The Lutheran Hour
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"Hold On"
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Text: Luke 4:42-43
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. In a world where people are often flighty and the most permanent of things often seems fleeting, the resurrection message proclaiming Christ’s victory over sin, death, and devil is that one thing which is needful. By the Holy Spirit’s power may every listener to this broadcast be brought to a faith which will allow them to hold on to the Christ, their Redeemer and their Lord. Amen.
With all the cross-checking and safety features built into modern air travel, the story I’m about to tell you seems almost too far-fetched to be true. Even so, on Thursday, September 3, 1987, the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather told the story of an airplane accident which took place near Portland, Maine. On that day, Henry Dempsey was captain of the Eastern Express commuter flight from Lewiston, Maine, to Boston. Flying at an altitude of 4,000 feet, Captain Dempsey thought he heard an unusual noise which seemed to be coming from the rear of the 15-passenger turboprop plane. He turned the controls over to his second-in-command and went back to check things out. Dempsey made it to the aircraft’s tail-section when the plane hit one of those air pockets which makes your stomach think you’re on a roller coaster.
According to the story, the jolt of the plane threw Pilot Dempsey against the rear door of the aircraft. That’s when the aviator discovered the source of the noise. Apparently, before take off, the rear door of the plane hadn’t been properly secured. Dempsey discovered this when he stumbled against the door and it opened. The stairs at the aft of the plane deployed, and Pilot Dempsey was sucked out over the ocean. While all this was happening in the back of the plane, in the front, on the instrument panel, a little red light, an emergency light, indicating an open rear door, started to flash. The co-pilot immediately radioed the nearest airport and requested permission to make an emergency landing. He asked that helicopters be scrambled to make a search, or a recovery, of his friend, Captain Dempsey.
It was the proper thing to do. Proper, but unnecessary. You see, as the plane’s door came open and the ladder flipped down, as he was being sucked out of the aircraft, Captain Dempsey had the presence of mind to grab onto something, anything. Somehow, he managed to catch the railing of the stairway. He caught that rail, and he held on to that rail. It’s not an exaggeration to say he held on to that rail for dear life. Lying face downward on the last step, Dempsey held on. Dempsey held on as the plane flew at 200 miles an hour. Dempsey held on when the plane started its decent. Dempsey, with his face less than 12 inches away from the concrete, held on when the plane’s wheels made contact with the runway. Dempsey held on when the plane came to a halt, and Dempsey held on after the rescue workers arrived. Dempsey held on when they told him he was safe. And when they said, “You can let go,” Pilot Dempsey found he couldn’t. That’s right, Dempsey still held on. It took more than fifteen minutes for rescue workers to pry his hands from that rail. Pilot Dempsey had held on. He had no other choice, because nothing else was going to save him.
I guess most of us, put in the life-and-death situation that faced Captain Dempsey, would hold on just as tightly as he did. Not just when you’re being sucked out of an airplane, but anytime your life is in danger, you should hold on. That, my friends, was certainly the opinion of the people of Capernaum when Jesus came to their town almost 2,000 years ago. Shortly before His arrival in that small town, Jesus had begun His earthly ministry. He had not, as of yet, done and said many of the things for which He would soon become known. He had not yet preached His Sermon on the Mount; He had not healed any lepers; He had not stilled a storm; He had not fed a multitude with a few fish and loaves of bread; He had not raised anyone from the dead; He had not put the law-creating Pharisees into their place. As a result, Jesus was still, for many people, an unknown commodity. Capernaum’s citizenry had not formed an opinion of Him; they had not yet made up their minds about the Savior.
That describes the situation as it was the day Jesus went into Capernaum’s synagogue to teach. It didn’t take too long before the people were looking at each other in astonishment. Jesus, the Bible tells us, was teaching with “authority.” Some time ago I heard a teen-ager describe church as being “a boring fuddy-duddy in the front of the church, telling boring fuddy-duddies in the main part of the church to be more boring and more fuddy-duddyish than they already were.” And I suppose some churches can be that way, although, to be honest, most pastors and parishes I know are far better than that. Be that as it may, when the people of Capernaum heard Jesus, nobody accused Him of being a boring fuddy-duddy. Jesus talked with authority; He talked as if His words came directly from God. He was able to talk that way because His Words really did come directly from the Lord.
Jesus spoke with authority, and almost all of the people there that day were impressed. I say “almost all” were impressed, because there was an exception to that rule. In the synagogue that day, there was a man who was possessed by a demonic spirit – an evil force that tried to disrupt and disturb the Savior’s teachings. Now, you may readily wonder, as I did for years: Why would a person possessed by the devil go to a worship service, especially one where Jesus was preaching? You’d think the devil would turn on the brimstone afterburners trying to get as far from Jesus as he possibly could.
