The Lutheran Hour

"The Redeemer or Rationalization?"

#79-47
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on July 29, 2012
Speaker: Rev. Ken Klaus
Copyright 2025 Lutheran Hour Ministries

Text: Mark 6:45-52

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Today the Lord Jesus Christ extends His invitation for all sinners. He says, “Come.” By the Holy Spirit’s power may you set aside all hesitation and rationalization and be brought to the crucified and living Savior. There, with Him, there is forgiveness, peace, and joy eternal. Dear Lord, grant this grace to us all. Amen.
“The Redeemer or Rebellion and Rationalization, which one will rule your life?” The difference between the two can be explained by an incident in the life of the comedian Red Skelton.

It was somewhere around 1951 that Red and a number of his friends went to Europe for a vacation. As they flew over the Alps, three of the plane’s four engines coughed, sputtered, and died. Some in the group began to pray while others showed the first signs of hysteria and panic.

Both prayers and panic intensified as the plane visibly dropped toward the jagged peaks. Then, just when a crash seemed inevitable, at the last moment the pilot spotted a field nestled among the mountain slopes. With no other choice possible, he risked setting the plane down on the unknown terrain. After the jostling and bouncing had stopped the silence among the passengers was profound. Skelton was the first to speak. Half-seriously, the Christian comedian commented, “Now, ladies and gentlemen, you may return to the evil habits you gave up 20 minutes ago.” Skelton knew that people, in times of intense pressure, will often turn to the Redeemer and make all kinds of sincere, heartfelt promises. But, then the crisis is over rebellion and rationalization soon have those promises put into perspective and placed high up on the back shelf.

Tell me, if you had been on that plane, would you have been one of the prayers and seen the safe landing as a gift from God’s benevolent hand or would you have rebelled and rationalized the event?

Now it’s quite possible that you, never having been on a plane which seemed destined to crash into the Alps, may find it hard to identify with that story. So, let’s make the question easier by bringing up a number of situations which might be more familiar. Do you remember a time when you got away from the lights and smog of the city and looked up to the sky on a clear, moonless night? As you saw the planets wandering across the heavens and the Milky Way stretching across the firmament, what was your reaction? Did you think, “The clockwork of the planets, the rules of the universe had to have been put in place by a Divine intelligence far greater than anything you can comprehend”, or did you rebel and rationalize, resorting to saying: “This stuff of the cosmos is the product of random happenstance as am I, everything I see, and all that is around me”?

When you look upon a healthy newborn child, what thoughts run through your mind? Are you filled with wonder to observe how the eyes are following shapes and light, how the head turns to the sound of mother’s familiar voice? Would you say this child is a gift of God or totally the result of billions of years of evolution and a genetic blueprint? The Redeemer or rebellion rationalization.

Now if you’ve been opting for the rebellion and rationalization answer, please don’t get all defensive. As I read through the Bible, I see many people who seem to share your point of view. For example, if you read through the book of Exodus, you will see that God picked Moses to be the guy who would go to Pharaoh’s house and say, “You need to let God’s people go.” Moses, you see, was a man of faith, a man representing the Redeemer. On the other hand, Pharaoh was a fellow of rationalization and rebellion. Having considered the economic impact upon Egypt’s income Pharaoh said, well, he sort of said, “Sorry, buddy, that just ain’t gonna happen.”

Hearing Pharaoh’s decision, God decided to show the ruler His request to free His people wasn’t up for negotiation. In quick succession ten punishing plagues were visited upon Egypt. The water was turned to blood; after the bloody water came frogs, then lice, then flies, diseased livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of Egypt’s firstborn. Finally Pharaoh had had enough. The plagues had convinced him God was real and God was in control. He called Moses to court and said, “Okay! Enough with the plagues. Get out of town and do it ASAP.”

With God and Pharaoh finally in agreement, Moses and God’s freed people got going. They were hardly out of sight before Pharaoh started rationalizing. He thought, “You know, I may have been rash in my judgment. After all, Egypt’s always had flies and frogs and boils and water that turned red with algae. There’s a rational explanation here. I’m gonna get back my slaves.” He would have succeeded if it hadn’t been for another miracle during which God quite literally sent Pharaoh’s forces down the drain.

After stopping at Mt. Sinai to get the 10 Commandments, God’s people were eventually led to the River Jordan and the place where they could start the conquest of the land God had promised centuries before. Spies reported the land was a pretty fantastic place and the people were ready until they heard the rest of the report which said, “The land has some giants and compared to them we’re like Munchkins.”

