Follow the Authority

Fourth sunday after the epiphany

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

Mark 1:21-28

²¹ They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²² The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. ²³ Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, ²⁴ “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” ²⁵ “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” ²⁶ The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. ²⁷ The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” ²⁸ News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. (NIV)

Your cousin Stan, who recently had some car trouble similar to what you’re currently dealing with, may be willing to share with you all the little details of what was wrong with his car and where he took it to get it fixed.  But that doesn’t mean you’d necessarily consider him an expert mechanic.  Your co-worker shares with you that one of her girlfriends had been experiencing some symptoms that seem to sound a lot like yours, and she ended up having to see this doctor and have that treatment.  But I don’t know that you’d suddenly consider your co-worker a medical authority who would be qualified to diagnose and treat whatever symptoms you are experiencing.

Even with the world at our fingertips, having endless information available to us with simply a few keystrokes and a click or two, we still prefer reliable and respectable advice and guidance from experts whenever possible.  From our desktops, our laptops, or our smart phones, we can carry out extensive research in so many ways, from scouring academic papers and essays, to reading a post and the comments from the blog of a stay-at-home mom.  We can do all of this, and yet, when it comes to the really important stuff in life – the things that really matter – we seek expert advice.  We want to hear from authoritative sources on the serious and significant issues.

That’s exactly why they had gathered that day.  The synagogue was filled with eager listeners who were waiting to hear from the experts in the most important area of life they could imagine – their religion, their faith, their relationship with God.  They had heard from many respected rabbis.  Many a teacher of the law had come and read from the Scriptures and expounded on them, further clarifying how this law could be carried out, or how that rule could be kept.  These were, after all, the academics and trained professors of their day.  Who better to teach authoritatively on matters of such importance as the realm of things spiritual?  Surely they would have the correct answers to the questions that pertained to sin and righteousness and life and death.  And no doubt all those gathered there that day were fairly confident they had been coming to the right place to hear from the proper authorities on such matters.

How many today gather to listen to someone perceived to be an authority because he has the title “Dr.” before his name, or because he’s written so many books, or because his church has so many members? For a religious leader to claim any authority today simply because he has a lot of followers is like claiming some clip on YouTube is suddenly Oscar-worthy simply because it went viral and has had millions of hits.  We make a big – and potentially spiritually dangerous – mistake today if we draw the conclusion that a religious teacher or preacher is an authority based on the number of hearers or viewers or members that regularly listen to him. 

That says something to us about being aware of all the supposed “authorities” on Christianity out there.  Swinging by the local Christian book store to grab the latest best-selling book simply because a lot of other people brought the book doesn’t make it’s author an authority.  Filling my head with the pop tunes at the top of the Christian contemporary charts because that’s who everyone else is listening to doesn’t make this band or that singer an authority.  If I am involved in a Bible study outside of church based on the fact that a lot of my friends are doing it, that doesn’t make that group or that teacher an authority.  Now the point here is not that you can’t read books or listen to music that other Christians appreciate; rather, the point is that we have to be wary of drawing a false conclusion that popularity determines authority.  Simply because many others – even if they might be Christians – happen to think highly of someone or something, that doesn’t mean that whatever it is or whoever it is should be considered an authority.

Those gathered in the synagogue that day probably had their own ideas of authority when it came to listening to different rabbis.  But they didn’t likely know how wrong they were about religious authority until they found out first-hand what genuine authority truly sounded like.  Turns out, the sound of authority was Jesus’ voice.  It wasn’t merely the scrolls that he unrolled when he spoke, but the Scriptures themselves that he unraveled for them in ways they had never before experienced.  What had previously been confusing started to make sense in a whole new way.  Where other teachers would quote this rabbi or that rabbi, Jesus simply quoted Scripture and opened their eyes to its truths.  He didn’t need to quote other authorities, for he himself was the authority.  And they recognized it.  Mark tells us, “They people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law” (v.22).

