“The Parable of the Fig Tree” (Luke 13:6-9)

Luke 13:6-9

 

Pastor Tom Johnson, February 28, 2016

A man had a fig tree planted on his fruit farm. One day he visited his property to see if he could get some fruit from his tree. He walked around the tree looking at each branch. There was not even one fig to be found. And so the man went to the gardener and said, “Look. I have been searching for fruit from the fig three for three years. I have never found even one fig. It’s time to take an ax to that tree. All it does is take up precious space and nutrients in the soil.” But the tree has an advocate in the gardener. The gardener has not lost faith in his tree. “Sir,” says the gardener to the owner of the fruit farm, “leave it alone. Give it one more year. Let me dig around it and fertilize it with manure. If by this time next year it bears fruit, fantastic. If not, by all means cut it down.” Both the owner of the fruit farm and the gardener who cares for it want the same thing. They want figs to grow on that pesky tree. The owner wants to create a sense of urgency. The gardener takes on that urgency upon himself. He will double his efforts to give that tree all the resources it needs to do what it was planted to do—to bear fruit.

The people of God are like a tree planted . The nation of Israel was planted where it was to bring beauty, glory to God, and fruit for the world. They were supposed to be a blessing to all the families of the earth—like a tree planted in the garden of this world to nourish all peoples. But each generation of trees failed to deliver. One king would rise up only to fail God in some way. A prophet would call king and country back to their purpose and mission—to be healthy, to be an example, and to bless their neighbors near and far.

And so it is for Jesus, whose ministry began three years ago. He is the Gardener sent into the Father’s vineyard to help do what the fruit farm is supposed to do—bear fruit. He plants, waters, prunes, digs, and fertilizes. He heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute, forgiveness to the sinner, understanding to the simple, and humility to those who consider themselves wise. He baptizes the tree with water and the Holy Spirit. He fertilizes the soil with his own sweat and blood.

But the Word of God is severe. After three years of earthly ministry, there is still no fruit to be found on the branches of the lives of God’s people. The Law of the Lord has spoken; it’s now time to cut the tree down. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). The lack of good works is harmful to self and others. The transgressions not only pollute our lives but God’s garden. It brings dishonor to God and is a failure to do what we have been planted here to do. “Cut it down. For the wages of sin is death…”

“...but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The tree has an advocate with the Gardener. The gardener stands in the fray. He is the voice of hope, faith, and reconciliation. “Leave it alone. Give it one more year. Let me dig around it and fertilize it with
manure.” One commentator reminds us, “Give thanks for the manure!” The Gardener is the God of second chances. Well, in this case second, third, and now fourth chances. He takes the fruitlessness upon his own shoulders. He owns the failure of the tree. He alone bears the burden of the tree’s sin. He will invest his own sweat equity into this barren tree. He will sow labor and time into this fig-less creature. He will fertilize the soil. He will give his very best—he will give himself. The Gardener has not lost his vision and promise for fruit. He still has faith in his tree to do what it is engineered to do—to produce sweet, filling, and nutritious figs. The Owner and the Gardener—the Father and the Son want the same thing: fruit.

Gardener Jesus will go to the tree again and again. He believes in the potential for its growth. He will continue to Baptize with water and the Holy Spirit. He will speak well of the tree and her potential. He will sow his own sweat into the soil. Gardener Jesus will enrich the soil by his strength and wisdom. We, the tree of the church, are very blessed indeed to have such a devoted Advocate in this Gardener. He is the one who puts himself between us and the threatening axe. He continues to nurture the soil so that we may drink in the sap of the living waters. So zealous is he for the fruit of this tree, the Gardener will go to the tree one final time this season. This time he will not offer his sweat, water, pruning shear, or fertilizer. This time he offers the tree his own Body and Blood. He will give himself as fruit for the nations. And he will bring the best out of us. He will ensure that we bear fruit by his wisdom and strength. He will bring delight and glory to the Father. And the world, which is starving for this gracious fruit, will be satisfied and enriched forever.

Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring;
Simply to Thy cross I cling.
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.    
     (Rock of Ages, vv. 2,3 LSB 761)

“Jesus' Tenacity” (Luke 13:32,33)

Luke 13:31-35

 

Pastor Tom Johnson, February 21, 2016

Luke’s Gospel alone gives us the added detail of Jesus’ last days. Herod wants to kill Jesus. Jesus says to his concerned disciples, “Go and tell that fox Herod, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way.’” “Herod,” Jesus says, “I know you want my head like my cousin John the Baptist. I get it. But know that I set my own schedule. I’m on my heavenly Father’s watch. I know my time is short: today, tomorrow, and the next day is all I have. I will busy myself with what I have been called to do. I will continue to do what I have been doing since the beginning of my ministry. I will deliver people from their demons. I will heal people mind, body, and soul.” “In three days,” Jesus says, “my work will be done. I will cry out ‘It is finished!’ My goal will be reached. My objective will be complete. Your death threats and discouragement will not keep me from my heavenly mission.”

What would you do if you knew you only had three days to live? What if the countdown timer was set for 72 hours and that is all you had left. It now says 71 hours, 59 minutes, and the seconds move by relentlessly. I suspect that it would cause us to reflect. What do I value the most? Whom do I value the most? How would I spend my time? Would I quit my job or just say I was taking three successive personal days? What would I want to accomplish? Which goals would I set? How would I live differently? How would my attitude change? How would it impact the words I choose to speak toward others? What would my family and friends say about those last days in my life? Were those last 72 hours very different? If so, why? Would you say, “Why polish brass on a sinking ship?” or “Let us eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die!” We might be tempted to throw caution to the wind and live as if there are no consequences. We may try to cram in every pleasure and self-centered activity before time runs out.

But that is not the course of Jesus. That is not the way of the cross. When met with discouragement and death threats, Jesus sets his face like flint toward Jerusalem. When challenged to make the most of his time because his time is short, Jesus returns to his core values. His core values are doing good and preaching good news. He does not alter his course. He does not restructure his schedule. He continues to do what he came to do: to deliver us from our demons; to heal our minds, bodies, and souls; and to embrace the way to the Cross. He does not retreat or get sidetracked. Jesus leans into the resistance and moves forward. Jesus presses forward toward his upward calling and mission. He stands firm in his vision to bring us deliverance from death, evil, and sin—no matter the obstacle sent his way—no matter the threat of imminent death—no matter the doubts and unbelief thrown his way. This is core belief—to immediately impact the lives of those around him in a positive and loving way. This is at the center of Jesus’ mind, heart, and strength—to seek and to save those who are lost and give them an eternal home with him. This is true grit. This is persistence at its best—the tenacity of Jesus that brings about our forgiveness, life, and salvation. It’s the way of the cross. It’s Jesus’ via dolorosa—the painful way that he must go but soon will be behind him. Jesus is the hen of heaven whose wings spread wide enough to shield the whole world from harm and danger. You will not be able to stop this holy Mother from protecting her young. Jesus is our tiger mom who will bring us safely home. These next three days for Jesus will not go wasted. It is his love for sinners that drives Jesus dutifully and willingly to the Cross. It is his joy for redeeming fallen creation that propels him through the next three days to his death and resurrection for the life of the world.

What would you do if you knew you only had three days to live? Jesus’ example paves the way. His footsteps ahead lighten our paths. He is our forerunner. He calls us to take up our cross and follow him. Just as Jesus pressed forward in faith that our lives would be transformed for the better, so we press forward in faith trusting that he will make all things new. Just as Jesus would not let any obstacles impede his way, so we move ahead knowing that he who dwells within us is greater than he who is in the world.

Here we find our core belief. We define our values. We press on toward the upward call of knowing Jesus Christ our Savior. We do good. We facilitate healing. We compassionately deal with each other’s demons. We speak Good News. We rediscover our vocation—our calling to love God and neighbor. We use our unique gifts to serve one another. We utilize our strengths to build one another up. We fulfill our mission to be the Church—to spread our wings widely, to gather lovingly, to hold on tenaciously. And by his strength—by the love and tenacity of Jesus, we press forward.

