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We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

-          Henry V, William Shakespeare

A king rallies his troops. He draws around himself a “band of brothers.” He has entered the season of the King!

The king is a leader. He’s a mentor. He is in a position to pass along what he has learned in all the previous seasons.

The Season of the King will be successful – as all the previous seasons – as we soak in what the other seasons give us. We cannot skip over to the Season of the King as it is a time to pass on what we know and have learned. If we haven’t learned it, then we can’t really pass it on.

Some thoughts on a “Band of Brothers.”

The HBO mini-series “Band of Brothers” is a great example of men in the Season of Warrior. However, the film Henry V fits so very well to exemplify this Season of the King. But having mentioned “Band of Brothers” I must say some more about it. If you’ve seen the series or read the book, you know that the men of E Company, 506^th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101^st Airborne Division were truly a “Band of Brothers” brought together by war. As Stephen Ambrose writes, they “came from different backgrounds, different parts of the country. They were farmers and coal miners, mountain men and sons of the Deep South. Some were desperately poor, others from the middle class. One came from Harvard, one from Yale, a couple from UCLA…. They came together in the summer of 1942, by which time the Europeans had been at war for three years. By the late spring of 1944, they had become an elite company of airborne light infantry.” When the war ended in Europe in 1945, they anticipated being shipped to the Pacific Theater, but in August of 1945, the war came to an end. “The job completed, the company disbanded, the men went home.”

This “band of brothers” was made of up officers and enlisted men, certainly, but they were equals. They were not really “mentored” in the way that we are talking about in the Season of the King. And I use Easy Company to illustrate that the concept of a “band of brothers” must be understood as temporary. Vitally important, but still temporary. A “band of brothers” is formed to get a job done, to complete a quest. It isn’t meant to be a life-long fellowship like marriage is. Easy Company went through terrible times together. But when the war ended, they went their separate ways, for the most part.

In Henry V, King Harry calls his men a “band of brothers.” Again, this was a temporary group. They were together to fight a battle. Only as a band of brothers would they have any hope of survival (and even then it wasn’t guaranteed). Only as a band of brothers would they have any hope of victory – which is exactly what happened at Agincourt.

But those men, those happy few, that “band of brothers” illustrate the important point of the Season of the King. Mentoring. The man who enters the Season of the King enters to mentor. The Season of the King brings together a “band of brothers.” The man in the Season of the King passes on vitally important information and advice.

A King leads. It’s as simple as that. But there’s nothing simple about it. As Americans, we have no direct experience of a king. Truly there haven’t been real kings for a long time. Our examples today now come from movies and history. Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, David in 1 & 2 Samuel. But those are two very good examples of the Season of the King.

When I was a fourth-year seminary student, I thought I knew it all, I thought I was ready for it all. The summer I was ordained, I was installed as a pastor in a very small parish in rural Michigan. I knew it was temporary, as I told my friends that I would be District President by the time I was 35 and Synodical President by the time I was 50. I was cautioned, however, that “a man should not seek the office, but the office should seek the man.” Now, 17 years later, I have no aspirations for either of those two offices or any others. I am content with being an Assistant Pastor on a wonderful ministry team. I am content with being a husband and father. God has a way of putting you in the positions where you will have the most influence!

It is said that when Augustine was made Bishop of Hippo he wept because he felt so inadequate for the job.

The Season of the King must be lived before it can be reached. By that I mean that we must live the character of a king before we can actually be a king. If by some freak accident of nature I had become District President at age 35, I would have destroyed that district! As it is, I’m so very thankful that God doesn’t let me damage the parishes I served as pastor too much simply because I was still learning about this Season of the King.

If young men are going to have any hope of becoming a True Man of God in this world, they will need a mentor.

Howard Hendricks’ classic speech, “A Mandate for Mentoring” makes the point that every man needs a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy. In other words, a man to mentor him, a man to encourage him, and a man whom he can mentor. Any man who becomes a father automatically has a “Timothy” given to him. It’s a ready-made, God-made, mentoring relationship.

