Robert Smith

Last Things 7a: The Signs of the Times

[Eighth in a series of posts on Last Things]

Encore Post:

As winter approaches in many areas of the world, plants and animals begin preparing for changes in their home climate. In the American Midwest, the leaves on many trees change color and fall from their branches. The Canada geese first fly in circles and then most head south for the season. The juncos, small sparrow-like birds, are the last to leave where I live and the first to arrive in spring. When these things happen, you can expect winter weather, and cold will not be far behind.

The date of Christ’s return is unknown to us. Jesus taught that even he did not know when it would happen — only the Father in Heaven. (Matthew 24:36) Yet we do know Jesus’ return is near. He told his disciples that they know summer is near when the fig tree starts to grow leaves. They knew — and we know — that time is growing short because we see the signs of the times that the Lord gave them.

Yet the signs of the times are not specific events, nor are they like variables in some prophecy algebra problem — you know — insert the invention of television, the establishment of the modern nation of Israel, the identity of the anti-Christ, and the use of bar codes, and then you know the year of Christ’s return. These signs are like those that identify the season — they tell us the kind of times that we live in. A checklist counts events; a season is known by its character. These signs tell us the world is passing away. Jesus made the same point to the crowds: they could look at a cloud rising in the west and say rain is coming, and feel a south wind and say it will be hot — yet they could not interpret the present time (Luke 12:54–56).

Since Jesus told his disciples they would see these signs in their generation, what is taking so long? Over two thousand years does not seem like soon — at the very gates — to us. But those are Jesus’ own words: “So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates” (Matthew 24:33). St. Peter explains this to us. The return of Christ is not measured on our human calendar. It is on God’s scale. For the Father, a thousand years pass like a day passes for us. (2 Peter 3:8-9)

We had a similar experience. On a long trip with young children, they often ask, “Are we there yet?” We say, “soon.” But while an hour or two is soon for us, it is very long for the children! He waits for the last person who will be saved to repent. And we should be glad for it — it includes us!

Yet still we remain alert. We do not know when that day will come, and the great marriage feast of the Lamb will begin. We want to be ready for that party!

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

Last Things #7: Between the End of Your Time and the End of Time

[Seventh in a series of posts on Last Things]

Encore Post:

The question that most haunts our lives is the question of life after death. What will it be like? Will our spirits wander the earth, becoming the ghosts of popular imagination? Will they gain new bodies to work off negative karma? Merge with the whole universe or become a spiritual guide for others for a while? Will they go to a dark underworld forever? Will they go to a place to purge their remaining sins before being fit for heaven? Or will they cease to exist entirely when our bodies die? The Scripture tells us firmly “no” to these things. None of these fates awaits us or our loved ones. Nor is our hope the pagan notion of a soul immortal by its own nature; our life is given through Jesus Christ alone.

It may come as a complete surprise, but Scripture tells us very little about what happens to us when death rips our souls apart from our bodies. Most of the passages that speak about the end of things focus on the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the bodies of all people, the glorious transformation of our bodies into our eternal, spiritual bodies, the last judgement, and eternal life for the saints and eternal death for the damned. The few things it tells us are often vague, sometimes speaking of their intermediate state (the theologian’s term for the time between death and the resurrection), and other times of our glorious bodies. There is even some doubt whether, from the perspective of the soul, there is any experience of waiting at all — it may be like waking from sleep — even though Scripture affirms their conscious blessedness with Christ.

No matter which description fits a Christian at the moment of death, for a Christian, eternal life begins before death, when God adopts that person as his own son or daughter. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even if he dies, yet shall he live. And he who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26; see also John 3:16, 5:24). They commend their souls into the hands of God. (Acts 7:59, Luke 23:46) For those without faith, death brings with it eternal separation from God, kept under punishment until the Last Judgment (2 Peter 2:9), after which eternal punishment in Hell with Satan and his angels awaits.

So, what can we conclude about the life our loved ones who departed in Christian faith enjoy now, while waiting for the resurrection of their bodies? They are with Christ in Paradise (Philippians 1:23, Luke 23:43). The angels carry them to be with him and others who died in the faith. (Luke 16:19-31) There, God will comfort them and dry every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16-17, 21:4) They are at rest from their labors, as Christ rested in the tomb on Holy Saturday. The deeds they did with faith in Christ will follow them. (Revelation 14:13) They are free once and for all from the Old Adam or Old Eve that plagued them in this life, and their sins are cleansed from their souls. (2 Timothy 4:18) They will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father (Matthew 13:43).

What is certain is that, as glorious as life is in the presence of Christ now, the best is yet to come. When their souls return with Christ at the second advent, he will raise their bodies from the grave, reunite them with their souls, and transform them to be fit for eternity (1 Corinthians 15:42–44; Philippians 3:20–21). Life in the world with Christ is good, at rest with Jesus better, but by far the best is yet to come. On that day, God will once again look at all he had made, and now redeemed, and say, “Look! It is very good!

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

Last Things #6: Why do Christians (Still) Die?

[Sixth in a series of posts on Last Things]

Encore Posts:

In Holy Baptism, Jesus unites Christians with his death and resurrection. (Romans 6:3-5) Our sins are drowned in its waters, washed away forever. His death is our death, and his resurrection guarantees our resurrection. In his wounds, we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5) Yet every Christian will suffer and get sick. Except for the Christians alive when Christ returns, all people alike, rich and poor, evil and saintly, will die and their bodies decay. Jesus promised Martha, “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. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) So, why do all Christians — including Mary, Martha, and Lazarus — still die?

The answer is very simple, but not very satisfying. The wages of sin is death. (Genesis 2:17, 3:17-19, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:10, James 1:15) God’s wrath punishes our rebellion with physical death (Psalm 90). Sin infects us through many means. We inherited original sin when we were conceived. Just as DNA is passed on to us, from parent to child, ultimately from our first father, Adam, so also is original sin passed on to us. (Romans 5:12) So, we continue to sin much daily. God’s sentence for this rebellion is that the soul that sins will die. (Ezekiel 18:4)

Our old Adam and old Eve, the sinful desire within us, called by Scripture the flesh, fills us with emotion and overcomes even our common sense. The world calls on us to fit in and thus abandon God’s will for us. Finally, the devil tempts us and tries to intimidate us into looking to our own interests. Baptism saves us but does not free us from the sinful flesh. The struggle between these forces on the one side and our new nature on the other lasts as long as we live. (Romans 7:14-25; Galatians 5:17) Only our death or the return of Christ ends this lifelong battle.

For those who suffer the death of loved ones, there is no tougher trial than the grief that follows. So, let there be no illusions: death is no friend. It is the last enemy to be defeated. (1 Corinthians 15:26) So, why does Scripture tell us: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15)

Because Jesus died and rose again from the dead, the seal of the grave is broken forever. Now, for a Christian, death is the gateway to everlasting life. (John 5:24) Suffering comes to an end for them. Sin is removed from them. In death, God destroys the sinful flesh once for all, so that they may arise completely renewed. (Apology XII, 153; Formula of Concord, Epitome I, 10) Their sorrows are turned to joy forever. (Isaiah 51:11, Isaiah 26:19) He wipes every tear from their eyes. (Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:17, 21:4) No one can snatch them from his hand. (John 10:27-30) They see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12) and live in the arms of their savior. They rest from their labors (Revelation 14:13). What was sown in dishonor will be raised in glory. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) He will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body. (Philippians 3:20-21)

So, Christians still die because they still sin. For them, however, death brings the blessings of eternal life. So we who miss them greatly grieve, but not as though without hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13) The musings of Dr. Martin Luther at the death of his daughter Magdalena say it well: “I am joyful in spirit, but I am sad according to the flesh. The flesh doesn’t take kindly to this. The separation troubles me above measure. It’s strange to know that she is surely at peace and that she is well off there, very well off, and yet to grieve so much!” (AE 54: 432, no. 5498).

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

Last Things #3: What Happens When You Die?

Encore Post:

In a previous post, I explained that death is the violent separation of our souls from our bodies. The body itself decays and returns to the ground in one fashion or another. God’s sentence on all human beings is fulfilled: “To dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) For the souls of Christians, it has become the gate to paradise. For the souls of those without faith in Christ, it leads to hell.

Atheists and many pagan religions see death as the complete end of human life. They believe what their senses and the instruments people have created tell them. They cannot fathom a world without decay and death. “Change and decay in all around I see,” (Abide with me, stanza 2) seems to be reality. Eastern religions believe the universe is god and that souls are reborn until they work off their negative karma. At that point, they believe, the soul ceases to exist, merging into god. Mormons believe souls go to one level of heaven or another, ultimately growing into being gods themselves. Still others teach that the dead lie unconscious in the grave until the resurrection, as though death were a dreamless sleep.