I imagine when Jesus spoke there must have been a glaring difference that set him apart from the previous religious leaders who had read and lectured: the presence of the gospel.  The difference must have been shocking.  Other religious leaders would speak of duty, obligation, rules, laws, and righteous obedience.  Jesus’ message though, had a different tone to it, brought to light through such words as “fulfillment” and “forgiveness,” “grace,” “peace,” “freedom,” and “faith,” to name a few.  These were what he came to bring.  Jesus was not a second law-giving Moses, but a salvation-bringing Savior, and that must have been so abundantly clear as he read the Scriptures and they took on a whole new meaning – one not of bondage and death, but of freedom and life.  That gospel focus – the good news of forgiveness and salvation through him – was undoubtedly a part of what led others to recognize the unique authority of Jesus’ teaching.

How can hearers today know if the religious leaders to whom they listen are speaking authoritatively?  How do I know if a song or a book or a preacher is authoritative, and therefore worth hearing or reading?  I keep this in mind: Religious authority isn’t based on popularity or numbers, but on content, and if that content somehow betrays the clear words and teachings of Jesus, then whatever or whomever it is we’re talking about has no place being considered an authority at all.  And if the life and works of Jesus are somehow being misrepresented, or not represented faithfully or fully, then I need to question if the Lord would rather have me watch more or just watch out.  Does the singer seem to focus on her life for Christ, or Christ’s life for her?  Does the author avoid any mention of sin or the reality of hell, and only paint Christianity with the brush of success and wealth and health and happiness, and imply that if you aren’t enjoying any of these things, then it can only be because you’re not as fine a Christian as you should be?  Does he write about salvation for all, no matter what one believes, instead of emphasizing that grace and forgiveness only come through faith in the only one who can give it, Jesus Christ?  Is the group you study the Bible with made up of people who cling falsely to teachings or truths not taught by Jesus in his Word, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant those differences may appear to be?  We need to ask these questions to determine what is and what is not authority, and if the life and works of Jesus are in any way sorely lacking or falsely portrayed, then like the antelope being chased down by a cheetah, we need to run away as fast as we can.

Jesus speaks with authority today, just as he did that day in the synagogue, and he does it through his Word.  Follow the authority, hearing his Word wherever it is faithfully proclaimed.  Doesn’t that underscore the importance of evaluating what you hear right here on a Sunday morning on the basis of the Word, just as the Bereans did?  Anything that comes out of the mouth of one of God’s representatives can only be considered authoritative so long as it is right in line with God’s Word.  And, if at any time it isn’t, sound the alarm! 

When it comes to speaking in line with God’s Word, we all can take great comfort in this account of Jesus expounding on the Scriptures, because it serves as an essential reminder that as our perfectly obedient and sinless Savior, Jesus always faithfully represented his Father’s will.  When he preached, he spoke clearly enough to be understood, but also clearly enough not to be misunderstood.  When he taught, he didn’t ever get it wrong or miss the point or state something in a way that came up short.  He taught and preached, well… perfectly.

That perfection was recognized by even the most unlikely hearer that day when Jesus taught in the synagogue.  Mark described it for us.  “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!’  ‘Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’  The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek” (v. 23-26). The title “Holy One of God” referred only to one.  There was no mistaking it, this demon acknowledged Jesus as the Savior who was to come into the world. 

But the Holy Spirit worked in you to do more than just acknowledge Jesus as your Savior; he led you to believe in him as well.  He opened your eyes to see that Jesus wasn’t just holy for the sake of being holy, but that he was holy – completely perfect and without sin – for your benefit.  He was your holiness; holiness that you and I are unable to attain apart from him; holiness that is a requirement for heaven.  Because our lives are filled with sin, his life needed to be without sin.  His life was, and by faith in him then, so is yours.  You are holy.  You are perfect.  You are, because he was.

