Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Of all the things which you hear, may these words be the most important. Of all the persons whom you meet, may the risen Lord Jesus be most real. In a world where little can be trusted or relied upon, may we trust Scripture which says the crucified and risen Christ is the power and wisdom of God. God grant such faith to us all. Amen.
“People almost always manage to hear that for which they are listening.”
I ran across an Awareness Test, a short video produced in Great Britain. The video began with eight basketball players. Four were dressed in white, four were in black. The announcer challenged, “How many passes does the team in white make?” With that the players starting weaving and passing and faking and dribbling. Even so, I concentrated on the white team’s ball handling. When they stopped, I had counted 13 passes in all. I felt pretty good about my skills as an observer when the announcer confirmed my count was absolutely correct. Then, after a moment’s pause, the announcer continued, “But… did you see the moonwalking bear?” “Moonwalking bear?” I was sure there had been no such thing. They played the tape again. Yup, there was a guy dressed in a bear suit. He walked into the video. Stood in the middle. Waved his paws, and then did a Michael Jackson moonwalk out of the picture. I was sure it was a trick… some kind of technological wizardry which had inserted the bear into the video afterwards. I was so sure that I ran the whole tape over. And, yes, the bear had been there all the time. For someone who prides himself on observing things, it was downright embarrassing. Even so, it goes to prove, we see and hear what we’re looking and listening for… and we often miss the rest.1
When it comes to Christianity. People see in the Savior’s story of salvation what they want to see; they hear what they want to hear… and they often miss the rest. That’s what St. Paul was saying when he wrote to the church in Corinth. In his first letter to that congregation, he noted: “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom…” The spiritual descendants of those two groups are very much alive and well today. Naturally, we wouldn’t refer to them as Jews and Greeks; instead we might define them more as being people who have a spiritual or a logical bent to their makeup and outlook on life.
No doubt you have met representatives from both sides. You may know someone who is overtly and possibly overly spiritual. That is the kind of person who is looking for, and finding, the handiwork of the supernatural everywhere. You may be among those who have scoffed and sneered at the naiveté of these folks who have identified the face of Jesus on a pancake or a potato chip; who are sure, and willing to swear, they have observed the crucifixion of the Christ on a rusty screen door or who have found proof of God’s Word in statues which seem to cry or diseases which disappear without a scientific explanation.
Then there is the other group: those who pride themselves in their logic. Quite frankly, these who have hitched their star to the wagon of reason simply can’t stand the first group, the super-spiritual ones. Rejecting any and all examples of emotionalism, they like to think they are searching for that which is testable, repeatable, and far more scientific. Before they concede the handiwork of a Divine Creator; before they receive faith in the risen Redeemer; before the Holy Spirit is given any entrance into their hearts, they must have solid, verifiable, uncontestable facts. These are the ones who find fellowship with the disciple Thomas, who, on Resurrection Sunday, declared, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the marks of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Yes, these scientific souls are searching for absolute “truth” even as they, like the sophisticated Roman procurator at Jesus’ trial, Pontius Pilate, despair of ever finding that truth. People see and hear in Christianity what they want to see and hear and they miss the rest.