But we can also mentor in other ways:

Being a Bible class leader for young men or teens

Being a little league coach

At work with your staff or even less-experienced co-workers

Keys to being a mentor:

-          Don’t just assume that you can be a mentor because you’ve had experience in some area. A mentor relationship is based on trust and trust has to be earned.

-          Don’t skip over the other seasons of life to become a mentor. You could be a mentor to a cowboy if you are in a later season, but the best mentor will be one who has successfully navigated life to get to the Season of the King.

-          Know that a mentor is a temporary thing. As a mentor, you are guiding someone younger or less experienced than you through seasons that you yourself have already gone through. But once they are ready to move on to a new season, you’re role as mentor can come to an end.

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The lover stage is set up by the Warrior stage because in love we also must “fight” – work hard, not think of ourselves, put effort (a lot of effort) in our relationship with our wives.

If we’ve gone through the stages as God intended, by the time we get to the “lover” stage, we should be ready for this unique and challenging season.

To be a lover as God intends us to be, we need to have soaked in all that God would have us in both the Cowboy stage (read about that here) and the Warrior stage (read about that here).

In the season of the Cowboy we learn to take risks, have fun and adventures that will help us grow spiritually as well as physically. In the season of the Warrior, we are trained to fight the battles that come our way because we are threats to the “prince of this world” (Satan).

There are many men who rush to the lover stage right out of boyhood. They are prepared physically but not even close to being prepared mentally or emotionally. That kind of preparation only comes with going through the seasons of cowboy and warrior.

John Eldredge makes a great point in Wild at Heart:
Just as every little boy is asking one question, every little girl is, as well. But her question isn’t so much about her strength. No, the deep cry of a little girl’s heart is am I lovely? Every woman needs to know that she is exquisite and exotic and chosen. This is core to her identity, the way she bears the image of God. Will you pursue me? Do you delight in me? Will you fight for me? And like every little boy, she has taken a wound as well…. A little girl looks to her father to know if she is lovely…. So many unloved women turn to boys to try to hear what they never heard from their father. [Wild at Heart, John Eldredge, page 183]

He talks about wounds that are received by boys and girls from their fathers. The wound for a boy is “You don’t have what it takes to be a man.” The wound for a girl is “You are not captivating enough for my love.” When a girl doesn’t get that question answered by her own father, then she goes looking for the answer in another male.

She will go to another man and give anything she can to hear that she is loved. And a man who has not soaked in the cowboy and warrior seasons will take advantage of that – perhaps thinking, naively enough, that it is his right.

To help understand this, let me tell you a little bit about two girls that I once taught in a seventh and eighth grade religion class.

One is abused by her mother. Grandmother is suing for custody but they don’t get along (because she is too strict).

One doesn’t know who her biological father is. Her step-father is gay, was incarcerated for several years but is now out of jail and wanting to get back into his step-daughter’s life.

Both were dating guys in a True Young Men’s group I was leading at the time. I worked with them to try to help them understand that these girls were taking their question to them and the distinct possibility is that they would do anything for these guys to get a positive answer to “Am I lovely? Am I worth fighting for?” Anything.

The Season of the Lover demands us to fight for love. To be a lover-warrior. We’ll need to know how to be a warrior from the Season of the Warrior. We will seek the adventure of love within the boundaries that God intended (marriage) because we have been trained for adventure in the Season of the Cowboy.

For men who are not married (but hope to be someday): Your future spouse has been chosen for you by God. From the day she was born, she was intended by God for you. This is His daughter. He will present her to you when you are ready – that is what He intends. As such – the daughter of God – she deserves your purity, your integrity, and your love and desire. Develop all that by living through the Seasons as God intends.

For those who are married: your wife – again as a daughter of God – deserves your protection. Her honor is in your hands. Fight for her. Don’t let anything get in the way, don’t let anything take her away. Which includes: work. The internet. Drink. Sports. “The guys.” You get the picture.

The Season of the Lover is important because it is through love that we truly begin to understand our God. 1 John 4:16 tells us that “God is love.” One of the most popular ways to express love is through poetry. However, poetry isn’t exactly the most masculine of things – at least the way we think of poetry in this day and age. But if we can just get beyond the strange cadence and all that rhyming and get to the meat that lies underneath, we’ll begin to understand the language of this season.