Lord, Thee I love with all my heart;
I pray Thee, ne'er from me depart,
With tender mercy cheer me.
Earth has no pleasure I would share,
Yea, heav'n itself were void and bare
If Thou, Lord, were not near me.
And should my heart for sorrow break,
My trust in Thee no one could shake.
Thou art the portion I have sought;
Thy precious blood my soul has bought.
Lord Jesus Christ,
My God and Lord, my God and Lord,
Forsake me not! I trust Thy Word.
    (from Hymn "Lord, Thee I love with all my heart," LSB 708 v.1)

"It is written" (Luke 4:1-13)

Luke 4:1-13


Pastor Tom Johnson, February 13, 2016

Jesus directly goes from baptism in water and the Holy Spirit into a baptism of temptation and the devil. Devil means “slanderer,” “adversary,” or “accuser.” The adversary wants to increase sin in our life. He uses lies and deception to lure us into destructive behavior. The voice of the adversary promotes fabrications to keep us in bondage to sin. In this case, his target is on Jesus, the Word made flesh. He wants to derail Jesus’ mission. The accuser asks the eternal Son of God to bow down and worship the devil who is a mere creature. He tries to tear the Holy Trinity apart—Father, Son, and Spirit—in order to prevent the world’s redemption. The slanderer knows the Bible. But he perverts and twists the Scriptures in subtle ways. His misleading question in the Garden of Eden is “Did God actually say?” The adversary quotes Scripture, but he does so deceptively and out of context.

I believe it is critical to remember that, on his own, Jesus would never have been tempted. God the Father does not tempt anyone. Jesus has no inner voice to beat himself down. His conscience is clear of guilt, regret, and low self-esteem. It is the adversary who alone supplies this negative voice to Jesus. This confrontation is a reminder that there is palpable evil in the world. Peter says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

But unlike Jesus, we are mere creatures. We are broken and sinful people. And as humans, we hardly need the devil’s help. We are hard enough on ourselves. We are prone enough on our own to stumble into destructive thoughts and behaviors. We are helpless and without the strength to break the bonds of sin that hold us captive.

Other people can be the adversarial voice that beats us down. This is the voice that does not build up but accuses and tears us down.  You and I can be the messengers of the adversary when we violate the eighth commandment: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” “We should fear and love God,” Martin Luther says, “So that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.”

This is why Scripture calls on believers to speak about our Adversary, the Devil, soberly and with humility. We are sinners. We dare not try to win these battles by our own strength. Apart from the shield of Christ’s protection we are no match to him. In the letter of Jude, he warns, “But when the archangel Michael, contended with the devil...he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you’” (Jude 9). Even the highest-ranking angel of God—the archangel Michael does not try to take on Satan himself but relies on the Lord’s strength. Who are we but mere flesh and blood to think that we can outsmart or contend with the powers and principalities—theses forces that battle against our souls from outside and within? Even the Lord Jesus himself does not lock horns with Satan or play according to his rules. He disengages from the game. He refuses to take the bait. His way out is through the objective truth found in the Bible. There is no doubt that Jesus could have prevented the whole temptation from even happening. He could have silenced and destroyed Satan with a breath from his mouth. But Jesus allows his temptation for our sake. And he uses the same arsenal that we have at our disposal to defeat our enemy. That weapon is the Word of God.

Three times Jesus says, “It is written,” “It is written,” “It is said [in Scripture].” This is what it means to be “led by the Holy Spirit” as Jesus is—to have the Word of God in our hearts and on our lips. It is why it is so important to be students of the Bible. Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness forty days. The Spirit and the Word of God are inseparable. The Word is the sword of the Spirit. The Word preserves and protects our Lord against the temptations of the enemy. How much more so will the Word of God carry us through the desert?

How much more will Scripture preserve us through the oppressive heat, thirst, and hunger of the wilderness of this world and the cunning attacks of the adversarial voice? If the Bible is useful to Jesus, then how much more so to us? We too are led by the Holy Spirit into wilderness. Like Jesus, we are still walking forward as the baptized. “I am a child of God,” we say. God has not created junk. You and I are fearfully and wonderfully made in the wombs of our mothers. We are not tainted goods but fearfully and wonderfully re-made in our baptism. You and I are forgiven. Our future is secure. The Word of God calls us to look outside ourselves to God. In the Scriptures, we find objective truth—no matter how we feel. It is the way out of trouble. Again and again God calls us to enter this mighty fortress of his kingdom through the Word. Jesus quotes this beautiful Scripture: “One does not live by bread alone but every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut 8:3). The Word of God is the bread of heaven that fills us, sustains us, and nourishes us. The Word made flesh is all we need to carry us through the wilderness of this world to our eternal home.

