“Unimaginable Jesus” John 6:1-21

John 6:1-21

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 29, 2018

Today, Jesus heals the sick, feeds a large crowd with just a few loaves and fish, avoids being forcibly made king, and walks on water. All in a day’s work! Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all include the account of Jesus feeding the large crowd. What makes John’s version unique is his development of Jesus’ character. He wants us to get to know this Jesus who continually evades being pinned down or reduced to a manageable formula. In other words, our Scripture wants us not to just learn about Jesus—but realize the tremendous impact knowing him will have on our lives. He is not just a miracle worker, rightful king, and defier of the laws of physics. He is God himself in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth.

First, Jesus gathers a large crowd because of all the healings they witnessed and heard about that day. Then Jesus asks Phillip where they are going to find the nearest grocery store to feed the large crowd. Yes, I believe this is another example of Jesus’ sense of humor. He is preparing his disciples for what he was going to do next, John tells us. When Andrew points out the five loaves and two fish the boy had, Jesus says “That’s enough. Supper is ready.” Somehow as they were passing the food around, the bread and the fish were enough. What seemed small and insignificant is sufficient to feed a large crowd. Because of that miracle, the crowd believes Jesus to be a prophet and king. They try to take him by force to make him king. And somehow Jesus escapes back up into the mountain alone. The disciples decide to cross the Sea of Galilee without Jesus. During a storm, they see Jesus walking on the water. Once they get over their fear and realize it is Jesus, they let him in the boat. And somehow, even though they are in the middle of the sea, as soon as Jesus enters the boat, the boat hits the other side of the shore. It was like a time warp or worm hole Jesus took them through to the other side. One moment they are in the middle of a storm, the next they are safely ashore.

The thread that ties all Jesus’ miracles together is the Jesus who refuses to be put in a box. He will not let people so easily reduce him into something much less significant than who he truly is. Think about the question Christians often ask: “What would Jesus do?” After hearing the reading today, we should say, “How could I possibly predict what Jesus would do?” John introduces us to the Jesus that “surpasses knowledge” who is powerfully “at work within us [and] is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” John wants us to learn the lesson of the large crowd and the disciples that day.

First lesson, do not underestimate what God can do with so few resources. It is not about our talent, riches, bread, or fish. It is about the Lord who will provide. God used what few resources the boy had. God loves to use us when we are his humble children. He loves to do great things through our little resources.

Second lesson, do not politicize Jesus. The crowd tried to forcibly make Jesus an earthly king—the king of Israel. We do not do God any favors when we make Jesus into our own political image—when we make him out to be a socialist, a libertarian, a republican, or a democrat. His reign has no boundaries. His dominion cannot be reduced to just one little corner of this vast universe let alone somewhere on the political spectrum. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Third lesson, Jesus is not just another passenger during life’s storms. He will take us safely to the other side. He is the goal and destination—to know him, to trust and love him above all things.

Jesus will feed a large crowd again with what appears to be a small resource—his own Body and Blood. He will take a loaf of bread and say, “Take, eat; this is my Body, which is given for you.” He will take a cup and say, “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the New Testament in my Blood.” He will not just satisfy a large crowd with this meal, but generations and nations of hungry souls needing the forgiveness of their sins.

The crowds will try take Jesus by force again. But this time, they will arrest him, mock him as king because he does not fit into their small-minded and darkened understanding. But in his royal death and resurrection, he will confirm his reign as King of the Universe. And his reign will accomplish far more than all we can ask or imagine. Because he is unimaginable this Jesus. To him be all glory indeed.

"Jesus, King of the Jews," Dirck van Baburen (circa 1594-1624)

“A plumb line” (Amos 7:7-15)

Amos 7:7-15

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 15, 2018

Amos is an unusual prophet. He was a shepherd of sheep and also grew figs presumably from his grove of fig trees. God called this humble farmer to be a prophet. He is the one who called God’s people and leaders to “Let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an everlasting stream” (5:24). But what is justice anyway? Isn’t it relative? And how do we measure righteousness? In our text, God gives Amos a clear vision of how he calls us to account for our actions good or bad.

The Lord stands next to a wall with a plumb line in his hand. A plumb line is a string with a weight on the end of it. Gravity pulls the weight down. The string tightens and creates a straight line. The line is not only straight, it is pointing directly up and down. There is no tilt or curve to that line. Masons in Egypt and throughout the ancient world used these plumb lines to build magnificent structures that have stayed upright for thousands of years. The stones are put upon another to ensure it’s tilt does lead to its demise. God is holding a plumb line up against various structures in Israel: temples that housed idols, the temple in Jerusalem and synagogues, and King Jeroboam’s palace.

And what did the plumb line reveal? All their buildings had crooked walls. None of them are structurally sound. They are all doomed to eventually crumble and fall. Of course, the buildings are just buildings. The real crookedness are the hearts of God’s people. There are three areas that these buildings represent: greed, idolatry, and exploitation of the poor. They were not worshiping God. They worshiped wealth, false gods, and were not fair or kind to the poor. That vertical line to God is the standard: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods.” They were called to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. This is the great commandment: to love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength (Deut 6:5). This means to put our relationship with God as our first priority. God’s people were not doing that. The second commandment is just like it: to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev 19:18). Instead they cheated people, were overcome by corruption, and treated the poor with contempt. And the corruption went all the way to the top—even to King Jeroboam’s administration.

