“But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 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, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” Romans 3:19-28

“In his letters Paul is fond of speaking of God justifying people through Christ.” Justification” does not primarily refer to God transferring moral purity to people or stamping “not guilty” on their foreheads. Rather, God repairs the fractured relationship between humanity and God through Jesus’ death. Most English translations make it impossible to see that the words justification and righteous-ness mean the same thing, for both translate the same Greek noun. Likewise, the verbs justify and make righteous are synonymous. When Paul refers to God’s righteousness in one breath and then says God justifies, he is essentially redundant. Through grace, God’s salvific activity claims people, nullifying the separation that human beings have opened up in their proper standing place before God. To be justified is simply to be set right with God, to be brought into the sphere of God’s deliverance and justice (“righteousness”), making our relationship and future with God secure.” (Commentary on Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28 [29-31], Matt Skinner, “What does the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplish? What does it mean?”)

The Reformers who sparked the Protestant Reformation were trying to reclaim what Paul was speaking against – the tendency of people to find ways to justify themselves through works. Like Paul says, works do not justify – but works are necessary if we are to live the Christian life. So what do we make of works? They can be good, and they can be dangerous. Why? Because they can lead us to sin. How? Through self-righteousness. Doing good works can lead us to think we are better, more holy, more special than others. Odd as it sounds, doing good works can be dangerous – but only to your own sense of self-importance. Now Paul emphasizes something we need to remember: “No human being will be justified in God’s sight by deeds – by good works. But now, the righteousness of God has been disclosed”. Right now, Paul says, things are different. Right now, things have changed. “Now”, and forever more, our salvation is effective through faith, not works. G-d is declaring something new, right now. This very moment you have a gift, which has come unexpectedly, just for you – and that is the gift of grace, which comes through the cross of Jesus. Both Luther and Paul agree that the law can not “justify” us — cannot produce good or goodness in us. “…we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law” Paul writes. For that, to become righteous, we need to become “new creations”, through faith. That begins within us – inside our very being. Our inclination is to be bent in on ourselves, only concerned about ourselves. If we are to become new, then we need to begin to change – from the inside out – beginning in our hearts which are transformed when the Holy Spirit washes over us in Word and Sacrament. We cannot earn it, we can only accept it – into our hearts and minds. The rest is up to the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Dave

“Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”— for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:26-39

“Mad as a hatter”

“Mad as a hatter” refers to someone who is completely crazy. The origins of this idiom is an interesting tale. While “hatter” refers to Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter character in Alice in Wonderland, the expression has its origins in the effects of the chronic mercury poisoning commonly experienced by 18th and 19th century hat manufacturers. Apparently they used a copious amount of mercurous nitrate in felt hats. Erratic, flamboyant behavior was one of the most evident alterations in a person’s personality caused by mercury. (Others included excessive drooling and mood swings.)

The Gerasene demoniac would have appeared to be someone we might call “Mad as a Hatter” in the 18th century. What we know of mental illness today suggests that this man had some break with reality — and suffered severely for it. We can only imagine what it might have been like to know you are ill, even severely ill, and to have no resources to combat your illness, let alone any support from the community. Thus, once the demoniac has been cured by Jesus, to be sent back to the community to share what G-d had done for him would have taken a lot of courage. And yet, we are left wondering what success he had — and how well his community received him. We always need to be mindful of our friends and family who are experiencing difficulty with mental illness. It is not easy to live through such an illness — even though there are so many treatments available today. If you are struggling with depression, or anxiety, or even just feel blue once in a while, talk to someone. For so many in our communities, mental illness is a silent disease — but you can’t find help is you suffer in silence. And, as a community, we need to not only provide the proper help, but we need to welcome them, embrace them, and join them in the journey.

Pastor Dave