternal body of Jesus Christ.

In the body of Christ we are joined with all saints of ages past, present and future and all saints on earth. We are joined with the saints in our neighbouring churches and the churches all over the world.

Most importantly, the Holy Spirit joins us with Christ Jesus.

It is only through Jesus that we can come to our Father.

Jesus is the Truth. He is the word of God in the flesh. The Holy Spirit gathers us together in Christ Jesus – and together we worship our Father. Together we receive our Father’s goodness, and we give thanks to him for his great love for us.

Then, having received our Father’s blessing, he sends us out as his restored people to be a blessing to others in our community, to serve him by serving one another.

We first entered the true place of worship when we were baptized. At our baptism the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit was spoken over us and we were welcomed into the body of Christ. At Baptism we received God’s Spirit and the Spirit continues to build faith in us and continues to bring us back to Jesus’ body where we worship our Father in Spirit and truth together with all God’s people.

Now imagine for a moment that you were the Samaritan woman, and you wanted to change the topic of discussion away from the guilt that has been revealed in you; what religious question would you ask Jesus?

In the church on earth there are many issues that threaten to divide or trouble the church. Maybe you would ask Jesus about the styles of music that often divide people in worship. You may say, we prefer organ music in our worship, and others prefer guitar music.

Maybe you would make a comment about the many different forms of worship and orders of service in the church. You may say, I prefer the order of service straight from the hymnal, while another person might say, I prefer the more casual family service, or charismatic , or a reflective service.

Maybe you would talk about the different ways we praise God. You may say, Some people praise God by singing beautiful hymns. Others praise God by singing sacred songs. Some praise God with movement, others praise God with a sturdy stance.

The Samaritan woman steered the conversation away from herself by asking Jesus about the right place of worship. Today we might do that similar. You might say I think it is better to worship in a small congregation, another person might say, I prefer to worship in a big congregation.

We can so easily think that it is the forms, the music and the place that makes true worship. But these things are only instruments that are useless on their own. It is when the Spirit works through and beyond these instruments that there is true worship!

So often we concern ourselves with issues that are actually irrelevant – as if our salvation depended on them.

The real danger is that the music, or the forms, or the people and the building become the focus of our worship time. It is possible that these things can become barriers that stop people from starting or maintaining a relationship with God as their father. These matters can also distract us away from God our Father who is to be the true focus of our worship.

So often we lose sight of who it is that we are worshipping and how many different ways we can truly worship him. We get caught up in petty issues, and personal hobby horses and lose sight of who it is that we are worshipping.

But Jesus clears away our agenda. He reveals that he wants to restore our relationship with God our Father through our worship experience!

Just like the Samaritan woman, we are sinners with a history. When we come into the presence of God our masks are cut away and God exposes us for who we really are. Naturally we will want to hide our shortfalls and our broken relationships behind pious words. But we can hide nothing from God. He sees everything.

But in a show of eternal love the one true Jesus comes to us, he shows us that he has died for us and introduces us to our Heavenly Father just as he did to the Samaritan woman.

Jesus makes it possible for people like us and the Samaritan woman, – people who are abused and condemned to be able to worship God the gracious Father.

God the Father has sent his Son to walk with sinners to overturn the practices, the forms, the music and the temples that demand us to sacrifice ourselves in order to be saved. And Jesus paid the price for this radical action. He offended many who worked to try and gain their own salvation. Finally, Jesus was put to death on the cross.

And there on the cross, Jesus shed his blood to wash us clean so that we can stand before God as our Father and worship him forever!

At our Baptism God gave us his Holy Spirit to transform us who were unholy and unclean sinful beings into holy spiritual beings. Now the Holy Spirit empowers us to gather together to worship God the Father through Jesus Christ – in Spirit and truth.

Because of Christ, worshipping God the Father is not a matter of forms, sacrifices or styles. Worship is about our relationship to God our Father.

Through the Spirit we are brought into fellowship with Jesus Christ who is the truth. And through Jesus we can stand before God our Father and worship him.

Like the Samaritan woman, we can rejoice that Jesus is the Saviour who restores our relationship with God the Father. Amen

And the peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and mind safe in Jesus Christ to life everlasting. Amen.

Nicodemus came at night

The Text: John 3:1-17

Nicodemus came at night!