Through devils all the world should fill,    
All eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill;  
They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still    
Scoul fierce as he will,
He can harm us none,  
He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.

“His face shone” (Exodus 34:29-35)

Exodus 34:29-35

 

Pastor Tom Johnson, February 7, 2016

At the beginning of Israel becoming a nation, they had just been delivered from their captivity in Egypt. Their lives as slaves lasted for over 400 years. They are now a free people. They now have an opportunity to define themselves as a nation and a people. And Moses is hard at work serving God’s people. His first priority is beautifully expressed in our Scripture with the words “talking with God.” Moses talked with God. They had a constant flow of communication. God spoke to Moses. And Moses spoke back. When God speaks, we call it his Word. When Moses speaks, we call it prayer. This is a Christian discipline: to listen to God’s Word and to speak back to him in prayer. It is a honor. As the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” says, “What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” Moses has a friend in God. It is not a chore or a disruption in his life. It is a joy and a privilege.

When Moses comes down the mountain to God’s people, he is met by surprise. People are frightened when they see him. They scatter and run away when Moses approaches. Moses and the Israelites are both surprised. “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone,” our text says. Moses isn’t aware that his face is beaming. And those who see his face do not know what to make of it. It is so strange and unexpected that it fills people with fear. I want us to reflect on that for a moment: “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone.” You’ll recall when Jesus tells us to be his ambassadors in his sermon on the mount: he says, “when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matt 6:3). “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone.” You’ll remember how Jesus describes genuine and authentic Christian living. He describes the faithful saying, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” (Matt 25:37-39). Moses does not know his face shines. Moses does not realize that he is radiating the light of God. Moses is not aware that he is more than just a messenger and a courier of God’s Word. He is a conduit of his glory.  He reflects the light of Christ. He radiates the brilliance of God. But Moses does not yet know the impact he will have on a nation by his talking with God. He will soon discover that his relationship with God will fill his cup of blessing to overflowing and will spill out into countless lives around him.

When we invest time in prayer and conversation with God…when we carve out our schedule to include reading and listening to God’s Word…when we enter into relationship with our Creator, God will kindle the fire of the Holy Spirit within us. As God the Father says in Jesus’ transfiguration: “Listen to him.” “Your word” the Psalmist says, “is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps 119:105). That is to say, we follow Moses’ and Elijah’s lead. We follow Jesus’ lead. We follow the disciples Peter, James, and John’s lead. In Christ, we have our own personal transfiguration.
It begins by becoming a student of God’s Word. We answer God’s call to listen to his Son. It continues by receiving his gifts. It matures when we make our relationship with God a priority. Here is the catch--and a lovely catch at that. You will shock the world. You will blindside your coworkers. You will confound your own family. People will wonder what is going on with you. “Who is this person who is transfiguring before my eyes over the last weeks, months, and years?” they will ask to themselves. This is not the same Moses that comes down from the mountain that went up days ago! This is not the same Peter, James, and John that went up to the mountain with Jesus hours ago. Something big happened. There has been a life-transformation.

Do you know that your face shines? Do you realize that you radiate the light of God? You and I are not just messengers or couriers; we are the embodiment of the Word himself. We, too, are the conduits of his glory. We reflect the light of Christ. One thing I appreciate about our new Director of Family Ministry and Outreach is her faith in you. She wants to encourage you to see how you can be the light of Christ right where you are at home, among friends, in your workplace, and in the communities we already are developing connections with. Every week we are sent out from this holy mountain with the light of God’s grace. We are reminded that the light of Christ has dawned upon us. God sends us out into the world with his blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.” We encounter the radiance of Christ’s glory in his Word. We bask in this Son-light. We receive him into our mouths with the bread and the wine. And we go out into the world with the light of his grace upon us.

O wondrous type! O vision fair
Of glory that the Church may share,
Which Christ upon the mountain shows,
Where brighter than the sun He glows.  ("O wondrous type! O vision fair, LSB 413 v. 1)

“Public Disturbance” (Luke 4:21-30)

Luke 4:21-30


Pastor Tom Johnson, January 31, 2016

In 1967, researchers describe an experiment they did with monkeys. They wanted to learn about their behavior. They put five monkeys in a cage with a banana on top of a ladder. And they turned on the water hose. One of the five monkeys started up the ladder. But all five were hosed down with ice-cold water. Another monkey started up the ladder. Some of the monkeys cried out knowing what was going to happen. All five monkeys were hosed down. After a while, the other monkeys would cry out and attack anyone that tried to climb the ladder. Then researchers turned off the water hose.