And that matter of your sin?  You know that he took care of that, too.  That was why he needed to take the agonizing trip to the place of skulls and be crucified.  He went there to make the complete and final payment for your sins.  When we’ve wandered, when we’ve been attracted to that which doesn’t quite measure up according to Jesus words and works, he’s forgiven that, too.  When we’ve downplayed his teachings in favor of chasing what’s popular, he’s forgiven that, too.  Go on, keep working through that laundry list of sins that keep haunting you, but then see the check mark that Jesus has placed right next to each and every one; a check mark that means “forgiven.”  Amen.

third sunday after the epiphany

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

Stubborn and Persistent

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

¹ Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”  ³ Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. ⁴ Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”  ⁵ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. ¹⁰ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. (NIV)

Now that is how it’s supposed to work, isn’t it?  Here we have a textbook, picture perfect example of how the relationship between God and man should work out.  The Lord gave Jonah his marching orders to go to Ninevah and preach the message of repentance. He did just that.  The Ninevites heard the message, repented, and were spared from destruction at God’s hand.  It couldn’t have worked out any better.  This is an example of the ideal.  God speaks, we listen, carry out his will, and everything plays out just as he promises.  We all live happily ever after, just like Jonah and the people of Ninevah.  End of story.

Except that this was the sequel.  The original, you recall, didn’t turn out so well, which is why the sequel was necessary.  It’s often said that the sequel rarely lives up to the original.  But in this case, it was the original that had gone horribly wrong.

Note the first verse of our Lesson from Jonah this morning: “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time.”  That word needed to come a second time, because the first time it didn’t play out like it was supposed to.  This was take two, for in the first take our main character misread his lines and didn’t act according to God’s script.  Here’s a quick recap of how it worked out the first time: “The word of the LORD came to Jonah, son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’  But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish” (Jonah 1:1-3a). 

There was nothing picture perfect or ideal about the prophet’s response to God’s command the first time.  It would have been bad enough had Jonah merely argued with God or questioned his orders, or even gone about his work half-heartedly; but instead Jonah took off running in the opposite direction.  If you are a parent or grandparent with a little one, you know how much it makes your blood boil when you shout out, “Come here,” or “Time to go,” and the little one takes off in the other direction sprinting away from you as quickly as possible.  And that was essentially how Jonah was acting – like a two year-old child.

Behavioral psychologists speak of a “fight or flight” response.  The phrase refers to that moment when a person or animal is threatened and must make a split-second decision of whether to stay and fight, or flee to safety.  Fight or flight?  Jonah did both.  His chosen response to the Lord’s directive was to fight him on it by fleeing from him.

What did Jonah have against the Lord’s marching orders?  As the book of Jonah later indicates in the fourth chapter, he seemed to take issue with the very real possibility of God showing any compassion whatsoever to the Ninevites.  They were, after all, Gentiles, and they had quite a wicked reputation.  Jonah may then have been quite intimidated by the prospect of having to openly rebuke such widespread wickedness, the same way we don’t get too excited today about vocally calling out any number of sins that have become so commonly accepted and prevalent in our day and age.  Such rebukes are rarely appreciated, and are often met with open hostility.  Jonah likely wasn’t too excited about being a punching bag in that respect.  Whatever the reason, he dropped the ball on following God obediently.

And that’s about when we look at Jonah and realize we see a lot of similarities between his childish behavior and our own at times.  God expresses his will for us – he gives us the script in his Word – and rather than reading our lines and playing the part we’re supposed to, we improvise and think the scene will play out better if we take it in a different direction.  The Lord says to trust in him above all things at all times no matter what the circumstances, and we take that to apply only so long as there is plenty of food in the fridge, money in the bank, and security in the workplace.  But the second any of those start running dangerously low, trust in God is thrown out the window, we go into panic mode, and assume this must mean it’s time to take matters into our own hands.  In such cases, do you see yourself running from God in the other direction, just like Jonah did?

God encourages us to love and serve one another, especially believers, and to assume the best of others, always taking their words and actions in the kindest possible way.  But we narrow that down so that the call to love and serve refers only to those who share the same views on things that I do, or only those who are kind to me in return, or only those who are deserving of my loving service as I determine.  Rather than putting self second and others first in every situation, we pick and choose when and if our need for loving service applies.  When that happens, do we see ourselves running from God in the other direction, just like Jonah did?

