The Lutheran Hour
-
"A Man’s Gift"
- Download MP3 Reflections
-
Text: Luke 7:44b-46
-
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! This Father’s Day the living Lord Jesus stands before us. Even as Satan suggests that we should ignore and insult the Savior, the Holy Spirit urges all to see the conquering Christ and welcome Him into our hearts and homes. In Jesus’ Name may the Spirit’s summons be heard. Amen.
Although I haven’t followed the discussion as closely as I might, I’ve been told skilled scientists, brilliant men and women whose job is to discover such things, have determined there are 78 genes separating men from women. The British Broadcasting Corporation, in an uncharacteristically frivolous moment, invited any reader who considered him or herself to be a semi-serious scrutinizer of human nature to speculate upon the genetic differences between men and women.
One individual said those 78 genes may determine color appreciation. She explained that while most women seem to have some degree of color sense, men’s concept of color is limited to believing if orange is nice and green is nice, why can’t orange and green be worn together? Another reader noticed genetic differences are observable when you say to your friends: “Did you know George and Martha had a baby?” To such a statement a man will (maybe) ask, “What’s the baby’s name and is it a boy or a girl?” In contrast, a woman expects to be given first and middle names along with the length of time the mother was in the delivery room; all of the medications which she received; the baby’s weight, height, eye and hair color; who the baby looks like; and where is he, or she, going to be attending college.
Another person alleged that men genetically appreciate the intrinsic value of a 50-inch plasma television. One reader said: “The genetic difference between men and women is that a man can, in 90 seconds, buy a pair of shoes on the internet.” Another supposed: “Genetically, women would never invent a weapon that kills, but they can come up with some weapons which will make a person feel really bad and guilty enough to surrender.”
This Father’s Day, I am extremely reluctant to say any of these suggested genetic differences between men and women has any validity. On the other hand, Scripture tells a very truthful tale describing the different ways one man and one woman looked at the Savior. Let me retell that story which was first recorded in the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus had been actively involved in the ministry of saving us from our sins for about a year. During the course of that time He had been genuinely applauded and appreciated by many of the people of Galilee. That’s not hard to understand as the Lord had miraculously healed lepers, restored paralytics, and cured those who were ill from sundry sicknesses. Utilizing the power He possessed as the sinless Son of God, Jesus had even raised a young man from the dead and restored him to his mother.
But it was not Jesus’ miracles alone which endeared Him to the common person. They were also drawn to Him because of His teachings. Convincingly, compelling, uncompromisingly, Jesus called people away from sin and to a life of repentance. The Savior offered forgiveness to repentant hearts even as He condemned those who were overconfident of their own good works. Christ’s censure was especially directed at, and was distasteful to, the Pharisees – a group of men who arrogantly thought they could please God if they were smart enough, good enough, proper enough, and exclusive enough. It was common practice for these Pharisees to make themselves look good by making others look bad. It was a position Jesus most thoroughly condemned. The Savior knew, as any person acquainted with the Lord’s laws must know, “…There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22, 23).
Knowing that “bad blood” existed between Jesus and the Pharisees, it may have surprised many people when they heard Jesus had been invited to a dinner party being given at the house of a Pharisee by the name of Simon. If so, it would have surprised many more when Jesus accepted. The miracle-working Rabbi from Nazareth was going to sit down to dinner with Simon and his fellow Pharisees. I imagine everyone would have assumed the conversation would be interesting; some might have hoped the fireworks between the two positions would be spectacular.
According to custom, Simon’s honored guests would have reclined around great serving tables, while uninvited spectators would be allowed to stand silently around the perimeter of the room. Of course there were no reporters there that day, but if there had been, they would have found a lot to write about. For example, the journalists would have noted that Simon didn’t welcome Jesus according to old and honored tradition. Back then, hospitality decreed the host of a dinner party should welcome his guests with a kiss. We’re talking about a kiss of respect here, not one conveying emotional affection. If the host was kissing someone of equal social rank, he would place a kiss upon that individual’s cheek; if he were greeting someone of a higher position, a kiss upon the hand would have been more appropriate. Our reporters would have been shocked that Simon gave Jesus no kiss at all… most unusual for a man who was proud that he was doing everything right. They would have wondered, “Was this an accident? Was it an oversight?” Simon’s intentions became clearer as the banquet came closer.
