The Lutheran Hour
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"You Say Either, I Say Eye-ther"
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Text: Ephesians 4:10-13
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Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed! By God’s promise and will Jesus entered the world to live for us, to die for us, to rise for us. Now because the Savior has completed His work and is risen from the dead, all who believe in Him are saved. The question which remains is this: “Do you believe?” God grant that all of us may agree and put our faith in the living Lord. Amen.
In 1937, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made a movie in which they sang a George and Ira Gershwin song entitled, “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off.” That song spoke of how difficult it is for people to agree. Maybe you remember some of the lyrics: “You say either and I say either, you say neither and I say neither; either, either, neither, neither, let’s call the whole thing off.” Not surprisingly, since this was a Hollywood musical, Fred and Ginger managed to dance their way to mutual understanding and lived happily ever after.
Reality says “life isn’t a Hollywood movie.” On an international scale, reality says that Israel and Palestine, both believing they have a legitimate right to the same piece of property, are not likely to set those differences aside and come to a loving and lasting agreement. The same can be said of China and Taiwan, North and South Korea, Great Britain and Argentina, and a score of other places around the world where peace, harmony, and a mutually acceptable agreement seems highly improbable, if not humanly impossible.
Of course, those global disagreements are only a higher profile example of the disagreements which happen in our own lives. Ask a judge, speak to an officer of the law and they will tell you, ‘There is no conflict which is more unpredictable, more frightening, more potentially violent than the lack of peace and harmony which can be found between brother and sister, husband and wife.’ Emotional scars run deep in such disagreeable situations. That is why, many years after a divorce and all personal contact has been severed, the injured parties will speak with loathing and contempt of the person they had once promised to love until ‘death us do part.’ And when it comes to brothers and sisters, “Mom always loved you best” is not just the title of an old Smothers Brother’s routine. In countless homes, children who grew up together under the same roof feel their parents rejected and neglected them in favor of their siblings. No, when it comes to almost any subject, it is hard for people to agree.
Still, when I think about it, I have to conclude there is no topic or Person which produces more disagreement and a wider range of strongly held divergent opinions, than does Jesus. Consider, right now there are countries in the world which have adopted Christianity as their official religion and other nations where acknowledging the Savior will get you a prison term or see you sentenced to death by stoning. In our country there are colleges and universities which pride themselves on their freedom of thought and expression. Sadly, these freedoms are often offered to everyone, except to those who say, “Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” When this broadcast proclaims, “Jesus is the Savior from sin,” others respond, “He is a silliness, a Charlatan.” If believers claim: “Jesus is God’s Son”, others will disagree and demote Him to the rank of Prophet, Philosopher, Fraud. Every time a believer holds: “In following Jesus there is forgiveness and a future in heaven,” the unbelieving world snidely sneers: “Following Jesus is for foolish people with frail and feeble minds.”
Especially when it comes to the life, the work, the Person of Jesus, it is difficult for people to agree. Which is why, this past week, I was overjoyed to come up with a sentence which I think is acceptable to believers and unbelievers, to those who are faithful followers of the Christ and those who are followers of different faiths. Are you just a bit curious as to what this statement might be? Good! I’m glad. So without any unnecessary delay, I will tell you. The statement is: “I wish that Jesus would physically come back to earth for a while.”
Think of it. We who already acknowledge the crucified and risen Christ would actually be able to see and speak personally to the Savior who sacrificed Himself for our salvation. Quite rightly we would be able to kneel at His feet in humble repentance for all we have done wrong and each of us could thank Him for the blood-bought forgiveness He has presented to us. But there’s more. In a world where godlessness and wickedness is increasing, we would be able to put Jesus on the Lutheran Hour and He could deliver a sermon which would tell us which church has doctrines which are in harmony with the will and wishes of His Father and condemn those denominations which have launched out on their own. How wonderful it would be to hear Him settle our differences and divisions, to heal the factions and fractions of the faith which bears His Name. Yes, it would be a joy for believers to have Jesus physically with us for a while.
But believers are not the only ones who would be glad to see the Savior. Representatives from all the other belief systems of the world would be able to find out for themselves the wonderful uniqueness of the Redeemer. They could ask all their questions and Jesus would give them God’s answers. I believe it would take but a short time for the Lord to explain how repentant human hearts need not struggle and strive at the impossible task of working their way into heaven. He would share with them the wonderful truth that they can be completely and totally forgiven when they have faith in the free gift of salvation which He has won for them on Calvary’s cross.
Think of how wonderful it would be if Jesus would physically be with us for a while. Doubters could come and, like the Pharisees in Scripture, try to trip Him up with their questions… and, in a replay of what happened in Scripture, all-knowing Jesus would expose the secrets of their hearts and give them a dose of their own medicine. If Jesus returned physically, the scientific world would line up to check out a 2,000 year-old Man. They would want to investigate, poke, prod, and pinch Him who is the most unique Individual in all of human history. I confess there would be a certain pleasure for me to see Jesus tell these investigators the number of hairs on their head and then watch them try to verify the truth of what Jesus has told them. Geneticists might be taken aback to see the DNA of Someone who was virgin born.