Now, I’m not saying we all need to go out and buy a book of poems and make that our evening reading assignments. Some guys get poetry and some don’t. God knows I’ve tried but I just haven’t found it yet (however, I’m limited in my experience at this point).

But think about this for a moment. In the Old Testament, who would you consider to be the epitome of a man – a real man’s man? If you said King David you’re tuned right in to me. Here was a guy who could kill a lion or bear with his hands, maybe a sling at the most. He faced a nine-foot-tall warrior with just a sling and a stone. He spent fourteen years on the run from a king he loved but who wanted to kill him. He was the successful soldier of who it was said, “Saul kills his thousands, but David his tens of thousands.” This is a man.

But he would be more accurately called Israel’s Warrior-Poet. He wrote poetry! And do you know what his favorite subject was? His love of God!

Take a few minutes to reflect on some of the poetry of David and as you read through these, jot down some notes about the relationship with God that David’s poetry presents.

Psalms
36:8
4:7
6:6
16:11
42:1
63:1
63:3
27:4

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The True Man goes through seasons in life.

I’ve posted about the Season of Boyhood and the Season of the Cowboy.

Now we come to the Season of the Warrior.

This doesn’t mean we all join the Army, Marines or any other branch of service. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

Rather, this season reinforces the reality that we are at war in this life. We are made to be warriors, to fight for what is right, to protect our wives and families.

The rise of what is sometimes referred to as the “second wave feminist” movement in the 1960’s brought a change to this season in a man’s life by trying to eliminate it. Fighting for such rights as abortion, pushing an agenda that has at is foundation that there is no real difference between a man and a woman.

While I agree that in Christ there is no “male or female, slave or free,” that all are equally loved in the heart of God, I disagree that there is no difference between men and women. There’s huge differences, for which we should thank God!

Men, we were made to be warriors.

In Genesis it says we are created in the image of God. In Exodus it says, “The Lord is a Warrior, the Lord is his name.”

From Genesis chapter 3 on, we live in a world at war. All the wars that have happened since then have been pale comparisons to the War that is being waged against us. As Paul says in Ephesians

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

This we know. We are at war. But this war plays out in different ways.

Steve Farrar writes in Point Man, “Gentlemen, this is no imaginary situation. It is reality. If you are a husband/father, than you are in a war. War has been declared upon the family, on your family and mine. Leading a family through the chaos of American culture is like leading a small patrol through enemy-occupied territory. And the casualties in this war are as real as the names etched on the Vietnam Memorial.” (Point Man, page 22).

You see, Satan has moved his focus away from the church and to the family because if he can destroy the family, the Church is that much weaker! The first church a child will know about, the first place he will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is at home from mom and dad. If Satan can destroy that, the Church has a much harder time getting the Gospel message out to the world.

Once we understand that we are at war and that his war’s battlefronts are all around us (and not just “out there” in the mission field or where Christians are persecuted), then we will be in a much better position to fight those battles.

Where are the battle lines? Everywhere!

There’s a great scene about this from a somewhat  unusual source – the movie “You’ve Got Mail” (click here to watch it).

Warriors are not just found on the battlefields of the world. We are at war every day! In every day life – at the office, in the bedroom, in front of the classroom, on the football field.

The Season of the Warrior is its own specific season. But there are elements of the Warrior in all seasons, starting with boyhood. Like I said before, it is because we are made in the image of God and the Lord is a warrior, the Lord is his name.

All our movies that we love have a warrior theme to them. Even a movie like “You’ve Got Mail.” We fight in all areas of life because in all areas of life, there are still things worthy fighting for.

“When Alexander the Great died, his massive empire was divided among several high-ranking officers in his cabinet. What we would refer to as the Middle East, including Israel, came under the rule of the Seluecids, who continued Alexander’s mission to Hellenize the locals, making all the world Greek in its customs and values. What began as the seemingly innocent importation of Greek culture became increasingly hostile, and eventually violent. The Seleucid overlords took a special hatred of the Jewish insistence on worshipping one God, seeing it—as so many dictatorships since—as a threat to their regime. In 165 BC a Greek officer holding command over the village of Modiin—not too far from Jerusalem—ordered the Jewish villagers to bow to an idol and eat the flesh of a slaughtered pig, acts that struck at the heart of Judaism, at the heart of the people for whom such a command was unthinkable. Blasphemy.