Yet God, who made the heavens and the earth, begs to differ. Souls continue to exist after death — not because our souls are indestructible by nature, but because God in Christ refuses to let go of those he has made. Jesus declared of Christians, “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.” (John 11:25–26), “Whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:25–26) The same is true of those who do not trust in Christ: their souls are required of them (Luke 12:20), and they face the judgment to come. (Matthew 25:30, 46) Nor do the dead sleep unaware. Jesus calls God “the God of the living, not of the dead” (Matthew 22:32), and John saw the martyred saints beneath the altar, awake and crying out to God. (Revelation 6:9–11)

So the souls of Christians, as children of God, go to be with Jesus in Paradise, waiting for the day of the Resurrection of their bodies. Paul called it “to depart and be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23), to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Even our bodies, which decay, will rise to life again. When Jesus returns in glory, the souls of the saints will be with him. He will call them from the grave and raise them in transformed, immortal bodies. (Philippians 3:20-21, Colossians 3:4, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) Job confessed it long before Christ came: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25) Then “we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

Much remains a mystery in the intermediate state, which theologians call the period when souls are separated from their bodies. We should expect this, since we are sinners and the saints in heaven are purged from sin. The saints rest from their labors (Revelation 14:13), and God wipes every tear from their eyes (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 7:17), while we live in the valley of the shadow of death, filled with suffering and tears. Time no longer rules them as it rules us — though the martyrs still cry “how long” (Revelation 6:10), so we dare not picture them frozen beyond all duration. Mostly, they are with Jesus, and much about him is beyond our understanding. (see John 5:24)

Because we love our parents, spouses, friends, and children deeply, it is hard for us to be parted from them in death. It is also difficult to be satisfied with what we can understand about their current state. Many of the things we say about them cannot be found in Scripture. Most of the time, these thoughts are harmless and comforting. We are better off, however, being content with what we do know. Our Christian dead are with Jesus. Their sins were forgiven and left behind, for they were baptized into Christ, who paid for them on the cross. Jesus welcomes them home with joy and dries every tear from their eyes. Soon enough, we will join them. Unless Christ returns first, we will rise from the grave with them and be transformed to be like Jesus.

So, then, we are comforted as those who have a sure and certain hope. We grieve, but we eventually receive the peace of God. Their death teaches us to number our days (Psalm 90:12) and tighten our grip on his promise that those who believe in him will never die.

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

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Last Things #1: What is Death?

[First in a series of posts on Last Things]

Encore Post

“In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” Benjamin Franklin quipped. He was right about death, at least. In 1997, a satirical online newspaper ran this headline: “World Death Rate Holding Steady At 100 Percent.” They were right. All but two people in the world’s history have died — Enoch and Elijah are the exceptions so far — including God in the person of Jesus Christ, who truly died according to His human nature! St. Paul tells us of one more exception still to come: “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51). Those alive when Christ returns will never taste death at all. That is the exception; the rule still stands. All people fear death because it means that, in the end, they will lose control of everything. We do everything we can to extend life, and in our age, we have done quite well. Yet still, all people will die, and some quite young. As Scripture puts it: “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27).

Physically speaking, death is a process that happens as our vital organs cease to function. Practically speaking, medical science pronounces death when the heart stops without the possibility of reviving it or when brain waves cease.

Yet, death is much more than the end of our physical life. It is God’s judgment on sin — “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Since sin cuts us off from the source of our life, God himself, we will die. When God forbade Adam from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, he warned: “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen 2:17). When Adam fell, he pronounced his sentence — and ours. “You return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)

There is also another aspect of death that is not about the end of physical life. The essence of our life, our spirit, our soul, is violently separated from our bodies. For Christians who are redeemed by the atoning death of Jesus, the soul separated from its body by death is cleansed of its sin, relieved of pain and grief, and lives in paradise with Christ and the souls of all who are redeemed. There, they wait for Christ’s second coming. For those who die without faith in Christ, death ushers them into a fearful waiting for the final judgment — a sobering truth we will take up in a later post. On that day, the Lord will call the bodies of the redeemed from the grave, reunite their souls and bodies, transforming them to be fit for eternal life. Then death itself — “the last enemy” (1 Cor. 15:26) — will be destroyed forever.