A pastor had a discussion at a youth meeting about this fact; that Nicodemus came at night and there were a few suggestions as to why this may have been.

Some suggested that he might have come at night because he was a member of the Pharisees and didn’t want to be seen with Jesus by the other leaders or by other members of the ruling council the Sanhedrin. Some theologians don’t accept this premise.

Another suggestion was that Nicodemus was nocturnal, a bit like a possum! Now while this gave us a good laugh apparently it might be closer to the mark than we thought. Nicodemus being a Pharisee was a theologian, but a theologian was not a job where you could earn a living so the majority of the Pharisees would have worked during the day, leaving only the night time for theological discussion.

Now another suggestion was that Nicodemus came at night so that he could have a decent conversation when others wouldn’t be harassing Jesus, it seems if that was his goal then he got his wish.

Nicodemus came because he wanted to make sense of the something. A common question for the Pharisees in their theological discussion was; how and when will we see the kingdom of God?

Given we are going to talk about things that we can’t understand by our own reason perhaps you might consider some of the thing that don’t make sense to you.

There are many things do not make sense to us!

Why are sheep so stupid? Why does my dog keep running away? Why does God allow suffering? Why, why, why?

And then we come to the how’s.

How did God create the earth and is our modern science close to finding out? How does a car work? How do computers work? How am I going to manage in this life?

Many of these things have perfectly legitimate answers, others just don’t make sense.

Nicodemus wanted to make sense of something and it seems he only got more confused. His question related, we can assume, to the kingdom of God. When and where? When will the kingdom come? Where will the kingdom come?

He doesn’t come straight out and ask Jesus this but Jesus pre-empts his question and sees through his preliminaries to get straight to the point. Nicodemus doesn’t even get a question out – only a comment about Jesus having God with him, before Jesus gives the answer to his un-asked question. ‘If you’re looking for the Kingdom, you are not going to see it unless you are born again’.

Now if Nicodemus was confused before, he’s really baffled now. Born again? Born once is confusing enough to understand, how we can be born again? A man can’t climb back in where he came from so that he can come out again! It was hard enough for your mother the first time when you were an infant – how painful would it be to birth an adult!

But Jesus is not talking about physical birth, he’s talking about birth with water and the spirit. Not water, and then the spirit, as if you can be re-born again, and then again, but water and the spirit together creating a new being. This new being is not driven by its flesh as the old being was but is now driven by the spirit who resides and does the good that pleases God.

Lutherans straight away think this relates to baptism. And why shouldn’t we? It’s not even a big stretch. And here in this passage the active work of God in baptism is highlighted.

During your birth I’m pretty sure you didn’t do much. You didn’t participate in the conception, that’s a miracle of God and your Parents. You were passive through gestation, fed as your mother ate, living like a parasite, and then through your birth your mother once again did all the hard work and you probably just cried when it was over. So if you were passive and receptive in your physical birth, how much more are you passive and receptive in your new birth?

We are passive in our life of faith. You don’t start by looking for God.

As much as we could say well Nicodemus came to God, so we must also come to God. Verses 16-17 tell us that God has come to us. If God in Jesus were not on this earth Nicodemus would have had no one to seek out.

Same goes for us, God seeks us out now by the Spirit blowing wherever he pleases. Blowing through parents who know that it’s a good thing for their child to get baptised. Blowing through families who want good things for their children even if they cannot explain or put a name to them. Blowing through friends and neighbours who do the good deeds of the spirit because he resides in them leading their friends and neighbours to come and ask how and why are you doing these good things.

This passage must definitely be about baptism. Baptism where the participant is passive and God is active. Using water, word and spirit to get the job done to re-birth a person of the spirit.

If Nicodemus didn’t understand, how can anyone of the flesh get it? We just don’t and can’t understand how and why God does these things. We need to refer back to the catechism where we learnt that ‘I cannot by my own understanding… …but the Holy Spirit, calls, enlightens’ and so on.

Nicodemus couldn’t by his own understanding. Maybe he did get it eventually because he went with Joseph to help bury Jesus. Abraham couldn’t by his own understanding comprehend how God could call him to be the father of many nations in his old age, but he eventually came to believe and have faith in the promise of his God. So Nicodemus could be seen as a real son of Abraham who came to believe, have faith in what God had told him.