Amazingly, that’s not the way it seemed to work. Scripture shows, time and again, evil forces seemingly compelled to confront, challenge, and contest the Savior. In Jesus’ age evil attacked the Christ; and it appears to be no different in our own time. Have you ever wondered why people who profess no faith in God constantly want to challenge your faith, want to laugh at Jesus, want to use God’s name in vain? Have you never been curious as to why so many of the world’s other religions are so filled with hatred against Christ, His cross, and the empty tomb? The answer is plain: evil simply cannot help itself, cannot contain itself. Satan and all who serve him, as part of their dark and damnable natures, feel compelled to attack all that is holy and pure; they feel obligated to assault God’s good and gracious plan of redemption; they must assail the Savior and the salvation which He has won through His life, suffering, death, and resurrection.
That is why that demon sneered at the Savior and shouted out: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” In less time than it takes to tell, Jesus shut the demon up and cast him out of the poor, possessed man. Now, although it takes me off the point of the message, I do have to stop and answer the question that many of you are asking, “Why did Jesus shut up that devil, if he was telling the truth?” I can tell you this: Jesus was not a believer in the old truism, “Any publicity is good publicity.” Jesus didn’t believe an endorsement from Satan, the father of lies, was going to help His cause or mission. I have seen the same thing played out in other arenas: years ago, when the cold war was at its most frigid, political candidates in a tough race knew they could swing votes their way if they announced, “The Russian government and the Communist Party have endorsed my opponent.” In the same way, Jesus knew, if people thought the devil was supporting Him, they would run the other way and close their minds to anything He would say; anything He could do to save them.
That explains, at least in part, why Jesus did what He did in the synagogue. It explains why, later that day, when he was healing the demon-possessed who were brought to Him; Jesus would not let them speak either. Jesus accepted no endorsements from the devil, and, at the end of the day, the people were impressed by what He had said, and in awe of what He had done. They were so impressed; they decided to keep Him around. Luke says, “The people sought Him and came to Him, and would have kept Him from leaving them.” They wanted to hold onto Jesus; but Jesus declined, saying: “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:42-43). Did you hear what the Savior said? It is important that you do. In His answer Jesus defined exactly why He had come to this sad and sorry world of sin; why He would endure the hatred, the suffering, scorn, sadness, and sorrow; why He would allow Himself to be spit upon, beaten, why He would die upon Calvary’s cross, and why He would rise from the dead. Jesus had come so the world might be given God’s Good News of grace which says lost and condemned sinners are doomed and damned; but, because the Christ has carried their sins and borne their sorrows, because the Lamb of God was stricken, smitten, and afflicted, they are forgiven and all who believe are saved. That is why Jesus came; that is what we should hold on to Him as if it meant the difference between living and dying. We should hold on because Jesus is the difference between living and dying.
My friends, I don’t know most of you who are listening today. I don’t know what your life has been, or how it has been lived. I don’t know your future or your goals. Even so, I do know that there are a lot of you who are holding on to things which you believe can save you from failure, frustration, and damnation. There are a lot of you who are holding on to… the wrong thing. There are those who hold on to their own wisdom, their own smarts as being the ultimate assurance of truth. They have convinced themselves that if they can’t see, hear, taste, smell, or touch something that something is not real. And since they can’t see, hear, taste, smell, or touch sin; sin is not real. And since they can’t see, hear, taste, smell, touch heaven; heaven’s not real. And since they can’t see, hear, taste, smell, touch hell; hell is not real. And since they can’t see, hear, taste, smell, touch God; the Lord is not real. If that is what you are holding on to, you are holding on to the wrong thing.
What are you holding on to? Are you the great gambler, the eternal optimist who believes your years are limitless? Do you think you can do what you want, when you want, as long as you want, and then, with your last breath, say, “Lord be merciful to me a sinner”? Now God has promised that He will forgive the repentant, believing heart. As He did the thief on the cross, Jesus will forgive those who come to Him, even if that person first confesses his faith with his last breath. But that’s a pretty risky way to live. I’ve seen a lot of folks leave this world who didn’t know that their last breath was their last breath. If you’re holding on to what you might do some day, then you are holding on to the wrong thing.
