The Freeing Power of Christ’s Forgiveness

by Pastor Paul Wolff

Jesus shows mercy to Zacchaeus

The story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10 is a remarkable story which gives us great insight into the merciful nature and personality of God. As a result, this story gives great comfort to Christians, but it gives great torment to Pharisees and all who are self righteous or who think that they are gaining some favor with God by their righteous acts.

Zacchaeus was not a popular person. Nearly everyone looked down upon him both literally and figuratively. Zacchaeus was a very short man so most people looked down on him in that way. This would not have been a problem if Zacchaeus had held a respectable position in society, but he did not. Zacchaeus was a tax collector. Tax collectors were despised in first century Palestine for two main reasons: First, they were seen as collaborators with the hated Roman government which was then occupying the vast majority of the civilized world. Second, tax collectors often took more money than they were required and kept it for themselves. Some people use wealth (and the luxury wealth affords) to comfort themselves when they are in disfavor with polite society – such as when they have come by their wealth dishonestly, or have used their wealth to circumvent justice.

Zacchaeus likely did this, too, but not on this day. He had heard that Jesus was coming to Jericho and, like many in that town, he dropped everything and went to see Jesus. The problem was that so many people had come out to see Jesus that “wee-little” Zacchaeus couldn’t get a glimpse of this great man of God, and no one was going to step aside so the chief tax collector could get a good view. But Zacchaeus had heard great things about Jesus and dearly wanted to see Him, so he climbed up a tree so he could see Jesus as He went by.

You would think that of all the people in Jericho on that day the last one whom the Almighty, Holy, Righteous God would honor with His presence would be the thieving chief tax collector, Zacchaeus, but you would be wrong. This is where we learn about what God is like. Remember that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15) He is God in the flesh. (John 1:14) Everything that Jesus does is exactly what God would do because Jesus is God. So when Jesus is in Jericho He calls Zacchaeus by name , and asks him to come down from the tree so He could stay at his house that day.

Moneybag for helping the poor

There were surely many more worthy people in Jericho than Zacchaeus to receive this great honor from Jesus, but that is the point of Jesus’ actions. It would have been a humiliating disgrace for any respectable person to be found in the home of such a despised thief, much less to give him honor in front of the great crowd who clogged the Jericho streets that day. Jesus, however, was not ashamed to humble Himself and be seen with sinners. After all, Jesus “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of servant.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

You may find some preachers today who might try to tell you that Zacchaeus had somehow made himself worthy of this great honor by climbing the tree or some such thing. That is nonsense, and exactly the opposite of what the Scriptures teach in Luke 19 and everywhere else. Jesus did not look down upon Zacchaeus, and it wasn’t because Zacchaeus was up in a tree. Jesus singled out Zacchaeus for honor because Zacchaeus was just the sort of person Jesus had come to save – a miserable sinner.

It is worth noting that Jesus does not make His honor conditional by saying, “If you clean up your act and make yourself worthy I will come and honor you with my presence today.” In fact, Jesus doesn’t even speak one word of Law to Zacchaeus. Jesus simply says, “I must stay at your house today.” Jesus doesn’t preach the Law to Zacchaeus because He doesn’t have to. The Pharisees and the rest of society had done a sufficient job of preaching the Law to Zacchaeus. He was well aware that he was a sinner, but that didn’t save him or bring him to repentance. What the Pharisees failed to preach to Zacchaeus was that God is merciful and forgiving. They didn’t want to preach this because it would have made them look bad to admit that sinners like Zacchaeus could have salvation as easily as they could.

The Father welcomes back the lost son

Jesus simply showed mercy to the despised tax collector and Zacchaeus is so honored that he immediately repents of his sin. Zacchaeus doesn’t receive Christ’s grace as license to continue in his sinful ways, instead he has been freed from the burden of the Law and eagerly repents of his wicked ways. Then Jesus tells why He honored Zacchaeus in this way by saying, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:9-10) This is not to say that Zacchaeus was saved because he was a descendant of Abraham, because in the next sentence Jesus clearly says that he had been lost and unsaved earlier, though still a son of Abraham. Zacchaeus was saved the same was as the rest of us (including Abraham) -- through faith in Jesus as our savior from all our sin. So like Zacchaeus, “let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) For if Jesus has redeemed a despised sinner like Zacchaeus, He has also redeemed me and you.

