Chapter 26 - The Hour of Darkness

Matthew 26-27
Mark 14-15

 Luke 22-23
John 13-14; 16-19

Introduction to the Reading:

It has been quite something, lately, hasn't it? As if the killing at the movie theater in Colorado wasn''t enough, right here in our own back yard a murderer goes and kills six people at the Sikh temple. I don't know about you, but I'm stunned that so many people lost their lives because one man decided it was his right (contrary to everything God teaches us) to cut short these individuals' time of Grace.

On top of it, one of my wife's friends died unexpectedly last Friday. She was in her mid-twenties, and although she had been struggling with a rare disease, no one anticipated that the Lord would call her home so quickly.

Every once in a while I'll watch a show called "1000 Ways to Die." At the beginning of each episode, the narrator says, "There's a lot of ways to wind up dead. The fact that we survive at all is a miracle, because every day we live [dramatic pause] we face 1000 WAYS TO DIE." This week I was reminded how true it is that life is a miracle of God - a time of Grace that comes generously from his hand - and how quickly that time can come to an end.

As you will read, in our chapter this week we also read about another death - the death of Jesus. I can't justify by any means what Michael Page the shooter at the Sikh temple did, and in my mind at least, I can't rationalize why my wife's friend died so young. Jesus' death wasn't justified - he did nothing wrong. While each of us mourns the lost of loved ones and struggles to see others taken from us, why do we celebrate Jesus death? What makes his death special? In spite of the millions and billions of people who have died over the course of history, why do we pay so much attention to one man dying?

I hope you already know the answer, but sometimes we need to be reminded of what we already know. I've probably read some of these verses hundreds if not thousands of times, but yet as I read these words of scripture this time, I was reminded of what made Jesus' death different. As we read this week, let's stop and pay attention to what made the death of the one man, Jesus Christ, so special.

Moments to Pause:

• Bottom of page 368: In one sentence, using your own words, what did Jesus mean that " Unless I wash you, you have no part with me?" What does Jesus' death do for us, making it so important?
• Bottom of page 369: The body and blood of Jesus, shed on the cross and present in the Lord's Supper, are the signs and seals of his new covenant with us. What is a covenant? Unlike the covenant the Lord made with Moses and the Israelites that he would bless them if they kept his commands, the covenant Jesus makes is one sided: it is simply God's promise to us. What is that promise? In the supper Jesus instituted, the forgiveness of sins won on the cross is sealed - made certain - to us as individuals. Jesus assures me that the punishment he took on - even though it happened nearly two millennia ago - impacts me. This isn't just any death - this is a death he died for me. He took on the punishment of sins for me.
• Bottom of page 370: At times Jesus spoke quite openly about who he was, and yet his disciples still didn't fully comprehend it (at least at the time). Who does Jesus say he is? What sentences in this section do you think most clearly explain who he is?
• Bottom of page 373: What evidence is there that Jesus is going willingly to his death? It's almost comical how no one really gets it! What do you think the "mob" thought about Jesus when they saw the miracles? How does Peter respond?
• Bottom of page 374: Who does Jesus clearly claim to be before the religious leaders?
• Bottom of page 377: Before Pilate, Jesus is not only called a king, but what else?

When You're Done Reading:
Finally someone gets it - really gets it! What made Jesus death different? For the last few weeks the underlying question I've been asking - and the ongoing question of those who met Jesus - has been, "Who is this?" Jesus' death is special - is memorable - is crucially important because it isn't just the death of some man. It is the death of the Son of God!

I can't understand how Jesus could be both human and God. I don't get how his death could be the substitute for the death I deserve for my sins. I don't know why he would even die for me. But he was, and it did, and he has. The whole Story - for that matter all of HIStory - has been leading up to this. With his death on the cross, Jesus crushed the head of Satan once and for all as prophesied all the way back in the garden of Eden.

Each day we face 1000 ways to die - if not more. We read about deaths in the newspaper and visit funeral homes. We are reminded constantly of our mortality. But the most important death to remember is that of Jesus - not just an ordinary man - but the Son of God. His death sets us free from eternal death so that we can enjoy the mansions he promised to prepare for us.

