A Word that Saves

“Repetition is the mother of learning,” or so the saying goes.  I have always struggled with that idea, though.  I have often complained about having to study certain subjects over and over.  I remember when I was in the seminary and I looked at the syllabus for one my classes, and there was an assignment that said, “Memorize the Small Catechism.”  I was deeply annoyed.  I had memorized the Small Catechism all through grade school.  I had to memorize it for Confirmation.  I had relearned parts of it when I was in college.  Why in the world would I have to study it again?!?! 

I later found that I didn’t know the Catechism nearly as well as I thought I knew it … so the repetition was a good thing! 

Often when we repeat things we are trying to drive home a thought, secure a fact in our minds, or just trying to make sure we remember something.  I believe that, in our Gospel lesson on Sunday, Jesus was doing those things for us. 

Mark 9:30-32 says that Jesus and His disciples, “left that place and passed through Galilee.  Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.’  But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.” 

This was the second time Jesus had told them He would suffer and die.  The Gospel of Mark records four times that Jesus warns the disciples of His impending death and resurrection.  In addition to this, the consistent message of the New Testament is that this was God’s plan from the beginning to save us from our sins.  1 Corinthians 15:3-8 has Paul’s words stating that Jesus’ death and resurrection and the matter of “first importance” that everything else in the Christian faith revolves around. 

God’s Word is a Word that Saves.  That is the heart of the message of all the Scriptures:  God loves people, despite our sin, and brings salvation to us through Jesus’ cross and empty tomb.  This Word, however, does not just argue and seek to change minds.  This Word does what it declares.  Much as when God declared, “Let there be light,” and there was light, when God declares forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life to us, it is so! 

This is the beauty of Baptism: not the cuteness of a baby being christened, but the power of God’s Word declaring that child (or adult) to be washed of all her sins.  Similarly, the Lord’s Supper may seem like a solemn ritual of remembrance, but God’s Word, “given and shed for you,” delivers Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins!  And we should never overlook the Bible itself.  Here God has recorded His Word through the pens of saints who long ago entered His glory.  He moved them by His Spirit to deliver forgiveness we could not have received in any other way, for the mystery of the Gospel is this:  God saves sinners through His Son’s sacrifice. 

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”  Let that Word permeate your life, steep into every corner of your being, and infuse your speech, relationships, and thoughts.  It will change you – transform you! – to make you more and more like Jesus. 

Questions to Ponder

-          Sometimes people will say that Jesus just got swept up in the events of his day and got crucified.  In light of Mark 9, how would you respond to that? 

-          What are you reading right now?  (Not this note!  What books, articles, etc. are you reading?)  When/where do you read the Bible? 

-          Re-read Mark 9:30-32.  What does Jesus ask His followers to do in regard to salvation?  If this is the cost of salvation, what can we contribute?

-          How does the Word of Christ dwell in you?  What role does your Baptism play?  What about receiving the Lord’s Supper? 

-          Try this exercise:  Make a cup of tea.  Instead of pouring the hot water over the bag, pour the water into the cup and then add the tea bag.  Observe how the tea steeps.  If the tea is God’s Word, and the water is your life, how can this visual parable display Colossians 3:16?

-          How does reading/hearing God’s word impact the words that come from our lips?  What impact does hearing a Word that Saves have on our speech?