Don’t worry if you don’t initially recognize it, because if you don’t, God has a way of getting our attention and helping us recognize it, just like he did with Jonah.  Jonah did end up finding a ship and setting sail as he continued in his endeavor to thwart the Lord’s plans.  He didn’t get very far, as the account tells us: “Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up” (Jonah 1:4).  How do we know this got Jonah’s attention?  He indicated as much to the other sailors.  “‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea,’ he replied, ‘and it will become calm.  I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you’” (1:12).  

And then… it happened.  The part of the story that put Jonah on the map.  “But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights” (1:17).  Though the “great fish” is usually the first thing we think of when we hear the name “Jonah,” let us not be awestruck so much by a man being swallowed by a fish as we are by a man being rescued by grace.

What Jonah deserved for running from God in sin was to sink lifelessly to the bottom of the sea.  What he deserved was to have the Lord turn his back on him, just as he had done to the Lord.  But God didn’t.  Instead he graciously chose to rescue Jonah and spare his life.  Then he graciously chose to come to Jonah a second time and give him another opportunity to be a part of his grace in action by going to the Ninevites.  Finally, even after the Lord brought the Ninevites to repentance and Jonah expressed his extreme frustration and displeasure – even then God didn’t give up on Jonah, but used a vine and a worm as object lessons to  demonstrate that he is in the soul-saving business, and that means extending his grace to whomever he wants, whenever he wants to, regardless of what Jonah or anyone else wants.

We, like Jonah, are so stubborn by nature.  But the Lord is persistent, isn’t he?  He is so persistent in wanting to dole out his grace and forgiveness in the richest measures, even when we do all we can to sidetrack him.  He so wants his grace and forgiveness to be known in our lives and the lives of others.  We run the other direction, but he has already anticipated it and lovingly chases us down with his grace.  He wants us to recognize and acknowledge when we are running the other direction in sin, only so that he can appropriate the proper means of his grace in order to restore our guilty and regretful hearts.

The Lord encourages us to let his Word dwell in us richly for the very purpose of showing us how persistent he is in blanketing us with his grace.  “Give my Word proper place in your home,” he tells us, not to make us feel guilty when we don’t, but to showcase his grace in Christ all the more when we do.  “Don’t give up meeting together on Sunday mornings,” he reminds us, so that we can read and study and grow in that grace collectively with fellow believers.  “Don’t forget your baptism,” he reminds us, so that we recall that the garment of grace and Christ’s righteousness that he adorned us with then is still draped around our shoulders today.  “Take and eat; take and drink,” he invites us, so that Jesus’ body and blood, in, with, and under the bread and wine, might tangibly assure us that peace has been restored and that each and every time we’ve ever run from God, his grace has left no record of it.  It has been forgiven and forgotten.  God’s persistent grace and his unlimited forgiveness far outlast our sinful stubbornness.

And isn’t that what this account is really all about?  So many want to make Jonah primarily into an example of what happens when we disobey the Lord.  His story is used by many Christians to moralize and encourage obedience by showing what happens when we ignore God and try to do things our way.  Learning the lesson that it’s necessary to obey God certainly has its place, but this whole account has much less to do with learning from Jonah’s disobedience, and much more to do with being knocked off our feet by God’s persistent grace – grace that he patiently showed Jonah repeatedly, but just as much the grace that he ultimately was so determined to show to the people of Ninevah.  Really, Jonah was simply the subplot.  The main storyline was God wanting to show how gracious he was by extending his grace to the likes of wicked Ninevah. 

The season of Epiphany is about God revealing his salvation to the world, including Gentiles like the Ninevites and Gentiles like you and me.  Though we may remain stubborn sinners until the day we die, our gracious God will remain persistent, doing whatever it takes – even sending storms at sea or swallowing sailors with huge fish – to see that his persistent grace wins out. Amen.