Now it is quite possible that I haven’t listed your particular perspective or point of view. Maybe you aren’t one of those who are super-spiritual or literal in your commitment to logic. Let me ask, then, what kind of viewpoint do you have? There are a lot of people who, when it comes to Christianity, find themselves looking for rules and regulations. They want God to give them laws to govern every aspect, every decision, every event, every circumstance of their lives. Closely related to such folk are those who are absolutely sure that God’s law does indeed legislate everything, even the minutia of the moment. Such folk go bonkers when they find Scripture is non-directive and even indifferent about certain subjects. When they discover Scripture is silent and that God has left many matters to their own judgment and Christian freedom, they decide they will make up for God’s obvious oversights and His Divine deficiencies. Like the Pharisees of yesteryear they decide, on God’s behalf and in His Name, to make up rules and regulations. Such people say to their children, “Pick up your room, the Bible says cleanliness is next to godliness.'” Well, the Bible says no such thing. Nor does it say, “A stitch in time saves nine.” It does not tell us: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” Nowhere will you find that the Bible has declared: “Money is the root of all evil” or “To thine own self be true.” Thinking God has given a rule to govern every occasion has caused churches to fight some very silly battles. How silly? Well, one denomination may ban organ music even as another says “Only organ music is acceptable to the Lord.” How silly can this search for laws in all things get? One church broke up over whether, on Maundy Thursday, the officiant should wash a person’s right foot or left foot first. Fact of the matter is God doesn’t say… He doesn’t even say whether you should wash any feet at all. My friends, the Father didn’t send His Son to condemn the world or give all who are brought to faith in Jesus a set of impossible rules to follow. To believe that is to thoroughly misunderstand the cause for which Jesus was born, lived, suffered, and died. Jesus came into this world to free us from our sins; to save our souls from hell and to enable us, as adopted children in the family of faith, to live a life of thanksgiving to the gracious God Who has redeemed us.
When it comes to Christianity, all too often people see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear and they miss the rest. I’ve met more than one person who came to Christianity with a sad, sorrowful, and somber attitude. I remember one lady whom I regularly called on when I was in the parish. Although her physical health didn’t make her a shut-in, her mental outlook most certainly did. Every time, and I mean every time, I visited her, she told me about the day her son died. That story would be followed by a narration of her husband’s passing. After more than ten years of visiting with her, I could tell the story as well as she. And I wasn’t the only one who listened to her passionate outpouring of pain. Drivers for Meals on Wheels sandwiched her between a pair of happy people, so they wouldn’t be depressed for the rest of the day.
Now I would never say such traumatic events won’t touch a person; they will. But even though more than 15 years had passed since the death of her loved ones, those dark days of death had never been tempered by any light. This lady allowed nothing to rob her of her hurt. She was unwilling to receive the comfort which comes from knowing the Christ had conquered death and grave and made possible a heavenly reunion for all who believe. Tragically, this lady is not unique in seeing Christianity as a religion which is dark and depressing. There are others like her; others who have forgotten the Savior offers a faith which gives hope to the hopeless and heaven to those once destined to damnation.
Understand, this is not my opinion. Listen to the Christmas angels who powerfully
proclaimed the Savior’s birth and announced Jesus is God’s “good news of great joy for
all people.” 33 years after that announcement to the Bethlehem shepherds, after Jesus
had fulfilled the law for us; after He had carried our sins for us; after He had been
crucified and died for us, women went to prepare His dead body. They went to perform
their duty filled with sorrow and sadness. They went to the grave that way, but they did
not stay that way. Rather than seeing Jesus’ dead body, they had the opportunity to visit
with their living Lord, the Christ, the Conqueror of death itself. Scripture tells us that
meeting transformed those women; it tells us the mourners were filled with joy. How could it have been different? They knew that the Father Who had made us had sent His Son to live and die for us. Now, through Jesus’ successful sacrifice, He continues to bless us through the Holy Spirit Who calls us to faith in the ever-living Lord of life.
In Christianity, people find what they’re looking for. It’s a shame that so many don’t find that which God wishes to give. The nurse Clara Barton was known for many things. One thing that always amazed others is that the famous lady never held a grudge. One time, a friend brought to Clara’s remembrance a cruel thing which had, years before, been said about her. Listening carefully to the narrative, Clara confessed she couldn’t recall the incident. Exasperated, the story-teller demanded, “Clara, don’t you remember that sin which was committed against you?” “No,” Clara answered calmly, “1 distinctly remember forgetting that sin.” It is the same with God. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross; because of our call by the Holy Spirit, God forgets our sin. He deliberately and purposely forgets our sin. He erases them, removes, destroys, obliterates them. MorE! than that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, He tells us that we are no longer condemned. Yes, Christians rejoice.