“The people refused, an argument ensued, and the Jewish high priest Mattathias killed the officer with a sword. The villagers—led by Mattathias’ five sons—took up arms against the rest of the soldiers and killed them as well. Mattathias and a growing number of his followers fled to the hills, from there launching a resistance movement against their Hellenistic oppressors. Meanwhile, Antiochus IV (current heir to the Seleucid Empire and a cruel enemy of the Jews) seized control of the temple in Jerusalem, set up in the Holy of Holies a satue of Zeus, and commanded the Jews to worship him. Those who refused to abandon God and his commands—included circumcision—were persecuted, mothers put to the sword with their infants hanging round their necks.

“Meanwhile, Mattathias had died, leaving command of his growing forces to his son Judah Maccabee, who led his outnumbered and outarmed troops against a far superior force (ten thousand Jews against more than sixty thousand Greeks and Hellenized Syrians) and eventually routed their enemies from Jerusalem. They cleansed the temple, tore down the desecrated altar (including the idol) and rebuilt one from uncut stones, after which they held a feast of worship and dedication. Of course, I am referring to the origin of the Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. Historian Thomas Cahill observed that ‘there are humiliations a proud people—even one oopressed for generations—cannot abide.’

“Indeed. It may take time, and require repeated provocation, but eventually a man must come to realize that there are certain things in life worth fighting for. Perhaps, when we appreciate the truth of this, we can better understand the heart of God.” [The Way of the Wild Heart, John Eldredge, pages 136-37]

It may take the battle hitting close to home to rouse the warrior in a man, but maybe that is exactly why God allows the battle to hit close to home.

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No less than three times last week I was reminded to look for more good around me.

There is so much bad in the world. So much evil. So much trouble. So much pain and sorrow. And as a Christian, I know that much of the bad that comes my may is either of my own doing (flowing out of my sinful human nature) or of the devil’s doing.

I’ve realized that I’ve been sucked into the devil’s trap of focusing on all that bad stuff. I forget the good that God gives. The Bible says, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning….” (Lamentations 3:22-23a).

When I turn my head – and my heart – to look at the mercies, at the good, that God showers on me every day my whole attitude changes. A smile comes to my face. My heart is lighter. I tend to say nice things, and do nice things, to other people.

When I’m focusing on the bad stuff in my life and in the world, I feel differently. I feel tired, worn out, beat down, and I tend to say snarky things about other people. Mostly without their knowledge. I’ll read something on Facebook that someone says about an idea being stupid and take it personally (hopefully more personally than they actually intended). Or I’ll be driving in the car and listening to talk radio and really get in a poor mood about what they are saying.

I need more good – and more God – in my life.

So, I’m being more intentional about looking for the good from God in my life today. And the second half of the passage from Lamentations is thumping in my heart!

“Great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” (Lamentations 3:2b-24)

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When I was growing up, the quintessential cowboy was John Wayne. He was tough, he was rough, he was good (for the most part – only playing the bad guy in a handful of roles).

For American boys growing up in the 20^th century, John Wayne was the role-model if they wanted to be tough, courageous, and especially if they wanted to be cowboys.

In John Eldredge’s The Way of the Wild Heart (modified and republished as Fathered by God) he notes five “seasons” that every man goes through in their life. The first season is “Boyhood,” which I wrote about in True Man – Wild Man. The second season is “The Cowboy.”

The cowboy season is full of adventure and excitement, just like in Boyhood. But now the stakes are higher. The danger is greater. But if Boyhood is lived successfully, the danger is not too high.

One of the most popular of “cowboy songs” is Don’t Fence Me In by Cole Porter and Bob Fletcher.

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above

Don’t fence me in

Let me ride through the wide open country that I love

Don’t fence me in

Let me be by myself in the evenin’ breeze

And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees

Send me off forever but I ask you please

Don’t fence me in

Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle

Underneath the western skies

On my Cayuse, let me wander over yonder

Till I see the mountains rise

 

I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences

And gaze at the moon till I lose my senses

And I can’t look at hovels and I can’t stand fences

Don’t fence me in

“Don’t fence me in.” A characteristic of the settling of the “Old West” in America was the lure of it having no boundaries.

In the 1960’s – when Baby Boomers started to have children of their own, many of these parents decided to raise their children without boundaries. “We must give our kids freedom – freedom to explore their world, themselves. That way they can figure out who they are, decide for themselves what is right and wrong, make up their own minds about how they should live.” The epitome of this philosophy was Dharma Finkelstein on Chuck Lorre TV show “Dharma and Greg.”

The problem with this is that if there are no boundaries, then there is no safety.

“Boundaries” can be many things, rules, regulations, curfews, limited allowances, etc.

But boundaries are not fences to keep the cowboy in, but are fences to keep danger out.

Let’s be clear. We cannot shelter our kids, we cannot be sheltered ourselves, from the dangerous world. That isn’t the point of boundaries. The true “cowboy” stage is that we know our limitations. We are free to explore – without fear of dying – within the boundaries set up around us.

Being a cowboy means living in the world. Boundaries don’t keep us safe from the world, they help us learn how to be safe, how to live, in the world.

Jesus Christ came to free us from sin with his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection from the dead. Jesus freed us from the sin that enslaved us. Jesus freed us from the power of the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature.

But this isn’t freedom in the sense that “we can do what we want, with no boundaries.”

The most famous set of boundaries in the history of the world is the Ten Commandments.

But when Jesus sets us free from sin through his blood and righteousness, the Ten Commandments become boundaries of safety for us. Through the freedom Jesus gives us, the Law of God becomes our trusty guide.

It is something like the railings around the observation areas on the rim of the Grand Canyon or at Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park (I wrote about this in a blog post called “For Your Safety”).

Rather than stifling adventure, they make the adventures we live as Cowboys safe while still being dangerous.

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I recently completed leading a group of four men on a journey of discovery. We became a band of brothers that together explored who God is and who God made us to be.

We all read (and for me, it was the third time reading) the book “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge.

I’ve used quite a bit of material from John Eldredge and Ransomed Heart Ministries. I’ve also received a bit of criticism for doing so.

One of the criticisms that that John Eldredge receives about “Wild at Heart” is his perceived “boxing” of men – putting men in the box of the wilderness. That the only way a man can really be happy and be a real man is for him to be out in the wild. I don’t agree with this criticism and I’ll tell you why in a moment, but first let’s look at Eldredge’s premise.

Genesis 2:5-9
When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. (emphasis added)

Again, God says in verse 15:
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (emphasis added)

God created Adam in the wilderness and then brought him into the garden. Adam’s first experience with life is out in the wilderness, in the wild with God.

Craig Demartino at the True Men in the Mountains Advance 2008

The point here is that man feels at home with his Father out in the wilderness as well (if not more so) as in the place of work (the garden). God gave us both, as men. Both are safe, both are wild but one more so than the other.

I contend that the wild can be anywhere. The criticism of Eldredge is that a man can only be really a man when he is out in the mountains, hiking, camping, fly-fishing, hunting, etc.

But the wild can be anywhere that isn’t work. Work is ok, there’s nothing wrong with work and a man can be a man at work – after all, God gave us work to do.

But it is in the wild that we feel most at home with our Father. These are the places where we can have adventure and excitement; the places where we can dare to dream; the places where we can push ourselves to the limit and beyond.

Think about it for a moment. What kind of movies appeal to men?

Adventure.
Science Fiction.
Action.

Have you ever asked yourself why this is so? The answer is because our Father, who made us in such a way as to enjoy adventure, excitement and action, writes our true story in just that way!

The wild can be:

A little-known and less-visited stretch of river where rainbow trout grow as long as your arm and hit only on a handful of flies that are know by even less fly-fisherman.

The backcountry that’s a 26 mile drive to the trailhead, then another 3 miles of hiking to get to a campsite.