In a day when streets were dusty and dirty and people scuffed around in sandals, it was expected that a good host would instruct a slave to wash the filthy feet of his guests. If the host wanted to show his honored visitors special esteem, he would do the job himself. Neither Simon, nor the Pharisee’s lowliest servant, greeted Jesus with this customary gesture of hospitality.
In short, our correspondents would have quickly concluded that Jesus was being slighted and snubbed rather than being revered and respected. Naturally, they would have wondered what was motivating Simon to make him neglect these most basic and fundamental rules of hospitality. Over the years, some scholars have concluded Simon was trying to get a rise out of Jesus, trying to get the Savior to lose His cool and ruin His reputation by making Him show a bit of ill temper. Others have maintained Simon felt he had, in extending this dinner invitation to Jesus, gone above and beyond the call to duty. Still others have suggested that Simon was trying to be nice to Jesus, but not so nice as to spoil his relationship with his Pharisee buddies.
Nobody can say for certain what was Simon’s motivation and intention; we can say Jesus didn’t get all bent out of shape at the insults which were directed against Him. Indeed, Jesus never returned evil to those who mistreated Him. Read the Bible and you will see Him accept Simon’s rudeness as readily as He did the liars who were brought in at His rigged trial. Jesus didn’t spit back when He was spit upon; He didn’t wither the hand of the man who slapped the whip across His back; nor did He strike down those who nailed Him to the accursed cross of Calvary. Jesus knew the prophecies of the Old Testament, how they told He would suffer much as He fulfilled God’s plan to save us. Jesus always knew He was giving His life as a redeeming ransom for fellows like Simon, like the Pharisees, like us.
Simon’s slights might never have made it into Scripture if his dinner and his discussion hadn’t been interrupted. The cause of the commotion was the arrival of a woman from the community; a woman who had what used to be called a “sullied reputation.” Having heard Jesus was dining at Simon’s house, she decided to go and see if she could get close to the Rabbi who spoke seriously of sin, and sincerely about forgiveness and salvation. She knew the terrible things the people of the community had said about her, but those things were nothing compared to the unrelenting conviction of her conscience.
Might she not have asked herself, “Is Jesus’ forgiveness reserved for the wealthy who can claim full bank accounts, impeccable backgrounds, and high social standing?” Did she not silently say, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Jesus would forgive me?” I have to imagine those were the questions which brought this sinful sister to the Savior. It was Spirit-given hope which found her standing immediately behind Jesus, tears running down her face, falling upon His feet. Undeserving, she dared not greet Him with a kiss upon His cheek, or His hand. Unworthy, she could not bring herself to anoint His head with oil. The woman did what she felt was appropriate for a sinner of her shameful station; she knelt down and wiped away the tears with her hair, and then she anointed Jesus’ feet with her perfume.
Observing what seemed to be an offensive, outrageous display, Simon thought, “I guess we can write this guy off as a prophet. If He was a prophet He would be repelled, repulsed by this morally corrupt excuse for a woman.” Of course, good manners prevented Simon verbally voicing his opinions. Even so, the Lord Jesus, who knows the secrets of every heart, spoke to Simon, just as if the Pharisee’s thoughts had been spoken out loud. Jesus who had silently endured Simon’s insults when they were directed against Him, spoke up in defense of the broken woman who wept at His feet. Gently, Jesus told a story about how unrelenting thanksgiving results when insurmountable debts are paid for by unfaltering grace. Only after He had told a mini-parable for Simon’s benefit does the Lord Jesus turn and speak to the weeping woman. His words offer the comfort for which her soul had been crying. Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
So His words could always be believed, Jesus came to earth as our heaven-sent substitute. Throughout His life He fulfilled all the laws which Simon, that woman, you and I, have broken. In His death He would carry all of the sins which Simon, that woman, you and I, have committed. So we might be forgiven, an innocent Jesus was nailed to a cross; and because He gave His life, all who believe on Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on the third day lets this world know that Jesus’ words are more than just words; they are blood-bought truth which assures us by faith we are saved; by faith we are forgiven; by Holy Spirit-given faith we are free.