In that one moment they stopped being people of the Redeemer and became folks of rationalization and rebellion. Forgotten were the miracles God had done to give them freedom. Forgotten was the drowning of Pharaoh’s army. Forgotten was the miraculous way God had preserved them in the wilderness.

They weren’t the first; they weren’t the last to act that way. Turn to the Gospels and the life of the Savior. There you can join Jesus’ disciples and see Him fulfilling the Divine promises and prophecies concerning the Savior; you can watch Jesus do things only God’s Son could do. In the short time the disciples had been with Jesus they had seen Him turn water into wine, watched as He stilled a storm, and raise a young man from the dead.

At the time we join Jesus’ closest friends they had just seen Him heal numerous individuals of numerous maladies and feed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Because of all they had seen and heard these guys should have been telling anyone who would hear: “Beyond any shadow of doubt Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Forgiver of sins, the Savior of the world.” That’s what they should have been doing, but they didn’t. You see, the disciples had developed a pattern… a bad pattern. They would see a miracle and they would be impressed by that miracle. Sometimes they would be filled with wonder and other times they would respond with a great statement of faith. And then they would make excuses or come up with rationalizations to explain away what they had just experienced. Indeed, their behavior had been so consistently disappointing that after He had stilled the storm, Jesus had chewed them out saying: “Why are you so fearful? What’s wrong with your faith?”

It wasn’t the last time the Redeemer would be disappointed. For example, there is the time Jesus had finished His healings and preachings and taken care of the crowd. Exhausted, He wanted to spend some private time in prayer. He told the disciples to take a boat across the Sea of Galilee and He would join them later. As instructed, the disciples went, but they didn’t go far. A storm came up and it hit them head on. They rowed and the wind blew. They rowed harder, the wind blew harder. Every move they made was countered by that storm. They were getting nowhere fast.

From the shore Jesus could see their struggles. So His friends might really know He was God’s Son, He decided to do something only God’s Son could do. He came to them walking on the water. I know, subsequent generations of critics have said, “Jesus didn’t really walk on the water. No, not at all. He only appeared to walk on the water.” Some of them rationalize away and say, “The disciples were really close to shore and Jesus was able to walk to them through the breakers.” Others maintain Jesus found an old door or flat piece of wood and surfed or poled His way out to them. Rebellion and rationalizations. Anything to explain away God’s hand in the life of humankind. These critics don’t bother to explain why, if Jesus was near the shore, why didn’t the disciples walk to Him or get out and pull their boat through the shallows. These skeptics don’t explain where Jesus got His primitive surfboard, or how He learned to surf in a storm, or how He propelled Himself along. The only thing these folks want to do is find some way of explaining Jesus away.

In contrast to these rationalizers, Scripture simply says:”Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.” Through the wind and spray the disciples saw Jesus coming. And did they say, ‘Hip, hip, hooray, here comes the Savior to help us!”? Did they say, “Jesus is here; watch Him silence this storm like He silenced the last one”? No, they said none of those things. Instead of letting their faith speak, they let their fears take control. Wide-eyed, they turned to each other and came up with the best explanation their unbelieving minds could muster. “It’s a ghost,” they said in fear. And Jesus, having heard them, responded, “Boys, get a grip. It’s Me, your Friend, Jesus.”

I’m proud to tell you one of those disciples did just as Jesus said. Peter, good, old Peter called back, “Lord, if this is really You coming toward us, why not let me walk to you on the water. All you have to do is tell me to come and I will.” Jesus said, “Come.” And Peter did. In an extraordinary act of faith, Peter stepped over the gunnels of that ship and began to walk on the water. He began to walk on the water toward Jesus.

If you don’t mind, just for a moment I’d like us to leave Peter there, on the water. I’d like to take a moment and remind you today’s theme is the Redeemer or rebellion and rationalization. Well, you’re about to see that theme played out. Okay, let’s go back. Peter took a step, maybe two, three, ten. The Bible doesn’t say how far he went. I can tell you that day Peter walked on the water farther than has any other human being before or since.

So, Peter’s walking. Do-de-do-de-do. He’s walking and he’s thinking. But what is he thinking? Is he thinking about thanking the Lord for this incredible miracle he is experiencing? Does he think about running to Jesus? Does He think about singing some song of praise? Nope, he doesn’t. He doesn’t think any of those things. What he does do is look at those waves and he begins to rebel and he rationalizes and he asks himself, “What am I doing here? Nobody can walk on water! This is crazy! This is nuts! I’m gonna die!” Then this guy who was walking on the water begins to sink. Before he goes under he shouts, “Jesus, Master, save me!” which is exactly what Jesus did. Jesus reached out and pulled Peter to safety, and got in the boat. That’s when the storm stopped.