One last thing to note is that Jesus also doesn’t tell Zacchaeus that he must quit being a tax collector. When the tax collectors came to John to repent of their sins and be baptized (Luke 3:12-13) he only told them to be honest and don’t steal, but be satisfied with the wages they were paid by their Roman overseers. Zacchaeus could serve his neighbors in love in his vocation as a tax collector. Though the position was despised, it was necessary. If the Romans did not receive their tax payment they would have sent in the troops to take their tribute by force and many innocent people would have been murdered. Christians can take comfort that serving our neighbor in love does not always mean that our loving service is appreciated, except by God who wants what is best for us even when we don’t appreciate it.

Modern Molechianism

by Paul Wolff

The Holy Scriptures are clear and consistent in their condemnation of abortion and similar infanticide. One of the strongest condemnations of abortion is found in Jeremiah 32:35, “They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.” 

God is not capricious, nor uncaring when it comes to dealing with sinful humans. For example, divorce occurs as a result of sin, but God allows divorce in recognition of the sinful hearts of people and in order to minimize further sin. However, when it comes to child killing God says that it never even entered His mind. This shows how far people had gone away from God that they would do something so completely foreign to God that it is never even the lesser of two evils as divorce may sometimes be.

Some people may object to using the condemnations of Molechianism as an argument against abortion by saying that absolutely none of the one million (!!) abortions done in the United States every year are done to seek the favor of Molech. This is true, as far as it goes, but is does not negate the Biblical condemnation of Molechianism for at least two reasons that I can think of off the top of my head. First, God knows that Molech is nothing, but He is just as angry that the people are murdering their children as He is angry that they are doing it in honor of a god who can’t save them or help them in any way. At other times (2 Kings 16:3 & 21;6; Psalm 106:37-39; Isaiah 57:5; Ezekiel 16:20-21; and others), God condemns infanticide without mentioning Molech. 

Another reason we should not dismiss the Biblical condemnations of Molechianism is that although the method and technology of infanticide has changed, the result (the death of children) is exactly the same, and the wicked motivations are exactly the same today as in ancient times. People want to have their pleasure and avoid the consequences, even if it takes murder to do it.

We like to believe that ancient people were primitive and superstitious, and that we are sophisticated and advanced. This feeds our pride and makes us feel superior. However, this is another one of the many lies of Darwinism. A close reading of history shows that although technology and culture differs through time and place, people have been the same since the very beginning. 

Darwinists have a fascination with primitive cultures, but they don’t recognize that modern primitive people have long since removed themselves from the greater society. Primitivism is a dead end. Civilization doesn’t spring from primitivism, instead primitivism comes from a breakdown of civilization. Whatever civilization the ancestors of modern primitive people brought with them was lost through war, or false theology, or other disaster. Yet, even the most primitive people on earth are still human and still retain some cultural practices that no animals have. 

So when we read the Biblical condemnations of Molechianism we shouldn’t dismiss that as the actions of primitive superstitious people who didn’t know any better. Ancient people loved their children as much (and as little) as modern people do. They also knew that Molech wasn’t a real god. 

I suspect that ancient Molechianism started in a time of famine when parents felt they had to choose between their survival and their children’s, and someone invented Molech to ease the murderous parents’ guilty consciences. However they may have justified it, it was still an evil practice, but once the practice was established in extreme cases sinful people surely found new uses for Molech. Prostitutes and other adulterers could call on Molech to dispose of the fruits of their wickedness and so the evil expanded. Once this happened it was easy to call on Molech to discard children for any reason. Children have always been the most vulnerable members of society because they must rely on their parents or guardians to protect them and provide for their needs. When parents are unwilling to care for their children then those children are in great danger. 

I see ancient Molechianism as the same pathological narcissism that causes modern women to abort their babies for reasons of personal convenience. 

The most compelling (though still false) argument for abortion is in a case where the life of the mother is in danger. Yet those who propose abortion as a solution still seek to murder the baby rather than try to deliver the child and save both mother and child. These situations are exceedingly rare. There are probably only a couple hundred such cases (or less) each year in the U.S. which is a microscopic fraction of over one million babies killed each year by abortion. 

One case in the news recently was a mother who was diagnosed with cancer and chose to forgo chemotherapy until her baby could be delivered safely. That mother chose to risk (and ultimately sacrifice) her life in favor of her child’s life. That mother demonstrated the true love and self-sacrifice that we only find in Christ. Now, I know that although we hope that all people would come to faith in Christ and obey His Word gladly it is unrealistic to expect that to happen. Nevertheless, we still ought to encourage people not to murder their children even through making and enforcing laws against such things.