When Jesus accepted the invitation to dine at a Pharisee’s house, it was His intention to bestow forgiveness and peace to everyone, every man and every woman who were gathered there. It was His desire to offer a new life with a new and everlasting destiny to every man and woman who conversed at the table or who stood in respectful silence. That at least one man apparently did not finish the night possessing Jesus’ forgiveness and peace was hardly the Savior’s fault. The flaw rested in the mind and heart of that man even as it rests in the minds and hearts of many men.
The words of that last sentence were selected very carefully. Let me repeat them one more time: the flaw rested in the mind and heart of that man, even as it does in the minds and hearts of many men. This Father’s Day I would very much like to take a few moments and speak to you men and fathers who have met the Savior but, as of this Lord’s Day, have no faith in your Savior. You know, when Jesus spoke to Simon many centuries ago, He told a story. I’d like to do the same. My story begins with a man, a married man I once knew. There was never a time when I doubted that this man was a man’s man. To those who loved him he seemed a big man, a strong man. Like you, if his wife reminded him, he remembered birthdays and anniversaries. Like you, he read assembly directions only after he had assembled something. Like you, this man didn’t like it when his children left his tools out in the rain to get rusty; like you, he wanted to see the country he lived in before he traveled overseas.
But there’s something more I’d like to tell you about this man’s man. Something that nobody else, other than his wife knows. This man had been in the Air Force. He was shot down on a mission and while three of his buddies managed to bail out, five died when their plane crashed. This man’s man spent time in a POW camp, and when he came home, he was changed. He didn’t need others to tell him he was changed, he knew. Because of those changes, he made two resolutions before he was reunited with family. First, having lived on the food served in POW camps, he resolved never again to eat anything he didn’t want. Second, he resolved not to open his mouth until he had remastered his tongue. You see, that time away in camp had changed the way he talked. His sentences were peppered with filth, curses, and obscenities.
That’s why, when this man’s man returned home, he didn’t say much. Out of love for those who loved him, he kept his trap shut. That’s the way he said it, “I kept my trap shut.” Although those who met him wanted to hear about his experiences, he had no desire to talk about many of the things he had seen. Those who loved him wanted to see him laughing and talking like he did in the old days. He wanted that too, but he knew that would only happen when he could speak without profanity. Men, I am fully aware that TV, movies, comedians, your buddies and coworkers may tell you that men swear and real men swear a lot. They may also tell you real men, given an opportunity, will cheat on their wives, get drunk, buy over-expensive toys they can’t afford and, like Simon the Pharisee, think they are good enough, smart enough, strong enough, tough enough, courageous enough to ignore and insult the Savior. We’ve all known guys who think the Savior is for suckers, simpletons, and sissies.
Well, the real man I’m talking about knew better than to listen to, or believe such foolishness. This man’s man found it impossible to ignore the Savior who had strengthened him when he had helplessly despaired as his friends went down in flames. This man’s man couldn’t insult the Savior who had supported him when he saw firsthand the horrible things sinful humans can do to each other. He couldn’t disregard the Savior who kept love and integrity alive in a place which this world had filled with hatred. He was a man who refused to forget the Savior who had turned to him and said, “Your sins are forgiven, your faith has saved you, you may live your life in peace.”