People see what they want, hear what they want when it comes to Christianity. Some want to rewrite God’s plan of salvation to fit their lifestyle. They want to create God in their own image; a Deity Who accepts them just as they are. Unlike the folks who want God to give them a rule to govern everything, these people want God to give them no rules at all. Such people come to Christianity and say, “God is a God of love. He would never send someone to hell.” They want God to forget about His justice; they want Him to forget about Jesus, His suffering, His sacrifice, His death. No, they don’t want a Savior; they just want God to stamp them, and their sins as being ACCEPTABLE. And that, my friends, is something God can’t do. If these people want God to accept them as the unredeemed and unsaved sinners that they are, He will. But they must also realize God has said unredeemed and unsaved sinners go to hell.
People see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear when it comes to Christianity. Are you one of those who come to the Triune God only when you are up against the wall and have nowhere else to go? Are you one who says, “Lord, You know I haven’t prayed to You for years and You know I haven’t worshipped You or listened to You and I’ve been pretty bad, but I need You to bail me out, and I want You to bail me out this way …and if you don’t bail me out, I’m going to walk away, and I’ll never look back or believe in You again.” Well, God isn’t a magic genii subserviently saying, “Your wish is my command.” No, you will have to look into another book, a book different than the Bible to find such an enslaved deity. God’s reality is this: You can have access to His power and help or you can have your power and help yourself, but you can’t have both.
People see what they want; hear what they want when it comes to Christianity. There is one other group that I must speak about this Lord’s Day. You know them. They are the unbelieving, the pseudo-smart scholars who are dissecting Jesus like He was a fetal pig in a freshman biology class. They shoot down His words, His miracles, His resurrection. Folks, to make a long story short, I can tell you, they will, someday, on Judgment Day, get what they’re looking for, namely proof of Jesus’ reality and reliability. That is why I encourage you not to panic or be alarmed when you hear such supposedly smart people say Jesus did not do His miracles, He didn’t say what the Bible records, He didn’t rise on the third day. Don’t be terrified when they dismiss heaven and hell. Don’t be appalled when they say there is no such thing as sin. There is and their undermining of God’s Son’s work is one of those sins.
People see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear, believe what they want
to believe when it comes to Christianity. You know, having faith in a Creator of our own
imagination is a poor, a pitiful and pitiable thing, a second-rate item hardly worthy of
acknowledgment. In contrast we have the faith which God so graciously extends; the
blood-bought salvation His Son has won. Foolishness and a stumbling block to the
world, most certainly, but for those who believe, such a faith is beyond compare, for
Jesus Christ, crucified and risen is life and light and He is salvation. That is what God
wants us to see and hear, it is God’s plan which should not be missed.
More than a century-and-a-half ago a sailing ship was headed toward Australia. Hit by a
strong storm, the ship had sprung a leak. A nervous, loud-spoken man came to the captain and said, “This is an awful storm and it shall, with the help of that terrible leak, most certainly send us to the bottom.” The ship’s captain drew closer to the frightened man, and with a voice no greater than a whisper said, “You have rightly guessed the situation. As you are aware and others are not, I would ask you to be of help to me and the ship. Over on port side is that piece of loose rope. Would you please hold it, put a tension on it, a hard tension until I relieve you and let you know the worst is over and the ship is safe?” The man agreed, staggered across the deck, grabbed the rope and put all his weight into making sure it stayed tight. Two hours passed and still he held … three hours, then four. At the fourth hour the storm abated and the captain relieved the man of his duty.
Amazingly nobody seemed to be aware of what he had done to save the ship. With fake reluctance, the man went to the captain and hinted a few words acknowledging his work might be in order. He was shocked when the captain replied, “Sir, do you really think you saved us? All you did was hold a rope -a rope which went to the second deck and was attached to nothing.”
The day of the storm, that man had seen what he wanted to see and had refused to believe the captain had things under control. Don’t let that happen to you. When it comes to salvation, see and hear what God wants you to hear; receive that which He wishes to give. Believe that He is in control and His Son will save. To that end, if we can be of help to you, please, call all us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers)
January 30,2010
Topic: When is it OK to stop witnessing?