We also can come to believe, we may not be able to understand for ourselves, but the Holy Spirit calls and enlightens us, the Holy Spirit gives us faith to believe that; we are reborn in baptism by water and the spirit. That we enter the kingdom in our new birth, that we have the spirit. That we are included when Jesus tells us that God sent his son for the whole world, for US.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming into the world as Saviour. May we believe in you and be born again.

Peace…Amen.

The temptation of Jesus

The Text: Matthew 4:1-11

The temptation of Jesus

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today’s gospel reading deals with the realities of sin and temptation, grace and faith. Our gospel reading identifies Jesus’ faith in the word of God. His faith was demonstrated in the face of temptation.

As Christians we believe that sin has power – a deadly power that comes from the evil one. We also believe that faith has power – a life-giving power that comes from God.

In our lives we experience a struggle between these two powers. Martin Luther often spoke about Christians being saints and sinners at the same time.

When we put our faith in God we can be sure that Satan will want to throw a temptation or two our way. For example, we all have a dominant life value that we unconsciously base our decisions on. For some this might be the desire for fun or comfort or safety. It might be the desire for power or pleasure or to please others.

Satan loves to play with these desires and to lead us to think that we are the most important people in the world and that everything should revolve around us.

Satan loves to challenge our faith and seeks to twist the truth to lead us away from serving God.

When natural disaster or personal tragedy comes our way, Satan will try to tempt us into believing ‘God doesn’t love me. God is punishing me.’ If you ever experience this, stop! And remember what the scriptures say.

In the scriptures we will find a completely different explanation to disaster and tragedy. Romans 8:22 says. We know that all that God created has been groaning. It is in pain as if it were giving birth to a child. The created world continues to groan even now.

Scripture makes it clear that there will come a time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth and the old order of things will pass away and death will be no more. Regardless of what happens in this world, will you keep your faith in God’s promise that he is making all things new?

Even when disasters and tragedies leave us feeling as if we are small and powerless, will we keep the faith?

There is an old Scandinavian legend that explains this so well. It is about the mighty Thor and how one day he visited the land of the giants.

When Thor arrived there he found that the giants were engaged in various contests of strength. They asked him if he would like to take part in their games. He said yes. So they proposed three tests of strength for him.

First Thor was asked to drink all the liquid in a large two handed drinking bowl. He tried to drink it. And he drank as much as he could. But only a tiny portion of the liquid in the bowl had disappeared. Finally he had to put down the bowl and admit defeat. To him the giants seemed sympathetic – and they proposed something a bit easier for his second test.

A black cat was walking by and Thor was instructed to lift it up. He grabbed hold of the animal, thinking it should be easy to hoist it up. He strained and tugged as hard as he could but he couldn’t even begin to budge the cat.

By this time the giants were beginning to be openly amused at Thor’s predicament. “You are supposed to be strong”, they said, “but it seems you are not. Well…we will give you something even easier for your third test.”

So for the third test the giants challenged Thor to a wrestle with an old woman. With every bit of strength that Thor could muster he grabbed hold of the old woman, but all his pushing and pulling and twisting was in vain. He simply could not meet the challenge.

As Thor, humbled and dejected, left the giants to head back home, one of them went with him for a part of the way and told him that there was magic in the contests. He said:

“The cup contained the sea and who can drink that? The cat was the evil in the world, and who is able to lift that up and take it away? And the old woman was time, and who is able to contend with her?”

When it comes to sin and its effect on the world, we are truly living in the land of giants. The sin of all people causes the world to groan in pain. We are tempted to give up in despair – feeling that nothing we can do will make a difference; believing that there is no help or hope for us or our world.

Maybe this is the greatest temptation of our time. Maybe our greatest temptation is to give up hope. This might just be the greatest work of Satan in our world – tempting people away from putting their hope in God and his Holy word.

But friends, we have within us: one who is stronger than the world; one who is greater than the tempter; one who has triumphed over evil both in life (as we see in Jesus’ temptation today), and in death (as we see in Jesus’ death and resurrection).

Most people dwell too much on the negative side of things. They see the problems but they don’t take hold of the solution. That solution is that the good news of salvation that is unconditionally offered to all.