What are you holding on to? Love? Love is a good thing, a grand thing, a great gift from God. But marriages can end, and although children might remember us, our great-grandchildren probably won’t. Let me share what a mother recently told me. She said her six-year-old had had been asking, “Mommy, how old are you?” Mom eventually confessed: “Honey, I’m 31.” That moment of revelation changed everything. The daughter started following her mother everywhere. The little girl cried when her mother, who had a cold, coughed. The girl pounded on the bathroom door when mom disappeared for, what her little girl felt, was too long a time. When mom awoke in the middle of the night, she was surprised to see her daughter standing by the side of her bed, watching. Mom finally demanded to know, “Dear, why are you following me; why are you watching me?” The daughter confessed her fear: “Mom, you’re 31; you’re really old. I’m afraid you’re going to die soon.” You see, even a six-year-old knows that death has eminent domain when it comes to our residency on earth. While I pray that mother and daughter have many good years together, both know human love can’t hold us here forever.
What are you holding on to? Are you among the growing number of people who are holding on to, well… holding on to nothing? Are you among the millions who, having seen worldwide sadness and widespread sorrow, have concluded that the world has no purpose or point, reason or rationale? Some time ago the Wall Street Journal (Wall Street Journal 9/14/99), told the story of a Japanese man, Toshiyuki Sakai, whose employer (Sega Enterprises, Ltd) said his work was below par. When Toshiyuki refused to accept a severance package of 2.6 million yen, and don’t go all crazy here, that is about $24,000 American, Toshiyuki was transferred. He was told to take all his personal belongings home, turn in all company property and report to an office which was called the “Personnel Room.” Toshiyuki reported and found a desk, three chairs, an empty locker, and a telephone which wasn’t able to call the outside. Toshiyuki was not allowed to bring in any personal belongings, was given no work to occupy his time, no diversion to pass his hours. His instructions were simple: “Report to the office at 8:30, and stay until 5:15. You have 55 minutes for lunch.”
Toshiyuki found life with nothing to hold on to a most frustrating experience. Sure, he could look at the phone which hardly ever rang; he could gaze at the digital clock which crawled at a snail’s pace; he could do exercises to keep in shape; stretches to stay limber; but, holding on to nothing whittled him down. Does that describe your world? If so, this day the Holy Spirit comes and says there is more to life than frustration and futility. The Spirit points us to Jesus and says, “Here, hold on to Him. He is God’s Good News of grace.”
What are you holding on to? If your answer is anything, and, for emphasis, I’ll say that word again, anything, any person other than Jesus, you’re holding on to the wrong thing. It is far better and far wiser to hold on to Him who has promised never to leave nor forsake you. Hold on to Him who is the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation conceived before the foundation of the world was laid. Hold on to Him who is the Incarnation of God’s promise first made when humankind refused to follow the Lord’s single commandment in the Garden of Eden. Hold on to Jesus, true man and true God, who was born one of us so He might resist the evil which corrupts us so completely. Hold on to Him who spent His entire life fulfilling God’s law and refusing Satan’s temptations. Hold on to Him who, with His cry from the cross, bought you back from damnation. Hold on to Him who shows in resurrection victory that all who believe on Him will not perish but have life everlasting. Hold on to Him who has brought us back to God. Hold on to Him who is God’s Good News, bringing hope in birth, forgiveness throughout life, and deliverance from death. Hold on to Him.
In 1818, Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis was born into a world of dying women. In those days a doctor’s day often began in the dissecting room performing autopsies. After dealing with the dead, and without ever washing his hands, the doctor might go directly to the hospital, where he would examine expectant mothers. As a result, even in the finest hospitals, one out of every six mothers died from childbed fever. Dr. Semmelweis was first to associate such examinations with infection and death. He began washing his hands with a chlorine solution and the death rate of the mothers he treated dropped from one in six to one in 50. Convinced that his action could make a difference, Dr. Semmelweis spent his entire life lecturing and debating his colleagues. His message was simple: “I want to give you hope. I want to give you life. I want to give you something to hold on to.” Nobody believed him. Doctors and midwives had, for thousands of years, delivered babies without washing their hands. They saw no good reason to change, now. Certainly they weren’t going to change based on the word of a seemingly inconsequential physician. Dr. Semmelweis died unaccepted and unrespected at the age of 47. His wash basins were discarded, his colleagues kept laughing, and their patients kept on dying.