Remember the story in Genesis 22 where God asked Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. Abraham went and was going to do as God had asked, even though it seemed out of character for God to ask such a thing, but God stopped Abraham before he harmed Isaac. Instead, “God did not spare His own son, but gave Him up for us all.” (Romans 8:32) It would have been much more convenient and comfortable for Jesus to let us suffer the consequences of our sin, but He chose the path of self-sacrifice and suffered and died on the cross in order to redeem us from our wickedness and save us from sin and death. 

Because of Jesus there is certainly forgiveness even for those who murder their children. However there is still great pain and guilt and consequences for this great wickedness. We should work hard to end the terrible slaughter of modern Molechianism out of love for our neighbor, but we should also be there to offer Christ’s forgiveness to those who have succumbed to the spirit of the age but who repent of their sins and seek healing.

Don’t Trash the Dress

by Pastor Paul Wolff

Window from Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois

---

Galatians 3:26-27

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

Isaiah 61:10

“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

Revelation 7:13-14

Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in white robes – who are they, and where did they come from?’

I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’

And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’

---

There is a fad among some wedding photographers to schedule a photo session with a new bride some days or weeks after the wedding ceremony where the bride gets dressed up in her wedding gown once again and then proceeds to “trash the dress”. From what I have seen this usually involves the bride ending up swimming in the ocean or river or pond or pool, but the effect is that it ruins the dress. Visually it often looks like a baptism gone wrong, though I suppose that if this fad catches on sinful minds will come up with all sort of terrible ways to destroy a beautiful dress.

Jesus and the woman at the well from Emmanuel Lutheran Dearborn, Michigan

I do not like this practice on several levels. First, the Seventh Commandment forbids us from stealing, which includes destroying anyone’s property, including our own. Many times when I have taught this commandment I have heard objections stating that people can do as they please with the things that belong to them. This is not a Christian way of doing things. If we have more than what we need then we should share with others who are lacking, not wantonly destroy our possessions so that neither we, nor others can use them. Because of this I do not like the destruction of anything that can be put to further use, even if that use is simply to remind the bride of her wedding day and marriage vows.

Second, it used to be the practice for the bride to preserve and protect her wedding gown so that the dress would look as good on the couple’s 50th anniversary as it did on their wedding day. This was done in recognition that marriage was for life and something generally only done once in a lifetime. A wedding gown, like marriage itself, was treasured as something valuable worth preserving. This is less common in our society, and out of this comes the “trash the dress” practices. If marriage is not something to be preserved at great cost, then what is a dress? This destructive fad reinforces the belief that marriage is something easily discarded and this is another reason why I do not like it.

Window from Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, Illinois

Third, the Holy Scriptures often portray the Christian’s relationship with God with the metaphor of the bride and groom. Christ is the perfect, loving groom who cherishes His bride, the Church, so that He gives His life to redeem her from sin and death. The effect of Christ’s sacrifice is to wash away the stain of our sins and to clothe us with pure white robes of His perfect righteousness. These pure righteous robes are not like clothing that covers up something shameful, but they reveal the righteousness of Christ which is given to His people by faith to purify them inside and out. This scriptural imagery of marriage to describe God’s gracious relationship with us is the main reason why I do not like the “trash the dress” practice.

All people at some point in our lives treat Christ’s righteousness as if it were some raggedy old garment which could be thrown in the trash at will. We do this whenever we think that our own attempts at righteousness are somehow more pleasing in God’s sight than the redeeming work of Christ on our behalf. In the Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:2-14) the man who is found not wearing the wedding garment (i.e. Christ’s righteousness) is thrown out of the feast. Here Jesus teaches that we will never receive salvation if we rely on our righteous acts to clothe us in preparation for God’s eternal wedding reception. Only Christ’s righteousness can properly clothe us so that we may receive the gracious gifts of eternal salvation from our beloved God.

Because of this Scriptural imagery of the wedding garment, let us encourage one another to avoid the practice of “trashing the dress” and instead encourage one another not only to treasure marriage and the traditional wedding practices which view marriage as a lifelong gift from God, but even more let us treasure the gift of Christ’s work of salvation which clothes us in an eternal robe of Christ’s own righteousness that we may, by His grace, feast with Him at His eternal wedding banquet.