Announcer: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
Klaus: Hello, Mark.
Announcer: As you know, for 80 years now The Lutheran Hour has been trying to reach out to people everywhere with the story of how Christ died and rose again to put us right with God.
Klaus: Four score years is a long time and we give thanks to the Lord for the opportunity.
Announcer: OK, but a listener wants to know, “when is enough enough?”
Klaus: Unusual question. Enough of what?
Announcer: Specifically, when do you stop trying to talk to someone about Jesus? And
here we’re thinking about that time when Jesus told his followers to “shake the dust off their feet” as a testimony against those who rejected the Gospel.
Klaus: Yeah, Jesus said that when He sent His disciples out to preach about the kingdom of God. If a town didn’t want to hear them, they were not to get all bogged down, but the disciples were to move along and share God’s salvation story with the next town. On their way out of town, the disciples were to shake that village’s dust out of their sandals. It was pretty much symbolic of a final break with those who refused to listen.
Announcer: So, is there ever a point in time when, let’s say, after years of trying to reach out to someone with the Gospel, and they continue to mock and ridicule it, a Christian could finally say, “OK. Enough! Hey, I pray you come to faith. I pray God would convert
you, but, as for me, I’m through talking with you about it.”
Klaus: You know, Mark, one of the images of Jesus that people seem to cherish is that
of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, endlessly searching for that one lost sheep.
Announcer: Right. That’s where He leaves the other 99 in His flock and He sets off to
find that wanderer, picks it up and brings it home.
Klaus: Yeah, that’s the picture. And people say, “That’s what the church is supposed to
do. We’re supposed to keep reaching out to the lost sheep. No matter where. No matter
for how long.
Announcer: It makes for a beautiful picture.
Klaus: It does, doesn’t it? Problem is, it’s not all that accurate. Announcer: Uh, why not?
Klaus: Jesus didn’t do it. When the people of Nazareth, His home town, tried to stone Him, He never went back there. He moved on and made Capernaum His headquarters.
Announcer: Hmm, I never thought of it that way.
Klaus: Yeah, when Jesus talked deeply about some mysteries of the faith and the crowds left Him, Jesus didn’t shout after them, run after them. He didn’t call “Hey, wait, let me explain. I was just kidding there.” Although Jesus makes a forthright witness to Judas at the Last Supper, He doesn’t keep following the disciple to try and talk him out of what he is going to do. Jesus loved the Pharisees, wanted to save them, but He was pretty strong in denouncing what they were doing wrong.
Announcer: OK. You seem to be building quite a case here.
Klaus: Yeah, I hope so. One other question which is applicable to the discussion. Mark, what happens to the 99 sheep if the Shepherd is continuously looking for a sheep that doesn’t want to be found?
Announcer: They would be left to be neglected …. maybe attacked by predators, maybe starve.
Klaus: Mark, we always try to do our best to share the Savior. We share Him with our words, our messages, with anybody who will listen to them. We share our prayers and our lives.
Announcer: Because that is what God has commanded us to do.
Klaus: Indeed, He did. We, like God, want all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth which is ours in Jesus. But we are also instructed to be good stewards of all that God has given us, including our time and our resources. Those who reject the Savior have the right to do so, and that’s hard to say. It is our job to keep the door open, but we dare not let these who reject the Christ occupy all of our energy and demand all of our time. We need to say to them, “You don’t want to hear? We are disappointed. We are always ready to share God’s truth with you. But we refuse to downplay or sidestep the truth in hopes that maybe you’ll find it more to your liking.”
Announcer: Anything else you could say?
Klaus: Yeah, in Matthew 7, Jesus says this, “Do not give to the dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” Although the picture is not especially fiattering to those who refuse to hear, I do think it is applicable.
Announcer: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selection for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Songs of Thankfulness and Praise” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“The People That in Darkness Sat” arranged by Peter Prochnow. Used by permission.
“Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices” arr. by Michael Burkhardt. From Hymn
Improvisations, vol. 1 by Michael Burkhardt (© 1993 MorningStar Music Publishers)