The snow-capped mountains of the Rockies or, better yet, the Himilayas.

But the wild can also be:

Water Street in downtown Milwaukee

Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Lower Alabama Street in Atlanta.

The wild is where our lives began and it is in the wild that our boyhood begins.

In the wild we hear and ask our first questions. The ultimate question every person has is “Am I loved.” Man, woman, boy, girl – doesn’t matter. This question is no respecter of age or gender.

In boyhood this question needs to be answered and answered correctly if a man is going to live the life that God intended for him to live.

There are times when a boy is not loved as a child. Neglect, abuse, these are ways that answer that question negatively. A man who has that kind of boyhood has the odds stacked against him. But all hope is not lost.

For we all have a Father who loves us. A Father who loves us perfectly. A Father who sent His Son to be our Brother.

Next week, I’ll explore further what this means.

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Lt. Lynn “Buck” Compton was commander of 2nd Platoon of Easy Company in the 506th PIR, 101 Airborne – the “Band of Brothers.”

He died February 25, 2012 at the age of 90.

Marcus Botherton, who wrote “Call of Duty” with Compton, has written a very nice tribute to him here.

Compton was a true hero to me. He volunteered to serve his country in World War II. He came home, raised a family, and served the people of Los Angeles, California as a public servant.

My prayers go out to his children and grandchildren as they “grieve with hope” the death of one of God’s saints and look forward to a happy reunion in heaven, with all who fall asleep in Jesus.

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The Gospel of Jesus Christ:

… He was born – to be our substitute;

… He lived the perfect life – to be our righteousness by faith;

… He died – to earn the forgiveness of all sin;

… He rose from the dead – that we too might rise from the grave one day; and

… He ascended with the promise to return and give all believers in Christ eternal life in heaven.

The Ascension – Acts 1:6-11

Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday – “the first day of the week.”

For the next forty days, Jesus appeared to his disciples (“The Twelve”) and other followers 11 times.

On the first Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to (1)Mary Magdalene – Mk. 6:9-11; Jn. 20:11-18, (2)to the other women – Mt. 28:9-10, (3)to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus – Mk. 16:12-13; Lk 24:13-32, (4) to Peter – Lk. 24:33-35; 1 Cor. 15:5), and (5)10 of the original 12 disciples (Judas is dead and Thomas is absent) – Mk. 16:14; Lk. 24:36-43; Jn. 20:19-25.

Then, over the course of the next 39 days, Jesus appeared to (6) 11 of the original 12 disciples – Thomas is now present – Jn. 20:26-31; 1 Cor. 15:5. (7)He appeared to 7 of the original 12 on the shore of Galilee – Jn. 21. (8)He appeared to over 500 followers on a mountain side in Galilee (The Great Commission) – Mk. 16:15-18; Mt. 28:16-20; 1 Cor. 15:6, (9)he appeared to James -1 Cor. 15:7, (10)and he to his followers in Jerusalem to follow up on the Great Commission – Lk. 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8.

(11)The last appearance is on Mt. Olivet when Jesus ascended – on the 40^th day after the resurrection – Mk. 16:19-20; Lk 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-12.

As Jesus and the disciples were walking out of Jerusalem, down through the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives (maybe stopping for rest in Gethsemane), they talk.

Luke records one last question from the disciples. It is about the restoration of Israel.

“Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

That the Kingdom is to be restored is taken for granted by the disciples. But what exactly to they mean? It could mean that (1) they are looking for a new world order, since Jesus died and rose again, they may be expecting Jesus to now sweep away the old order of things. It might always mean that (2) they are looking for a  political kingdom headed up by Jesus.

This second idea seems the less likely, especially if they had been paying attention to Jesus for the last three years. If they had been, they would have understood that Jesus is not like any other king and his kingdom is “not of this world” (as he told Pontius Pilate).

Jesus’ answer to them is for us as well. By Jesus’ answer, we can see that they were asking the wrong question. Jesus gets them back on track to what they really need to be doing.

Jesus doesn’t really answer their question. “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” What Jesus is basically saying is that it isn’t their concern, that it isn’t any of their business. They have something else to concern themselves with, other business to attend to.