When Patriotism Becomes an Idol

by Pastor Paul Wolff

Whenever the patriotic celebrations come around there is temptation to display our patriotism in the worship service by singing patriotic songs and saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Some try to sanctify the secular pledge to the flag by combining it with a pledge of allegiance to the cross and/or the “Christian flag”. There may be a place for patriotism, however, the Christian worship service is neither the time nor the place for this.

The problem is not with patriotism nor with the Pledge of Allegiance. I love my country and I do not hesitate to say the Pledge of Allegiance with my hand over my heart on nearly all occasions, but not during the worship service. The divine service was instituted by God for the purpose of delivering forgiveness and salvation to us through His Means of Grace (i.e. the Word and Sacraments). Whenever we add elements to the worship service which don’t deliver the Means of Grace we take our attention away from Christ, which makes these added elements idols.

Not only is nationalistic patriotism NOT a Means of Grace, it isn’t even commanded by God. Though God rules in the secular world (the Kingdom of the Left Hand) and in the Church (the Kingdom of the Right Hand), He doesn’t require patriotic pledges. If you look in the Small Catechism under the Table of Duties for Citizens you will find that what is required of Christians for good citizenship is to pay our taxes and submit to those in authority out of love (except where such authorities require us to break God’s commandments, then we must obey God rather than men). This is another reason why it is inappropriate to require the Pledge of Allegiance in the worship service.

One more thing to consider is that not all Christians are Americans. Most Christians are not Americans and have no desire nor reason to pledge allegiance to the American Flag. God’s Word and Holy Baptism are universal. They are for everyone. Communion fellowship is restricted to those of the same confession (Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist, etc.), but while an African Lutheran (for example) can commune in an American Lutheran church, he would not pledge allegiance to the American Flag.

Patriotism, too, can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the actions of the State. When Patriotism is used to support truth, justice, and a benevolent government, then it is a good thing. When Patriotism is used to support wicked and unjust governments then it is a great evil. An example of the latter is the German army in World War II. They were not all Nazis, but their patriotic support for the National Socialists (Nazis) was a great evil. This particular example does not necessarily explain the “why” or “why not” of patriotic pledges in the worship service, but it just shows that some discretion is necessary.

Not all Americans are Patriots, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Many people just want to live their lives in peace and fulfill their Godly vocations, and there is nothing inherently sinful about that. Because of this, and the fact that patriotism is not commanded by God, we ought not make anyone feel guilty for not being particularly patriotic, nor should we make anyone feel as if they are a better Christian just because they are patriotic. This view is unpopular in some circles, I know, but I am a minister of the Gospel of Christ, and I am much more concerned about the Spiritual well-being of God’s people than their patriotic feelings. I do not wish anyone to confuse the Gospel for patriotism, because they are not the same, nor are they related. There is no salvation to be found in national patriotism. Salvation is only found in Christ Jesus.

In the First Commandment God says, “You shall have no other Gods before me.” When we add practices to our worship service which God has not commanded, and which do not deliver the Means of Grace, we are placing a false god before the True God. This also applies to the Pledge of Allegiance. While the Pledge is not necessarily idolatrous in its proper context (though it can be), it does become an idol when we place it in the worship service. It does no good to try to sanctify the Pledge with a pledge to the Cross and/or the “Christian Flag.” These also are not commanded by God. We confess our faith in God’s work of salvation when we confess the creeds, and there is plenty of Biblical examples encouraging us to do this, but nowhere in Scripture is there a separate requirement to pledge allegiance to the cross. As to the “Christian Flag,” I am not even sure where that comes from. Christianity is not a national identity like being a citizen of the United States. Christians are citizens of every nation on earth (even where it is illegal to do so), so I don’t know what it means to pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag, but if there can be a proper context for doing this, the worship service is not it.

You may well find me pledging allegiance to the U.S. flag on patriotic holidays like Independence Day, September 11th, etc. but it won’t be in Church. I look to Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation, and the worship service is where these precious gifts are delivered to Christ’s people. There is no salvation apart from Christ even in the greatest country on earth. Some may accuse me of being a hypocrite, but that just shows their misunderstanding of God’s rule in the Kingdom of the Left (secular society) and the Kingdom of the Right (the church). God rules in the world as well as the church, but salvation is not found in the world, but only in the Word and Sacraments as administered in faithful Christian worship services, and we are well served when we keep this distinction clear.