My friends, I would love to tell you Peter and the rest of the disciples learned a lesson that day, learned a lesson which they never forgot. It would give me great satisfaction to hold these guys up as an example for you to follow. Unfortunately the disciples didn’t get it… they just didn’t get it… and they kept on not getting it for a long time. They didn’t get it when Jesus told them He was going to die in Jerusalem. They didn’t understand that if humanity was to be saved, Jesus had to be saddled with the sins of the world. They didn’t get it. They didn’t get why Jesus had to be arrested, why He had to be tried, why He had to be condemned, and why He had to die. They didn’t get it. They didn’t understand that Jesus had to die if we were to be forgiven; if we were to live forever.

No, they didn’t get it. They didn’t understand that He had to die and they didn’t understand He would, three days later, rise from the grave. Because they didn’t get it, they weren’t there at Jesus’ tomb on resurrection morning. They weren’t there to welcome back a living Lord. No, rather than being there with banners and bands and choirs, they were hiding out because they were afraid Jesus’ fate might also become theirs. They didn’t get it. Not until later on… after Jesus went back to heaven, when the promised Holy Spirit came upon them, then they got it and they understood.

You should know after the disciples got it, things were changed. No longer did they come up with lame excuses and unreasonable rationalizations to write off the Redeemer and explain their reluctance to proclaim Him. Yes, after they got it, things were changed. They were transformed. They were no longer cowards in the corner. On the contrary, they became witnesses to the world. The Lord used them to make such an impact; that before their lives were over, when they would come to a town, the residents of those communities would say, “Those who have turned the world upside down have now come here.”
Well, the truth was, these fellows didn’t turn the world upside down, but Jesus did. He still does. He transforms the lives of all who believe on Him as He moves them from being lost to being saved, from being alone to having a Friend; from being afraid to being safe. Jesus makes that kind of change when people believe. The question is, “Has He done that for you? Is your life ruled by the Redeemer or do you respond to His invitations with unbelievable rationalizations and rebellions?”

Just over 100 years ago the Titanic sank beneath the waves of the Atlantic. For every person who survived, two died. One of the ones who didn’t make it was a Baptist Pastor named John Harper. Harper, with his daughter and niece, was traveling to Chicago where he was to preach at the Moody Church. Harper helped his family into the lifeboats, but he himself refused to get in. Instead, he assisted others into the boats and decided to brave the water. That’s where he died.

A few years later, about 1916, a young Scotsman got up at a church meeting in Hamilton, Canada. He said, “I was on the Titanic when she sank. Drifting alone on a spar in the icy water on that awful night, a wave brought John Harper of Glasgow near to me. He, too, was holding on to a piece of the wreck. ‘Man, are you saved?’ he shouted. ‘No, I am not!’ was my reply. He answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved.’ The waves bore him away; but strange to say, a little later he was washed back alongside of me. ‘Are you saved now?’ ‘No!’ I replied, ‘I cannot say that I am.’ Once more he repeated the verse, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’ Then losing his hold he sank.”

Now that man could have rationalized. He could have said it was entirely by accident that John Harper didn’t get in a lifeboat; that it was a coincidence which brought a dedicated pastor and an unbeliever together in the frigid water that night. He could have said it was an improbable bit of luck which caused the pastor to ask about his salvation rather than about his physical well-being and happenstance which separated them and brought them together a second time. It could have been accidental… or it might have been the Lord reaching out to a soul who needed him.

There are a lot of ways a person might respond to John Harper’s invitation to the Savior. A person could say, “This is an emotional time, not a time to make such a confession of faith.” A person might respond: “Right now I’ve got other things to worry about. I’ll consider it later.” An individual might even reply: “Man, what I believe is none of your business.” Yes, a person could rebel and rationalize and say any one of those things. I can tell you what that man said. He said, “Shortly after John went down, there alone in the night, and with two miles of water underneath me, I believed.”

Dear listener, let me ask you, personally, one-to-one, how many times hasn’t the Lord brought somebody to you and extended an invitation to meet the Savior Who has died and risen so you might be forgiven and saved? How many friends, how many family members have not tried to make an introduction? Let me ask you, just you, how many times haven’t you been touched by some beauty in nature and had to fight down, had to fight down the belief that some great omnipotent Being, the Triune God made that? How many times will you say, “No.” to the Lord’s invitation?

