September 2023 – Page 2 – What Does This Mean?

Sunday School: Matthias the Twelfth Apostle

Encore Post: After Jesus ascended into Heaven, St. Peter gathered the eleven Apostles and others. The betrayal of Jesus by Judas and his suicide left a vacancy among them. The number twelve was important. After all, there were twelve tribes of Israel. In Biblical numerology, the number stands for the whole people of God. When Jesus established the church, the number twelve came to stand for the church. They chose two men as candidates who had been with them from the very beginning and thus witnessed everything Jesus said and did — including the resurrection and ascension. They prayed and chose Matthias by lot.

We do not know much about Matthias. He appears only once in the Bible and that is in the first chapter of Acts. We know that he was a disciple of Jesus from the time that he was baptized by John until the Ascension. He was probably one of the seventy men Jesus sent out two by two to preach the coming of God’s kingdom. All the disciples respected him enough to pick him as one of two men to take Judas’ place as an Apostle. We do not even know what happened to him later. Church tradition has stories that he went to Northern Turkey and set up the church there, or to Ethiopia or that he died in Jerusalem.

We might think that he and other little known Apostles really were not important. Yet God used them to build his church. No one is too small or unimportant in God’s eyes. He has a plan for everyone’s life and uses whatever they do to serve him and to take care of people. Even children can do important things for God, no matter how little those things seem.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Concordia Theological Seminary

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Sunday School: Forty Days with Jesus

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 wandering of Israel in the wilderness and the forty days of testing prior to his ministry, these forty days were for preparation. Jesus was preparing them to live without his physical presence.

At first they would not recongize 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 at first reasurred them that it was really him. He had really risen from the dead, not only in spirit, but in his body also. He ate with them bread and fish. He still had the wounds of the crucifixion — the holes in his hands and the place where the spear was thrust into his side. The very same Jesus stood before him in his flesh — only now transformed into a body that would never again die.

He also took the time to teach them more. Most of what he did was conduct a Bible study, showing them every place in the old testment that predicted his life, suffering, death and resurrection. He also showed them how the whole Bible speaks about him.

He also gave them a mission — to baptize, to teach and to forgive sins. They would do this everywhere in the world. All the while, Jesus promised to be with them until the end of time itself.

Sunday School: Breakfast by the Lake

In New Testament times, Rabbis were not full time teachers or ministers. Because God is a God Who works, Rabbis worked at a profession one third of the time and studied and taught two thirds of the time. The difference between these teachers and everyday people, is work was just a means to buy food and clothing. Jesus likely worked at His trade as a carpenter (more of a contractor than simply a worker of wood) some of the time. St. Paul continued his trade as a tentmaker.

After Jesus rose from the dead, Peter, James, John and others moved back to Galilee. They picked up their nets again to earn a living. They did not catch anything all night. Jesus called to them from the shore and told them to cast their nets over the right side of the boat. They caught a net full of fish. Jesus did this once before for them — at the beginning of his ministry. John instantly recognized it was Jesus. When they got to shore, the disciples saw Jesus had made a breakfast of fish and bread — just like he had fed 5000 people not long ago. By preparing breakfast for his disciples, Jesus shows that He blesses the everyday work God has given us. He helps His disciples do their work and gives them a hot meal to go with their catch.

But he had one more job for them to do. And He also gives them another job to do. He asked Peter three times if the disciple loved him. Peter, quite upset by the question, said he loved Jesus three times. Each time Jesus told him to care for God’s people — His lambs and His sheep. That is what Peter and the other apostles did.

Today Jesus calls on pastors, teachers, deaconesses and others to do the same. They teach his Word, proclaim the gospel of the forgiveness of sins in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The forgive sins in his name, baptize and feed his sheep with his own body and blood together with bread and wine. They follow in the footsteps of Jesus, his apostles and the pastors that went to every corner of the world, making disciples from every nation, language, tribe and race.

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Thomas and the Risen Lord

St. Thomas was a practical, down to earth man. Called “the Twin,” the few words we have from him were very direct. When Jesus was determined to go to Lazarus‘ Tomb, not five miles from Jerusalem, Thomas said, “Let us also go and die with Him.” When Jesus told the disciples at the Lord’s Supper that He was going to prepare a place for them, he asked, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going, how can we know the way?”

