Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

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“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The ransom note reads as follows: “Hand over the Son of Man to the chief priests and scribes who will condemn him to death. They will hand him over to the gentiles who will mock him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. And after three days, I will give Him back to you.”

This is very strange ransom note. First of all, we wonder just who this ransom is being demanded for? Who’s been kidnapped? Who’s been taken captive? And of course, it’s you and me. The whole world has been taken captive. And the only way the captives will be set free is if the ransom is paid.

The really strange thing about all of this is that the captives don’t seem to want to be set free. Peter pulled the Son of Man aside and said, “Don’t do it.” James and John took the Son of Man aside and wanted to know, ‘what’s in it for us?’ And the others were indignant because they hadn’t thought to ask the same thing first. (more…)

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:1-2)

‘Theology’ is “the study of the nature of God and religious truth.” To explore religious questions is to do theology. A theologian is, “one who is learned in doing theology.” Nicodemus wanted to do theology with Jesus. But he recognized that Jesus was a theologian. “You are a teacher come from God.” Among his peers, Nicodemus was a leader. But with Jesus, he was the student.

Nicodemus is certainly not the only Pharisee to have ever come to see Jesus. Lots of others did too. But the others wanted to be the theologians and teach Jesus a thing or two. They tried to trap Jesus in His words. Nicodemus seems different.

We can only imagine what might have gone through his mind before actually going to see Jesus. “Should I go or shouldn’t I? Think of the risks? What if I’m seen?” “What will they think?” John simply reports that he came at night. He didn’t want to be seen seeing Jesus. (more…)

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My name is John. I have a brother named James. We are the sons of Zebedee. We’re fishermen by trade. One day Jesus of Nazareth called us to become His disciples. We left dad with the nets and the boat and became fishers of men. I wrote the gospel that you read from just a few minutes ago. I was an eyewitness of what took place that day in the Temple. Let me explain what happened.

We had been in Cana for a wedding. They ran out of wine and Jesus turned the water into the finest wine I’ve ever tasted. It was a miracle. There’s no other way to explain it. It was a sign telling us we should believe in Him, put our trust and confidence in Him. And we did. (more…)

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For college students across the country, its time for Spring Break. But before they’re free to go and relax, there’s mid-term exams that must be taken. You’ve got to show that you’ve actually learned something this far along.

For the disciples enrolled in Jesus’ traveling seminary, it was time for their mid-term exam. First question, “who do people say that I am?” They answer, “some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and others say one of the prophets.”

I have sometimes wondered we might answer that question if it were asked of us today. “Who do people say I am?” Some say, “a spiritual person who helps them tap into their own spiritual energy.” Others say, “a great example for the way we should all live.” Some say, “a crutch. Useful to have around just in case you need something to lean on.”

But of course that’s what they’re saying. It’s certainly not you all in here are saying. What about you? “Who do you say that I am?” “And Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ.’” Peter got it right, and we sure hope that the other 11 in the class gave the same answer, and I hope you do too. (more…)

What kind of God is this who tests a person like this? “Every once in awhile God, I think you go too far. You ask too much. You demand too much. All I really want is a little faith to get me through the tough times. All I want is a small or medium sized faith. But all you seem to offer is the “large size.” I’m perfectly willing to give you a part of my life, maybe even a big part. Why must you demand my WHOLE life? Sometimes God, I think you go too far.” (more…)