In our life we so quickly fall into despair on account of the giants we face: we forget the stories of hope that God gives us, like the story of David and of how one small stone in his hands brought an end to Goliath who threatened his nation and caused even Saul and his mighty army to give up hope.

So too, we have a saviour: one who remembers who we are; one who loves us as a father loves his children; one who seeks to nurture us as a mother nurtures her baby.

This saviour has ventured into the same troubled waters that we live in each day. He has battled the currents – fought the enemies – and shown that he is able. He also shows us that when we ‘swim’ with him – we are able too!

Our saviour remembers who we are and he loves us, and seeks the best for us. He knows that we are weak swimmers in the deep waters of sin. He knows that we will flounder and thrash, grow tired and sink. He knows the waters we are in. And he does not ignore us.

Our saviour reaches out to us

– he calls out to us.

– he seeks to guide us and help us – and like all good parents

– he forgives us and does all that he can to make sure that we start each day anew, refreshed and surrounded in love.

Even though we have fallen, we have a saviour who has been proven to stand firm even in the face of temptation. He alone can rescue us. May we look to Jesus for he is our hope and our salvation.

Amen

Transfiguration

The Text: Matthew 17:1-9

Super strength

Everyone here, I am sure, has heard of Superman. Maybe you don’t know too much about him and have never been a fan of this comic book character but you know that he has super human strength, is “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able leap tall buildings in a single bound” – to use the opening words of the old TV series. There are some very interesting facts behind this comic book character.

The character was first created in 1933 by a shy, spectacled Jewish teenager who fretted about his lack of popularity. Convinced that some miracle could transform him from a nerd to a hunk, he vented his frustration by writing comic strip scenarios. He showed them to his best friend, who drew characters and scenes to accompany the story line. The two boys, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, created a superhuman extra-terrestrial disguised as a clumsy reporter named Clark Kent. In June 1938 the first Superman comic book appeared.

Whether this was deliberate or not there are strong biblical overtones in the Superman story. Like the way Superman comes to earth from another planet as a baby, is rescued from the capsule that brought him here, is adopted by strangers and grows up to confront evil and rescue those in distress. That is so much like the stories of Moses we find in the Bible.

There are also messianic overtones. Kal-El (Superman’s real name), the only son of Jor-El, is sent to a world in need of salvation. (El is Hebrew word for God).

Superman’s father says, “Even though you’ve been raised as a human being you’re not one of them. … They lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all … I have sent them you . . . my only son (From Superman Returns). He arrives on a farm in a star-shaped container. People tell him they don’t need a saviour, but he knows full well that they really do.

Superman is, of course, not real. He is an imaginary character but one who isn’t totally irrelevant to this day and age. Kids pretend to be able to fly like Superman and run around the house with hands above their heads making a whooshing sound. Even as adults we would all like to have the strength and courage of the ‘Man of Steel’ for those times when things get out of control. When our problems are bigger than our ability to handle them, it would be great if we could have the strength and power to overcome them.

What are some of the things that throw us off balance?
Disappointment, disagreement, discontent, disillusionment, distress, disunity, discouragement, discomfort, disenchantment, disability, disgruntlement, disloyalty, dissatisfaction, disapproval, disquiet, disharmony, disobedience, discrimination, disasters, disorientation, disputes, dissent, distrust, distraction, disingenuousness (there’s one to look up) and whatever other word that starts with “d” that describes what causes you to be “down in the dumps”.

What can be done when we are just worn out and tired from life’s hassles?

What can be done when the pressures and the worries get the better of us and there is no joy anymore?

This week we will enter the Lenten season but before we head for Jerusalem for the events of Good Friday and Easter we travel with Jesus to the top of a mountain. Jesus withdraws from the noise and busyness of everyday life before heading off into the events that would lead to his death.

Jesus knows that the days which lay ahead will be filled with every trial known to human beings. Put yourself in the same situation as Jesus, knowing full well what horrors are soon to happen. Knowing what terrible pain and suffering is to come would weaken the bravest heart. It is true Jesus is a special person; nevertheless he experienced all the emotions and misgivings that we experience.

And so Jesus goes to the top of a mountain to be with his heavenly Father. He spends the time in prayer. It is interesting to note that every time Jesus is confronted with a difficulty or personal struggle he first goes to God in prayer. And here again he goes to God for strength for his mission.

