What Does This Mean?

Conversion of St. Paul

[One Hundred and First in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

Saul was a devout Jew and a Pharisee. He was born in the ancient city of Tarsus, the Roman capital of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). His father was likely a prosperous tentmaker, a useful trade in a city filled with merchants, travelers, and retired Roman soldiers. Saul received an excellent education in both Greek culture and the Jewish faith. He became a convinced Pharisee, part of a movement that believed faithful observance of God’s Law would prepare the way for the Messiah’s coming.

His father sent him to Jerusalem to study with Gamaliel, one of the greatest rabbis of his age. Gamaliel served on the Sanhedrin, the Jewish people’s ruling council. Though Saul never tells us whether he saw Jesus during His earthly ministry, he was in Jerusalem during those years and would have known about the events of Holy Week. Like many Pharisees, Saul believed Jesus of Nazareth was a false Messiah. Anyone who claimed to be God deserved to die.

When the cross failed to silence what Saul considered dangerous heresy, he devoted himself to destroying the Church. He fully approved of the martyrdom of Stephen and stood by holding the coats of those who stoned the deacon to death. Encouraged by this success, Saul obtained authority from the High Priest to travel to Damascus and arrest Christians, bringing them back to Jerusalem for trial.

Saul persecuted Christians because they believed Jesus was God. Therefore, when Heaven opened and a brilliant light surrounded him on the road to Damascus, he was completely unprepared. Yet Saul immediately knew he stood in God’s presence. When he asked who was speaking to him, the answer changed his life forever:

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

In that moment, Saul became a witness to Christ’s resurrection. The very thing he had tried to destroy proved to be true. Through Ananias, God restored Saul’s sight and baptized him. The persecutor became a disciple. The enemy of the Church became one of its greatest missionaries.

Luke later begins referring to Saul by his Roman name, Paul. Like many Jews living in the Greek and Roman world, he was known by more than one name. Simon was also called Peter and Cephas. Thomas was also called Didymus, “the Twin.” Paul carried the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire, established churches across Asia Minor and Europe, and wrote letters that continue to teach and comfort Christians today.

Saul’s conversion reminds us that no one is beyond God’s mercy. The Lord who forgave Peter, welcomed the Ethiopian eunuch, and restored the fallen also transformed the Church’s fiercest enemy into one of its greatest servants. God’s grace is stronger than our sins, our failures, and even our rebellion.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: What Does This Mean?

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

[One-Hundredth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

The Holy Spirit sent Deacon Philip to meet a eunuch serving Candice of Ethiopia. Candace was not a personal name but a royal title, much like Pharaoh or Caesar. She was the mother of the reigning king of Ethiopia and handled many of the kingdom’s day-to-day affairs. Ethiopians traced their royal line back to the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, and many were influenced by the Jewish faith.

Eunuchs often served as trusted officials of royal households. This man appears to have been the treasurer of Candace’s kingdom. He was a devout believer who had traveled all the way to Jerusalem to worship God. On his journey home, he was reading Isaiah 53, a detailed prophecy of the suffering and death of the Messiah. Puzzled by what he was reading, he invited Philip to explain the passage.

Beginning with Isaiah’s prophecy, Philip told him the good news about Jesus. The suffering servant Isaiah described was Jesus, who suffered, died, and rose again to save the world. When the Ethiopian heard this good news and saw water nearby, he asked to be baptized. Philip baptized him at once. When the Holy Spirit took Philip away, the man continued his journey rejoicing that salvation had come to him.

This encounter shows how quickly the Gospel was spreading beyond Jerusalem. The Ethiopian was both a foreigner and a eunuch, someone who stood on the edge of Israel’s religious life. Yet through faith in Christ and Holy Baptism, he was welcomed fully into God’s family. The good news of Jesus was not only for Jerusalem or even for Israel. It was for the whole world.

According to ancient Christian tradition, this new believer became one of the first people to carry the Gospel into Africa. Whether or not every detail of those traditions is correct, the message is clear. God was already fulfilling Jesus’ command to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Stephen, the First Martyr

Encore Post:

The word “martyr” is Greek for “witness”—a person who reports what he or she sees. Before returning to Heaven, Jesus predicted His disciples would be witnesses to His death and resurrection.

The apostles appointed Stephen a deacon. His task was to feed the widows and the poor using the funds collected for that purpose. God also blessed his work with miracles. When men from the local synagogue asked what he believed, God blessed Stephen’s word so his opponents could not find a reply to his arguments. They finally silenced him by charging him with blasphemy — speaking lies about God.