If people had listened to Dr. Semmelweis, tens of thousands would have lived. His work had made the temporal deaths of hundreds of thousands totally unnecessary. May I not say that Jesus Christ, through His life, death, and resurrection has made the eternal damnation of souls unnecessary. Jesus has come into this world to deliver, to be God’s Good News message for you and me. Will you listen to Him and believe, or will you ignore Him and die? I beg of you, I pray of you, follow the Holy Spirit who wants you to hear Jesus say: “I spent My years, My life, My all to give you forgiveness, hope, and salvation. Come, let Me take your hand. Let Me hold you tightly; as if it were a matter of your life or your death. Here, let Me take your hand. Trust Me, I will never let you go.” That is what the Savior says; it is His invitation to eternal life that The Lutheran Hour proudly shares. The Christ is someone to hold on to. If you would like us to help, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for January 28, 2007
TOPIC: Original LanguageANNOUNCER: Now Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor, a listener writes, “As I’ve studied history, I’ve noticed that in the early years of our country, many pastors and churches made frequent use of the Bible’s original languages. Is there any reason why churches today shouldn’t study, as Jesus did, the Scriptures in the Septuagint?”
KLAUS: First, I think, Mark, I ought to tell people what the Septuagint was.
ANNOUNCER: Good idea.
KLAUS: The Septuagint, and sometimes you will see it symbolized by the Roman numerals LXX, or 70, is the name often given to the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. The name “70” was taken from a tradition which says 72 Jewish scholars translated the Torah into Greek for one of the kings of Egypt.
ANNOUNCER: You said 72 translators?
KLAUS: That’s what they say.
ANNOUNCER: Well, in Roman numerals, wouldn’t 72 be written as LXXII?
KLAUS: They were rounding it off.
ANNOUNCER: Do we know whether Jesus used the Septuagint when He was in the synagogues?
KLAUS: The only time the Bible really quotes Jesus’ words as He read in the synagogue was in Luke 4:16-19. Jesus read from the book of Isaiah. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Mark, although Jesus probably spoke Aramaic, Greek, and possibly Hebrew, the wording that is used that day, that is quoted that day, shows that Jesus was using the Septuagint.
ANNOUNCER: And is our listener correct when he said that pastors and churches tended to use those original languages more in the past than they do today?
KLAUS: I don’t know if I’ve ever read a serious study that answers that question. I do know it was not unusual for some of the more learned clergy to be versed in the classical and Biblical languages. By that, I mean they had more than a passing acquaintance with the language; they were well versed in it.
ANNOUNCER: Well, how about today? Do most churches still require their clergy to know Greek, Hebrew, and Latin?
KLAUS: I sound like a broken record here. I can’t answer that one, either. I do know most seminaries offer those languages, but there aren’t that many that still require their students to become proficient in those languages.
ANNOUNCER: Well, if there’s been a change, why would that be?
KLAUS: Long ago, in my third-year Latin class, at Concordia, Mequon, we had fun with the poem, “Latin is a language, as dead as it can be; first it killed the Romans, and now it’s killing me.” I imagine there are those who think that study of an ancient language and use of such a language really doesn’t have any practical value. I think I ought to say, Mark, that I’m proud the pastors of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod are still educated in those languages. They may not all be fantastic linguistic scholars, but they do know their stuff. They can read the Scriptures in their original languages.
ANNOUNCER: Why keep that emphasis when other churches don’t?
KLAUS: There are nuances in language, Mark. We need to be able to understand, as best we are able, what the Lord is telling us… without the filters of multiple or even bad translations.
ANNOUNCER: So maybe our listener is right. Maybe we all should get back to studying the Bible in its original languages.
KLAUS: I think you just made some of my old Seminary professors very happy. While there is no theological reason we can’t do that, Mark, there may be some practical reasons which might get in the way of its implementation.
ANNOUNCER: Practical reasons such as?
KLAUS: Not everyone has a “Sprachgefuhl,” or a feeling for another language. Languages do come very easily for some people, far more difficult for others.
To become proficient in a foreign language, to learn the vocabulary and grammar is a great investment of time and effort. Some might say it is too heavy a burden to be laid on a Bible class or a scholar of Scripture. I wouldn’t want to do anything that would keep people away from the grace of God, the story of which can be found in the Septuagint, or a number of excellent and accurate English translations.ANNOUNCER: Even so, you could study the original languages if you wanted to.
KLAUS: Absolutely. In fact, it would be quite enjoyable if a number of people got involved in such a study. Even so, such a study is probably not for everyone.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. 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 Gifts Christ Freely Gives” by Richard Resch and Charles J. Dale. From Sing With All the Saints by the Children’s Choirs of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Ft. Wayne, Indiana (© 2006 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church) Text © Richard Resch
“In dir ist Freude” by J.S. Bach. From Orgelbüchlein & More Works by J.S. Bach by Robert Clark and John David Peterson (© Calcante Recordings, Ltd.)
“Toccata from Suite in C for Organ” by Charles Callahan. From Love Divine, All Loves Excelling by Charles Callahan (© 1993 Concordia Publishing House)
Ministries.