Yes, I think most of us would agree, it would be nice if Jesus were physically with us for a while. Think of the impact His presence would bring upon the world. If Christ were physically with us, He would be able to feed the hundreds-of-millions who are presently starving; He could end the droughts and make wastelands bloom all around the world. With a word He could create shelters for the homeless and with a command He could provide a homeland for the refugee. He could wander through a prison and point out those who had been unfairly jailed and identify those whose past contained crimes which had gone unproven and unpunished.
Yet there is still more. Think: the American Medical Association would be in awe after they verified no illness could stand before the power of His healing. Psychologists and sociologists would find themselves out of work because no pain or problem would be beyond Jesus’ ability to bring peace and a righteous solution. Endangered species would be preserved, extinct animals, recreated. Standing armies, massive stockpiles of arms and weapons; goodness, even taxes and governments would become unnecessary since Jesus could provide services, security and stability, protection and direction better than any earthly government. Which is why I believe that almost all of us would love to see the wonderful things which would happen if Jesus were physically with us for a while.
In this we are not alone. 2,000 years ago, when Jesus was here, most of the people wanted the same things we do. They wanted Jesus to feed their hungry, heal their sick, and remove anything and everything which was causing concern and consternation in their lives. Yup, that’s what they wanted. And do you know what Jesus did? Don’t be upset, but He didn’t do what they wanted any more than He does everything you want. Now Jesus did heal the blind, but He didn’t restore sight to all who were blind. He healed the lepers, but He didn’t wipe out leprosy. He fed the hungry who had come to hear Him, but when they asked Him to do so as a regular thing, He declined.
All of which takes us to a question upon which I think all of us can agree. The question which unites believer and unbeliever, people who are living today and those who have long since passed away is this: “Why? Why not feed all the hungry; heal all the sick; bring peace among the nations, and remove catastrophe and calamity; prejudice and pain; accident and injury? Why doesn’t Jesus mend broken hearts and bruised bodies? What good can possibly result in Jesus holding back from making earth into heaven?”
It’s a good question and as is the case with many good questions, there are a number of answers. The first response is simple. It answers our question by asking a question. When we ask, “Why doesn’t Jesus just do what we want?” He asks, “And just whose wants am I supposed to do?” Any of you who have gone Christmas shopping and tried to please a handful of family members know just how hard it is to please people. If that is the case for you and a select few of people who are closest to you, just think how difficult it would be for Jesus to try and please every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth.
Think about it. To whose prayer would He listen; whose wish would He fulfill? Would He favor the farmer who was praying for rain that his crops might survive or the construction worker who needs good weather so he can work? Would God smile upon the child who wants snow so he can use his new sled or the commuter who is tired of slip-sliding on his commute to work? Would the Lord listen to the Republican or the Democrat or does He favor Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose party because it has such a cool name? Does God want to bless the employer or the employee; the retiree who depends on his stocks going up so he can live or the Social Security recipient who wants prices to stay the same or drop? Jesus doesn’t do what we ask because He knows it’s impossible. Every prayer that He accepts means a prayer He rejects.
And if you’re thinking, ‘Hold on there, Preacher. I think everyone would be happy if Jesus cured all the sick and banished death!” If that’s what you’re thinking, I would reply, “You think so? Then explain why, when Jesus healed a blind man, the leaders of the church grew so angry they kicked the man out of his synagogue? Explain why, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the leaders of Israel decided to murder both of them?” The facts are plain: Jesus doesn’t do what we ask because we all ask for different, contradictory things.
But there is another reason, a more important reason which explains why Jesus hasn’t stayed around physically to give us everything we want. That is it’s not part of His job description, it actually contradicts and conflicts with His job description. When Adam and Eve sinned and spoiled God’s perfect universe, the Lord didn’t promise to send a Savior who would get rid of the weeds and make child-bearing easier again. No, God promised to send the world a Savior.
Let me say it this way: it was never God’s intention for Jesus to bring a second-rate heaven to sinners down here on earth. On the contrary; it was always His desire to redeem and recycle earthly sinners so they could be brought into heaven. Did you get that? It’s important that you do. Let me say it a little bit differently. It was NEVER the Savior’s job to try and please imperfect people by making this world into their idea of Shangri-La. On the contrary His work, first and foremost and always, was to do the Father’s will; to take imperfect sinners and make them fit for heaven. Don’t take my word… listen to Jesus.
Go to the Gospel of John and pay attention to a few of the things Jesus said about Himself, His work, and His goals. Look first at John 6 (v.51) where Jesus made the claim: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. In John 8 (v.12) Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Concerning His work, in chapter 10 (v.11) Jesus told us: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” He became more specific when He spoke to Martha who was mourning the loss of her brother (John 11: 25-26). That day He said: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” Then, to drive home His point, Jesus asked, “Do you believe this?” If she didn’t then, she did a few minutes later when the Redeemer raised Lazarus, her brother, back to life.
