The Lutheran Hour
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"Whatever He Says"
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Text: John 2:5
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. The living Lord Jesus Christ has offered Himself as payment for our sins. To those who believe on this Divine substitution, there is forgiveness; there is hope; there is heaven. Today Holy Scripture tells us, “Believe.” Today, I encourage you, “Do what the Bible says.”
Do you read Readers Digest? I used to… back when I had time. In those days, there was an order to my reading of that magazine. First, I would look at the pages filled with humorous stories taken from life in America or the military. Then I would look at the end of the articles where they had some deep thoughts or funny vignettes. I often used those in my sermons. Then, with the preliminaries out of the way, I began reading the articles, always starting with the real-life stories. The story was always of calamity, catastrophe, tragedy, and adversity.
What most interested me about those stories was not how the person managed to survive. Since they were writing the article, I figured survival was a given. Nor was I intrigued by the details of how the storyteller managed to get into his, or her, desperate situation. Maybe that was because I wasn’t ever really worried about being attacked by a grizzly, or being buried by the collapse of a skyscraper, or being cornered by some killer whose mind was clouded by drugs. No, what intrigued me was, what I like to call, the “moment of revelation.” You see, every one of those folks, somewhere in the course of their story, had a crystal clear moment when they realized they were in trouble; when they knew that they might not survive. There was always a paragraph which read: “The grizzly was shaking me by the scruff of my neck, blood was running into my face and I realized I might never see my family again; I realized I might die” or, “The beam of the skyscraper was pressing down upon my chest, blood was running into my face, and I realized I might never see my family again; I realized I might die” or, “My legs were pinned in the car by the steering wheel, blood was running into my face, and I realized I might never see my family again, I realized I might die.” You get the picture.
After that moment of revelation, almost every writer recorded what he did next. They said: “I had never been a serious believer in God before, but at that moment I prayed.” Sometimes they said, “When I was young, I had been a churchgoer, but since I got married I had never been a serious believer in God, but at that moment I prayed.” As I remember, there was one author who even said, “Before that day, and since that day, I never was a real believer in God… but on that day I prayed.” It was amazing to me that every one of these people, people who were normally self-sufficient, self-reliant, self-actualized, and self-contained, suddenly felt helpless, defenseless, vulnerable, and very, very, mortal. At that moment of revelation all of the façades they had built around themselves came tumbling down; at that second all of the charades they had been playing came to a screeching stop. They wanted, they needed a hand to hold on to, a power to believe in, a God they could speak to, who would hear and help them through their hurt and horror.
They had discovered when your life is suspended by a thread, you want a sure and trustworthy hand holding the other end of that string. You may have thought tough, talked tough, lived tough, but most people I know aren’t tough enough to look death in the face and laugh; especially when they see that death is laughing right back.
Vince Lombardi said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That may be good advice when you’re on a football field and there’s still time on the clock; but it’s a lousy idea when the stopwatch on your life is running out. When that time comes, the tough don’t get going, the tough start believing. But believing in what? In our world there are many religions and a myriad of belief systems. Each of them says it’s right; each says that it’s got the answers to life’s final questions. How can a person be sure and certain? Is life, in its final moments, reduced to an ending of by-guess-and-by-golly? Do our last moments need to be spent putting down our money and letting the roulette wheel of religion whirl?
Now I could give my answer to those questions, but you wouldn’t listen to me, would you? Of course not; you would be quite right in disregarding the opinion of a faceless radio preacher. My opinion doesn’t, shouldn’t count. No, if you’re going to believe anybody, it ought to be someone who has the experience, the credentials to be trusted. Many such people can be found in God’s inspired, inerrant Word, but there is one I would like you to meet today. Her name is Mary. Now there are a number of women who have that name, so I need to be specific. I would like to introduce you to Mary, the mother of Jesus. I know, I know, you think you know her already; quite a few people think they know her already. They think that because they’ve seen her in a screen door or on a piece of toast that is being auctioned off on Ebay or in some other unusual manifestation. Others are sure they know her because they’ve seen her on a stamp placed on a Christmas card, or on a candle sold in the grocery store, or on some priceless piece of renaissance art.