The same Sanhedrin that had condemned Jesus just a few weeks earlier now convened to hear Stephen’s case. Stephen boldly proclaimed that they had rejected and handed over God’s promised Messiah to death. The last straw came when Stephen related a vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God in Heaven. For the Jewish people of the time, this was another way of saying that Jesus Himself is God. Jesus said the same thing in that very spot in the early hours of Good Friday. They condemned Stephen to death, too.

This time Pontius Pilate was not in Jerusalem. Feeling safe in defying Roman law, they carried Stephen outside the city and stoned him. As he died, Stephen followed his Lord’s example. He prayed to Jesus and asked that his murderers be forgiven. The first Christian martyr died confessing Christ and showing mercy to his enemies.

A young man named Saul stood nearby. He watched over the coats of those who killed Stephen and approved of what they had done. Yet God was already at work. The same Saul would one day become the Apostle Paul and carry the Gospel throughout the Roman world.

With Stephen’s death and the martyrs who followed, the word “martyr” took on a new meaning. It now referred to those who suffered and died for bearing witness to Jesus Christ. The courage and faith of the martyrs impressed many people in the Roman world. If Christians believed strongly enough to face torture and death rather than deny Christ, perhaps their message was true. Many were baptized because of such witnesses. That is why the Church likes to say:

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

You’re No Angel: Things Angels are Not

Encore Post:

Beautiful young women in long, flowing white gowns, with big, downy wings and a glowing gold halo. A chubby, winged baby. The spirits of deceased Christians, also bearing wings and a halo, carrying a harp, and floating on clouds. Images like these fill our pictures, movies, television shows, and songs. Yet none of these are real, nor do they share much in common with God’s holy angels. They are very different creatures and are not mild, gentle beings. They are God’s heavenly army, powerful servants who, when they appear, command respect.

First of all, angels are not people. They are spirits God created to serve Him (Hebrews 1). Christians do not become angels when they die. Our spirits are unnaturally separated from our bodies at death — bodies that decay. But we do not remain in that state. On the Last Day, God will raise our bodies from the dead and reunite our spirits with them.

Angels are powerful beings, sometimes tasked with battling Satan and his demons (these are fallen, angelic creatures). They guard us, serve God on our behalf, and stand in His eternal presence. When they appear to people, they often inspire fear, and their first words are usually, “Fear not.” Some of God’s people are even tempted to fall down and worship them. Scripture poetically calls them gods.

Unlike popular television series and movies, angels are not like humans with flaws, prone to temptation and sin. The holy angels are now eternally sinless, having been tested by Lucifer’s rebellion. They have a perfect knowledge of God. While they always take the form of a male human when they appear to people, they never marry. They are not young, having existed since before the fall of Adam and Eve, nor are they ever female. Scripture does not mention halos. Medieval artists added them to draw attention to holy people and beings, especially in stained-glass windows. Likewise, Scripture only describes angels with wings when speaking of seraphim and cherubim.

Most importantly, angels ministered to Jesus during His earthly ministry. They announced His birth to the shepherds, ministered to Him after His temptation in the wilderness, strengthened Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, proclaimed His resurrection at the empty tomb, and promised His return at His ascension. Their ministry is always centered on Jesus and His saving work.

God does not send angels so that we will admire angels. He sends them to direct us to Christ. Their ministry always points beyond themselves to the Savior who died and rose again for us. On our last day and on the Last Day, they will escort God’s children into His presence, where we will live with Him forever. Therefore, we thank God for the ministry of His holy angels and join our voices with theirs in praising Him, both now and forever.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: What Does This Mean?

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Michelmas

Encore Post:

The Church’s long season of ordinary time (Sundays after Trinity on a one-year cycle, Sundays after Pentecost on a three-year cycle) takes a turn with the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels on September 29. After this day, the readings increasingly direct our attention to the Last Day, when Jesus will return to be with us forever. We use the day to thank God for His holy angels, especially Michael the Archangel, whose army of light defeated Satan and his forces, casting them out of Heaven to the earth. In the English-speaking world, the feast is nicknamed Michelmas (Michael’s Mass), similar to Christmas (Christ’s Mass).

The holy angels (מַלְאָךְ, ἄγγελος) are God’s messengers. God created them to praise Him and bear His messages to His people. After the fall of Satan and his evil angels, they also battle these forces and protect us from harm. Two angels are named in Scripture: Michael (“Who is like God?”) and Gabriel (“God is my Strength”). Michael the Archangel leads the heavenly army of angels that battled Satan and his forces, casting him down from Heaven. Gabriel is the heavenly messenger who interpreted Daniel’s visions and announced the conceptions of John the Baptist and Jesus.

The Church does not worship angels. Instead, we thank God for them and for the care He provides through their ministry. Scripture repeatedly shows angels protecting God’s people, delivering His messages, and rejoicing in His saving work. Jesus Himself tells us that the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents.

