LENT
5
March
16-18, 2024
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
John 12:20-33(EHV)
“SUCH COMMITMENT!”
1.
From
Jesus, for us.
2.
From
us, for Jesus.
Commitment! More and more that seems to be
a hard thing to find. It used to be that commitment was one of those stereotypes
used as the world tried to pit men versus women instead of them being together
as God designed things. The man’s fear of commitment in a relationship was the
foil for many sitcom episodes. Now fear of commitment or lack of commitment is
popping up in other places. Recently whatever algorithm is watching my computer
browsing popped up this teaser. “Seventeen reasons people have stopped
attending church.” Now you can’t tease a pastor with that tidbit and not expect
him to click on it. So I did. There were many different reasons given. One was
that Christ’s teachings don’t seem relevant anymore. But you can really boil most of the reasons
given down to this: commitment, or rather not wanting to commit. With the
hustle and bustle of family life they didn’t want to commit to being at in
person church. People wanted their church to be more accepting of sinful
lifestyles and did not want to commit to a church that expected people to
actually follow Jesus’ teaching. They also didn’t like to feel they had to make
a commitment to support a church through going, serving or giving. I guess it’s
not just guys that have commitment issues, is it? But Jesus doesn’t! He is fully
committed to you and to me. That’s what the Gospel lesson from John showed us.
The events described there happened on
Tuesday of Holy Week. Jewish people from all over the world and converts to the
Jewish faith from all over the world were in Jerusalem to celebrate the
Passover. Some of those converts were from Greece. Somehow they had heard about
Jesus and they wanted to see Him. When Jesus’ disciple Andrew told Jesus this
He said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Amen,
Amen, I tell you: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it
continues to be one kernel. But if it dies, it produces much grain.” Jesus
knows. He knows the time has come for Him to die. He knows the purpose. Like a
kernel of wheat must “die” to produce the wheat that will follow, He must die
so that others can follow Him to the Father. But this will be no ordinary
death. He will not just die physically but die spiritually as he will take on
Himself the filthy weight of the sins of all people. And how awful this is we
will never understand but it helps us understand Jesus when He says, “Now my
soul is troubled.”
And here is where the weak willed human
being would have the chance to back out, to demonstrate a lack of commitment.
“You know I really like you but… But Jesus is not weak willed. Such commitment!
“And what shall I say? ‘Father, save
me from this hour’? No, this is the reason I came to this hour. 28Father,
glorify your name!” A voice came from heaven: “I have glorified my name, and I
will glorify it again.” 29The crowd standing there heard it and said
it thundered. Others said an angel talked to him. 30Jesus
answered, “This voice was not for my sake but for yours. 31“Now is
the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown
out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all
people to myself.” 33He said this to indicate what kind of
death he was going to die.” Jesus says, “Bring it on!” His Father voices
approval. Both tell us that Jesus’ commitment will result in glorifying God’s
name, His reputation. First by putting Satan, the God wannabe who thinks he is
the ruler of this world, in his place. By being lifted up on the cross Satan’s
damage would be undone. His hold on people and ability to accuse them of sin
would be taken away as Jesus took away the sins of the world. Satan is exposed
for the liar and fake that he is. Jesus’ commitment to us and all others did
not waver. Whatever the cost to Him, whatever the sacrifice needed, he would
make it. Such commitment by Jesus for us.
And that commitment by Jesus would glorify
God in another way. It changes people and changes hearts. Jesus said His
commitment would draw all people to Him. What, you mean people would be
committed to Him? Yes! Absolutely. The information in the worship summary box
is 100% correct. The heart of Christianity is God’s devotion and commitment to
us. A commitment so strong it put God, Jesus, on the cross. It is not our
commitment to Christ that is at the center of Christianity but Christ’s
commitment to us. At the same time Christ’s commitment to us does something. It
draws people to Him. Those Greeks who asked Philip to see Jesus were drawn to
Him. The disciples of Jesus were drawn to Him. Yes, in a couple of days their
commitment to Him would prove shaky. Peter would deny. Others would run away.
And yet when Jesus rose from the dead proving He is the Christ and the Devil
had been defeated they responded with a commitment that showed as they went
away rejoicing when they were whipped for talking about Jesus, that saw then
traveling from Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth to be His witnesses,
that saw all of the but John dying a martyr’s death rather than denying their
commitment to Jesus. John just died in exile. And millions, yes billions of
followers of Christ who have never had the privilege of seeing Jesus face to
face have shown commitment by striving to willingly follow His commands, by
gathering to glorify His name publicly and by working together to be His
witnesses to a world that needs Him as Savior whether they know it or not.
This is no surprise. Jesus said, “Anyone
who loves his life destroys it. And the one who hates his life in this world
will hold on to it for eternal life. 26If anyone serves me, let
him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves
me, the Father will honor him.” Followers of Jesus are different. They
understand this life for what it is. Temporary. Filled with blessings but not
always pleasant. Imperfect in so many ways. So they don’t love it. They love
eternal life with Jesus. So they serve Him knowing the best is yet to come and
their service is expressed in commitment to Him. Yes, our commitment is
imperfect and shaky and sometimes in our own ways we deny or run away. But
Jesus keeps drawing us back to Himself with His unwavering love and commitment.
That’s why you schedule time to publicly worship Jesus when many of your fellow
Americans think that’s insane. That’s why, when able, you give your time and
abilities so that our ministry can be the best it can be, not to glorify
Jacobi’s name but Jesus’ name. That’s why you give your offerings so we and
many others may continue to be taught to obey everything He has commanded us
whether that’s popular or not. And to do that for Jesus is a privilege.
I can’t help but think of one your St.
Jacobi brothers who is now a saint in heaven, Clarence Benz. By the time I got
here Clarence was no longer physically able to make it to church so we pastors
would visit him. He had some kind of throat condition or was taking some kind
of medicine with the result that his throat was constantly raw. I remember the
first several times I gave him communion and when he drank the wine we use he
would wince and his eyes water as it burned going down. I would ask if he was
OK. Finally one time I said, “Clarence, we can water that wine down. It does
not have to burn.” “No!” said Clarence very adamantly. “If my Lord Jesus can
take the burn of Hell for me the least I can do is take a little burn for Him.”
Kind of sounds like commitment, doesn’t it. Oh and that first reason some gave
for no longer attending church? That Christ’s teachings are no longer relevant.
Ask Pat Betram about that the next time you see him. Amen.
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