The Mary I’d like you to meet, to listen to, is… different than the way most people think of her. Please, forget about that golden halo that the artists have given her. You can also be pretty sure that she isn’t always going to be constantly looking upward in some sort of wistful, mystical, heavenward gaze. The Mary I know was too practical for that. Indeed, the Mary I want you to see is a practical, down-to-earth, no nonsense sort of lady. A lady who ponders things; who gets involved with things; who cares about what happens to others. That pretty well describes the Mary who, 2,000 years ago went to a wedding at the little Galilean town of Cana. If I took you there, our visit might go something like this:
Ah, there she is. Looking at her, you might guess her to be, what, somewhere in her forties? That’s about the age I’d put her. The person with her? That’s Jesus, her son. If we listen carefully we might pick up a few words from their conversation. What’s that? You can’t hear. Shhhhh. I’ll try to repeat what I’m hearing. She’s concerned about the wedding. Weddings here are big productions. They run for days. Mary is talking to Jesus about wine. Actually, she’s concerned about a lack of wine. They’re running out. That’s not good. To run out of wine would be embarrassing for the hosts. Running out of wine will make them look cheap, incompetent, not very proud of the marriage of their children. It’s going to give them failing grades in hospitality. It’s going to take a long time before they live that down, if ever.
“Why is she talking to Jesus?” I can’t hear everything she’s saying. She wants Him to do something about the wine; and He’s told her not yet. It’s almost like she thinks He’s got 100 gallons of wine tucked into the back pocket of His robe.” Wait. Here she comes. No, she’s talking to the people who are servants at the wedding. Can you hear? Sorry, I didn’t mean to be talking just then. She said, “Do whatever He tells you.” “Do whatever He tells you?” I bet most of those servants think Mary’s instructions are a bit too broad. I mean, she’s asked all of those servants to trust Jesus completely, totally. She asked them to put their entire futures into His hands.
Now, that’s the way it might have been if we had been guests at the Cana wedding. That’s what we might have heard. It is what we’ve heard. We’ve heard it because the disciple John recorded the events just as they happened. He wrote about how Jesus went to a wedding with all of His disciples. He wrote about how, Jesus’ mother, Mary, encouraged Him to help out a family who was going to be very embarrassed. He wrote about how Jesus, in His own time, did His first miracle by turning water into wine. John even wrote about the reaction of the wedding coordinator and how the man was impressed by the quality and quantity of the wine Jesus made. John wrote about many things that day… but the thing I want to talk to you about are the words which Mary spoke to the servants. You do remember what she said, don’t you? She said, “Do whatever He tells you.”
In light of what we we’ve been talking about… about our needing someone to help us be prepared for the living of our lives and last moments, Mary’s words: Do whatever He says, are as good, as sure, as certain, as we’re ever likely to hear. “Do whatever He tells you.” For Mary, those weren’t just words. They were a motto, a creed for much of her life. Scripture tells us how, 30 years before the Cana wedding, an angel had come to her in Nazareth. The angel had told her that even though she was not yet married, she would, by the Holy Spirit’s power, give birth to the Son of God. Even more, her son would be the Savior of the world.
Because of the Old Testament prophecies, Mary knew what that would mean. She knew that her son would do wonderful things. For example, she knew that He would, with Godly power, restore hearing to the deaf and sight to the blind; she knew that her son would be a shepherd for God’s people; a Light to those who had been living in darkness; and a blessing for all the nations of the world. But Mary also knew, along with the good news, there would be harsh and heavy things to come. The prophets had spoken how God’s Son, Mary’s son, would carry the sins of humankind; that He would be rejected by His people; betrayed by a friend; and die the death that we deserved on the accursed tree of Calvary.
Even though a sword of pain and loss would someday pierce her heart, Mary was willing to do whatever God said was necessary. With an obedient heart Mary told the angel: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Have you ever thought what those words of submission to God’s will could have cost Mary? It meant that her bridegroom, knowing He was not the child’s father, could call off the wedding. It meant that she could have been stoned for the crime of infidelity. It meant her son might have been called cruel names because He had no father. Surrender to God’s plan could have cost her dearly, but Mary, even as a young girl, was motivated by faith and a willingness to do whatever God asked.
You should know this faith in God’s great grace, His fatherly wisdom was not confined to Mary’s younger years. Three decades later, when she attended the wedding at Cana as a middle-aged woman, Mary remained wiling to wait for her son to do whatever He thought was best. Jesus might not act according to her timetable, nor did He work according to her exact instruction or request. That was all right. As a daughter of faith, Mary knew that God knows what is best, and always does what is best for His people. That’s why, after Mary had told the servants, “Do whatever He says,” she stepped back and turned the matter over to Jesus. Mary didn’t know how He would respond, or even if He would respond, but she was content to wait upon the Lord. She was ready to do whatever He said.