Jesus alludes to Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples in a special way ten days later. There would be power in knowing when the Kingdom would be restored to Israel, to be sure. Jesus tells them that they will receive different power. Power to be witnesses.

martyr – A witness in a legal sense. A spectator of anything, for example, of a contest in an ethical sense.

Jesus calls them – and us – to be witnesses. Jesus had two words available to him to use here. He could have called them “heralds” (ka’rux). A “herald” is a messenger vested with public authority and who coveys the official messages of kings, magistrates, princes, military commanders, or those who give public summons or demands. This is what St. Paul calls himself in 1 & 2 Timothy. St. Peter calls Noah this.

But Jesus calls his disciples – and us – to be witnesses, not so much heralds. The Greek word becomes the basis of the English word “martyr” but Jesus isn’t tell them to be martyrs in the English sense of the word.

Jesus is telling them to tell their story about him. They will be witnesses of all that Jesus did. They saw it all, from his baptism (in the case of John and Andrew) to his death (John and some of the women) to his resurrection to his very-soon-to-be ascension. Not every disciple saw everything Jesus did (e.g., none of them were around when he was tempted). But all that Jesus did and said was heard by at least one of the disciples (for example, Mary was present at Jesus birth (!) and told Luke and Matthew about it. Jesus has promised them that the Holy Spirit would “bring to … remembrance all that” Jesus said to them (John 14:26).

More on this in Part 3.

After Jesus says this, and while the disciples were looking at Jesus, he doesn’t disappear. The previous nine post-resurrection appearances have Jesus simply appearing and, presumable, disappearing instantly. Not this time. While they are still looking at him, he was “lifted up” into the sky. They watched him ascend into the sky until a cloud “took him out of their sight.”

This is significant in that this is the way Jesus will return on the Last Day. He won’t just “appear.” Jesus will descend from the sky (more on this in Part 2).

While they watched Jesus ascended, two men in white robes appear next to them. As Jesus disappears from sight speak. “Men of Galilee” – they are addressed as such because they were all from Galilee. Judas was the only one from Judea.

These two men – we presume they are angels – are not so much rebuking the disciples for looking up into heaven, where Jesus has gone. The question draws their attention back to earth, for much the same reason that Jesus didn’t answer their question about the restoration of the kingdom. These two men are, in their way, reminding them that they do have things to do.

The two men make the statement that Jesus will return in the same way as they saw him go. He will come down from heaven and he will be seen as he comes back down from heaven on the Last Day. The implication here is that they will not miss Jesus return. They saw him go, and they will see him come back.

That’s what St. Paul picks up in 1 Thessalonians 5.

Part 2

The Ascension: Jesus Returns – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Last week, I said that “asleep” was a euphemism for “death.” It is, but it is so much more. It is believed by scholars (by which I mean that I have no direct evidence this is true other than scholars saying it) that pagans called death “sleep.” But after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “sleep” or “asleep” carries with it all that Christ did to make it merely sleep for a believer in Christ. It also carries with it the awesome implied meaning that a believer in Christ who has “fallen asleep” will wake up one day!

St. Paul, Timothy, and Silvanus (Silas) – the “we” in verse 13 (see 1:1) – are writing to the believers in the Greek city of Thessalonica. Paul had been to this city on his second missionary journey, but only a very brief time before heading on to Athens. He was concerned about the new church and sent Timothy to encourage them and apparently wrote this letter, along with Timothy and Silvanus, in response to the report that Timothy came back with.

One of the concerns Paul had was a question the Thessalonians had about what happens to believers when they die. Building on the teachings of the Great Resurrection Chapter (1 Corinthians 15, see Session 4) Paul encourages them with the Good News about what Jesus’ resurrection means to all believers.

Paul reiterates that Jesus did die and did rise again from the dead. Because of our faith in this (“since we believe”) we can also have faith in the face that God will raise all believers in Christ.