As we remember St. Michael and All Angels, we also remember that we are part of a larger conflict between God’s kingdom and the powers of darkness. Yet we need not fear. Christ has already won the victory. The holy angels serve at His command and work for the good of His people. On the Last Day, they will gather the elect from the four winds and accompany God’s children into His presence forever.

We thank God for the ministry of angels, who stand by our side, protect us from the evil one, and will, on the last of our days, escort us home to Jesus. With Martin Luther, we pray:

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

— Martin Luther, Morning Prayer, Small Catechism

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Change in St. Peter

[Ninety-eighth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Enore Post:

St. Peter began his life with Jesus as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus called him, Peter left his nets behind and became a disciple. Peter was often the spokesman for the Twelve. He boldly confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Yet Peter could also be impulsive and weak.

On Maundy Thursday, Jesus told His disciples that they would abandon Him and that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. Peter swore he would rather die than betray his Lord. Yet later that night, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.

When Jesus rose from the dead, Peter began to change. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Three times Peter said he did. Jesus showed He forgave Peter when He commanded Peter three times to feed God’s sheep. From then on, Peter was no longer simply a fisherman. He was now a pastor, a shepherd called to care for God’s people with God’s Word and His Sacraments.

The risen Lord did more than forgive Peter. He restored him and gave him work to do. The disciple who had denied Jesus would become one of His boldest witnesses. On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached to the crowd. Three thousand people came to faith and were baptized that day. Peter spent the rest of his life preaching Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. He traveled widely, taught the faith, healed the sick, and suffered for the Gospel.

According to ancient Christian tradition, Peter told the story of Jesus to a younger companion, John Mark, who wrote it down as the Gospel that bears Mark’s name. Peter also wrote two letters that continue to comfort Christians to this day, encouraging believers to remain steadfast in faith and hope.

Peter eventually died by order of Nero Caesar. Church tradition says he was crucified upside down because he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.

Long before this, Peter had confessed Jesus to be “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Through that confession and through the Gospel Peter proclaimed, Jesus continues to build His Church. The same Lord who forgave Peter still forgives sinners, restores the fallen, and sends His people to bear witness to Him.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: What Does This Mean?

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Pentecost

[Ninety-Seventh in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

The Feast of Pentecost is the Greek name (πεντηκοστή) for the Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot, שָׁבוּעוֹת in Hebrew). The day celebrated the harvest of the barley crop and the planting of the wheat crop in Israel. God established this day of thanksgiving on the fiftieth day after Passover, and it was one of three feasts the Torah commanded Jews to celebrate in Jerusalem whenever possible. In the days after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the city was still crowded with Jews from around the world who had remained after Passover to celebrate this feast in the Holy City.

The Christian Church remembers the day as a kind of birthday. On this day, God poured out the Holy Spirit on the whole Church in a public and powerful way rather than only on selected prophets and leaders.

Both the Hebrew and Greek words for spirit can also mean “wind.” The Holy Spirit, or Holy Wind, hovered over the chaos before God created the heavens and the earth. During the Exodus, the Holy Spirit appeared visibly as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit settled in the Holy of Holies as a cloud. When the Prophet Elijah fled to Mount Sinai, God sent a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire to get his attention. On Pentecost, the sound of a mighty rushing wind caught the crowd’s attention, and the wind and tongues of fire testified to the Holy Spirit’s presence.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost fulfilled prophecy in the Old Testament (Joel 2:28-32), in the preaching of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:11), and in the promises of Jesus Himself (Acts 1:5). The Spirit enabled the apostles to proclaim God’s mighty works in languages they had never learned. Pilgrims from many nations heard the Gospel in their own tongues. On the day the Church was born, God showed that the message of salvation was intended for people of every nation, language, tribe, and people.

By baptizing His people with the Holy Spirit, Jesus gave them the power to witness to God’s love. He provided them with a Counselor to lead and guide them. Just as the prophets of old proclaimed God’s Word, every Christian now has the privilege of confessing Christ before the world. The same Holy Spirit who filled the apostles at Pentecost continues to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify Christ’s Church today.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Matthias the Twelfth Apostle

[Ninety-sixth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

After Jesus ascended into Heaven, St. Peter gathered the eleven Apostles and the other disciples. The betrayal of Jesus by Judas and his suicide had left a vacancy among them. The number twelve was important. Israel had twelve tribes, and Jesus had chosen twelve Apostles to represent the new Israel, the Church. Before the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost and the Gospel began to spread throughout the world, the apostolic circle would be restored.

They chose two candidates: Joseph, called Barsabbas, and Matthias. Both had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. Both had witnessed His teaching, His miracles, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. The disciples prayed and then chose Matthias by lot, trusting God to guide their decision.