Of course, Mary’s story of compliance to God’s will was not finished with the wedding. Her commitment endured another test, a greater test. Outside the city walls of Jerusalem, on a hill known as Golgotha, on a dark and terrible day, Mary watched her son complete the mission for which He had been born; Mary watched her son die. Mary watched as her son, having lived His life avoiding sin and resisting Satan, gave Himself so all who believe on Him might live forever. Mary saw her son die. She heard the terrible taunts which came from those who hated Him. She watched as His meager possessions were divided by those who crucified Him. She watched as He died, forsaken by most of those who had known Him best, who had professed love for Him. She watched as Jesus endured the cruel cross so that we could be saved. She watched God fulfill His promise and finish a miracle of love that we cannot understand, that we dare not undervalue.
As Mary stood at the foot of her son’s cross, I wonder, did she remember those words she had spoken to the angel so many years ago? Did she regret her willingness to do whatever God asked? Did she question God’s decisions; wonder if His grace was still intact, His promise to redeem the world unbroken? Was Mary, as she saw her son’s agony and anguish, still willing to do everything God asked? I believe she was. I am certain that Scripture nowhere records any words of despair escaping her lips; it does not speak of sorrowful screams; it tells of no angry fists being shaken at the heavens. On the contrary, the Bible only tells of a mother who believed her son, God’s Son, had kept His Father’s promise to defeat sin, death, and devil. The Bible speaks only of a mother who, after resurrection Sunday, waited patiently with other believers for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Holy Writ speaks only of a woman whose life was governed by the creed: Do whatever God says.
Now I would not have you think, not for a moment, that Mary is the subject of this message. She is not. Mary is an example of the confidence and joy which comes to people who, by the Spirit’s power, believe on Jesus; who acknowledge they are saved by His life, His sacrifice; His suffering; His crucifixion and resurrection. When a person believes in Jesus as Savior; when an individual looks into the empty tomb he finds a Savior who will never leave or forsake him. When, a repentant heart comes to faith in Christ, he is assured his sins are forgiven, and his place in heaven is guaranteed. Doing as God says, the believer knows that no matter what happens, he will not be alone and he can remain unafraid. If a grizzly starts gnawing, or a skyscraper starts falling, or death comes calling, a Christian is given God’s peace which passes human understanding. Saint Paul summed up the faith of the Christian when he wrote: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15: 55-57).
Years ago, C. S. Lewis said: There are two kinds of people (in this world): those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, “All right, then, have it your way.” Lewis was right. We can, by the Spirit’s power, believe and do as God says, or we can do what we want. Years ago, when Jesus walked the earth, people knew that God was in control. They knew that God was their Judge and they would have to answer to Him for their sins they had committed. Their helplessness was a frightening concept that filled hearts with despair. That is why, when Jesus came into this world, His message of salvation; the work that He did; the forgiveness that He won; the salvation that He procured; was received by many with joy.
Sadly, our age has changed in its view of our relationship with the Lord. On an ego trip unprecedented in human history, many people today have thought quite justified to reverse roles with God. They have booted the Lord out of the Judge’s seat and decided that they have the right to sit in His chair and hand down opinions on His actions. While Mary believed she should do whatever God said, modern man believes that God, if there is a God, should do what he wants, what he demands. Lord preserve us from this kind of pride; deliver us from such lunacy. Help us to remember our frailty even as we recall your potent power and great grace. Help us focus our eyes upon the cross; keep us standing before the empty tomb; let us do what God says; let us believe on the Savior.
In the last century, the son of a young missionary couple in Zaire was playing in the compound that surrounded their modest home. The father, who was standing on the porch suddenly shouted out, “Philip, obey me immediately! Drop to your stomach!” Without hesitation, the lad did as his father had ordered. “Good!” said the father, “now crawl toward me as quickly as you can!” Once again the boy obeyed. Then, after he had gone a few yards came the last call: “Stand up and run to me!” Philip responded quickly and ran to his father’s waiting arms. Only then did the boy turn and look back. There, in the tree where he had so recently been playing, was a large, poisonous snake. Now, if the boy had hesitated when his father called to him; if he had stood and demanded to know, “Why should I?” the outcome of the day would have been different. The same is true for us. Do what God says. That is the advice of Mary. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31), is the truth of Scripture. Sage advice; enduring truth for today, tomorrow, and eternity. Saved by grace, we do as God asks. We believe. If you would like to know more, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for January 14, 2007
TOPIC: Do Big Sins Warrant a Hotter Place in Hell?ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Many of our listeners will recall, late last year several gruesome murders took place in American schools. In two of those cases, the killer abused his victims before shooting them. Now, the abuse and murder of innocent children is a terrible sin and a terrible crime. Do big sins warrant a hotter place in hell?