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

New Series: Last Things

Sooner or later, everyone asks the same questions. What happens when we die? What should Christians believe about Heaven, Hell, angels, judgment, and the end of the world? How should we speak about death when someone we love dies?

Our culture keeps answers on the shelf, and most of them are greeting cards. “Heaven needed another angel.” “They’re in a better place now.” “Just think of all the fishing he’ll get done.” Such words are kindly meant. But when death comes close, platitudes melt. What we need are promises — promises that do not require anything from us, but stand on the love of God.

The word eschatology comes from the Greek word “ἔσχατον” (eschaton), meaning “last things.” It is the part of Christian theology that deals with death, resurrection, Christ’s return, the Last Judgment, and everlasting life. These posts consider both the last things for you and me (the end of our time) and the last things for the world (the end of all things).

Yet the last things are not chiefly about events. They are about a Person. Christians do not wait for signs, timelines, or predictions. We wait for Jesus Christ, who died, rose again, reigns at the Father’s right hand, and has promised to come again. Every question about death, judgment, resurrection, and everlasting life is finally answered in Him.

We begin where everyone begins: death and dying. What is death? What happens when you die? Do the dead perceive us? And the question Christians quietly ask: if Christ has conquered death, why do Christians still die?

Then we consider the stretch between the end of your time and the end of time — where the believer waits, and what that waiting is like.

From there we turn to the signs of the times: what Jesus told us to watch for, and — just as important — what He never told us to predict. Earthquakes and wars, false christs and persecution, the Gospel carried to the ends of the earth.

Because Christians do not only die, but grieve and bury, we will spend time on grief, burial, and the Christian obituary — how we mourn without despairing, and how we write about our dead truthfully.

Finally, the end of days: the return of Christ, the resurrection of the body, the Last Judgment, and the life everlasting. Along the way we will clear away some tangled underbrush — the rapture charts, the tribulation timetables, the missing millennium — and ask what the Scriptures actually say.

These posts also consider the practical questions that arise when Christians face death and grief. At the grave, we do not have to guess, and we do not have to borrow the world’s words. We have better ones. “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Promises given because our Redeemer died for us — and because He rose, we shall rise as well.

Most importantly, these posts point us to the promises of Jesus Christ, who died, rose again, and will one day make all things new. Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: http://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

Come, Lord Jesus, Come

[One hundred and fourth in a series of posts on Bible Stories] Encore Post: Ever since Jesus ascended to Heaven, Christians have wondered when He would return. We look forward to the day when He will bring an end to sin, sickness, sorrow, grief, pain, and death. Every day, horrible things happen, and we wonder whether this could be the day He comes back.

In every generation, some people thought that they had figured out the secret. They read the prophecies of the Bible and try to match events in their lifetime to the symbols in them. They do the math and come up with a day. But the Bible is not a giant math problem where you plug in the right events into the equation and get a date. In fact, all the signs of the end of days were fulfilled at the time the last books of the Bible were written. We are in the last days and have been for 2000 years.

Jesus warned us about such dreaming. He told us that no one knows the day or the hour of his return. So, we are to be ready for him. He will come for us — at the end of time or at the end of our times. We do not know which will come first or when it will happen. The reason we do not know when He will return is that God wants us always to be ready. He wants us to love Him and take care of each other every day, not just on the day we think is the end of time or the day we will die. When things are hard in our lives, Jesus wants us to know that He will fix it all one day. We can then face these things, knowing it will not be forever.

Instead, the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead comforts us. On that day, sin will be removed from us forever. There will be no more grief, sorrow, sickness, or pain. At the voice of Jesus, we will rise from the grave, body and soul reunited, our bodies transformed into a glorious body like the one Jesus has, fit to live forever. It will be as God intended it forever. It is why we join the church of all times, places, races, languages, calling out, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!”

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

Through the Roof

One day Jesus returned to Capernaum. Word spread quickly that He was there, and soon so many people crowded into the house that no one else could get inside. There was not even room outside the door. Four men arrived carrying their paralyzed friend on a mat. They had come because they believed Jesus could help him.

The crowd blocked every doorway and window. Rather than give up, the men carried their friend up onto the flat roof. Houses in Jesus’ day often had outside stairways leading to a roof made of beams, branches, and packed earth. The roof provided extra space for work and relief from the summer heat. The four friends opened a hole in the roof and lowered the man down into the room until he was lying before Jesus.