Hymn/Prayer:

by Johann Heerman

O dearest Jesus, what law have you broken
That such sharp sentence should on you be spoken?
Of what great crime have you to make confession—
What dark transgression?

Whence come these sorrows, whence this mortal anguish?
It is my sins for which you, Lord, must languish;
Yes, all the wrath, the woe, you do inherit,
This I do merit.

The sinless Son of God must die in sadness;
The sinful child of man may live in gladness;
Man forfeited his life and is acquitted—
God is committed.

Whate’er of earthly good this life may grant me,
I’ll risk for you; no shame, no cross, shall daunt me;
I shall not fear what man can do to harm me
Nor death alarm me.

And when, dear Lord, before your throne in Heaven
To me the crown of joy at last is given,
Where sweetest hymns your saints forever raise you,
I, too, shall praise you.

Chapter 25 - Jesus, the Son of God

Matthew 17; 21
Mark 8-12; 14   
Luke 9;22
John 7-8; 11-12

Introduction to the Reading:
What is your favorite Sunday in the church year? Ok, so maybe it's a strange question. I'm sure most of you don't haven't even thought about it. My answer is probably even a bit stranger: transfiguration.

I'll admit, for many years I thought it was somewhat strange that Christians traditionally celebrated transfiguration every year. I understand celebrating Christmas and Easter every year. But why transfiguration?

Some of you might even be asking, "What is transfiguration?" Well we are going to hear about it towards the very beginning of the chapter this week. Jesus is with his disciples Peter James, and John on a mountain when all of a sudden he is transfigured - his appearance changes. He suddenly appears glorious. The disciples notice something else: two men are with him. Now don't ask me how, but they recognize that the men are Moses and Elijah. Suddenly they hear a voice speaking from the cloud that enveloped them, "This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

I guess I should let you read it for yourself. I'll meet up with you on the middle of page 355. As you read, ask yourself, "Why celebrate the Transfiguration?"

Time to Slow it Down - Middle of Page 355: 
The last couple of weeks I've asked two somewhat similar questions: "Who is Jesus?" and "How did people respond to Jesus?" Both questions come together at the beginning of our lesson. Jesus asks his disciples the question point blank, "Who do you say I am?" And what is Peter's response? "You are the Messiah!" Woohoo! They get it, right? Well...no. Not quite exactly. Well the answer is correct, but the meaning is wrong. They get that he is the Messiah, but they don't understand completely what that means. Are you confused yet? Don't worry, so are the disciples. Let's go up the mount of transfiguration with them. Jesus will shed some light on the things (pun intended).

So who is the Messiah? Well through The Story we have heard promises about the one who would come to defeat the serpent - the Devil - all the way from the beginning in the book of Genesis as Moses recorded the events that had taken place in the Garden of Eden. The prophets spoke of the suffering servant who was to come. Why have Moses and Elijah miraculously appear on the mountain? It was a visible way of showing what Jesus had been telling his disciples all along: he was the one who had been talked about from the beginning of the story. The one that prophets like Elijah knew was coming.

But as if the glory wasn't enough...even if the very words of the prophets aren't sufficient testimony...God the Father speaks. The case is settled. The question that we've been asking the last couple of weeks, "Who is this?" The question that possibly you've had roll through your mind now and then is answered. What further evidence do you need? Jesus truly is the Son of God, the one anointed to carry out his Father's task of saving the world from sin - the Messiah.

But this is where the events to me get really interesting. Peter says, "The is amazing! Let's put up tents. Let's make this last a little longer." What a great response, right? Absolutely not. You applaud his enthusiasm. You empathize with his desire. Hey, I know I'm jealous - I would have loved to have been there myself. But one thing is missing: it's not just who Jesus is...it's what he does. See to me the most amazing thing about the Transfiguration is what happens right after: Jesus comes down the mountain. Here he is, the Son of God, and he continues on the journey to the cross to suffer and die. He knows exactly what's going to happen. He even tells his disciples. Yet, he knows that he must suffer in their place and in ours. What amazing love.