And while Jesus is there on the mountaintop, away from the noise and

hubbub of the rest of the world, he meets with Moses and Elijah. This meeting has on its agenda what will happen to Jesus when he goes to Jerusalem. They talked of his dying and rising (Luke 9:31). They encourage Jesus, reminding him of God’s plan of salvation and how the events about to take place are a fulfilment of all that is spoken about in the Law and the Prophets. Maybe this was God’s way of keeping in perspective the suffering Jesus was about to endure – yes, it will be horrible but it will bring untold blessing to sinners all over the planet.

Then comes the cloud, a sign of God’s presence. And from the cloud a voice speaks, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen”. “This is my Son whom I love and whom I have sent to be the saviour of the world”. With this reassurance of love and the encouragement of Moses and Elijah, Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem.

For Jesus, Jerusalem meant suffering.

Maybe you have your own personal “Jerusalem”—those times when the events and upsets, the pressures and spiritual struggles that leave you wondering how you will ever cope?

Your Jerusalem might include a doctor’s comment, “There’s something I need to tell you about the results of your tests”. Your Jerusalem might be that phone call that announces the sudden death of someone close.

Your Jerusalem might be a troubled relationship. You want things to be different between you and that other person but it just isn’t happening.

Your Jerusalem might be the disappointment you feel when your dreams and plans fall into a heap.

Your Jerusalem might be difficult people whom you have to deal with. You do your best but in the end there is someone who finds fault and cuts away any confidence which you had.

Your own personal Jerusalem may be your discipleship. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. This is a call by Jesus to be disciples who are willing to make sacrifices when it comes to following Jesus or reaching out to help and get alongside of someone in need, or giving of our best in our workplace.

Sacrifice is not a popular concept these days. We are so used to asserting our rights and getting what we want that sacrifice is a really difficult thing?

We struggle to sacrifice just a little of our time to worship God with our fellow Christians or talk with him daily.

We know that God calls us to show love, patience, forgiveness and understanding but we find it hard to sacrifice our own needs and wants for the sake of the benefit of someone else.

We know that discipleship calls us to put Christ first in our lives and be committed to him just as he is committed to us but somehow we manage to get side tracked by all kinds of trivia. We want to be true disciples but we feel so inadequate. This is our Jerusalem.

When it came to facing Jerusalem, what did Jesus do? He withdrew for a while into the presence of God and was reassured and strengthened for his mission. That’s where we will find forgiveness, strength and assurance – in the presence of God.

Maybe you have resisted getting close to God and kept him at an arm’s length?

Maybe you know about the death and resurrection of Jesus as interesting facts but never taken in that he did it for you and really trusted his love for you?

Maybe you have never really thought of God as right here, right now, available, ready to help, willing to strengthen and support you?
Maybe you have floundered under the weight of trouble but have never taken seriously the promises of God? Promises like:“Do not be afraid—I am with you! I am your God—let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you” (Isaiah 41:10, TEV). The almighty and all powerful God of the universe is making that promise to you personally. That’s fantastic!!

Our God is a God who stands by his people and gives them the strength to cope with whatever crops up along life’s journey. Our God is a God who has demonstrated his love for us on the cross and he is not about to abandon us now or any time in the future. Jesus died a horrible death because of his love for each of us. That’s how much God cares for us. It is confidence in God’s love for us that led the psalmist to say: “Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me” (Psalm 23:4, TEV).

And again, Psalm 40:11–12a (TEV)

¹¹ Lord, I know you will never stop being merciful to me.

Your love and loyalty will always keep me safe.

¹² I am surrounded by many troubles—

too many to count!

It’s amazing how positive the apostle Paul could be in the face of trouble. He explains it like this, “I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little. I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me” (Philippians 4:12b,13).

We too know that, come what may, God’s presence and power enables us to rise above whatever it is that is getting us down.

When everything dictates that you “call it quits”, “give up” “throw in the towel” you are able to say with the psalmist, “I trust your love” (Psalm 13:4 CEV). The cross is a symbol of the love that God has for you.

From under the shadow of the cross you are certain that your sins are forgiven and death has been defeated. Even if the worst should happen, you are at peace, certain of God’s loving hands which surround you.