Everyone expected Jesus to heal the man. Instead, Jesus began with something even more important:

“Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)

Those words shocked the teachers of the Law who were listening. They began thinking to themselves, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” In one sense, they were correct. Only God can forgive sins. If Jesus were merely a man, then His words would have been blasphemy. The question was whether Jesus was only a man.

Many people in that day believed that severe illnesses and disabilities were punishments for especially serious sins. They assumed that the blind, the paralyzed, lepers, and others afflicted with disease must have done something terribly wrong. They also believed that only God could forgive such sins and restore a person to health.

Jesus challenged both assumptions.

Rather than condemning the man, Jesus showed him compassion. Rather than discussing what sins he may or may not have committed, Jesus forgave him. Then Jesus revealed that He knew exactly what the teachers were thinking. Without hearing them speak a word, He answered the objections hidden in their hearts.

Jesus then asked:

“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?” (Mark 2:9)

In one sense, it is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” because no one can immediately see whether it has happened. A person can make such a claim and no one can test it. But if a paralyzed man is told to stand and walk, everyone will know immediately whether the speaker has authority to do what he claims.

So Jesus gave visible proof of His invisible promise.

He commanded the man to rise, pick up his mat, and go home. Immediately the paralytic stood up, took his mat, and walked out before them all. The crowd was amazed and praised God.

The miracle was more than a healing. It was proof of Jesus’ identity. By healing the man, Jesus demonstrated that He truly possessed the authority He claimed. If He had authority to heal, He also had authority to forgive. What is impossible for men is not impossible for God.

Most of us have never been lowered through a roof to meet Jesus. Yet we still come to Him carrying burdens we cannot lift ourselves. Like the paralytic, our deepest need is not physical healing but the forgiveness of sins. Bodies eventually grow old, become weak, and die. Forgiveness, however, gives eternal life.

That is why Jesus addressed the man’s sins before He addressed his paralysis. He began with the greater gift.

Christ still gives that gift today. Through His Word He continues to forgive sins, comfort troubled consciences, and assure us of God’s mercy. He also calls His people to show compassion to the sick, the disabled, and those who suffer. Just as the four friends carried the paralytic to Jesus, Christians continue to bring others to the Savior through their prayers, their kindness, and their witness.

The story of the paralytic reminds us that Jesus is far more than a healer. He is the Son of God, who has authority on earth to forgive sins. Because He can forgive sins, we can be certain that His promise of eternal life is true.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: http://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

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

While Jesus and His disciples were walking through Jerusalem, they saw a man blind from birth. The disciples immediately asked a question that many people still ask today. If suffering exists, who is responsible? Had this man sinned? Had his parents sinned? Why had he been born blind?

This was not an unusual question in Jesus’ day. Many people believed that suffering was a direct punishment from God. If someone was sick, disabled, poor, or afflicted, it was often assumed that either the person or the person’s family must have committed some especially serious sin. The disciples were simply expressing what many people around them already believed.

Jesus rejected that explanation.

The man was not blind because he or his parents had committed some particular sin. Instead, Jesus said:

“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3)

The disciples were looking for someone to blame. Jesus directed their attention to God’s mercy and God’s power.

Jesus then did something unexpected. He spat on the ground, made mud, and placed it upon the man’s eyes. Then He told the blind man:

“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” (John 9:7)

The man obeyed. He went to the pool, washed away the mud, and came back seeing.

The Pool of Siloam was a well-known water source in Jerusalem. In recent years, archaeologists have uncovered large portions of the pool mentioned in John’s Gospel, allowing modern visitors to view the remains of the place where Jesus sent the blind man to wash. The discovery reminds us that the events recorded in Scripture took place in real places among real people.

The miracle immediately changed the man’s life, but the story is about far more than restored eyesight. The neighbors were astonished. The Pharisees were skeptical. The man himself gradually came to understand who Jesus was. By the end of the chapter, he not only sees with his eyes, but also confesses faith in Jesus and worships Him.

Human beings naturally want explanations for suffering. We want to know why tragedy strikes one person and not another. We want to know who is responsible. Yet Jesus refused to turn the man’s blindness into a lesson about guilt. Instead, He made it a lesson about grace. The man’s blindness became the setting for God’s work.