Subtle, Thomas was not. Loyal, strong and down to earth, he was. When Jesus was crucified, Thomas had no doubt the Lord was dead. He knew every detail. He did not want it to be that way, but he was a realist. Jesus was gone, end of story. So when the other disciples told Thomas with joy, “We have seen the Lord!”

Thomas would have nothing of it. He had to see the wounds that marked Jesus in a live man to believe. Even seeing would not be enough. He had to touch the wounds. On something as important as the life of the Lord, Thomas would not be fooled.

All of this changed when Jesus appeared to him and the rest of the disciples the Sunday after Easter. The doors were locked and suddenly Jesus was with them. Jesus said, “Shalom,” or “Peace, be with you all.” This greeting, even though it is the Hebrew version of “Hello,” had special meaning for the disciples. Jesus was telling them everything was all right. Turning to Thomas, He invited His hard-headed disciple to see for himself. “Stop doubting,” Jesus said, “and believe.”

This was all Thomas needed. He dropped to his knees to worship Jesus. All he could say was, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus mildly rebukes him and then blesses us. “You have seen and believed,” Jesus said, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” And so it is. Later, St. Peter introduces his first letter, praising God for all He has done for us. “Though you have not seen Him,” Peter says to his readers, “you love Him and even though you do not see Him know, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” Why? Because we know that we are receiving what our faith really wants, the salvation of our souls.

In the end, this faith, which Jesus gave to Thomas — a faith that would send the Apostle to India to establish the church there — is itself a gift from God. It comes through His Word and Sacraments. “These are written,” St. John tells us, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and that believing, you may have life in His name.” Blessed we are indeed to hear and say, “He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Stay with Us, Lord, for it is Evening

Encore Post: Today our Easter celebration of the resurrection is filled with joy. White paraments, flowers and banners decorate our churches. Well-practiced organs, choirs and musical instruments of all kinds add to our song. After all, we know the story and how it ends. Jesus is risen!

The first Easter was quite different. Reports from women close to Jesus reported visions of Angels and of the Lord himself. The disciples didn’t know what to think. The five accounts of that day show the confusion. (Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-49, John 20:1-23, 1 Corinthians 15:3-5) Different people were running all over the place and each story is it’s own. One thing was for sure. The tomb was empty.

The first Sunday afternoon, two disciples were on the road home and were very unsettled. Could it be true? Was the Lord really risen from the dead? Jesus appeared to them, but did not reveal himself to them. As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus showed them how the Old Testament pointed to him and that he had to suffer, die and rise again from the dead. They invited him to stay with them for the evening. As they ate dinner, Jesus blessed bread, broke it and gave it to them, they recognized him. He immediately vanished.

These two disciples immediate went back to Jerusalem to report to the disciples what had happened. There they learned that Jesus had appeared to Peter. As they were talking about this, Jesus removed all doubt. He appeared to them, ate some food to show them he was not a ghost, but had risen the dead body and soul. He then blessed the Apostles and gave them the power to forgive and retain sins.

When life gets confusing and we do not know what do, Jesus comes to us in his word. Even though we do not see him, he is always with us. When we pray, “stay with us, Lord,” he does. We are never alone, even until the end of time itself.

Sunday School: Jesus Washes his Disciple’s Feet

Encore Post: At the time of Jesus, bathing was an important part of being cultured. The Romans especially prized their public baths that was as much a part of daily life as going to the gym to work out is today. Especially when you were going to a banquet, you would visit the baths before you went. In addition to this, in the tradition of the Pharisees, Jewish people would ritually wash themselves and everything they would use to serve food. Especially for the Passover, when no leaven was allowed to be eaten, these rituals would be strictly followed.

The problem was you couldn’t avoid getting your feet dirty in an age when you wore sandals and walked on dirt roads. In well-to-do homes, a gentile slave would be provided to the guests to wash their feet. A disciple would do many things for his master, but footwashing was seen as unworthy of them. When there was no slave, you would wash your own feet.

That is why Jesus’ action was so shocking. The last one who should be washing feet is the Lord. Yet, he is one who serves us all. Because he would wash feet, so also we are called to meet every need of everyone.

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Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana