Jesus Returns Home

Luke 4:14-30
This past weekend I returned to my hometown for a family funeral. As I paid my respects with other friends and family, I experienced what is for me a recurring hometown phenomenon: "oh, you are all grown up!" or "that's Dr. Sandin's son."  Now I realize they all mean well and I am not particularly insulted by anything they have said, but every time I return home and see people it always like I am still a boy and have never left.  To come home after establishing yourself as professional, a leader, a parent, an adult it can be frustrating to feel that in their eyes perhaps nothing has changed. I think this is how Jesus felt when he returned home to Nazareth.
When Jesus returns home he goes to the synagogue and stands to read. He is handed the prophet Isaiah and he chooses to read a passage about the coming messiah.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19

After reading this hopeful and powerful text about how the coming messiah will liberate the oppressed he does something remarkable; he tells them that he is the one who will do this.  Jesus says: "today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (v.21) He is revealing his true identity to those who know him best, to those who have watched him grow up, and most likely the people Jesus feels the most for.  Their reaction?

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Luke 4:22

 

Rather than respond to the content of what he said, which was remarkable and powerful, they thought he spoke well which surprised since he was the son of a carpenter.  At this point Jesus realized that he would not be accepted in his hometown and compares them to faithless generations from the past and is summarily run out of town.
The transformation that Jesus goes through from the power of Spirit is such that he is no longer the same person who grew up in Nazareth as Joseph's son.  His self-understanding and identity now rest in God's plan for his life.  He is frustrated to be taken so lightly. So it is with each of us when God has been working in our lives.  When God is at work in your life you become transformed and become the person you were created to be. I am no longer the same person who grew up in Ashland.  God has been working on me and changing my heart. It is much easier to be received in a new place that an old place because once people have an opinion or understanding of you it is difficult for them to see you differently. 
In the end, I suppose we need to offer one another grace in such situations. For just as they might think of you as having not changed we are probably thinking they haven't changed either. We should however remain open-minded and hopeful when we meet old friends that God has been working in their lives.  It ultimately matters less what others think of us and much more about what God thinks of us and how we see ourselves.  If we depend on the recognition and affirmation of others for our self-esteem we will always feel frustrated and misunderstood.  But if we truly find our identity as child of God then we know that no matter what anyone might think of us we can rest secure in who we truly are.

The Temptation of Jesus

Luke 4:1-13

The story of Jesus' temptation is an important story for us to connect with often because it both demonstrates his humanity and models for us a way to work through the difficulty of being faithful to God amidst many earthly temptations.  The practice of giving something up for Lent has its root in this story, but if we do not move beyond this superficial level, this practice loses much of its power.
Jesus' tempation by Satan was real and difficult; by the power of the Holy Spirit and reliance upon scripture he was able to endure the test.  As always we can learn a great deal from his example.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Luke 4:1-2

 

It is important to note that the Holy Spirit both led Jesus into temptation and filled him with the power to resist it.  This is certainly a paradox of the faith and one which many people experience.  The closer we get to being faithful to God the more Satan wants to distract and lead us away from God.  Put another way, Satan does not need to tempt those who are unfaithful; he already has them.  Only those who are following God need to be lured away.

 

Another key feature of the Devil's tempation of Jesus is how close they are to God's plan. The devil tempts Jesus with food because he is hungry (turning a stone into bread). Later in the gospel we will read the story of Jesus turning five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5,000. The second temptation is for earthly power and glory. The devil promises Jesus what he will later inherit from God. The third temptation is for Jesus to throw himself off the temple and have God save his life, thus demonstrating his ability to defeat death.  This too will be part of God's plan for Jesus.  Satan's temptations are not off the wall crazy ideas, but are distortions of God's plan.  For Jesus, who has access to divine power at his disposal, it is a matter of timing.  He must do these things in God's timing, not the timing of the world.

 

Jesus resists temptation in a way that is a model for us to follow. After each temptation, Jesus quotes scripture to counter the devil (who also knows scripture).  What is notable about this practice, besides the obvious (it helps to know God's word!) is where he quotes from.  Jesus quotes Deuteronmy 8:3, 6:13, 6:16.  They are all from one book of scripture and only from two chapters.  We do not need to know the whole bible to be strong in the Word, we simply need to know some of it and rely upon God and we can resist Satan. This is powerful and liberating.

 

A final and most subtle dimension of Jesus' temptation has do with Satan trying to get Jesus to doubt his identity.  Satan begins his temptation with "If you are the Son of God..." which calls into question Jesus' self-understanding.  The IF question tries to cast doubt about the reality of who he is.  Self-doubt is the playground of Satan and if the devil can get us to question ourselves then it is much easier to lead us away from God.  Jesus knows who he is and he also knows God in an intimate and powerful way. He is able to resist temptation by relying on the Spirit, trusting God, and using scripture as a guide.  This is a model for us as we deal with temptation as well.

 

At the end of the passage it says: "When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:13) The devil is not done tempting Jesus but will come back when once again he is physically weak and spiritually susceptible.  We can withstand the temptations of Satan but on this side of heaven we are not immune to them. It is part of being human and part of being faithful. The good news for us is when we rely upon God and know our true identity as children of God, we can and will withstand all temptations and trials.



Lenten Journey with the Gospel of Luke

I will begin to work through the life and ministry of Jesus by blogging each day in Lent. My reflections will systematically work through the gospel of Luke (beginning in chapter 4). With each entry I will include the scripture for the next day so can read on your own as well as follow my reflections. For tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, I will foucs on Luke 4:1-13.
As always, I invite your comments! I pray your journey in these days will be blessed!
-Pastor Ben
 p.s. To have the blog sent directly to your email simply go to the upper right corner and find "follow by email"

The Promise of God: Inclusive or Exlcusive?

Because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

The big argument in Romans is that apart from Jesus Christ, no justification before God is possible.  We cannot through our own good works achieve and maintain our relationship with God. We cannot be born into our salvation or have it transferred from another person.  Each of us stands before God, individually, and in desperate need of redemption.  The good news of the gospel is that through Christ we do not stand alone. As the Lutheran formula on justification I was taught declares: by grace, through faith, apart from works of the law.  On our own we are in trouble, but through the amazing gift of grace and the death and resurrection of Jesus, we share in the promise of eternal life.

This promise is articulated succinctly in Romans 10:9.  If you confess Jesus as Lord and believe in the resurrection you will have salvation.  By grace, through faith, apart from works of the law.  This is the promise Jesus gave his life for, a promise that is good news for us and the world, a promise God will keep and which we can trust.  But what about those who do not confess or do not believe?  Does this positive promise mean that those who do not believe will necessarily receive the opposite?  Are those without faith going to burn in the fiery depths of hell?  Is salvation a take-it-or-leave-it, one-time only, proposition?  Are the promises of God for everyone or just Christians?  Is God obligated to punish unbelievers in hell as he is obligated to grant mercy to those who believe?

These are deep are troubling questions that Paul raises that have an incredible relevancy to our cultural context today.  As a person of faith I deeply believe in the promise of salvation by grace through faith, but I also struggle with the notion that a loving and merciful God would offer grace to some and punishment to others.  I say this knowing that several places in scripture point to exactly this.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

I might wish to say that all people, no matter who they are or what they believe, will be saved, passages like John 14:6 give me a difficult time making the case biblically. Jesus himself tells us that the only way to God is through him.  The good news of salvation then carries with it an urgency for those who like me have trouble thinking of people cut off from the promises of God. We need to share the good news with the world. 

Paul himself in Romans 9-11 struggles with these questions as he considers that fate of Israel, the chosen people of God.  It is Paul's deep hope and belief that somehow God will provide a way to include the Jewish people.  While Paul affirms the exclusivity of Christ as the only way to salvation he also understood that God's heart is for all people and that no one is excluded from God's love.  God desires that all people will be reconciled to God.  Jesus points to this inclusive heart of God as well:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.¹⁷   Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17

The heart of the gospel is expressed in this passage.  Jesus came to save and God's heart is for the whole world, not just for a few.  So what do we do with all of this?  Do we continue to maintain that only through Christ and only to those who believe that salvation can happen?  Or do we somehow believe that God's plan will eventually include all people and the whole creation?

Ultimately we all have to sort this out for ourselves and in relation to how we live in the world.  Do we aggressively evangelize people from other faith traditions?  Do we keep our faith to ourselves and hope for the best?  I believe in the promise that through Christ I am saved.  I believe that because of Christ's death and resurrection, God offers to all people the gift of grace and mercy.  I have accepted the gift and I have received the promise. I trust the promise and strive to live my life in response to it.  But it is not for me to know or decide about the salvation status of anyone else.  Salvation is God's business.  I know the promise is real and true but after that God is God and I am not.  As Jesus tells the disciples immediately before his ascension:

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”⁷He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority." Acts 1:6-7

As much as we might want to know what happens outside of the promise of Christ it is simply not for us to know.  God will handle it.  We must simply trust the promise given as a free gift of grace and share the love of God, first given to us, with the world.  For now, that is enough.

Boast in Hope and Suffering!

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings. Romans 5:1-3

It is easy to give God glory for the good things in life. When all is well we naturally make a conscious link between our good fortune and God's blessing upon our life.  This is of course very appropriate--we should give God thanks for the good things in our life. But what about when we suffer and endure hardships?  Do we then blame God?  Do we believe God is rewarding us when things go well but punishing us when things go poorly?

It is these types of questions that Paul is addressing in Romans 5:1-5; how do we understand times of blessing and times of suffering.  For Paul, it starts with being justified, or made right, before God.  Because of God's amazing grace we have peace with God.  We no longer have to worry where we stand with the Lord because of what God has done for us.  We know how the story ends.  God's love for us trumps everything else and we receive the gift of God's grace which offers the promise of eternal life in the future and peace in the present.  Paul says we should "boast" in our hope because we will share in the glory of God.  We should be so strong in our faith, so confident with our standing before God that we boast.  We have nothing to fear!  God has won the fight and declared victory on our behalf!

But for Paul it is not just about boasting in times of triumph but boasting in our suffering as well. Because of what Christ has done for us, not only do we know how the story ends, we also know that the pain and sorrow of this world can be redeemed for God's glory.  We can learn from our suffering; we can grow from our hardships.  In fact, it is often when we suffer and struggle that we have the opportunity to depend on God in powerful ways.  In my life, it has been when situations have overwhelmed me, when I was out of ideas and struggling that I turned to God in pain and desperation.  Those moments helped me grow and while I do not wish to go through them today, I would not be who I am without the experience of pain and suffering.

When we have peace with God, and confidence in God's grace we can truly boast in our success and suffering.  Thanks be to God!

The Wrath and Grace of God

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. Romans 1:18

God's wrath. How does that make you feel?  Frankly, it makes me uncomfortable both because it challenges my image of God as loving and gracious, but it also makes me very nervous.  While the Old Testament is filled with stories that depict God as angry and judging, the prevailing image of God in the New Testament is found in the person of Jesus Christ.  Some might even argue that because of Jesus' death and resurrection God is no longer angry at humanity but loving.  What then do we make of Paul's argument about God's wrath in Romans 1:18?

In Romans Paul offers a powerful indictment against all who seek to justify themselves outside of Jesus Christ.  The ungodly Gentiles who believed they did not need God and the Jewish community who smugly thought they would be acceptable to God based on their merit or birthright are called out and blasted by Paul in the first two chapters of Romans.  Simply put: there is no way to God through our own effort.  On our own God's response to us is wrath.  God is angry at our wickedness, our sin, our rebellion.  While God's wrath may make us uncomfortable, shouldn't God be angry about some things?  When is wrath from God the appropriate response?

I personally want a God who gets angry at injustice, oppression, and suffering. I want a God who cannot tolerate the evil that is present in our world.  War, greed, indifference, exploitation, racism, abuse, all should make God full of wrath and fury.  If God cannot get mad at these things so present in humanity, then what does that say?  I believe God is a God of justice and wants us to actively fight for justice in the world. 

At the same time, God's grace not God's wrath gets the final word.  Paul's argument is that while we too deserve God's wrath, because of Jesus' death and resurrection we are offered the gift of grace rather than punishment.

Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24

Through Christ we are made right with God, not because we deserve it (we deserve wrath) but because of what Christ did for us.  The grace of God gives us a pass from God's wrath.  But just because God is gracious and loving does not mean God accepts sin and wickedness.  Perhaps a way to think about it is this: without God's wrath there is no need for God's grace.

What then is our response?  Will we simply rejoice in the gift of grace, celebrating that we will not suffer punishment?  Or because of what God has done for us are we called to speak against injustice, oppression, and exploitation and seek God's will for the world?  God's grace has changed my life, but not just for me but for the world.  What do you say?

1.  Do you respond more to God's grace or God's wrath?  How are you responding?

2.  What should God be angry about in our world today?  How should be respond?

3.  How can we receive God's gift of grace and avoid judging others?