Robert Smith – Page 2 – What Does This Mean?

Breakfast by the Lake

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

Encore Post:

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 that 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 woodworker) sometimes. 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 caught nothing all night. Jesus called to them from the shore and told them to cast their nets over the right side of the boat. They saw 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 reached shore, the disciples saw Jesus had made a breakfast of fish and bread, just as He had fed five thousand people not long before. By preparing breakfast for His disciples, Jesus showed that He blesses the everyday work God has given us. He helps His disciples do their jobs and gives them a hot meal to go with their catch.

After breakfast, Jesus turned His attention to Peter. Only days before, Peter had denied three times that he knew the Lord. Now Jesus asked him three times, “Do you love me?” Each time Peter answered yes. In this way, the Lord gently restored His fallen disciple. Each time Jesus then gave Peter a task: “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” The Good Shepherd was entrusting His flock to the care of undershepherds.

That is what Peter and the other apostles did.

Today, Jesus calls pastors, teachers, deaconesses, and many other Christians to care for His people. Pastors teach His Word, proclaim the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. They forgive sins in His name, baptize, and feed Christ’s sheep with His own body and blood, together with bread and wine. Teachers help train children and adults in the faith. Deaconesses care for those in need and help the Church carry out works of mercy. Countless other Christians serve God’s people through acts of love and compassion in their daily vocations. In their various callings, they follow in the footsteps of Jesus, His apostles, and the generations of Christians who have carried the Gospel to every corner of the world, making disciples of every nation, language, tribe, and people.

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

Thomas and the Risen Lord

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

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St. Thomas was practical and down-to-earth. Called “the Twin,” he spoke few words, but always directly. 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 do not know where You are going; how can we know the way?”

Subtle Thomas was not. Loyal and strong, 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 none of it. He had to see the wounds that marked Jesus in a living man to believe. Even seeing would not be enough. He had to touch the wounds. On something as important as the Lord’s life, Thomas would not be fooled.

All of this changed when Jesus appeared to him and the rest of the disciples on 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 and believe,” Jesus said.

This was all Thomas needed. He dropped to his knees and worshiped Jesus. His confession has echoed through the centuries: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas not only confessed that Jesus was alive again. He confessed that Jesus was truly God in human flesh. Jesus mildly rebuked him and then blessed 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 praised God for all He has done for us and wrote to Christians who had never seen Jesus with their own eyes: “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” Why? Because we know we are receiving what our faith really seeks, 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, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” Blessed are we indeed to hear and say:

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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

©2021-2026 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

Stay with Us, Lord, for it is Evening

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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. Women close to Jesus reported visions of angels and the Lord Himself. The disciples did not 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 its own. One thing was for sure. The tomb was empty.

On the first Sunday afternoon, two disciples were on the road home, feeling very unsettled. Could it be true? Was the Lord really risen from the dead? Jesus appeared to them but did not reveal Himself. As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus showed them how Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all pointed to Him and that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again. Their hearts burned within them as He opened the Scriptures.

They invited Him to stay with them for the evening. As they ate dinner, Jesus blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. He immediately vanished from their sight. The Lord first revealed Himself through His Word and then in the breaking of the bread.

These two disciples went back to Jerusalem to report what had happened. There, they learned Jesus had appeared to Peter. As they were talking about this, Jesus removed all doubt. He appeared to them and ate food to show He was not a ghost, but had risen from 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 to do, Jesus comes to us in His Word. Even though we do not see Him, He is still present with His people. He continues to teach, forgive, and strengthen us. When we pray, “Stay with us, Lord,” He does. We are never alone, even until the end of time itself.

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 Day of Resurrection

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In the silence of a cold, dark tomb, the world changed forever.

Just as He promised, Jesus rose from His rest in the grave, breaking the seal forever.

And no one noticed.

The Romans were really good at torturing people to death. Crucifixion was a slow death, designed to kill with the maximum amount of pain and humiliation possible. If the Romans killed you, you were dead. Jesus, in fact, was already dead when the soldiers moved to hurry the process to get the bodies into a grave before sunset and the beginning of the Sabbath. There could be no doubt that He had truly died.

Once they laid Jesus in the tomb, no one expected Him to go anywhere. Pilate ordered the tomb sealed by Rome’s authority, setting its seal on the stone that shut it off from the world. Had He not risen from death, the women would have completed His embalming, and they would have mourned Him for seven days. After a year, they would have gathered His bones into a stone box. In fact, this is what Caiaphas’ family did. Archaeologists have found the high priest’s box. Had He not risen, likely no one today would even know the name of Jesus.

But Jesus did rise from the dead. The seal of His tomb was broken, and with it the seal of our graves. Death no longer has the final word. Because He lives, those who trust in Him will live also. When we die now, our spirits live with Him until the Last Day, when Jesus returns. On that day, He will call our bodies from the grave, and a new creation will occur. We will finally be whole. Our bodies, like His resurrected body, will be fit for eternal life.

