Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The ancient Greeks knew the power of the conscience to rob a person of peace, and they referred to this power as “the cranes of Ibycus.” They told of Ibycus, a merchant of Corinth, who was attacked by two robbers, Timotheus and another, who beat him to death and took his possessions. As he was dying, Ibycus saw some cranes flying overhead. Since there were no human beings to witness the crime, Ibycus appealed to the cranes to avenge his death and bring the criminals to justice.
The next day, satisfied that they would escape detection, the robbers went to the stadium to witness the Corinthian games. There they imagined that suspicious eyes surveyed their every action. Because of their condemning consciences, it seemed as though everyone in the stadium saw that their hands were red with the blood of Ibycus. Then a flock of cranes flew overhead, and when the one saw it, he called out in fear, “Look! Look, Timotheus! The cranes! The cranes of Ibycus!” This outburst led to the arrest and execution of the men.
How about you? Do you ever see the cranes of Ibycus? Does your conscience rob you of peace? Do you feel so guilty that you are certain that everyone knows or will find out about your secret sins? I would imagine that all of us have experienced the cranes of Ibycus at one time or another – maybe you are going through it right now.
Know this. Everyone has missed the mark of righteousness that God has demanded. But through His great love God presented His Son Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. By the offering of His holy life, by the shedding of His blood on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins in order that our guilt might be taken away. Since sin has been paid for in full, God no longer has reason to be angry with us because of sin. Those who trust in the cross are declared righteous and are welcomed into the kingdom of heaven. In Christ, our gnawing consciences are set free. Despair gives way to joy.
To be assured of your forgiveness find the Lord in His Word and Sacraments, where His Word is taught in its truth and purity and the Sacraments are administered rightly. Here our consciences are made absolutely clean. I think I recognize that place – the Lord’s House. See you in Church!
In Christ,
Pastor