In the shade of the cross you receive life giving food and drink, the body and blood of Jesus which encourages and sustains you through every trial to the point where you are able to say, “With God on my side, what trouble can really hurt me? Nothing in all creation is able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). In the shade of the cross you can take time out and take to God that which is bugging you and be reassured and strengthened.

In the shade of the cross you go about your work and relationships ready to boldly share the love that Christ has shown to you in whatever way you can.

Superman is just make believe, but you have super powers at your disposal. You are super men and super women because you can say, “Christ gives me the strength to face anything” (Phil 4:13 CEV).

How you could have been so blind.

Epistle: I Corinthians 3:1-9

It is time to move on from the basics, says the Apostle. It is time to sink your teeth into some theological meat and understand He is working in those baptized into Christ.

At one time in your life, just like mine, you have been impressed by someone who in the end turned out to be toxic; who, for all his or her charisma and supposed knowledge and wisdom, bamboozled you. And now, now you have matured, now you have perspective on the person and that season of your life, you cringe and wonder how you could have been so blind.

Understand that shame and embarrassment, and you have got a grip on this third chapter of 1 Corinthians. This is where the Corinthians are headed. Paul is preparing them for a great sobering and weening them from the breasts of celebrity spiritualists. In these verses, Paul is bringing his discussion of wisdom and folly, and spiritual maturity and immaturity, right down to where the Corinthians themselves are. They have been using the drug of sophistry (of rhetorical flash and pizzazz; of high-mindedness and elitism peddled by smooth-talking sectarians) and by it supposing themselves more “spiritual” than others. But Paul says it has proved they are only even more worldly and infantile. As he will make plain in chapter 13, their juvenile squabbling showed a lack of love, which was a sure sign of immaturity: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things” (13:11). The Corinthians were making mud pies, playing with imaginary friends, and blindly following know-it-alls who were leading them into theological and moral pitfalls.

They were eager for the kind of teaching the sophists were giving, imagining themselves as super-believers. But they were deceived. The more they take the drug, the more immature they show themselves to be. The proof of it all is their in-fighting about different Christian teachers.

At first, and as their spiritual father, Paul fed these babes in the milk of Christ. He did not push the infant believers beyond their capacity, but gave them soft, easy teaching which suited their state: Kindergarten Christianity. There was nothing blameworthy in their being, “not yet ready for it.” But some four or five years had lapsed since Paul first planted the church in Corinth. By now they should have developed the capacity for rich fare — solid theological food. So, there is a strong reproof in his words: “But you are still not ready” (v.2).

The preacher now has rhetorical tools at his disposal. Questions can be asked of your auditors: Have you been a Christian longer than five years, too? How long have I numbered myself among the baptized? Am I given to a life of the Word in Bible study and devotion to the sacramental life of the Church? Do I read theology? How have these things influenced my service to Christ’s Kingdom and people?

The mature believer is, Paul says, “characterized by spirit—the divine spirit—the Holy Spirit.” That is what characterizes the Christian: Holy Spirit kind of thinking and living. This same Holy Spirit leads us into the deep things of the mind of Christ. The worldly Christian is the person who lives by the same morality, agenda, ideology, cares and concerns as the unbelieving and godless world in all its supposed wisdom. The basic difference Paul describes is between people in whom God’s Spirit has come to dwell, opening them up to new depths and dimensions of truth and experience, and people who are living as though the world and human life were rumbling along in the same old tired way. And in case the Corinthians were to put up a defense and say, “Oh, that is not what we are thinking or doing,” Paul presses home his point by reminding them of what he had heard from Chloe’s people: one person saying, “I belong to Paul,” another saying “I belong to Apollos” (v.4). Such self-assertion over-against one another was a sure sign the Corinthians were conducting themselves like people devoid of the Holy Spirit and, therefore, antithetical to the, “mind of Christ.” They are still infantile. How could they even comprehend the mind of Christ, the deeper things of God; His will and ways in the world? The Corinthians are not ready for it and they should be.

After upbraiding the Corinthians for their carnal ways, Paul redirects their thinking by addressing them as Christians who still do, by God’s grace, possess the Holy Spirit and the manifold gifts graciously given them by God. The way he does it is by explaining who and what they are in three analogies: God’s field, God’s building, and God’s temple.

