David Bahn – Reflections

And Jesus led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God. – Luke 24:50-53

Jesus is leaving his disciples and will be taken up into heaven. I notice that the disciples are joyful at Jesus’ departure. That is truly remarkable. He will no longer be with them. I’m sure they will miss him – much as I might miss a close friend. But that seems not to be the posture of their hearts at this time.

Perhaps that is because they recognize that Jesus is finally receiving the honor and glory rightfully due to him. He has suffered long enough. He has endured the slowness of even his own disciples to believe. He has had to put up with the willful resentment and rejection of the Jewish leaders. Now he is ascending to the highest heights. He is now glorified. He will be at the right hand of God. Angels will praise him. The saints and elders and living creatures (cf Revelation 5:6-14 below) adore him and give him all honor and glory.

Speaking of angels, recall their response to the disciples as Luke also records in Acts 1. “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky?” For them, this is nothing new. They had spent 33 years wondering about the mystery of Jesus’ earthly humility and humiliation. Things had been upside down for 33 years. Now things are as they should be. Jesus is receiving the honor he deserves. The angels wonder why this is such a mystery to the disciples.

Mystery or justice restored: Jesus is now receiving the honor he deserves. It is well due him. The question for us is whether we are giving him the honor he deserves. What does that look like for you today?

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸ And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰ and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

¹⁴ And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.  – Revelation 5:6-14

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

⁵⁰ And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God. – Luke 24:44-53

No Longer Loved – if Ever it Was, and Sent out to Pasture

Loved and Sent is the title of a book written by Jeff Cloeter, who serves as Senior Pastor of Christ Memorial Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri. He says that these two words define who you are and why you matter. We used this book as the basis for a sermon series at St. John Lutheran Church where I serve. The concepts of being loved (identity, value, and status) and sent (purpose, meaning, and direction) are powerful influencers in our daily lives. If you don’t believe you are loved, you will live defensively, despairingly, and angrily. If you don’t realize you have a purpose and mission in life you will be selfish, slothful, and unmotivated. 

Jesus provides these two compelling to us by his suffering and death, his resurrection and continuing appearances. By this we know we are loved: valuable, redeemed, and secure. Jesus’ clear directive is to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift, and be his witnesses. By this mandate we now have purpose, life has meaning, and we can begin to make choices that honor the One who loved us and now sends us. 

Jesus’ love in this passage is demonstrated by his patient teaching about how he was the fulfillment of the Old Testament teachings and prophecies. He did everything that Israel was supposed to do, but failed at. He did what God has promised he would do. He completed the work that had been laid out for him in the whole Old Testament. 

His mission for them is implied in that explanation of his fulfillment of the prophecies and writings of the Old Testament. It was necessary that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. God’s purpose in sending Jesus was not only to redeem us, but to send us, to empower us, to commission us, to authorize us to do what God had planned from all eternity. 

God’s love is also shown in the gift of the Holy Spirit by which we are – even today – empowered to fulfill his mission for us. We lack courage, faith, wisdom, insight, and understanding apart from the gift and presence of the Holy Spirit. This is the fullness of God’s gift to us: forgiveness and salvation by faith; courage, insight, and wisdom for mission. 

We are loved: redeemed, saved, and precious. And we are sent: commissioned, authorized, emboldened. These two powerful words give us identity and purpose. Those are two powerful forces for good in the world today – by the power of the Holy Spirit, and under the name of Jesus. 

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them.

– Luke 24:36-43

The resurrection of Jesus is greater good news than we realize – especially for the disciples 2000 years ago. The implications Jesus’ failure: of a life without God, place, forgiveness, hope, or salvation are far-reaching and severe. To have seen Jesus do the miracles he did, to have heard the teachings he espoused, to have experienced his presence – only to have seen him betrayed, arrested, scourged, crucified, and laid in a tomb! His death was indelibly etched on their hearts.

The news of Jesus’ resurrection was initially beyond belief. It meant that their hopes pinned on Jesus were not in vain. It meant that their sins were forgiven. That meant that Jesus’ words were neither imagined or mere wishful thinking.

But still, even though Jesus had told them all this would happen, they didn’t believe. Or at least they didn’t fully believe. There would be more occasions of Jesus’ appearances in order to prove the reality of his victory and his resurrection. And just so they would know they are not imagining things, Jesus appears again. He offers a greeting of peace so that they would know his intentions were toward their favor. He asks for something to eat to convince them that they are not seeing a ghost.