He was a real man who, having learned to curb his tongue, sang in the church choir; spoke well of his wife and gave wise advice to his children. My father was a real man, and I learned of a powerful Savior from him… even as the next generation needs to learn of the Savior from you. You may, of course, think it beneath you to trust and thank the One who gave His life so you might live. But I remain convinced that the world needs real men of Christ who, having been called by the Gospel, having been given faith by the Holy Spirit, consider it an honor to invite the Savior into their homes as their regular and honored guest. I believe your wife needs a man of Christ who is worthy of her love and respect; I know your children need a father of faith who will show them how a real man can live. I think, in your heart, you need to be a man, a real man with a real faith in the crucified and risen Savior. To that end, the Lord sends His Holy Spirit in the Words of Holy Scripture. To that end, we pledge The Lutheran Hour’s assistance. Call upon those pledges; call upon us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for June 17, 2007
ANNOUNCER: Now, more with author and historian Dr. Paul Maier. I’m Mark Eischer. Dr. Maier, is the recent announcement concerning the discovery of Herod’s tomb based mostly on circumstantial evidence?
MAIER: Well, I would say it’s a little of both. I think there is enough evidence, probably, to make an announcement. I think it is perhaps too optimistic to say, “Hey, we’ve discovered Herod’s actual grave.” You know, until that name shows up epigraphically, or there’s some other evidence that only a king would have in his sarcophagus, I still withhold a little judgment there.
ANNOUNCER: How does this announcement compare with the recent publicity surrounding the so-called “Jesus Family Tomb” promoted by filmmaker James Cameron?
MAIER: Oh, the difference there is between day and night. Way back in March of 1980, they were clearing a housing development and they found these ten ossuaries inside of a cave. And six of the ossuaries were named and four of those names, like Joseph, Yeshua (Jesus), Mary, and Jude, were well known at that time, so it’s sheer coincidence. Amos Kloner was the Israeli archeologist who first dealt with this find and he laughed at all the claims being made recently by James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici. Neither of those two are archeologists. The whole thing hinged on whether one of the ossuaries – those are stone bone chests, as you recall – contained the bones of Mary Magdalene. Now, the one in question is named “Mariamne e Mara.” And by tortured logic, this Canadian producer tried to say that this is another way of expressing the name Mary Magdalene, but that’s worthless conjecture because about three weeks after this special aired on the Discovery Channel, they did a survey of the bones that were inside these and they found out that in that particular ossuary there were two sets of women’s bones. And so the translation is “Mariamne and Martha” – two of them, just directly. And so the whole thing hinges on Mary Magdalene’s supposed ossuary and that’s where Jacobovici got to the 600 to 1 odds and that kind of thing and it’s all phlegm; it’s all hype, based on absolute nothingness.
ANNOUNCER: Whereas the Herod tomb was located where Josephus said it was and where you would expect it to be, this so-called “Jesus Family Tomb” shows up in an unexpected location.
MAIER: Well, it’s in Talpiot in south Jerusalem, and we know that Jesus was temporarily buried in Joseph’s tomb which is at the western end of the Jaffa Gate, in the Old City of Jerusalem. So it’s the wrong place. It’s impossible that the “Jesus family” would have had a burial site in Jerusalem of all places, the very city that crucified Jesus. Unlikely, just all the way through, it’s a gossamer threads of a house of cards, really.
ANNOUNCER: What’s the value of discoveries like the Herod Tomb?
MAIER: This shows the tremendous difference, the reliability of our biblical text, that it’s backed up by hard evidence. You don’t find that hard evidence elsewhere in the other “holy books” particularly what you might call the “Made in America” religious systems. They all have holy books, but there you’ll look in vain for corroboration, for coincidences on the outside that you can relate to their biblical text. In the case of the Old and New Testaments, it’s all over the place. Skeptics may wonder if this is all fantasy or is it fact. And the fact is that it is fact. The hard evidence is out there.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Dr. Maier.
MAIER: Thank you, Mark!
ANNOUNCER: 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
“Our Father By Whose Name” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission
“The Gifts Christ Freely Gives” by Richard Resch and Charles J. Dale. Text © Richard Resch
“Holy God, We Praise Your Name” by Arthur L. Preuss. From Sacred Organ Originals by Arthur L. Preuss (© Arthur L. Preuss) Used by permission
“Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling” arr. Timothy Moke and Georg Masanz. From Magnificent Christian Hymns, vol. 2 by Timothy Moke and Georg Masanz (© 2005 T. Moke Recordings)