Researches then took one monkey out of the cage and put a new one in its place—one that did not see what happened before. The new monkey saw the banana and started up the ladder. And, to its horror, the other monkeys attacked him. The new monkey tried one more time and finally gave up the idea of going for the banana. He did not want another beating. They took another monkey out from the original group and put in another new monkey. And like before, the new monkey saw the banana and started up the ladder. And, to its horror, the other monkeys attacked him. What is really interesting is what the first new monkey who never was sprayed with the water hose did: he participated in the assault with as much enthusiasm as the monkeys from the original experiment. This even though he never was sprayed. Researchers repeated this until the original group was completely cycled out. Eventually, there was none left who had experienced being sprayed with ice-cold water. And yet, when a new monkey was introduced and went for the banana, they still continued to attack.

One researcher said, “People sometimes do the same in the workplace. How many times have you heard ‘It has always been done this way. Don't mess with what works.’ Like the monkeys, we often do not challenge assumptions and simply keep doing what has been done before without thinking,” the researcher said. Monkey see monkey do.

This may help us understand how a mob would form so quickly in Jesus’ hometown. How could they become so violent so quickly? Some experienced violence from neighboring nations such as Sidon, Syria, and now Rome. These foreign people brought terror and horrific suffering to God’s people in Israel. Those that did not experience it still had the trauma passed down to them. Now Jesus challenges their assumptions. He wants to broaden their vision and expand their worldview. But first, he needs to challenge a lie. The lie is that the good news is only for them—the lie that the hope, healing, deliverance from oppression, and forgiveness is only for one group—people like himself—from Jesus’ hometown.

We may have not been hosed down with ice-cold water. We may have not experienced direct loss or suffered violence from a certain people. But the fear and rage is still there. It’s passed from person to person, generation to generation. Jesus wants to break this cycle of violence. He reminds them of two stories. The first is the prophet Elijah who leaves the nation of Israel during a famine and saves his own life and the life of the widow of Sidon and her son. The second is the prophet Elisha who heals Naaman, a war general of the Syrian army who conquered them. The widow of Sidon and the war general from Syria give us a huge range of humanity—from the powerless to the powerful, from the marginalized to the invader, from the poor to the proud, and from the hopeless to the oppressor. Jesus may sound unpatriotic—even treasonous. He suggest that God’s love is as much for the heathen as it is for those of Jewish ancestry. It sounds heretical to say that God reaches out to unbelievers and outsiders with more grandeur than with his own. We want a savior who champions our causes. We want God who is for us not for them—whomever they may be. We want God to be on our side. But he isn’t just on our side. He is not just for us. His promise is for all people.

Jesus message is that God’s grace has no limits. His love has no bounds. God’s plan includes everyone no matter their gender, ethnicity, geography, or language. Jesus challenges us to expand our allegiance and serve the greater Kingdom of God. Jesus calls us to look beyond our hometown. This is not a mission to Nazareth but a mission to the entire world. Jesus comes for us all. No one is off his radar. No one will fall in between the cracks. No one will be excluded from his call of love. No one is too marginalized. No one is in too great a position of power. The good news is for everyone no matter who we are. In fact, Jesus himself will later tell us that he does not come for those who think of themselves as righteous but for the unrighteous and sinner. There is a miracle in this story of Jesus and the deadly mob from his hometown. Our Scripture says that Jesus “passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” Jesus passed through the mob of death. He passed through death to bring hope, healing, liberty, forgiveness, and the assurance of love. He passes through death to bring good news to all nations. He will pass through death again when the mobs will cry “Crucify! Crucify him!” He will pass through death again when he is on the cross and the mobs make fun of him and mock him.
He will pass through death again when they lay his Body in the freshly rock-hewn tomb. He will pass through death again when he rises from the dead. And from there he transforms our mobs, peoples, tribes, and nations into one people of God. And Jesus creates a public disturbance so that we all pass through death to life.