Are Christians Insane?

by Pastor Paul Wolff

The Sower sowing the seed

Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9)

---

“Insanity is when you keep doing the same thing and expect different results.” This is one of many pithy sayings that unbelievers in the church use to discredit Holy Scripture as the only source and norm of doctrine. This saying is assumed to be true and rarely questioned. I suppose whoever questions the validity of this proverb is also assumed to be insane. However, with people’s short attention span these days many only hear the first part of the saying which goes, “Insanity is when you keep doing the same thing.”

Jesus teaching from the boat

What does Jesus say? “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Baptizing and teaching aren’t new. They are the same wonderful things that have been leading people to follow Christ into heavenly Paradise for thousands of years now, but the world says that to make disciples by baptizing and teaching is insane.

What else does Jesus say? In the parable of the Sower (above), Jesus does one thing: sow the seed of the Word; yet this one action brings about at least two, and as many as four different results. For the sake of argument let’s assume the seeds that fall on the path, and among the rocks, and among the weeds all lead to the same result, which is death, or unbelief according to Christ’s interpretation of the parable (Matthew 13:18-23). Those who quote the “insanity proverb” above say it is impossible that one thing (such as proclaiming the Gospel of Christ) can have two different results (such as belief and unbelief). They would say that the only possible result is unbelief because that is their experience. They do not believe the Gospel so they are unable to believe that the “Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)

The Word of God is powerful. It works to bring life to unbelievers simply through their hearing the message: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) The world (and worldly unbelievers in the church) think that because they have taken the opportunity to reject the blessings of the Gospel that the Gospel is weak, and because they have resisted the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” they think they are more powerful than Christ Himself. This is one of the reasons why false teaching is so seductive. Yet to all who believe the Word of God they have full forgiveness, life and eternal salvation for Christ is the Word who has redeemed us through His life and death. Let the world call us insane. Sooner or later the world will know that the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom. (1 Corinthians 1:25)

The birds eating the seed

*******

Disclaimer: The pejorative reference to insanity above is in no way intended to impugn those who, by illness or injury (physical or emotional), are not on a first-name basis with reality. I have the greatest respect for those who struggle with mental illness and yet who continue to trust in Christ Jesus for their forgiveness and salvation.

“Let His Blood be on Us and on Our Children”

by Pastor Paul Wolff

From Zion Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio

(Matthew 27:15-26)

Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”

But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”

All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”

Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

---

Even before Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ” came out in 2004 he received complaints from Jewish groups about the scene where the Pharisees exerted their political pressure on Pontius Pilate to have Jesus crucified. The modern Jewish groups claimed that the words of the Pharisees from Matthew 27:25, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” would incite anti-Jewish behavior from viewers. Mel Gibson at first tried to alleviate their concerns that he was targeting them for ridicule by saying, “I’ve never met a Pharisee.”

That response was not sufficient because one need not know much history to make the spiritual connection between the modern Jewish religion and their roots in ancient Rabbinical Phariseeism. After further complaints Gibson compromised by removing the captions which read, “Let His blood be on us and on our children” though he left the Aramaic dialogue (for those who understand Aramaic.)

The Crucifixion of Jesus

It is one of many ironies about this scene from the Gospel story that in trying to distance themselves from the ancient Pharisees the modern Jewish groups actually connect themselves very strongly with their ancient forebears. Although the Pharisees were willing and eager to take responsibility for the death of Jesus and the modern Jews are not, both groups are motivated by the same theology, which is that both the ancient Pharisees and the modern Jews reject Jesus as their Messiah.

There is, however, one group of people around today who is willing to take responsibility for the death of Jesus: Christians.

Unlike modern Jews, Christians are not ashamed to say of Jesus, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” and mean it in every sense of the phrase, including the sense that Jewish groups are so afraid of. The Holy Scriptures explain very well how we are responsible for the death of Jesus and how the blood of Jesus redeems us from our sins:

• “The blood of Jesus [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
• “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? … If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.”(Romans 6: 3, 5)
• “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? … These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:13-14)

Christians regularly publicly proclaim that they are both individually and corporately responsible for the death of Jesus. We do this every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and every time we have a public confession of sins. In the New Testament St. Paul teaches the Corinthian Christians about the Lord’s supper saying, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16) The Lutheran Confessions use this verse to show that the body and blood of Christ is truly present in a bodily way in the sacrament. Jesus gives us His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins and for the strengthening of our faith. St. Paul goes on to teach in 1 Corinthians 11:26, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” In proclaiming the Lord’s death we are not just saying, “it happened,” but “it happened on account of my sins, and for my salvation.” Jesus wants us to confess our sins so that we might also receive full forgiveness and salvation, so we are bold to admit our complicity and guilt in the death of Jesus. Jesus doesn’t hold our sins against us, but gives everlasting life to all who trust in Him as their savior from sin.

Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

There is also another teaching in Scripture which would deflect the so-called “blame” for Jesus’ death away from not only the Jewish Pharisees, but also the Gentiles. In John 10:17-18 Jesus Himself says, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.” This is shown in the Gospels by the fact that several times people tried to kill Jesus, but until He had completed His work He wouldn’t allow them to lay a hand on Him. The first time this happens is soon after Jesus is born and King Herod sends his troops to Bethlehem to kill Jesus along with all the baby boys in the town. The last time this happens is in the garden of Gethsemane when the soldiers come to arrest Jesus. Before Jesus allows the soldiers to take Him He causes all of them to fall on the ground simply by saying the words “I am” (see John 18:1-11 especially v. 6). Jesus did this to demonstrate that He wasn’t overpowered, but that He went willingly.

This is not to say that we are guiltless. We are all guilty. Our sin makes us enemies of God, and by our very nature we all wish to kill God and put ourselves in His place of power and authority. This is what we do whenever we commit actual sins. When we sin we are exerting our own sinful will against God and trying to push Him out of the way. God knows this very well. In fact, this is the very reason God became incarnate in Jesus Christ in the first place. God knew how hopeless our sinful situation was from before the beginning, so He decided to take care of our salvation Himself and that is just what Jesus did in His life and in His death. This is why Christians are not afraid to both confess our guilt in the death of Jesus, and also to confess our faith that because of His death and resurrection from the dead Jesus has forgiven us all our sins and will give eternal life to all who trust in Him.

***
Note: Although I used Mel Gibson’s movie and the surrounding objections as an illustration for this essay I am not unaware of the subsequent accusations of bad behavior on the part of Mr. Gibson. Whether Mel Gibson is anti-Semitic or not is irrelevant to this issue. The scene in question from the “Passion” movie is an accurate representation of the Gospel account from Matthew and neither the scene nor the Gospel of Matthew is anti-Semitic. Even if it turns out to be true that Mel Gibson has sinful feelings against Jews it does not come out in “The Passion of the Christ.” This is proven by the symbolism of Gibson’s cameo appearance in the movie. When Jesus is shown being nailed to the cross it is Mel Gibson’s hands which pound the nails into the hands of the Jesus character. This was Gibson’s way of saying (along with all Christians) “I am responsible for the death of Jesus. My sins caused the death of Jesus, but His death redeemed me of all my sins.”

For further reading: Matthew 27:15-26; 1 Corinthians 10:14-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Revelation 7:13-17; Romans 6:1-10; Hebrews 9:11-28; 1 John 1:5-10.

See also my 2004 newsletter article, “The Passion of Christ”

The Friendly Church vs. the Loving Church

“Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

---

One extremely common truism in American Christianity is that “In order for your church to grow the members must be friendly to visitors.” This is at best a half truth, but as we know – a half truth is a whole lie. What I mean by the “friendly church” is the one that seeks to attract members primarily through their friendliness and not through the Word of God alone. This is not how a church should act. This is how a social club acts.

Holy Scripture never says that we must be friendly above all other considerations. In fact, James shows that “friendship with the world is hatred toward God.” Christ says that we must love our neighbor. Now, you might think that to be friendly is loving, but that is not always true. If a fellow Christian is openly sinning then the “friendly” Church wouldn’t dream of confronting the sinner to call him to repentance. That would seem “unfriendly.” However the loving church wouldn’t hesitate to call the sinner to repentance to save him from destroying himself. Yes, there is the risk that the sinner might become offended and break off the friendship, but it is the nature of love to take that risk in order to save the beloved.

It is no wonder that churches are abandoning their doctrines in order to gain members. They have chosen to be friends with the world rather than followers of Christ. Yes, your social club (I mean, “church”) may grow, but when you seek to gain members by being friendly, you don’t get Christ’s disciples, you get social climbers. The tyranny of filling your church with social climbers is that in order for the institution to continue you must continually keep the social butterflies happy because the minute they aren’t happy they fly off to some other social club more willing or able to slavishly indulge their fleshly desires. In this way the social club (church?) turns their members into idols and spends too much time serving their desires and too little time serving Christ. For the sake of “friendship with the world” many churches would rather be social clubs than call sinners to repentance in order to save their souls.

