Pious Lutheran

St. John the Baptists in Prison , Guercino, 1591-1666 Jesus gives us comfort when we’re perplexed John the Baptist’s perplexity, since Jesus didn’t appear the same as he thought. Our perplexity when things don’t go the way we think they should. Encouragement to remain steadfast in Jesus’ promises. Life doesn't always go the way that you expect, or perhaps usually it doesn’t. In some ways this can be great, but in other ways it can be very frustrating. It’s particularly frustrating and perplexing when you’re given some guidance, and then when you actually try to follow that guidance, everything seems to go sideways. In some ways, that perplexity is apparently what John the Baptist was experiencing. “ Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ” John the Baptist is often psychoanalyzed, where people try to delve into the feelings and emotional state of John...

Saint John the Baptist in Prison , Victor Meirelles, 1852 The Lord is faithful, and so are His servants. There was a good quote going around recently on the internet from a church in Michigan, saying: “The church’s job is to be faithful, not popular.” This simple fact is just as true today as it was two millennia ago. St. Paul taught the church in Corinth what pastors are: “ This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. ” Pastors are servants, not servants of the people or of the world, but servants of Christ. Pastors are a particular kind of servant: a steward. The single most important requirement for a steward is to be faithful. This is obvious from a human example: if parents leave their children with a steward, what matters most is that the steward is faithful so that the children live. The steward may have a weird haircut, a dry sense of humor, and kind of an awkward...

Doubts. Every Christian has them. It’s not just doubting Thomas, but everyone, I’ve had them, you’ve had them, doubts. You wonder, is it all real, is it all true, or is it all just some big elaborate joke? Has my life been a waste? Am I wrong? Have I wasted my time and energy? Doubts. The disciples of John doubted that Jesus was the Messiah. They complained about Jesus to John, saying, “ Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him. ” They were jealous that people were following after Jesus instead of John. They had doubts that Jesus was the Messiah. John the Baptist may even have had doubts that Jesus was the Messiah. Here John the Baptist had been preaching “ Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand .” He prophesied of a great and mighty coming Messiah who was going to come and judge the earth, yet Jesus came healing people and forgiving their sins. Jesus didn’t exactly look like the Messiah that John ...