Death no longer has a sting. The grave will have no victory. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

That is why Easter strikes such a chord with Christians. It is why we greet each other with joy:

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

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

Christ’s Sabbath Rest in the Tomb

Encore Post:

Jesus died late in the afternoon on Good Friday, just before the Sabbath began at sunset. Two of his secret disciples asked Pilate for his body — Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. They gave him a hasty but rich man’s burial. Several of the women closest to Jesus followed them to the tomb. Joseph rolled a large stone in front of the entrance, and they left him there. Later, at the priests’ request, Pilate posted a guard and sealed it to prevent theft of the body. As the second day of Jesus’ death began, he was finally at rest.

As God rested on the seventh day of creation, so now Jesus rested on the first Sabbath of the new creation. His work of redemption was complete. The sacrifice had been offered. Sin had been atoned for. The Son of God truly entered death and rested in the tomb. By His sacrifice on the cross, He destroyed sin and the power of the devil. Soon, when the Sabbath ended, He would break the power of death as well.

As Christians prepare for a joyful Easter celebration, we often miss this moment of quiet and peace. Soon, when sunset comes, the third day will begin. Sometime between that sunset and dawn, Jesus rose from the dead. Having conquered sin, death, and the devil, He proclaimed His victory and became the firstfruits of all who will rise on the Last Day. The Church will begin its Vigil of Easter at sunset and sing the songs of Resurrection again.

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

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

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Good Friday is the most somber day in the Church Year. On this day, God Himself pays the price of our sin in full. The ancient plan for our salvation had been unfolding for thousands of years. The descendant of Eve, Noah, Abraham, and David was born to the Virgin Mary. The Son of God, the Author of Life himself, became one of us. At the Jordan River, he made the waters of Baptism holy and took on the sins of the world. On Mt. Zion, ancient Mt. Moriah, where the Angel of the Lord stayed the hand of Abraham, God’s Son, His only Son, whom he loves, was condemned to die as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Sentenced by Pilate, he began his final suffering and was nailed to the cross. Even as he began to die, the forgiving began — first of those who killed him and then of a thief on a nearby cross.

The greatest mystery of all came at the height of his suffering. The Eternal Son of God cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) in the language of his boyhood. We should not be surprised that we cannot understand this profound moment. Yet we know a few things for sure. We know Scripture itself reveals this moment in detail. Jesus’ words quote his father, David, in Psalm 22, written a thousand years earlier. We know Jesus felt abandoned by God. His unanswered prayers and loneliness show that he shares fully in our humanity. He is like us in every way, which is why his sacrifice on our behalf is possible. We know he paid for our sin on the cross, and that price is unimaginably high. We are moved as we extinguish one light after another, remembering the depth of his suffering.

Yet this is not the last word we hear from our Lord’s suffering. As he died, he said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Sin was atoned for, the power of the Devil defeated, and the seal of the grave soon to be broken. Jesus knew the Father had not abandoned him. He once again quoted his father, David, in Psalm 31, “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46), and entered his three-day rest in the tomb.

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

©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

Jesus Washes his Disciple’s Feet

[Eighty-seventh in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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

The problem was that 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 wash the guests’ feet. A disciple would do many things for his master, but foot-washing was beneath him. When there was no slave, you would wash your own feet.

That is why Jesus’ action was so shocking. The last one who should wash feet is the Lord. Peter understood this immediately. When Jesus came to wash his feet, Peter objected: “You shall never wash my feet.” He knew that disciples did not sit while their master performed a slave’s task.

Yet Jesus insisted. When Peter protested, Jesus replied, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Suddenly Peter wanted not only his feet washed, but his hands and head as well. Jesus answered that a person who has bathed is already clean and only needs his feet washed. The disciples belonged to Him. Their problem was not that they needed another bath, but that they needed their Lord to serve them.

So Jesus is the one who serves us all, and because he washed feet, we are also called to meet everyone’s needs.

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

Three Days and Three Nights

Encore Post:

The Church has remembered Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday since ancient times as the days on which our salvation was won through the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord. She accomplishes this with a single service that lasts three days. The Maundy Thursday divine service begins with an invocation but does not conclude with a benediction. Good Friday services have neither an invocation nor a benediction. The Easter Vigil concludes the three-day service with the Benediction.

The name Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word mandatum — the first word in the Latin translation of Jesus’ command: “a new commandment I give to you: love one another.” (John 13:34) Jesus gave this command at the Last Supper, the night we also remember because he also instituted the Lord’s Supper during that Passover meal. The Maundy Thursday service ends with the stripping of the altar, the lectern, and the pulpit, and the removal of the pastor’s vestments. Often, we read the account of the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus’ arrest during this time. We depart in silence, noting that the disciples abandoned Jesus.