There is plenty I could comment on in today's reading. But today I encourage you to let the Transfiguration set the tone for your reading. How did Peter see the events that we read about differently as he followed Jesus to Jerusalem? Why, considering what events the disciples are about to see, was the Transfiguration a moment for them to hang on to in their memory? How often did they think about it? When they saw the people debating, wondering, following, rejecting Jesus, how would the Transfiguration impact how they processed what everyone else was saying?  Walk with the disciples down from the Mount of Transfiguration and up to the Mount of Calvary.

When You are Done:
So what does the Mount of Transfiguration mean for me? Why do I like celebrating Transfiguration? This is my answer: because I know that like the disciples there are going to be valleys ahead. Will people question if what I believe about Jesus is true? Absolutely! They will argue it and debate it and question it. Will there be times of confusion? I'm almost positive. Will there be times when I'm glad that I had my faith to hang on to? Sure - like Mary in the midst of Lazarus' death. Will my faith be tested, like Peter's was (as we will hear about next week)? I'm sure it will.

But when it's all said and done, I know that Jesus went down the mountain. He went down not so that I could have someone to commiserate with about how tough life is down here. He went down so that he could go up another mountain I could never go up on my own: Mt. Zion - the New Jerusalem - heaven. He died so that he could also rise again, as he stated over and over today. He rose so that he might have power over death and guarantee that I will rise again.

I can't help but think that in spite of all the events that took place those days before the crucifixion that the Transfiguration was constantly on the minds of Peter, James and John. It had to be on their mind every time they saw a miracle, or heard Jesus make a claim about who he is, or heard someone argue that he wasn't really the Messiah, or watched the leaders try to arrest him. I don't know what tomorrow brings, but tonight I'm going to sleep and I hope tomorrow that the transfiguration is on my mind as well. 

Prayer/Hymn:
by Joseph A. Robinson

’Tis good, Lord, to be here,
Your glory fills the night;
Your face and garments, like the sun,
Shine with unborrowed light.

’Tis good, Lord, to be here,
Your beauty to behold
Where Moses and Elijah stand,
Your messengers of old.

Fulfiller of the past,
Promise of things to be,
We hail your body glorified
And our redemption see.

Before we taste of death,
We see your kingdom come;
We fain would hold the vision bright
And make this hill our home.

’Tis good, Lord, to be here.
Yet we may not remain;
But since you bid us leave the mount,
Come with us to the plain.

Chapter 24 - No Ordinary Man

Matthew 5-7; 9; 14

Mark 4-6

Luke 10; 15

John 6

My apologies for the delayed posting. We moved from our apartment to our new house last week, so things have been a bit chaotic. I'm actually connected to the internet through my phone right now since we don't have internet currently. So, first of all, thank you Lord for blessing me and my family with a new home!

Introduction to the Reading: Last week I left you with the question, "How would you respond if someone asked, 'Who is Jesus?' and I told you about an opera singer I met when in Wales. Today I have a very similar question, but first let me tell you about a couple other individuals that I've met.

The first individual is Sandy who I met on Veterans Day, 2006. I remember the date because I met her at a Veterans Day celebration in Yorba Linda, California when I was living out there. The congregation had a celebration in honor of veterans as well as an open house and rummage. There was live music, which is what caught Sandy's attention since she lived just up the hill from the church. She enjoyed meeting everyone and left her contact information. Pastor visited her at her home plenty of times after that day to invite her back, and I even stopped by a few times. However, for the rest of the year that I was in California, I never saw Sandy at our church again.


I also would like to tell you about Derrick. I had met him the year before at Bible Study at The Point of Grace - the UWM Campus Ministry. He wasn't WELS, but he came all the time. It was great having him in our group because he asked great questions. He also was very interested in religion, even reading about Luther and other theologians. Derrick kept in contact with me for a number of years, and in fact the last time I spoke with him he was considering applying to Harvard to study theology.


I'm telling you about both individuals, because the contrast in my mind has always been so stark. It's amazing to me how differently people respond when they meet Jesus in the Word. Today we are going to read about people who met Jesus in person, and the question I have for you as you read is this, "How do people respond to Jesus?" 