But as we see in our Scripture this morning. Those who misuse and abuse their power do not want to be called to account. King Jeroboam and his puppet prophet Amaziah tell Amos to exile himself and take his unpopular message with him. King Herod arrests John the Baptist because calls him out on his immoral behavior. Herod beheads John because he is too much of a coward to stand up to his own family before his dinner guests. Getting angry at prophets for their message does not make any sense. It is just as irrational for us to get angry at a plumb line for revealing our crooked walls. Or getting furious at a scale because we do not like how much it says we weigh. Or breaking a ruler over our knee because we do not like how tall it says we are. It is no fun realizing that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory and righteousness of God. We already confessed together in the service that we are sinful and unclean. We have sinned by our thoughts, words, and deeds. By what we have done and what we have left undone.

We have not loved God with our whole hearts or loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not measured up. Our whole being has not met the standard of God’s righteousness. That is what sin is—to miss the mark—the perfect and holy standard of godly and righteous lives. We cannot get angry at the plumb line. The plumb line is the Word of God. It is what calls us to account and calls us to fulfill God’s perfect law. We do not measure up as individuals, as a congregation, as a church body, and as a nation. We only have ourselves to blame.

Later in the book of Amos, God promises to raise the house of David up again (9:11), restore the land to God’s people, and make them a righteous people. The house of David will have straight walls because of God’s promise to send his Messiah, the son of David—who we know to be Jesus Christ. He is the plumb line. He will reveal God’s perfect righteousness through his life, teaching, healing, and kindness to the poor, outcast, and sinners. Jesus is the standard for how our lives should be. He does not just command us, he shows us the way—he who is the way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus also spoke truth to power. He confronted the sins of individuals and of the nation. Jesus and his family knew what being victims of authority who abused their power. They went into exile when he was a young child with his family and was a refugee in Egypt. Jesus also was arrested and killed upon a Roman cross. And it is through that strait beam of wood vertically pointing to heaven reminding us of our sins against God; and the other beam horizontally pointing to ourselves reminding us of our sins against one another. It is through the plumb line of the Cross that all our sins were paid for in full. He measures up for us.

“God’s power in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:2-10)

2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 8, 2018

If you have a red letter edition of the Bible, Jesus’ words are in red. The Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are covered with red letters. But once you get to the rest of the New Testament, they become rare. This is one of the few instances that Jesus speaks directly to Paul. And it is believable. Because, Paul does not get the answer to his prayer that he wants. He gets the answer to his prayer he needs. He prays for whatever the thorn in his flesh is to be removed three times. Jesus’ “no” is through a powerful proverb: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul probably does not explain what the thorn in his flesh is for a very good reason. Is it his eyesight? Chronic pain? Is it a person or a group that is viciously attacking him? He wants us to think about what it is that is plaguing us. What happens when we face setbacks and discouragement? What is that thorn—that annoying splinter lodged just beneath the surface of our skin. We are so close to getting it out. We have so patiently worked at it for hours. It stubbornly will not come out. We have prayed one, two, three, four...or hundreds of times. Is it a physical condition? Is it a person who will not stop criticizing and attacking? Is it a change within our own soul and spirit that we are desperate for? Has it driven us to despair? Do we ask “Why me?” Just as Jesus prayed on the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” This is a deep and dark place to be. Thank God we have a Savior who knows that place. Do we think God is punishing us? What did I do to deserve this? Are the sins of our youth haunting us? We may feel that our troubles are evidence that God is not with me but absent.

That is what I love about Paul’s vulnerability here and his authenticity. He is saying that he had some huge setback, struggle, and doubt even as an Apostle. He shares with us how God answers prayer but not how we always want him to. “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” This parallels our Gospel reading. It is how Jesus sends out his disciples. They go out empty. They go out with empty stomachs, empty bags, and empty pockets. Jesus sends them out trusting not in their own resources but in God who provides their every need. They see God’s grace and power manifested in their weakness. This is the same Jesus who began his ministry with the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:3). When we discover the poverty of our own resources—when we figure out that we cannot live life by our own strength, we have just begun to open ourselves up to God’s power.

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker during World War II who saw Jewish refugees arrested and taken to concentration camps. She saw the most evil and darkest side of humanity. She did not understand why God would allow such horrific things to happen. In her book, Hiding Place, she tells her story of confronting demons from within and without. The Nazis around her were a constant threat. And her own personal journey was fraught with doubt about her own personal faith in Christ. She is one of my heroes because in her powerlessness she found a way to hide many Jews in her home and community. Many lives were saved through the power of God carried out through this faithful Christian woman. Corrie said, “You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.” “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.” Jesus says, “God’s grace is sufficient for us, for his power is made perfect in our weakness.”

