A friend recently tried to convince me that "we all pray to the same god." His argument included the fact that "there are other religions that also pray to the god of Abraham."
Okay, he's correct, sort of.
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you." Genesis 12:1
And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. Genesis 17:7
There are other religions that use these verses to trace their origins back to Abraham. But that's not the whole story.
Yesterday I made a quick trip to the store, and I happened to see a sign on a display stand - "Celebrate Easter, April 12, 2020."
I was glad of that reminder. It gets to the heart of the difference between Christianity and other religions that claim to "worship the god of Abraham."
Abraham was also told:
...and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Genesis 22:18a
Christians believe that this offspring that blesses all nations is the promised Messiah; that He's Jesus.
And this Jesus is God incarnate - God who took on flesh, the little baby whose birth we celebrate during Christmas, and the servant leader we read about in the New Testament who taught and healed people.
This Jesus is the One who bore the sins of the world, who died on the cross for those sins, for my sins. And He's the One who rose again on that first Easter morning. He overcame sin, death, and Satan to be that blessing to all nations, to me.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
...but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:23–24
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:30–31
I know it's not Easter yet, but, Jesus is risen, and He's on the throne. Our God.
I love this verse:
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7
In the Old Testament, during the times of the kings, people trusted in their nation's military strength and power. And chariots and horses were "state-of-the-art" military equipment.
These days, our "chariots and horses" are:
- comfort and health
- money and success
- relationships and popularity
- entertainment and leisure
As this virus has progressed, and people are wandering what to make of it, I keep thinking about plagues and where we put our trust.
Most people are aware of the ten plagues that happened in Egypt during the time of Moses. But there's also an incident recorded in Numbers.
In this account, the Israelites have been living in the wilderness for many years, and all this time the Lord has provided for them. But they forget His provision and start complaining about having no food and no water. And the Lord sends...
fiery serpents among the people, and they [bite] the people, so that many people of Israel died. Numbers 21:6
But it's what happens next that's significant. The Lord tells Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole. When anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze serpent, he would live.
Now I don't know the reasons behind what's happening in the world today and I wouldn't dare to speculate. But I do know where to look and what to trust, or rather Whom to trust.
About Himself, Jesus said:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14–15
In the midst of this uncertain life, and life is definitely uncertain these days, it's the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus that's absolute, undeniable, and the one thing to trust. Look to the crucified and risen Christ.
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
About 30 years ago, I was given a pamphlet on the Lord's Supper. It was a trifold. One side of the page had the Roman Catholic stances, the other side had the Protestant viewpoints. In the middle of these positions, there were the relevant Bible verses on the Lord's Supper.
Like a good Bible student, I read through the pamphlet and looked up the verses. My conclusion was, "The Roman Catholics are reading into and beyond the text; the Protestants are ignoring the text. Why can't people just take Jesus for His Word and believe what He says?"
Take, eat; this is my body...Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:26-28
At that moment, I embraced a position that I now know is similar to the Lutheran understanding of the Lord's Supper.
Our God, in the second person of the Trinity, Jesus, the Son, took on flesh, and He became one of us. He walked and lived among us. He lived a perfect life. And in accordance with Old Testament prophecy, He died as a sacrifice for our sins and for our salvation. And He overcame death and rose again, and He's still alive, seated at the right hand of power. Because of that, when we die, we will pass from this life, to life with Him. And we look forward to the physical restoration of our bodies. Right now, He physically gives us faith, strength, and understanding through His Word, and in His sacraments.
Lutheran Pastor Jonathan Fisk's new book is called Without Flesh: Why the Church is Dying Even Though Jesus is Still Alive. The title refers to many in today's church who are in a...
...constant state of decay and endless search for renewal. Having a Word without flesh, they are Christians in churches who, by definition, do not believe that Jesus is among them.
The book is on the Lord's Supper. But rather than writing an argument for the Lutheran teaching, Pastor Fisk, in various ways, explores the implications of Jesus coming in the flesh, and of our Lord continuing to come to us in a physical way.
Words matter. That Jesus is alive and ascended to power - that matters. That He promised to be present and with us - it matters.
We often live like He's gone, like He's not here. Why is that, when we read, we hear, and we know His promises?
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20
Whenever I read a book, I ask myself, "What parts of this book especially impact me and are parts that I will be considering and thinking on?"
- Chapter 2 - Where Might Jesus Be?
The chapter explores the impact of Jesus's ascension, and that it's "something far more marvelous than mere omnipresence."
- Chapter 3 - Where Has Jesus Been?
Pastor Fisk gives a scientific picture of how our words and what we say to one another actually affect us. He examines how physical words from one person can "touch" another person, and make "things" happen inside of them.
- Chapter 8 - What Did John Touch?
This chapter includes teachings on Greek words, grammar, and verb tenses.
Without Flesh is a short book, but it's not a quick read. It's a book that will challenge and impact one's Christian faith in a positive way.