Sometimes we need the little extra proof of God’s goodness and favor. We know from his word that God is good. We know that his promises are true. We know that Jesus died for our sins. We know he rose from the dead. But sometimes we need  the little extra conviction. It may come in the form of an answered prayer. There may be a moment of divine intervention at just the right time. It might be as simple as a call from the friend. A new insight from the Holy Spirit may come to mind.

God offers these morsels of grace to us because he knows we need them. He wants us to believe. He wants us to love him. God wants these things from us because they bring us closer to him, and offer the peace Jesus bestowed on his disciples 2000 years ago. And he’s still at it.

But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. ³ So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

⁵ The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man^[b] must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

⁸ Then they remembered that he had said this. ⁹ So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened.¹¹ But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.¹² However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened. – Luke 24:1- 12

You’re not supposed to start a sentence with the word “but.” My resources reveal, however, this to be an urban legend:

There is a widespread belief—one with no historical or grammatical foundation—that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but or so. In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions. – from The Internet

Certainly a great example of this is the opening verse of Luke 24: “But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.” “But,” indeed. The previous chapter is pregnant with anticipation. Jesus is betrayed, tried, tortured, mocked, scourged, sentenced, and crucified. His dead body is laid in a tomb, and the women watch where he is laid. His disciples watch all this as well, and on the Sabbath they rest.

The story would have a quite different ending, and the opening verses of chapter 24 would be quite different had the women discovered Jesus’ body in the tomb. They would have finished the process of anointing Jesus’ body, paid their last respects, and gone back to their homes…vowing never to have their hopes up so high as they were when Jesus came into their lives. The first word of chapter 24 – if indeed there would have been a chapter 24 – would most likely be “And.” “And they went to the tomb and anointed Jesus’ body, paying their last respects. Then they began re-evaluating their willingness to pin their hopes on itinerant preachers.”

“But,” Luke tells us, the tomb was empty when the women arrived. Jesus was not there. he had risen from the dead. This changes everything. “But” is called for – at the beginning of the sentence, and the beginning of the chapter. Jesus’ resurrection changes everything.

Where do you need a “but” in your life? My marriage is stale and near-dead…but. My job is at a dead end…but. My doctor says the situation is hopeless…but. My sin is too grave…but. My guilt cannot be assuaged…but. I have no hope of God’s help…but.

Peter went and saw the empty tomb and went away “wondering what had happened.” That would be a good call for us as well. Consider the empty tomb. Wonder at what has happened. Find the place in your life that the “but” belongs. Thank God for the victory of Jesus!

By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching. – Luke 23:44-49

Perhaps you’ve heard people of deep conviction express their opinions but you’ve remained unconvinced. Not everyone who holds strong opinions is convincing. Not everyone who believes wholeheartedly is able to bring others to see things they way they do.

Sometimes that is because the conviction – though strongly held – is too fantastic. Have you ever spoken at length to one who believes in a conspiracy? They are strong in their convictions to be sure. But their house of cards won’t stand the scrutiny of careful investigation. Perhaps you’ve experienced someone who is absolutely certain he knows what you feel, or what you need, or how his offering will change your life. But you stay clear of his clutches; you recognize a trap when you hear one.

The conviction of the Roman officer at Jesus’ crucifixion is altogether different. I am deeply convinced with him of the truth he proclaims: “Surely this man was innocent.” It is possible that he had seen guilty ones die. He had seen those who know they had it coming. He had seen those who protested their innocence. Somehow, though, this one was different. He was innocent.

Jesus’ death is unlike any other in so many ways. He was innocent, yet he bore the sins of the world. He was silent, but his few words from the cross speak volumes about faith, love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, hope, and truth. He was rejected by man and by God, but he was truly righteous, and would ultimately be exalted by his Heavenly Father. He was condemned. But his condemnation brought us peace.

Darkness falls over the land. The curtain in the temple was torn in two. Jesus shouts to his Father. The crowd leaves in silence. But some stood at a distance watching. They realized something was happening here – even though their understanding was anything but complete.

The innocent One has died for the guilty. We watch wait.

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. ²⁵ And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. ²⁶ But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. ²⁷ For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

²⁸ “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, ²⁹ and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, ³⁰ that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹ “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, ³² but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” ³³ Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” ³⁴ Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”

The video of the Notre Dame spire falling into the flames of the cathedral on fire is not as indelibly impressed on my mind as some other events. But it is surely a strong and lasting image. That beautiful tower and iconic edifice is a shell of its former self. Who would have thought it?

Who would have thought it also that the twelve closest followers of Jesus would end up in an argument as to which was the greatest…on the very night Jesus had instituted the Lord’s Supper and told them he would be betrayed, handed over to be mocked and killed? Who would have thought that those who had been the closest to the humble servant of all would jockey for a position higher than the others? Who would have thought that these would worry and fret to the extent that they were actually placing themselves higher than Jesus?