Before You Read: 
Jesus himself address this question in a number of parables. In fact, in the first parable we read today, Jesus used an illustration from farming to teach us about how people respond to the Word. Jesus often spoke about things from everyday life to help us understand spiritual truths in simple terms. Pay attention as you read this first section - in how many of these parables is Jesus explaining how faith grows? What is the main point of each illustration?

Time to Slow it Down - Top of Page 339:
Although the Word can produce a faith as large as a mustard tree, some reject the Good News about Jesus. Many Pharisees and teachers of God's word actually didn't believe that Jesus was their Savior. They thought that they were better than everyone else because they were very religious. They realized that what they needed to do to earn eternal life is to keep God's law perfectly. How does the parable that Jesus is about to tell point out how impossible this is? How they can't earn eternal life, but only inherit it through faith in Jesus?


Bottom of Page 341:
God's kingdom is often defined as Christ rule over our hearts. In the Lord's prayer, we ask that God would send his kingdom - the he would rule over hearts - that the faith would spread! Luther explains the Second Petition of the Lord's Prayer this way: What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes without our prayer; but we pray in this petition that it may come to us as well. How is this done? When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly life here and in eternity.

Top of Page 344: 
Although many of the the Pharisees and teachers of the law didn't confess the Jesus was God, it's interesting that the demons had to admit plainly that they recognized him as such. When the demon-possessed man was spared from his bondage, what did he do? Why do we naturally tell others when we are freed from our slavery to Satan?


Middle of Page 349:
Although the crowds flocked to hear Jesus, even his own disciples often struggled in their faith. It is a comfort for me to hear this since I at times myself often have doubts. Like Peter, I get distracted by the world around me, take my eyes of Jesus, and begin to sink. However, when we learn to trust Jesus, we too are led to proclaim, "Truly you are the Son of God!"

When You're Done Reading - Thoughts to Ponder:
Peter's words have been etched in my memory. As I've met Jesus through his word, I too can't help but repeat with Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."


As we have seen throughout our reading, however, not everyone will come to that conclusion. Even on the very heals of Peter's confession, we hear how Judas would betray Jesus.

How do people respond when they meet Jesus? Well, Jesus told us himself in the very first parable we read today, didn't he? Some people will hear the Word, but for various reasons will fall from the faith. Others, however, will come to faith and produce a harvest of good works pleasing to God. Who will that be?


Derrick, who I told you about in the introduction, told me in my last conversation with him - right after telling me how he wanted to study theology at Harvard - that he didn't believe in the Bible like I did. Sandy, however, boldly confesses her faith in Jesus as her Savior. In fact, you can read her confession in the Forward in Christ article below. Would I have anticipated this? Not in the least! 


So what do I learn from Jesus' parable of the Sower? This is what I personally take away: Sow the seed! I don't know who will come to faith. But I can be a lamp on a stand - a city on a hill - the salt of the earth, whatever illustration you want to use. I can be like the demon possessed man, or John the baptist, or the blind men who received sight, or the disciples who witnessed to what they had seen and heard. How will people respond when they meet Jesus? I honestly don't know - but it really shouldn't impact what I do. How will people respond when they meet Jesus? I don't know - but that doesn't stop me from introducing him to them!

Prayer/Hymn:
by John S.B. Monsell


Lord of the living harvest
That whitens o’er the plain,
Where angels soon will gather
Their sheaves of golden grain,
Accept these hands to labor,
These hearts to trust and love,
And deign with them to hasten
Thy kingdom from above.

As laborers in your vineyard,
Lord, send them out to be
Content to bear the burden
Of weary days for Thee.
To ask no other wages
When you will call them home
But to have shared the travail
Which makes your kingdom come.

Be with them, God the Father;
Be with them, God the Son;
And God the Holy Spirit,
Most blessed Three in One.
Make them your faithful servants
You rightly to adore
And fill them with your fullness
Both now and evermore.

For those who like more:
Read Sandy's confession in the Forward in Christ.