The Corinthians were making far too much of their teachers. Their fawning, immature attachment to one or the other cried out for some reality therapy from the Apostle. Paul’s abrupt questions are designed to draw their attention away from the person to his office. Therefore, he asked not “who?” but “what?”: “What, after all, is Apollos? What is Paul” (3:5)? Sure, there is a sense in which Paul did indeed found churches, but the foundation he put down was Jesus Himself, the Messiah of God. This, he says in v.11, is the only “foundation” there ever can be. Anything else simply is not the Church but some warped social club with religious trappings.

Here is the point: Apollos and Paul are simply servants of Christ and His people (3:22). Holy Ministry is modeled on that of Jesus, who came not to lord it over others but to wait on them, not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:41-45). The Lord empowers all legitimate ministry. The Lord’s power yields all. Paul carefully chooses his words in 3:5: “Through whom you came to faith,” not, “in whom you believed.” In other words, the missionaries and priests were merely instruments through whom God called the Corinthians to faith. They were not to become objects of faith. The real work is done by God.

The attention of the Corinthians should have been fastened on God, who alone effects all spiritual work and growth.

Paul now describes his and Apollos’ different roles using an analogy from agriculture. Paul had planted the seed of the Word during his eighteen months in the city, when he became the young church’s first spiritual father. Then Apollos “watered” the sprouts Paul had sown. However, as everyone knows from agriculture, no gardener or farmer actually causes plants to grow; all he does is provide the conditions under which growth can take place by the blessing, power and design of God. Paul plants, Apollos waters, but God is the real farmer, the One who gives dynamic growth. Hence verse 7: “Neither the planter is anything nor the waterer, but only God, who does the growing.”

It is the triune God who is actually working in a continuous fashion through His Word and Sacraments. God desires for us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is time to move on from the basics, says the Apostle. It is time to sink your teeth into some theological meat and understand He is working in those baptized into Christ. Our Heavenly Farmer, as it were, requires fruit for your own good and for the good of the farm.

The Hard Sell

The ‘Hard Sell’

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 – The Cross of Christ

Have you ever encountered a really good salesperson? The kind of person who could convince someone to buy almost anything? Most of us would like to think we are beyond being swayed simply by a good talker. But, if you are like me, there will have been times when you have come home with an item, wondering how in the world you were convinced that it was such a necessary thing to have at the time. Perhaps you have a gadget or two tucked away in a kitchen drawer at home that worked near miracles when demonstrated by the vendor in the shop, but that you have never quite been able to get the hand of. Perhaps you have an exercise machine that you were persuaded would not only be easy to use, but would change your life. Perhaps you were even one of the thousands who bought a crystal years ago to put under the bonnet of your car because Peter Brock said they worked. Then afterward you wondered what you were thinking. There turned out to be little if anything behind the smooth and convincing words.

Some people are able to sell ideas as easily as a smooth and well-rehearsed salesperson can sell kitchen implements and home exercise equipment. Sometimes you might find yourself agreeing with an idea, or signing a petition, simply because you can find no fault in the logic, passion and eloquence of the argument as it is presented.

The history of religious sects and movements is littered with groups that have sprung up around the quirky ideas of some very gifted and eloquent speaker. In many cases these movements fade away as soon as the gifted speaker moves on or passes from the scene. Followers begin to disperse as they realise that behind the lofty rhetoric, there was really little of substance. In fact, the ideas might have even been hopelessly self-contradictory or harmful.

In the ancient world one of most popular and fundamental of all skills to study was the art of rhetoric. This involved learning how to write, and especially how to speak, in such a way as to move others to great emotion and to convince them of your case. Those who could afford it spent months with teachers of rhetoric learning these skills. Those who aspired to high political office, to military leadership, to be successful in law, or simply to be influential in their community or business would devote much time to learning the art of rhetoric.

The apostle Paul clearly had some basic training in rhetoric. We can see it in his letters. He employs many techniques that make his letters moving and memorable even today. But when it came to the most valued aspect of rhetoric in the ancient world, the gift of public speaking, Paul admitted that he simply did not have that gift. He often mentioned his lack of eloquent and lofty language. Paul knew enough of the skills of public speaking to know that this was not his strength. He knew that to win over a crowd you had to not only get their attention, but keep it, and you had to keep them with you to the end. But in the accounts in the book of Acts we learn that many of Paul’s speeches were cut short. Just as he was gathering momentum and the interest of the crowd, he would mention that this Jesus whom he was exhorting people to follow had been executed on a cross as a criminal. That seldom went over well. And if he got past this point, he would claim that Jesus was raised bodily from the dead. This was something that everyone knew was not only impossible, but also not necessary to a Greek way of thinking since the body was not seen as important, but only the soul. On a good day the crowds would simply wander off or mock Paul. On a bad day, they would try to kill him.