We would never do such a thing. We would never wonder why we would experience betrayal, suffering not of our own making, or failure when we’ve done everything right. We would never wonder how God could close his ears to us who call on his so earnestly and faithfully. We would never consider ourselves so aggrieved that we need not forgive one who has hurt us. We would never close our eyes to the needs of another simply because we’re too tired, too lazy, or too ignorant of what we actually should do?

Those are sarcastic comments, for which I apologize to the reader. We’ve done all these things and more. We may be more subtle and sophisticated in our position jockeying. But we do worry about our proper place of honor.

Our true place of honor is at the foot of the cross of Jesus. The ground is level there. There will come a day of glory. There will come a day of victory. But for now we must embrace our need for this Savior Jesus who will suffer and die for our sins.

I don’t believe we’re any better than Peter or any of the other disciples. But even Peter – the one who would deny knowing Jesus three times – will be given the opportunity to strengthen his brothers. That’s the beauty of Jesus gift of repentance, faith, forgiveness, and salvation. Not only does Jesus forgive. He restores. Not only will he restore. He empowers. Not only will he empower. He will honor. Not only will he honor. He will seat us at his table of salvation, redemption, glory and victory.

First we must walk with him through the valley of the shadow of death. Then will come the table of victory in the presence of our enemies. Then will come eternal joy and life.

One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

“Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” So they finally replied that they didn’t know.

And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.” – Luke 20:1-8

One of my go-to sayings to my children when they were young was a response to their unreasonable and insceccant questioning about my reasons for what I was telling them to do. “Why?” they would ask. “Because the sky is blue when the sun shines,” I would reply. In other words I was not going to answer to them. It was my responsibility as their dad to tell them what to do. It was their responsibility to do what I told them to do.

C.S. Lewis calls this kind of attitude – when we demand an answer or justification for his actions – putting “God in the Dock.” The dock is the place in a British court of law where the defendant stands trial. They are there to be examined, called to account, and give an answer to the judge. It is not proper to put God in the dock. We answer to him. He is not required to answer to us.

Jesus is not yet standing trial, but he is being called to account for his actions and his teaching. “By what authority are you doing these things?”

Jesus will not play their game. He doesn’t even offer a “because the sky is blue when the sun shines” snarky remark. He simply won’t answer to them.

He will, however ask them a question. In doing so, he actually does answer their question. He shows them that they were willing to pick and choose what they challenged and what or who they accepted. They really didn’t want to know the truth. They simply wanted to sustain their power. They didn’t want to risk themselves for the sake of truth. They would rather keep their skin than learn the truth, or reveal what they thought of John’s baptism. Jesus had caught them in their duplicity.

Jesus has the authority of truth. He has the authority of faithfulness. He has the authority of his submission to his Father in heaven. He has the authority of a truly righteous man. He has the authority of being on his mission to save the world. It will take him to a place of complete submission and absolute subjection to the wiles of man. He is committed and he will give his all for our sake.

Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said. – Luke 19:45-48

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Kondo method of cleaning out closets.

Before you move a single thing, the first step in Kondo’s method is to visualize the life you wish to have with a clutter-free space. A free closet or uncluttered walls isn’t deep enough. Dig deeper. What does a life free of clutter mean to you? Maybe it means hosting more parties for your friends or adopting a pet or raising a baby. For me, I visualized a more creative home life: one in which I could bake more, draw more, paint on canvas more (a hobby I’ve all but abandoned since my move to New York). These things have been put aside for dealing with my everyday messes. And who wouldn’t want to spend time with friends over organizing china in the cabinet? Kondo asserts that by discarding things, we’re freeing up space for the things we love. – Martha Stewart’s Website

Keep only that which brings you joy. I’m sure it’s a good idea. I’m certain it would be very helpful for making a significantly better experience of walking into our closet. Diane and I really do need to do something to tame the closet clutter monster in our house.

There are situations, however, when even a radical Kondo clean-up approach isn’t enough. A toxic waste site must be attacked with every resource available to rid the area of dangerous chemicals.

This is what Jesus is doing. He recognizes that the practices of the money changers in the temple were eclipsing God’s true purpose for his house. They are bringing a toxin into the place of God’s mercy and presence. God’s house is to be a house of prayer for all peoples – not a place of commerce for taking advantage of innocent and unsuspecting people.

The antics of the money changers (thieves according to Jesus), not only cheated the people who were coming to worship, but obscured the true nature and glory of God. They made religion into a false transactional exchange: money for acceptable sacrifices to appease God and gain his favor.