There are many reasons why church members would rather be friendly than loving, but all of them are sinful. It is much easier to be friendly, but that won’t lead anyone to their salvation in Christ. Loving your neighbor will sometimes make him angry at you. That can’t always be avoided. Sinners often enjoy their sin even when they know it is wrong. The loving Christian is sometimes ridiculed for calling the sinner to repent, even when they do it in the kindest possible way.

This is not to say that the loving church is unfriendly, though sometimes it may be perceived in such a way. The Good Samaritan pictured above would likely be considered friendly, but he was more than that. He not only treated his enemy as a friend, but he did so at considerable personal expense and self-sacrifice. On the other hand, both John the Baptist and Jesus (pictured to the left) lovingly preached God’s Law to unrepentant sinners and were assassinated for their trouble. Neither King Herod nor the Pharisees thought John and Jesus were friendly, but both John and Jesus were willing to die rather than let sinners continue to head toward their destruction unaware. It is likely true that King Herod and many of the Pharisees still continued in their sin to their eternal torment, but others likely repented and found their salvation in Jesus.

Another reason why Christians ought not seek to attract members simply by being friendly is that it is dishonest. Even the best Christians in the best churches are still sinners. There will be conflict and hurt feelings and all sorts of nasty sinful things going on wherever people (i.e. sinners) gather together. The church that intends to cater to the “friendly” crowd must cover up these natural occurrences of sinful human behavior. This is because when we admit we are sinners, even to forgive one another, we admit that we aren’t as good as we would like others to think we are. The loving church, however, deals with sin as if they expect people to sin against one another – even the “best” people! Most often this repentance and forgiveness occurs privately between individuals, but sometimes it must be brought out into the open. It is not unloving to call a sinner to repentance just as it is not unloving to forgive the repentant sinner. In fact, to repent and forgive is exactly why Christ established the church.

The consequences of seeking friendship with the world are also shown in James 4. The people to whom James writes have “quarrels” and “fights” among themselves because their desires are at war within themselves and they seek to indulge their sinful desires rather than control them. James says, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions.” (v. 2-4) This is the state of “church growth” churches in American Christianity (and elsewhere). Pastors desire the big churches so that they can indulge themselves in a luxurious lifestyle such as big homes, fancy cars, etc. Church members ought to reject this worldliness, but they, too enjoy the prestige of belonging to a large, fancy church rather than something more modest.

James warns us that this will end in conflict. Seeking friendship with the world always results in conflict, though the effects are often not seen for a long time. This does not mean that there isn’t conflict from day one. Whenever false teachers come into a church and preach their lies the true believers will resist. The heretics then use various forms of spiritual violence to intimidate and silence the faithful. The “friendly” heretics often try to persuade the faithful that what they are teaching is indeed God’s Will and that by resisting the changes in doctrine and practice the faithful are resisting progress, and maybe even the “progressive” work of the Holy Spirit Himself. If the faithful stubbornly persist in their resistance (as they often do) then the friendly heretic will denounce their views, and maybe even their persons, publicly. If the faithful cannot persuade the congregation that if they follow the friendly pastor they are like the proverbial lemmings running headlong for the cliffs, then the faithful people will get discouraged or tire of the battle and leave quietly.

It’s hard to love and forgive sinners. That is why most people would rather be friendly. Yet, the power of forgiveness is greater than anything that can be gained by friendliness. It wasn’t easy for Jesus to forgive sinners either. In order for Jesus to forgive us it took Him, the Son of God, to become incarnate as a man, live a perfectly obedient life and it took His suffering and death on the cross. If you think that is easy then just imagine what it takes to kill the Son of God! Yet, the life and death of Jesus shows the greatness of God’s love and how important forgiveness is to Him. Jesus doesn’t ask us to suffer the punishment for our sins – He did that in our place – so that He could save us from that same punishment. Since Jesus did this hard work for us, can’t we forgive one another? It isn’t easy, but Jesus did the hard work, and when we forgive we show that we, too have been forgiven.

Click here to listen to the Issues Etc. Blog of the Week segment from May 28, 2010