When Paul writes to the church at Corinth, they already knew him well. He had spent a year and a half among them (Acts 18:11). He made tents to earn a living with his friends Aquila and Priscilla. In his free time he argued about Jesus with anyone who would listen. And he taught the young Christian church in the house of a Roman convert, Titius Justus, who happened to live next door to the synagogue, which Paul and been banned from after the synagogue leader, Crispus, converted to Christianity. Paul’s themes and way of speaking were well known to the recipients of his letter. So when he reminded them that his talks were not particularly eloquent, they would have nodded in agreement.

But Paul turns what most would see as a weakness into a strength. ‘Brothers and sisters,’ he says, ‘when I came to you I did not come speaking lofty words or espousing great wisdom.’ (1 Cor 2:1). That is to say, Paul neither spoke with great eloquence, nor did he espouse some impressive philosophical system, which so many speakers were famed for. So, if it is not the skills of the speaker that changed so many lives, it must have been the message itself.

So what message did Paul, the bold but not so eloquent speaker, present?

Paul could have devoted his time to retelling Jesus’ most famous parables. He could have expounded on the beauty of the Sermon on the Mount. He could have talked about the great ethical example Jesus set. But he didn’t focus on any of these things, even though it would have been pleasing and entertaining to most listeners. Instead, Paul harped on about a single theme: Jesus Christ crucified on a cross. Admittedly, it was a hard sell as a message. Who wants to hear a story about an execution? Who wants to put their trust in someone who died a shameful death? Who wanted to follow a king who not only did not defeat the Romans, but didn’t even appear to put up a fight? Nothing about the message Paul was compelled to preach was easy.

It was not a feel good message.

It was not a soothing visual image.

It was nonsense to the Greeks (I Cor 1:23)

It was a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Cor 1:23)

Nevertheless, that was the focus of Paul’s preaching. Everything always came back to the cross of Christ.

Like Paul, it was also a message that Luther could not get around. He, too, contended that our preaching should be focused on the cross of Christ. One of the greatest compliments paid to Luther was not by another theologian or a preacher, but by a layperson in the congregation in Wittenberg where he often preached. It was his friend, the painter Lucas Cranach. After Luther’s death Cranach painted an image for the altar emphasising Word and Sacrament. For the ‘Word’ part of the painting he depicted Luther pointing the congregation to a bare wall with nothing on it apart from Christ on the cross. Paul would have been pleased.

This is the same message Paul wanted to convey to the Corinthian church in his letter. Everything was about Christ and Christ crucified. The power to transform our lives is in that simple message. No fancy words, no tricks of logic, no impressive philosophy, no celebrity endorsement.

Just Jesus.

On a Roman cross.

Suffering.

For us.

Apart from this, Paul told the Corinthians, there was nothing else he preached to them. There was nothing else he talked to them about. Everything was about Christ on the cross. “I knew nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (verse 2). This simple yet unlikely message, without any polished speaking or rhetorical tricks, turned the world upside down. And continues to this day to transform lives. In this we see the wisdom and power of God (1 Cor 1:24), which is so different from human wisdom. We might very well find the image of Christ crucified unattractive. It would be hard not to. We might find the message of the cross difficult to understand. It is certainly not what we expected from the Creator of the Universe. We might find the idea of a crucified God a hard sell. Just try explaining it to someone who has not heard the story before! But anything else is not the good news. Anything else, however polished and uplifting, is not what transforms lives. Anything other than the message of the cross is merely human wisdom and elegance.

We believe and proclaim Christ, and him crucified. The unlikely and unexpected power of the cross does the rest. Quite literally, the cross sells itself. Because no fancy words ever could.

And as Paul reminds us, that’s not a bad thing. It is a reminder that the message of the cross in not some hyped up human wisdom and pretty story. It is nothing less than the wisdom and power of God.

May Christ the crucified keep your hearts and minds and draw you always to himself. Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.