KLAUS: I think, Mark, all of us were shocked and sorrowed by those terrible tragedies. Our hearts and our prayers go out to all who were affected. Having said that, I should also say this is a fairly hard question. Let me take a try. First, all sins are the same in this respect: all sins are heinous in the sight of God. All sins. Even the smallest sin is enough to condemn us. “The soul that sins will die.” That’s what the Bible says. We might look at others and say their sins are worse than ours and therefore deserve a worse punishment. But the truth is, we have all fallen short of what God demands.
ANNOUNCER: That’s the answer that I thought you would give.
KLAUS: There’s more. We know that some sins are worse than others.
ANNOUNCER: And how do we know that?
KLAUS: We know that because Jesus said it was so. When Jesus was on trial for His life, the church leaders took Him to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. While He was being questioned, the Savior said, “The ones who have delivered Me over to you have committed the greater sin.”
ANNOUNCER: But I’m wondering what made the sin of the religious leaders greater than the sin of the political leaders? Both of them put Jesus on trial, both declared Him guilty, both would say He deserved to die. Why was the sin of one greater than the sin of the other?
KLAUS: The heart, Mark, the heart. You see, the men who turned Jesus over to Pilate knew the Bible. They had been given the opportunity to study the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. They had seen His miracles, heard what He had to say. They had seen how He loved and cared for those who were in need of His grace and love. They knew who Jesus was.
ANNOUNCER: And so you are saying they were guilty of a greater sin because they should have known better?
KLAUS: Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. They knew better and they deliberately, consciously turned their back on that when they condemned the Christ. While Pilate was certainly responsible for the sins he was committing; he didn’t have the advantage of knowing the true God. He was raised in a culture where people worshipped many gods and some of the most sophisticated worshipped no god at all. In short, because the religious leaders had been given much, much was expected of them.
ANNOUNCER: And therefore, the religious leaders commit a greater sin than Pilate.
KLAUS: Exactly. And this answer ties in to some of the other questions we’ve asked. Do you remember when we talked about degrees of heaven and hell a few weeks back?
ANNOUNCER: Yes, I do.
KLAUS: Well, this touches upon that doctrine. The hottest places of hell are reserved for those who know the Gospel of grace but willfully reject it and fall away. The longer, steadier, and more deliberate the rejection of God, the greater the punishment.
ANNOUNCER: How would you apply that to these school shootings?
KLAUS: A person who at one time knew the Lord, who knew it was wrong to kill, who had been raised knowing it was wrong to hate, would receive a greater punishment than, say, the pagan who had never been told about God or His grace. You see, coupled with the heinous nature of the crime itself is another sin, a sin that disregards God. That person is not only showing hatred toward other human beings, he’s showing hatred and disrespect toward the Lord and the way God would have us live our lives.
ANNOUNCER: So God wouldn’t necessarily punish more because more people were involved?
KLAUS: I don’t know if I can answer that question, Mark. It makes sense to me to say that when a person commits multiple murders the sin has greater consequences here on earth because they are sinning against multiple individuals and their families and friends. At the same time, I freely admit, and Scripture says, my thoughts are not God’s thoughts and my ways are not His ways. What I can say is, the farther someone moves away from what God has clearly told us in His Word, the greater is the sin, and the greater the punishment. But it doesn’t have to be that way, because Jesus died and rose again to forgive even the worst of sinners.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. And with that we come to the end of our broadcast for another week. We thank you, the listener, for making this program part of your day. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“The Only Son from Heaven” arranged by John Behnke. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Herr Christ, der einige Gottes Sohn” by J.S. Bach. From Orgelbüchlein & More Works by J.S. Bach by Robert Clark and John David Peterson (© Calcante Recordings, Ltd.)
“How Lovely Shines the Morning Star” by Timothy Moke. From Magnificent Christian Hymns, vol. 2 by Timothy Moke (© 2005 T. Moke Recordings)