It is sometimes in the darkness of our lives where the light of Christ shines most brightly. God is there. He is there to guide, sustain, forgive, and strengthen us. He says to us, “My intervention is enough to give you the strength you need. I was born for you, lived for you, died for you, and rose from the dead for you. It is in your helplessness that you will find divine strength. It is in your vulnerability that you will find God’s power. There is no shame in your powerlessness. I know what it is to be tried and tested by all things. It is there in your spiritual poverty that God’s rich grace and power will be most clearly displayed.” And so, you and I can find contentment even in the midst of life’s most difficult challenges because of Jesus Christ—the one who humbled himself by taking upon himself our troubles and our sins to bring us the assurance of forgiveness. And who rose from the dead to guarantee eternal life. Just as we discover the power of God through Jesus’ humility and what appeared to be weakness on the Cross, so we discover the power of God in our lives through humility and our not just apparent—but actual weakness and spiritual poverty. Because in our weakness we discover God’s strength.

“Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:21-43)

Mark 5:21-43

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 1, 2018

Clearly our Gospel reading contains two stories with one thread of truth. You have the healing of Jairus’ daughter interrupted by the healing of the woman with the hemorrhages. Jairus first begs Jesus repeatedly to come and heal his daughter. There is an intense urgency. Jesus must come at once. And he does. But then Jesus senses the secret battle of a woman who touches his clothes and is healed. It’s not clear if the delay caused Jesus to miss the window of time that Jairus’ daughter was still alive or not. But now the news that she is dead comes. And Jairus is told not to bother the teacher Jesus anymore. But Jesus defies this tragic news with words of hope, “Do not fear only believe.”

Last week, I was talking about this text with long-time member Jane Meyer. She said that I could absolutely share with you her insight that these words of Scripture are to encourage us in our prayer life. Jesus wants to strengthen our trust in him. In Jane’s words, “My prayers are never a bother. God can multitask.” This is a story of two people knocking at the same door at the same time. This morning we are well over 100 people knocking at the same time. We have a long list of people in our bulletin of those who have requested our prayers. Just down the street in both directions, we have faithful Christians in different churches knocking at the same door. People are in their homes. The faithful are in the hospital. God’s people are praying in English, Romanian, Greek, Spanish, German, Swahili, Chinese, Russian, and Haitian Creole—just in Chicago! Imagine how much more chaos and confusion we would feel if we were all gathered in Grant Park to repeatedly beg and tug on Jesus’ clothing at once. And yet, that is what we are doing every time we pray. And Jesus does not stress out. He can multitask.

Are we bold to pray like Jairus? Or are we too afraid to repeatedly beg to God to answer our prayers? Do we think we are pestering God? Does he understand our sense of urgency? Does his delay in answering our prayers cause us to lose hope? Are we bold to pray like the woman with the hemorrhage? Or are we still paralyzed by shame and secret struggle? Do we think we are invisible? Do we feel like God is unattainable? Or that he is too busy with other more important matters? Jesus says, “Do not fear, only believe.” He says it to Jairus and in the hearing of the woman with the hemorrhage. He says so that Peter, James, and John can hear. He tells the whole crowd not to let fear hold us back but to trust in Jesus. As the hymn writer says, “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!” (LSB 770). It is not just bad theology. It is unbelief to think that God cannot hear 7.6 billion people pray at the same time...and for God to understand prayer in 6,500 different spoken languages. We are not taking a load off God’s back by withholding our prayers. We are paralyzing ourselves by unbelief.

God shares our sense of urgency. Jesus came from heaven to earth—the eternal Son of God took on flesh, time, and space. He lived his few years under the same laws of physics. But he was never bound by them like you and me. As one preacher's grandmother wisely put it, “God may not show up when we want him to but he is always on time.” Or as the Scriptures say, “God is not slow in keeping his promises as some count slowness, but is patient toward you” (2 Pet 3:9a). Jesus is not constrained by our schedules but he understands that you and I are. And our understanding is limited. We cannot step outside the universe and look in to gain perspective; but God can. God does not want us to fear, despair, or to lose hope. He wants us to trust in him who sustains the universe by the Word of his power (Heb 1:3b). As Scripture says, “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7).

Healing of bleeding woman. --Catacombs of Rome

So go ahead and repeatedly beg. Cry out in your urgency. Quietly sneak your prayers past the throng of people clamoring for Jesus’ attention. Pray boldly. Do not fear, only believe. God understands our time crunches just as well as he knows the agony of chronic pain and stress. He knows our stories. He knows how much our children and young people mean the world to us. He knows how we can suffer at the hands of physicians for years and years who know the medical arts well but cannot always heal the body and certainly not the soul. He knows our battle with time and space. He says, “Do not fear, only believe.” Pray boldly. Have the audacity to beg repeatedly. Have the nerve to interrupt God. Presume  God is not irritated, overwhelmed, or too busy for our problems. Do not fear, only believe! He took upon himself the burden of the world’s sin and death from all time and all places on the Cross of Calvary. He can handle the load. He rose victoriously from the dead so that we would not fear death or any obstacle that may come our way.

Boldly pray
No matter what comes your way.
Surrender every apprehension.
Trust in him who surpasses all comprehension.