We know little about Matthias. He appears only once in Scripture, in Acts 1. We know he was a disciple of Jesus from the days of John the Baptist until the Ascension. Some early Church Fathers believed Matthias was one of the seventy-two disciples Jesus sent out two by two into towns and villages to announce that the Kingdom of Heaven had come near. Whether this is correct or not, Matthias clearly stayed with Jesus throughout His ministry. He witnessed His teaching, miracles, death, resurrection, and ascension. The other disciples respected him enough to nominate him for the apostolic office. We do not know with certainty what became of him later. Church tradition says he may have preached in northern Turkey, Ethiopia, or even returned to Jerusalem, where he died as a martyr.

We might think Matthias and other little-known disciples were unimportant. Yet God used them to build His Church. Most Christians can name Peter, John, and Paul, but few remember Matthias. Even so, God knew him, called him, and used him. The same is true today. No one is too small or unimportant in God’s eyes.

Soon the Holy Spirit would come at Pentecost. Matthias would join the other apostles in preaching the Gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection. God continues to work through ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. He has a purpose for every Christian and uses each of us to serve our neighbor and bear witness to Jesus.

Originally posted at What Does This Mean? Blog: What Does This Mean?

The posts in the blog What Does This Mean? are now available at What Does This Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Ascension

Encore Post:

The Ascension is an important event in the life of Jesus and in the life of the Church. It is the final part of the work that redeemed us: the cross, where our sins were paid for; the resurrection, where the power of the grave was broken; and the ascension, which restored all His honor, glory, authority, and power. From the early Church over 1500 years ago until recent years, Christians celebrated the Ascension on the fortieth day after Easter, or on the Thursday ten days before Pentecost. In the twenty-first century, many churches celebrate Ascension on the Sunday before Pentecost.

When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He did not cease ruling the world. Rather, He openly took His place at the right hand of the Father, exercising the authority that had always been His as the eternal Son of God. The same Jesus who walked the roads of Galilee now reigns over all things for the good of His Church. In the Ascension, our human nature was carried to the throne of God itself. The Son of Mary still reigns as true God and true man. Because He lives and reigns there, we know that one day we too will follow Him into His Father’s presence.

When He ascended, Jesus left His Church with a promise, a mission, and a blessing. He promised to be with us always until the end of time. He gave us our mission. We would join His mission to seek and save the lost by going to the whole world, being witnesses to His life, death, and resurrection, proclaiming the good news of salvation, baptizing, and teaching all He commanded us. As He ascended, He blessed them as Aaron and the High Priest did and as pastors do to this day, giving us His peace.

Now the Church waits patiently for Him to return. On a day that no one knows, Jesus will come again in glory. On that day, He will raise our bodies from the grave, judge all the living and the dead, and bring an end to sin, death, and the power of the devil. God will live among us again and throw the greatest marriage feast of all time. He will wipe every tear from our eyes.

Until that day, the Ascension reminds us that our Lord is not absent. The risen Christ reigns. He still rules His Church, hears our prayers, blesses His people, and keeps His promise to be with us always, even to the end of the age. Because the Son of Man is already enthroned in Heaven, we know that our future is there with Him.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: What Does This Mean?

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2018-2026 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share, and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com

Forty Days with Jesus

[Ninety-Fourth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples several times over forty days. Like the forty days and forty nights of the flood, the forty years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, and the forty days of testing before His ministry, these forty days were a time of preparation. Jesus was preparing His apostles for the work He was about to give them.

At first, they did not recognize Him. But one thing or another- His greeting of peace, His calling of their name, the miracle of a great catch of fish, and the breaking of bread- revealed Him immediately to them. Jesus first reassured them that it was really Him. He had truly risen from the dead, not only in spirit, but in His body as well. He ate bread and fish with them. He still had the wounds of the crucifixion, the holes in His hands and the place where the spear had been thrust into His side. The very same Jesus stood before them in His flesh, only now transformed into a body that would never again die.

During these forty days, Jesus was not merely proving that He was alive. He was preparing the apostles for the work ahead. He spent much of that time conducting what must have been the greatest Bible study in history. He showed them every place in the Old Testament that pointed to His life, suffering, death, and resurrection. He taught them how the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms all spoke about Him and why the Messiah had to suffer before entering His glory.

He also gave them a mission: to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins, baptize, teach, and forgive sins in His name. They would carry this message first to Jerusalem and then to the ends of the earth. The apostles would soon begin that work, proclaiming the Gospel throughout the world.

All of this was preparation. The same Lord who opened the Scriptures to His disciples still teaches His Church through His Word today. Through that Word He creates faith, strengthens His people, and equips them for lives of service. The forty days prepared the apostles for their mission, and through their testimony the risen Christ continues to prepare us as well.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2019-2026 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share, and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com.