God’s favor isn’t something we can simply buy off. He is predisposed to kindness, love, mercy and grace. His nature is revealed by those who fear, love, and trust him. It is seen in the faithful life and ministry of Jesus. It is displayed in Jesus’ suffering, death, resurrection, and Second Coming.

God’s purposes, and the success of his rule and reign are not dependent on tax revenue, fund raisers, or even free-will offerings. His purposes are advanced when people call on him, pray to him, believe in him, and give him the honor he alone deserves.

The true currency of God’s kingdom is grace, faith, mercy, truth, righteousness, and love. Jesus will go to the cross because of his commitment to those treasures. May we never obscure them by religion or false dealing.

As Jesus approached and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come on you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” – Luke 19:41-44

“What’s the use of getting angry? She’s going to do what she wants no matter what you say.” These were the wise words of a rebellious child’s father to his wife. He was being a pragmatist. Anger was getting them nowhere with their willful child. She was bent on wearing clothes they hated and hanging out at school with kids they believed to be bad influences. Nothing they said changed their daughter’s mind.

“I’m just writing him off my list. He obviously doesn’t care that he’s hurting everyone in his life by his irresponsible behavior. I’m just not going to invite him to any of our gatherings.” Such is the conclusion of an all-too-often disappointed mother-in-law. He son-in-law had hurt her daughter and grandchild one too many times. Hurt me once, shame on you. Hurt me twice, shame on me! That’s the mantra of those who simply run out of patience and love.

Those who come to these conclusions do not do so out of a deep love and commitment to the welfare of others. They don’t have as their number one priority that of redeeming others – even if those they seek to redeem refuse to acknowledge the gift.

When Jesus weeps over Jerusalem it is not a moment of softness or weakness on Jesus’ part. This is no wimper. This was not simply a quiet moment when Jesus had his guard down. He was not just more susceptible to his emotions in that moment.

Jesus’ weeping betrays a deeper truth about himself. He will not force anyone to receive his redemption. There will be a time when every knee will bow – some willingly, and others under duress. There will come a time when he will sit on his glorious throne and judge the nations of the world. There will come a time when those who have faith in Jesus will be welcomed into his eternal kingdom of joy, life, grace, and splendor. Those who deny him, sadly, will be allowed to go their way to eternal destruction.

Jesus weeps because he realizes that the people of Jerusalem are rejecting the most precious gift of all. They are without hope. They are blind. They are lost. And they will not see. They will not follow him. They will not open their eyes to the hope that he has for them and all people.

Jesus will not force them to believe. He will grieve over their unbelief. They are farther from God than they know. He will go to them, be rejected by them, suffer at their instigation, and die before their very eyes. Even more sadly, they will not recognize that his death is their peace.

Let that not be said of us today – though all too often it is true. For this we may need to lament with Jesus and wish for his grace to break through into the lives of others.

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8

Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21-22

Is it your rude and grumpy next-door-neighbor? Perhaps a petty and unkind co-worker. It might be a very close family member. Possibly an unkind and unloving teacher comes to mind. Most everyone can identify at least one person who is an Extra Grace Required (EGR) person.

There are two problems with EGR’s. One is their drain on us. If people require extra grace, it truly does exhaust us. We run out of compassion. We lose sight of the possible reasons for their troubling and challenging demands. One person always complains. Another always finds fault. Someone tries to find ways to cause trouble. Still another never tires of accusing you of doing wrong.

The other problem with EGRs is how we learn to see them. They become EGRs and not people in their own right. We make them into projects – people to fix – or troublemakers – people to avoid. We don’t see them for who they are.

I recently learned about a Chic-Fil-A training video. It pictures people coming into the restaurant, each with a thought bubble above his or her head superimposed in the video frame. One says, “I just lost my job and my wife doesn’t know about it yet.” Another reads, “I just heard that my child is acting out badly at school.” Still another: “I just came from the vet and my dog isn’t going to make it.”

There is never truly an excuse for sin. When we do wrong, we cannot undo the harm we’ve inflicted by saying, “I’m sorry, but I just learned that my bank account is overdrawn and I don’t have any money.” But Jesus calls us to forgive our brother or sister in Christ who sins against us – even if they come to us seventy-seven times asking for forgiveness.

“Fool me once, shame on you,” they say. “Fool me twice, shame on me.” That message says wee must not get taken in by someone who sins against us more than once. Any honest person would have to admit that they would never wish to be judged by such a standard. Who hasn’t sinned more than once against another?

Everyone has a bubble. Everyone has a story. Everyone needs grace. Truth is we all need extra grace. Thank God his grace abounds ever more – and even more than our sin.