The Redeemer or rebellion and rationalization? Are you so sure of yourself? So positive you are right that you can ignore this invitation? Peace of mind, eternal life, forgiveness and fellowship with the Savior Who died so you might live is placed before you today. If this day was begun without the Savior, please don’t let it end this way. Consider this broadcast God’s way of coming to you and asking, “Are you saved?” By God’s grace and will, by the Holy Spirit’s power, may you be able to say, “Yes.” To that end, if we can help, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.

LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for July 29, 2012
TITLE: Forgiving Those Who Don’t Ask For It

Announcer: Should you forgive people who don’t ask for it? I’m Mark Eischer, here with our Speaker Emeritus, Pastor Ken Klaus.

Klaus: Hello, Mark. Good to see you again.

Announcer: Today’s question has to do with repentance and forgiveness and it concerns a listener and one of her relatives.

Klaus: You know, Mark, a lot of years in the ministry have told me that the police are right. Family disturbances are dangerous things. You never know what you’re going to get or what’s going to happen in those situations.

Announcer: This particular case involves a listener whose mother died earlier this year and in her will, the mother left certain things to different family members.

Klaus: No problem there. That’s one of the reasons you encourage people to make their final wishes known by making out a will.

Announcer: All right. Now, this next part gets a bit complicated.

Klaus: I will pay close attention.

Announcer: After the mother died, our listener’s sister-in-law got there first. She went through the mother’s house and removed a number of items and took them for herself. One of those items was something the mother had specifically said should go to her daughter.

Klaus: Her daughter, that’s our listener, correct?

Announcer: Correct. This item had considerable emotional value for our listener. When she found out her sister-in-law had taken it, she asked her to give it back.

Klaus: Understandable.

Announcer: But at that point, the sister-in-law said the item had fallen and was now broken and she had already tossed out the pieces.

Klaus: Oh, that’s not good.

Announcer: Not good at all. Our listener isn’t really sure if the thing is broken and was thrown away, but that’s not the whole problem. The sister-in-law never said she was sorry for taking it in the first place, for breaking it, and for throwing the item away. Does our listener have to forgive her unrepentant sister-in-law?

Klaus: You know, sometimes after you hear a story like that, a person could be flip and say, “Let’s get serious, this is only a bit of bric-a-brac. Let’s get over it.” But that’s something only an outsider would say. When it’s something that represents the relationship you had with a parent, such things take on a value far bigger than the resale price. For that reason, I’ll going to try to answer this as gently as I possibly can.

Announcer: Right.

Klaus: First, to our listener: I am sorry for the loss of something that was so memorable and so important to you. I regret your Mother’s wishes were not honored. Having said that, I’m keeping my attention focused on you. Let me say first, we don’t give out legal advice on this program. We can’t do that. However, you may have certain legal recourse in the matter. In order to find out, you would need to consult with your state’s administrator.

Announcer: That’s a good point.

Klaus: Now, whether the item in fact is gone broken or not, you don’t have any way of knowing. Outside of getting a court order or going over and rummaging through your sister-in-law’s house, you will never have a way of knowing. So you need to put those accusations aside until you have further evidence.

Second, you are not responsible for your sister-in-law. You can’t determine whether she is repentant… you can’t force her to be repentant. That is something between her and her Lord.

Announcer: Now, you might pray for someone to have a change of heart, but you can’t force them to have that change of heart.

Klaus: Yes, no matter how much you want it, you can’t make it happen. The third thing I want to say is this: to withhold forgiveness at such a time doesn’t change your sister-in-law’s unrepentant heart. On the other hand, it can change you and how you look at things.
Announcer: In what way?

Klaus: In a number of ways. First, not forgiving someone can make a nice person into a bitter person as they wait for the scales of justice to someday be balanced. Second, not forgiving someone makes you into the judge. Ultimately, the Lord is going to be the final Judge as to that sister-in-law’s guilt or not. Lastly, to not forgive is failing to follow the Savior’s wishes. He told us to forgive everyone, including our enemies.

Announcer: We hope our listener doesn’t think of her sister-in-law as the enemy.

Klaus: That would be tragic if that was the case; if this incident drove a lifelong wedge between family members. You know, the Lord Jesus called us, did what He did, to make us into forgiving, loving family. That’s what He showed for us. That’s what He wants us to reflect to others.

Announcer: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Music Selections

“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.

“My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission.

“All Creatures of Our God and King” arr. Bobby Fisher. From Catholic Classics, vol. 3 – Hymn Instrumental (© 1998 GIA Publications, Inc.)

“Allegro” by J.S. Bach. From Richard Heschke at the Hradetzky in Red Bank by Richard Heschke (© 1993 Arkay Records)