Tag Archives: Jesus

G*d’s Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity, Messiah, Savior

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on November 15, 2015
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Birth Pangs — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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November 15, 2015
Sunday

Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” Mark 13:5 – 8

“Here is my paraphrase of what Jesus would say today, “Everyone needs to relax. Quite a few terrible things happen in life. I know it is scary, but you should see the opportunity to serve others. Don’t be led astray by leaders who offer easy and simplistic answer and blame other people for our problems. Pull together in the hard times, that is how you get through. I’ll be with you too, and I will show you the way. Things will get difficult, but stick together and remember what is important in life – to love one another.” I also want to say a few words about the context of the first readers of the Gospel. They read this episode after the Temple had been destroyed by Roman armies in 70 AD, just a generation after Jesus had said these words. I read the account by Josephus, the Jewish historian who was present at the destruction of the Temple and sack of Jerusalem. The Roman soldiers were so frustrated by the tenacious defenders of the Temple, that when they finally gained the upper hand, the troops went wild and killed everyone, raping and pillaging, much to the embarrassment of Titus, the commanding general. Josephus said Titus tried to restrain the slaughter and the burning of the Temple, but he was too late to stop the atrocity. The world was probably appalled, much like we were when we heard stories about “My Lai” coming out of the Vietnam War. When Titus was offered the traditional wreath of victory by the Roman Senate, he reportedly refused it and said, “There is no glory in destroying a people whose God has forsaken them”. I believe Mark’s Gospel was written right after this terrible atrocity, so it is no wonder that he has the sharpest contrast between Jesus and the Temple Priests. Mark is making clear that Christians had nothing to do the Jewish rebellion that lead to the destruction of the Temple. In fact, they were oppressed by the Temple aristocracy as well. Jesus warned them and see what they did to him. Mark is saying to Rome, “We aren’t them, so don’t kill us too.” Luke is writing later and is more circumspect. His message is to not lose heart or be lead astray during terrible times, for Jesus will guide you through. Don’t be impressed by wealth or grandeur because it does not last, but also don’t be overwhelmed by tragedy, because that will not last either.” (Blooming cactus website, November 12, 2012 “Not A Stone Left”, Mark 13:1-8)

There is a beginning to the birth pangs, but there will also be an end. There will be a beginning to wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes, but they all eventually stop. Even if this text from the gospel of Mark was written soon after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, they would have been living in a time where they were learning how to live in a post-Temple world. The destruction was over, the healing was ongoing, and they were still able to worship the living G*d. And Jesus would want us to find a way, just like those living in a post-Temple world, to find a way to get on with life, to get on with worshipping G*d, and to continue to show all people love, mercy and grace.

Our world has a lot of birth pangs – and the birth pangs we live with seem as if they will never end. But they will. It may not be in my lifetime, but we will one day see that love will win the day. There will come a day when the reign of Christ will project the love of G*d in all circumstances; because the love of G*d is patient, kind, not jealous, not arrogant, believes all things and hopes all things, and is the perfecter of all things.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on November 14, 2015
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Can Glory be Achieved Through Suffering? — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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November 14, 2015

“Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 5:1 – 10

“In a world where success is measured by how quickly a person can climb to the top and importance is measured by how much glory a person can grab, these words in the letter to the Hebrews tell a completely different story. It is always difficult to come to terms with the call of God as having nothing to do with honor, and everything to do with serving. Even Christ did not glorify himself–it was God who claimed and called him–and it was through his suffering that he was truly glorified. Jesus was never looking for the place of importance and status; he came to serve and that is the call that we share as the people of God. The same God who calls us has promised to be with us, to provide those places of refuge, to bring life and salvation out of suffering and death.” (Luther Seminary, G*d Pause devotions, Gayle Bintliff, Tanque Verde Lutheran Church, Tucson, Ariz. Master of Divinity , 2001)

“He learned obedience through suffering.” Oh, we spend a lot of time and money trying to avoid suffering, to reduce suffering and to avoid growing old. As sure as the sun will rise and set this day, we will all experience some amount of suffering in our lives. We cannot avoid it. So what do we do with suffering? We learn about ourselves and our abilities, and the depth of our mental, physical and spiritual arsenal. There is no glory to be gained through our suffering – but for Christ his glory was achieved through his suffering. That does not mean we try to cause our own suffering. But we do learn from all of our experiences, including suffering. We learn about endurance, about perseverance, and about faith. We learn to put our trust in others, especially our trust in G*d who promises to always be with us and to help us find a way out of all of our experiences. (1 Cor. 10:13ff). Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight… says the Proverb (3:5). I think there is a simple truth hidden here: how can we know how happy we can be, if we have never experienced sadness?

Pastor Dave