Dear listener, Jesus did the miracles He did to let people know He was the Christ, the promised Messiah, the Son of God who had been born into this world to fulfill the laws we have broken, to reject the temptations which have seduced us, and ultimately defeat death. Once again, those are not my words, they come from the Christ. In John 5 (v.36) He tells anyone who will listen: “For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.”
So there you have it. Jesus came to save you, not this planet. He came to bring you up to heaven, not bring a poor part of heaven down to earth. Which is why I now ask the question Jesus asked of Martha, “Do you believe this?” It is incredibly important that you do. You see where you will spend eternity is based on your faith or lack of faith in Jesus as your Savior from sin. For that reason I encourage you, I plead with you to give up thinking you know better than the Lord on how to run things. You don’t; nobody does. Far better to believe in God’s plan and acknowledge Jesus as the Savior who gave His life so you might be forgiven and have life.
In 1937, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sang, “You say tomato and I say tomato, you say potato and I say potato; tomato, tomato, potato, potato, let’s call the whole thing off.” Well, this is your life, not Hollywood, and since God isn’t George Gershwin, He is not ready to call the whole thing off. He wants to save you and to that end His Son gave His life. The only question which remains is, “Do you believe?”
To that end, if we can help, I encourage you, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for September 29, 2013
Topic: Convert or DieANNOUNCER: Now, more questions and answers with our Speaker Emeritus, Pastor Ken Klaus. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Thank you, Mark, and hello to our listeners. What have we got?
ANNOUNCER: This might be one of those questions that may or may not be so easy to answer.
KLAUS: Oh, I don’t know. I think every question has an easy answer; it just may not be an answer that pleases the questioner.
ANNOUNCER: All right. Today’s question is based on Jesus’ parable about the wise and foolish servants and it especially concerns how that parable ends.
KLAUS: Yeah, a surprise ending, of sorts.
ANNOUNCER: More like a shocking twist, I would say. The parable is recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. It’s about a nobleman who went off to be appointed king.
KLAUS: …which sounds like sort of a strange way to do things, but it would have reminded Jesus’ listeners of King Herod. That’s how Herod got his job.
ANNOUNCER: Now, before he left town, the master gave his servants some cash to invest while he was gone. And Luke includes this detail. He says: after the master left, some people sent a delegation off after him, saying, “We don’t want this guy to be our king.”
KLAUS: OK, keep that in mind, we will return to that point later.
ANNOUNCER: Now, when the master returned, he wanted to know what the servants had done, what they had accomplished while he was gone. Turns out, one servant had doubled the money, another had a 50% return on investment–but a third one had just hidden it away.
KLAUS: He hadn’t lost it or spent it; he just kept it safe until the boss came back.
ANNOUNCER: Exactly. Well, the master gave a big promotion to the servants who had made the most profit. He put one in charge of ten cities, the other, five. But as for this third one, the one who played it safe, the master took his share away and he gave it to the first guy, the one with ten cities.
KLAUS: And the master says, “To everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.”
ANNOUNCER: Now our question comes with the concluding line of the parable. The nobleman (who is now the king) says, “But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me,'” Luke 19:27 (ESV) which sounds pretty severe. If Jesus is somehow identifying Himself as the king in this parable, does that mean He’s saying it’s ‘convert or die?’
KLAUS: So, that’s the question we’re dealing with. Okay. Easy answer. The person’s asking the wrong question. It’s 180 degrees wrong.
ANNOUNCER: How so?
KLAUS: Okay, the Bible is clear. The wages of sin is death. It says the soul that sins will die. It also says there is not a just man on earth who always does good and never sins. The bottom line is this: apart from God, we are already dead. In fact, we were born dead… spiritually dead, that is.
ANNOUNCER: Perhaps you can illustrate that for us?
KLAUS: Fair enough. There’s a cemetery not far from here. Now, suppose we go over there and dig up a couple of coffins, open them up, and then we shoot the corpses! Or maybe we could stab them, or even lob a grenade into the casket.
ANNOUNCER: This is starting to sound more like an episode of “The Walking Dead…”
KLAUS: Okay. My point is, when the police come to arrest us, with what crime are they going to charge us?
ANNOUNCER: Well, unlawful discharge of weapons, trespassing, destroying private property…
KLAUS: And, do you think one of the charges they might bring against us would be that of ‘murder?’
ANNOUNCER: No, they couldn’t make that stick because you can’t kill someone who’s already dead.
KLAUS: Exactly. And that’s the point here. Jesus saves people who already were dead. Jesus was born; He lived; He died; He rose, so that anyone who trusts in Him will have a new life! Jesus doesn’t kill people; He takes dead people and makes them alive.
ANNOUNCER: So it’s a question of reviving the dead or do you let the dead remain dead.
KLAUS: That’s it. By nature, we were spiritually dead, but God gave His only Son to save us. Jesus reaches into our spiritual caskets and extends a hand that raises the dead back to life. But, if we prefer to stay dead… well, He isn’t going to force us.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. Certainly something for us to think about. And 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 Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me” by Paul Gerhardt & Johann Ebeling. From Heirs of the Reformation: Treasures of the Singing Church (© 2008 Concordia Publishing House/ASCAP)
“What God Ordains Is Always Good” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
“Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)