February 21, 2024 – Lent Text:  Luke 22:47-53

Dear Friends in Christ,

Family was gathering at the Lutheran Church for the funeral of a young man who was shot and spent months on life support.  Before the funeral could begin the mother was yelling at family for taking her son off of life support.  She ran to the front of the church, fell on the casket and started hitting the funeral directors who were trying to restrain her.  She ran outside to the hearse still screaming.  It was then that an attendee who didn’t even know the mom walked up and gave her a hug.  She whispered, “It was an honor to know your son.  He was a good kid.”  The mom’s demeanor completely changed.  She became quiet.  Another woman approached and did the same.  There was grace.  There was Christian love and restraint.  This little show of support said more than all the screaming before it.

Tonight the “God on Trial” takes place on the Mount of Olives.  We will see both sides of the issue.  One who couldn’t control himself and One who had to.

“RESTRAINT”

The crowd comes in the cover of darkness.  Why the mob?  Why the soldiers?  What has this man Jesus done?  Killed?  Robbed?  Blasphemed?  This night needs no charge.  This was mob justice and it was unfair.

The disciple Peter thought so.  He is not named here but is in another part of the Bible.  Even the servant who has his ear cut off is named elsewhere – Malchus.  Right after the question is asked, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” Peter acts.  Raises his sword and cuts off the ear of Malchus.  There is no restraint.  Just reaction.  He doesn’t think.  He does.

What is restraint?  The ability to hold back.  Self-control.  What do we first think if we are criticized or people aren’t listening to us or they say or write something that bothers us?  Restraint is not usually the first thought.  We think, “Why did they hurt me?  What did I do to deserve this?”  We have got dignity.  We have got a sense of justice.  We feel like we are on trial.  We get defensive.

So, the pressure builds along with the heart rate and blood pressure.  We are not going to take this.  We have to do something, right?  We don’t swing a sword, but we take a swipe at them with an angry text or e-mail.  We find our support system and bad mouth them.  We give a glare.  We fight back.  We can’t be expected to show restraint, can we? 

Jesus says, “No more of this.”  Then He heals.  He wasn’t thinking about himself.  Who should have been mad here?  Jesus, right?  He is the one being betrayed and accused.  But he heals this man who has a name – Malchus – Roman soldier and he is not a friend of Jesus.  Jesus is not thinking about Himself.  He was thinking of you.  The path to your salvation began with his surrender to this unholy mob.

Restraint is a theme in Jesus’ passion.  He showed restraint tonight.  He will show restraint before Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate, and their factions.  As he was taunted and struck and ridiculed – Jesus never lashed out or lost his temper or called down curses from heaven.

We need this Jesus as our Savior.  We need his quiet and purposeful obedience to his Father’s will.  We need his perfection, his holiness, and his righteousness to be able to stand before our Father, and that’s exactly what Jesus came to give us by dying on the cross and rising from the dead.  We need his help too.

We live in a world where the quick comeback and zinger response are rewarded.  News channels give inflammatory reports to keep their loyal audience.  Social media algorithms target our sense of indignation to get us to engage.  This all rubs off on us.  The other person is faceless as long as we are heard.  What if we did something different like the ladies at the funeral?

Imagine the impact you can have if you show some restraint.  You know Jesus.  You know the one who showed love and restraint all the way to his sacrificial death on the cross for sinners like us.  We can use words that help and heal instead of inflame and destroy.  We can respond graciously and not impulsively when we are provoked by those around us.  

This behavior, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance can be a strength and not a weakness.  Jesus’ restraint tonight can be our restraint.  What do you think Malchus thought of Jesus from that moment on?

Instead of fighting back, you can swing the sword of the Spirit – the Gospel of Jesus.  And maybe as others see this opposite of the world behavior and the message behind it, they will come to know Jesus’ love.

Amen.       

February 14, 2024 – Ash Wednesday       Text:  Job 40:1-2, 42:1-6

Dear Friends in Christ,

Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do?  Painful, isn’t it?  Accusations can ruin family relationships, marriages, jobs and a reputation.  Old Testament Job knew all about accusations.

His suffering is legendary.  Let’s review.  Animals and servants dead – 10,000 casualties.  Wealth and income goodbye.  Roof collapses at the dinner table, seven sons and three daughters lie lifeless.  What would you do?  What would you say?  Somehow, Job uttered these famous words of faith, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21)  The man was devastated but he did not charge God with wrongdoing.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end.  He was consumed with chronic pain.  Been there, done that.  Miserable, right?  His wife wanted him to curse God.  But he didn’t.

What have you suffered?  Finances in arears?  Those close to you in eternity?  A relationship that weighs on the mind?  Friends can help, right?  Job’s friends did come visit him.  They sat in silence, which is sometimes the best thing a friend can do.  But then they open their mouths.  Not smart.  They try to explain.  They try to rationalize.  They even think Job might deserve this.  A good lesson for us in there.

The friends push him in a direction that has him saying to God,  “Why have you made me your target?  Have I become a burden to you?”  Job is putting God on Trial.

Over these next several weeks, we will see how people put God on Trial for reasons far less justifiable than Job’s.  We will hear how Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate, and the angry crowds all accused the Son of God in the flesh.  But before we do, on this Ash Wednesday we must consider how we have done the same – how we too have put God on Trial.

“ACCUSATIONS”

Maybe we don’t say it out loud, but is it ever in there?  “Lord, why did my spouse have to die?”  “I miss my parent, I could have used their advice today.”  “Why must this tension between my boss and I churn in my gut?”  “Lord, this pain is becoming a pain!”

The accusations are there.  The impatience and frustration simmer on the surface.  The complaining and criticism get verbalized.  God, would you please take the stand to explain yourself.

He speaks.  What does He have to say?  He says to Job, “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?  He who argues with God, let him answer it.” (40:2)  Not the guy you want to argue with.  He reminds little human being Job how He made the universe.  Put in the boundaries.  Hung the stars.  Controls the weather.  Job sniffs the smelling salts and says, “I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (42:6)  God does put Job in his place and that is a good thing.  It was a place of repentance.

If we accuse God, we get this whole human life things backwards.  We are the ones that should be put on trial by God.  “Please raise your right hand . . .”  How many of us would jump down from there and go running down the courthouse corridor?  

Please, come back, but come back in repentance.  Maybe God has used Christian friends, parents, teachers, coaches, preachers and His Word to waken you with some smelling salts.  God doesn’t want you or I to lose our faith and subsequently our salvation.  Tonight, hear the call, through the words of Job, repent in dust and ashes.

Job accused God, but he never lost faith in God.  In the very middle of the book, Job cried out words that become etched in the poetry of our Easter celebration:   “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” (Job 19:25-26)  We know that Redeemer’s name:  Jesus.

This Lent we will see our Redeemer up close as he stands trial.  He will be betrayed.  Arrested by a mob.  Charged with blasphemy.  False witnesses brought forward.  He will be spit on and have fists slammed into his face.  They will give him a wardrobe change and then laugh at him.  He will just stand there and take it.  He won’t complain that he is not a sinner.  He will take the accusations.  He will undo the accusations of Satan.  He will carry them all to the cross of Calvary.  Justice will be served.

Remember this when you suffer.  The Lord gave Satan permission to afflict Job.  God was in complete control.  He didn’t let Satan take Job’s life and he didn’t let him take his faith.  In fact, God brought blessings to Job – and to us who read about them.

There is no need to accuse.  We don’t need to understand because God does.  He is Our Redeemer.  He lives and He is right there beside you.  See you in the courtroom next week.

Amen.