Jesus taught that sickness, disability, and tragedy are rarely the direct result of a specific sin. Scripture repeatedly teaches the same lesson. Job suffered greatly even though he was a faithful servant of God. The apostles endured persecution and martyrdom even though they faithfully served Christ. Christians should therefore be careful not to assume suffering is evidence of God’s anger or that prosperity proves God’s favor.

Why God allows suffering is one of life’s great mysteries. We cannot fully understand all His purposes. Yet Christians can hold firm to truths even when answers are hard to find.

God created the world without sin, suffering, grief, or death. These entered the world through sin. God sent His Son into the world to break the power of sin and death. When Christ comes again, suffering will finally be removed forever. Until then, God continues to work through both joys and sorrows for the good of His people.

Suffering often strips away the things we trust and drives us back to God. It reminds us that the things of this world cannot save us. In the midst of hardship, Christians find strength in knowing that God is present with them. His Spirit intercedes for His people even when they do not know how to pray. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The miracle also reveals something important about Jesus. After healing the man, Jesus declared:

“I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5)

These words point beyond the miracle itself. The blind man received much more than the gift of sight.

As the chapter unfolds, the man’s understanding of Jesus grows. At first, he knows only the name of the Man who healed him. Later, he calls Him a prophet. As the Pharisees question him, mock him, and finally cast him out, he keeps speaking the truth about what Jesus has done for him.

Jesus then sought out the man and revealed Himself more fully. When Jesus asked if he believed in the Son of Man, the former blind man replied that he wished to know who He was. Jesus answered:

“You have seen Him, and it is He who is speaking to you.” (John 9:37)

The man’s response is one of the simplest and most beautiful confessions of faith in the New Testament:

“Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. (John 9:38)

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: http://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

Nicodemus at Night

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a respected teacher of Israel, and a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jewish people. He and others seem to have realized that Jesus was either a prophet or the promised Messiah. Wanting answers to his questions, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, away from the crowds and away from the attention that might complicate his political and religious life.

Nicodemus came expecting a religious discussion. Like many people, he wanted to know what he needed to do to please God and inherit eternal life. He appears to have been looking for a list of laws to keep or religious duties to perform. Jesus surprised him by taking the conversation in an entirely different direction.

Jesus told Nicodemus:

“Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

Nicodemus misunderstood. He thought Jesus meant being physically born a second time. Jesus explained that He meant being “born of water and the Spirit.” People do not accomplish this new birth for themselves. It is God’s work. Through the Holy Spirit, God gives a new birth from above and creates faith that trusts His promises. Christians have traditionally understood Jesus’ words as a reference to Holy Baptism.

Jesus then taught Nicodemus the heart of the Gospel. Salvation is not something we earn. Born according to the flesh, we cannot save ourselves or make ourselves pleasing to God. Instead, God the Father loved the world and sent His Son to save it. God the Son offered His life on the cross for our salvation. God the Holy Spirit brings us to faith and gives us new life. The whole work of salvation belongs to God from beginning to end.

To explain this, Jesus reminded Nicodemus of an event from Israel’s history. When poisonous snakes afflicted the Israelites in the wilderness, God instructed Moses to raise a bronze serpent on a pole. Those who looked upon it, trusting God’s promise, lived. In the same way, Jesus would be lifted up on the cross so that everyone who looks to Him in faith would receive eternal life.

During this conversation, Jesus spoke what has become one of the most famous passages in all of Scripture:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Martin Luther called John 3:16 “the Gospel in miniature.” In a single verse, God tells us why He sent His Son and what He has accomplished for us. Salvation comes not because we deserve it, but because God loves the world.

We hear about Nicodemus two more times in John’s Gospel. First, he speaks up when other members of the Sanhedrin wish to condemn Jesus without a hearing. Then, after the crucifixion, he joins Joseph of Arimathea in giving Jesus an honorable burial. The man who first came at night seems to be moving steadily into the light.

After the resurrection, the Bible says no more about Nicodemus. Early Christian tradition, however, remembered him as a believer in Christ and preserved accounts of his later life among the disciples. While Scripture does not verify those traditions, they fit well with the picture John paints of a man whose faith grew quietly but steadily.

The story of Nicodemus reminds us that Christianity is not about finding the right set of rules. Nicodemus already knew God’s Law. What he needed was what all of us need: a Savior. Jesus came into the world not to condemn the world, but to save it. Because salvation is God’s work, not ours, we can be confident in His promises. Through faith in Christ, we belong to God’s kingdom and will live with Him 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

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