Chapter 23 - Jesus' Ministry Begins

Matthew 3-4; 11

Mark 1-3

Luke 8

John 1-4

Introduction to the Reading:
Ok, so another Europe story...Dave and I were hiking along the coast just North of the city of Fishguard in Wales, which is part of the United Kingdom. Fishguard is the last stop on the train as you head West, and is quite a small town. We hiked up the coast to the city of Cardigan, which is nothing more than a small fishing village. Here is a map if you care to check it out. Anyways, as we were walking along the shore, a man with a fishing boat asked us if we wanted to go out with him to check his lobster pods. We were more than happy to get to know a local so we joined him. Unfortunately, there were no lobsters in his cages, but he did invite us to join him for a drink at a small pub in the village.

The pub was tiny. It only had one table. We got a drink and started to chat. We asked him about himself, and it turns out that he actually was an opera singer. This is the village where he grew up, but he lived in London most of the time. He spoke about how he had hung out with Leonard Bernstein and other great composers. He told us about the various halls around the world in which he had sung. And although I know nothing about opera, we could just tell by the way he was talking that he was more than just average. Sure enough, when we had a chance to look him up on the internet the next day, it turns out that he was a world renowned opera singer.


As we will read today, we get to witness people's reaction to Jesus. Many people didn't know what to think the first time they heard him. They could tell by the way he talked and the things that he did that he was definitely more than average. They knew that this was someone special, someone important. As you witness Jesus today through the pages of scripture, what impression do you have? How do you answer the question, "Who is this?"

Before You Read: Today we start by reading about one my favorite people: John the Baptist. John is quite the character: eating locusts and honey, wearing camel's hair, living out in the wilderness. Yet for all of his eccentricities, the last thing he wants is the focus on him. He isn't shouting out in the wilderness, "Hey! Hey! Look at me!" His message isn't about himself. 


What a great reminder for us. People may think we are unique. They may even think we are "Jesus freaks." Our message shouldn't be, "Hey! Hey! Look at me!" It shouldn't even be, "Hey! Hey" Look at my church." Our message should be the same as that of John, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

Stops Along the Way:

• Middle of page 322: What truth(s) does the Father's testimony teach us about Jesus?
• Top of page 323: How could Jesus resist the Devil's temptations? What does this teach us about him?  Why was it necessary for our sakes that he resist the Devil's temptations?
• Middle of page 324: What does the title "Lamb of God" teach us about Jesus' work and purpose?
• Top of page 326: What do Jesus miracles reveal to us about who he is?
• Middle of page 327: How does Jesus himself summarize his purpose?
• Middle of page 329: Much like my introductory story, the woman at the well realized there was something special about Jesus. Jesus' miracles tipped her off. What brought them to believe in him as the Messiah though?
• Middle of page 331: Jesus miracles proved that he spoke with authority and gave evidence that he was truly God. But his authority went beyond just power over physical health. What greater authority did Jesus have as the Son of God?
• Bottom of page 334: We will explore this more over the next couple of weeks, but what various responses did people have to Jesus? How did different people answer the question, "Who is this?"

When You're Done Reading - Thoughts to Ponder:
So who do people say Jesus is? How do they answer the question, "Who is this?" We will continue to look at this question over the next few weeks. Even many unbelievers today will call him a great philosopher. Muslims respect him as the greatest messenger of God. What do your friends and family think of Jesus?


And who do you say Jesus is? It's a question that Jesus will ask Peter next week. It's a question that I'd like you to think about personally over the next week. How would you answer the question, "Who is this?'



Prayer/Hymn:

Beautiful Savior,
King of Creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I'd love Thee,
Truly I'd serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my Joy, my Crown.


Beautiful Savior,
Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine!

Chapter 22 - The Birth of the King

Matthew 1-2

Luke 1-2

John 1

Introduction to the Reading: 

Have you ever sat down and read the Christmas story? It sounds silly, but really, when was the last time you just read the whole Christmas story? From little on, at least for many of us, we have either heard the Christmas story at church or read bits of it with our families. I'm sure nearly everyone has seen some version of it on television. But let me ask again, when was the last time you just read the Christmas story?

I clearly remember one Christmas sitting down with no other purpose than to just read the Christmas story. I remember specifically because that is literally all I had planned for the day. I was backpacking Europe, and we had ended up in Berlin. Almost everything was closed, so there wasn't much we could do anyways, but Dave and I figured the best way to celebrate Christmas that year was to read the Christmas story. Ok, we did have one other item on the agenda: we had also bought ourselves chocolate cake (see the picture below). We would eat chocolate cake and read the Christmas story.

So why do I bring this up? The reason is because I still remember how much I enjoyed reading the Christmas story. Without all of the distractions that normally go with Christmas and with all the time in the world, I just took my time and pondered each page. On top of it, being in a different situation and environment allowed me to look at things from a fresh perspective.

Today we get to read the Christmas story without all the "distractions of Christmas." We get to read the story not from the perspective of the calendar year, but from the time frame of The Story - History. As you read today I won't interrupt, but I ask you to keep this in mind: What struck you differently today? Try to read the Christmas story as if it were your very first time hearing about it. What stood out that you may have not noticed before? Let God's grace overwhelm you once again.

When You're Done Reading - Thoughts to Ponder:

So what did you notice? What struck me as I read the Christmas story this week was how surreal it seemed. Then again, I don't know if surreal is the right word at all. Everything was so real! What do I mean? Well let me put it this way:

As I've mentioned a few times already in the blog, we bought a house. It was quite exciting - for a bit. Looking at houses, getting the paperwork together, walking through with the inspection - all the things that needed to get done before closing were super exciting and everything was quite stressful. But we had a rental clause in our offer so when it came to closing, it was honestly quite boring. The owners weren't even there! We sat down, signed some papers, got some food, and went back to our apartment. In fact, I didn't walk in the house again for over a month. When I finally walked in to "our house" it was very truly ours, yet at the same time it didn't seem like that big of an event. 

For centuries, no millennia - believers waited for the coming Messiah. As the time got closer, there were more and more prophesies. On top of it, the people of Israel through whom the Messiah would come, had some exciting times - kings, wars, deportation, re-habitation... Then there was silence. For 400 some years everything was quiet: no prophecies, no water being divided, nothing. 

Finally, on what I'm sure felt like a normal day, an angel appears to a normal girl in a normal city. Yes, angels appear to announce the birth, but to shepherds in a field, not to the crowds in the Colosseum in Rome. The baby is born in a feeding trough. Jesus own parents even seem to forget who their child is as they rebuke him for spending too much time in the temple. In many ways, it all seems so normal. Could this really be God in the flesh? Could the Upper Story come crashing into the Lower Story with so little of a bang?

Then again, I'm not really surprised at all. Having been following God's story over the last 21 weeks, it's interesting how God doesn't do things in the normal way, or I should say, how he does things in the seemingly normal way. For us, it would be normal to have such a huge event plastered on every television and computer screen. It would be normal to send up fireworks for such an event. It would be normal to pick Hollywood stars or at least those who have auditioned before a live television audience to be the stars.  But as we've read over the weeks, how often does the Lord use regular people - like Abraham or David or even me - to carry out his work?

Just because in many ways the Christmas story isn't spectacular, does it make it any less real? Not at all. Yet there are some miracles here, aren't there? God takes on human flesh! God leaves the glories of heaven to dwell on earth! And perhaps the greatest miracle: God does this for me!

Making it My Own:

So what do you do with the Christmas story? You tell it! To finish off the story I started with...At the hostel in Berlin, we started talking to a number of the people staying here (which is one of the reasons I love hostels: you make friends from all over the world even as you are making dinner...but now I'm off topic). As we talked, many of them had no idea what to do to celebrate Christmas. I made a suggestion: go to church! They all were amazed since they had not thought of it. Soon we had a dozen people trampling through the snowy streets walking to church. People who wouldn't have even thought about church had I not brought it up. I'll never forget the lesson I learned: people want to hear the story of Christmas. People are interested in hearing the Gospel that is proclaimed in worship. Sometimes, we just need to invite them!

Hymn:

by A. Katherine Hankey

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, because I know it's true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.

Refrain

I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love

.

I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.

Refrain

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

Refrain