The day that begins at sunset on Maundy Thursday witnessed Jesus’ suffering, trial, crucifixion, and death. We call it Good Friday because it is the day we were redeemed. It is also the first day of Christ’s rest in the tomb. On this second day, Jesus was in the grave, beginning at sunset on Friday. On Holy Saturday after sunset, the third day starts.

In the ancient Jewish way of counting time, any part of a day could be counted as a whole day. Jesus died on Friday, rested in the tomb on Saturday, and rose on Sunday. Thus Christians have always confessed that He rose on the third day, just as He promised. The Church holds a vigil, a service that marks the beginning of Easter. Often, Christians are baptized during the vigil.

On these three days, Christ fulfilled his promise that he would take our sins to the cross, die to pay their due, make holy our graves by resting in death, defeat Satan and death, and rise again to shatter the grave forever. Three days to remember and to thank God for his mercy.

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

Jesus Faces Off With His Opponents

Encore Post:

From Monday to Wednesday of Holy Week, Jesus taught in the temple. His opponents challenged him several times. He told parables against them and warned people about them. First, the priests asked by what authority he did the things he did. Jesus countered by asking them whether John the Baptist was from God. Because they would not answer, he would not either. (Matthew 21:23-27)

Jesus’ three parables were his last attempt to call his opponents to repentance. They were the Parable of the Two Sons, the Parable of the Wicked Vineyard Tenants, and the Parable of the King’s Wedding Feast. The point of all three was that his opponents pretended to serve God but were really disobedient. (Matthew 21:28-22:14)

His opponents responded with several test questions: Should we pay taxes to Caesar? Who will be the husband of a woman in the resurrection who was married to seven brothers without having a child? His answers were so profound that they did not follow up. (Matthew 22:15-40)

These questions were not meant to learn from Jesus. His opponents hoped to trap Him into saying something that would discredit Him with either the people or the Romans. If He opposed paying taxes to Caesar, they could accuse Him of rebellion. If He denied the resurrection, He would anger many of the people. If He chose one commandment over another, they could accuse Him of false teaching. Instead, every answer showed such wisdom that His opponents could only admire Him or remain silent.

He then asked them, “If Christ is David’s son, why does David call Christ Lord?” They did not answer.

Most of what Jesus taught that week, however, was about His second coming and eternity. While His enemies plotted His death, Jesus prepared His disciples for the future. He taught them to watch, to remain faithful, and to live in hope as they waited for His return in glory. In this way, he prepared them for his approaching death.

One evening that week in Bethany, Jesus’ friend Mary anointed him with expensive perfume for his coming burial. While many still dreamed of a conquering Messiah, Mary seems to have understood that Jesus was preparing to 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

Jesus Turns the Tables

[Eighty-Fifth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

In Jesus’ day, the high priestly family allowed businessmen to sell sacrificial animals in the Court of the Gentiles, just outside the temple proper. They would, of course, do this for very high prices and pay the family for the privilege. Another business, money changing, also took place in this area. Roman money bore images of the Emperor and pagan gods. These could not be carried into the temple proper, the High Priests ruled, since they broke the first commandment. Naturally, these moneychangers would charge a fee to change money into temple money.

When Jesus visited the temple and saw what was going on, he saw it for what it was—stealing from God’s people as they came to worship. He knocked over the tables and threw these merchants out of the temple, chasing them with a whip made of cords. The saddest part was where these businesses operated. They filled the Court of the Gentiles, the one place in the temple where non-Jews could come to pray and learn about the true God. Instead of finding a house of prayer, they found a noisy marketplace. No wonder Jesus said they had turned His Father’s house into a den of robbers.

Jesus’ disciples remembered two passages of Scripture that the Lord fulfilled when he did this. The Prophet Malachi predicted that the Messiah — “the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.” (3:1-4) He would “purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.” John the Baptist, the messenger to come before the Messiah, had come and identified Jesus as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Soon, the animals would no longer be needed. The Lamb whom God provides would soon be the once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin. They also remembered Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house has consumed me.” The Lord, whose house the temple was, was engaging in spring cleaning.

Some uncertainty remains about when Jesus did this. The Gospel of John tells the story at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, but Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell it at the end of his ministry. Since none of the gospels are strictly chronological (they sometimes tell stories out of order), Jesus may have done this once at a particular time or twice.

Either way, the meaning is the same: Jesus was cleansing the temple. Soon, the leaders of the people were to destroy the true temple — his body — and in three days, God would raise him up again. Then the earthly temple would be no longer needed. God’s son, his only son, whom he loves, would be the sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world. With payment in full, there is no need for the blood of earthly lambs anymore.

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