This is “a word from the Lord.” Paul words it this way to indicate that they are teaching all that Christ had revealed and taught about this subject of rising again

All other religions at the time led adherents to those religions to grieve, without any hope, the death of someone they love. There were very few active religions at the time that had some kind of “after life” for believers. The Roman and Greek pagan theology had an “afterlife” (Elysium for Greeks and Hades for the Romans) but this was of little hope to the new Christians at Thessalonica.

Paul encourages them that they can, indeed, have hope. Grieving is ok. They are not wrong – or worse, sinning – because they grieve. But because Jesus has conquered death with his own death and resurrection, they can now grieve with hope.

Paul immediately goes on to encourage them with what will happen to the dead “in Christ.”

When Jesus comes back (in the same what that he ascended – see above), not only will we who are alive see him, but also the dead will see him.

In fact, all the dead will see him. Not just those believers who died. All will be raised – though some will be raised to everlasting life and some to everlasting death in hell (see Matthew 25).

When Jesus comes back – on the Last Day, sometimes called “Judgment Day” – Paul repeats what the “two men” said at Jesus ascension. But he adds that there will be a “cry of command.” What command? Probably in references to John 5:28, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice  and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

This is preferable than to the idea that the “cry of command” is a reference to Revelation.

Paul says “archangel” and there is only one angel named as an archangel – Michael and not Gabriel. Artists have given us Gabriel as the archangel with the trumpet, but that is not Biblical.

Will it be a literal trumpet? The picture Paul paints is probably best seen as one of military allusions. The “cry of command” is what a charioteer would shout to his horses, a hunter to his hounds, or a shipmaster to his rowers (see Lenski, The Interpretation of First Thessalonians, p 334). The trumpet blast should be seen in the same way.

The order that Paul gives of what will happen is the order of what will happen to believers. All the dead will rise on the last day. But here’s what will happen to believers in Christ.

The “dead in Christ” will rise out of their graves, rise up out of the sea, and be reanimated from all the ashes from the cremations that have occurred. They will come to the surface of the earth and then we will be “caught up” with them and together rise up into the “clouds” (sky) to meet Christ in the air. This is the “rapture.” The word literally means “snatched away.”

Paul then closes this comforting section by saying that we will always be with the Lord.

Part 3

Encourage One Another With These Words

The Ascension of Jesus is a promise that Jesus will come back.

“This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

St. Paul tells us to “encourage one another with these words.”

That’s the key for us. These words about Jesus ascension and return are for our encouragement.

But what often happens is not encouragement. It is confusion.

Dispensational Premillennialism.

Historical Premillennialism (Post-Tribulational PreMillennialism).

Postmillennialism.

Amillennialism.

Going into detail of all these views is beyond the scope of this particular Bible study. But something has to be said.

The Bible talks about the 2^nd Coming of Jesus Christ quite a bit. Daniel and Ezekiel are the prominent Old Testament books that deal with it. Jesus teaches about it at the end of his ministry, recorded in Matthew 24 & 25. Paul references it in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 & 5. But of course, the main source is the Book of Revelation.

Revelation requires its own Bible study and takes a long time to cover.

So, is there a simple answer to the question, what is the Biblical teaching about the 2^nd Coming of Christ?

Yes. It is “Amillenialism.”

That means that Jesus will come back as the disciples saw him go into heaven. We will meet him in the air. He will judge “the quick and the dead.” Those who believe in him as savior will go to heaven. Those who rejected him will go to hell. This old earth will be destroyed by fire. A new heaven and a new earth will be created by God and that is where we will spend eternity.

This view is called “amillenialism” because there is no literal 1000 Year reign of Christ on earth.

In conclusion, any view that does not provide encouragement has to be looked at very closely and questioned. Because God’s Word says that the views given in the Scriptures for that very reason – to provide encouragement.

Heart Work

Acts 1:8

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Thessalonians 4:14

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Revelation 22:20

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

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The Gospel of Jesus Christ:

… He was born – to be our substitute;

… He lived the perfect life – to be our righteousness by faith;

… He died – to earn the forgiveness of all sin;

… He rose from the dead – that we too might rise from the grave one day; and

… He ascended with the promise to return and give all believers in Christ eternal life in heaven.

The Great Resurrection Chapter – 1 Corinthians 15 

Paul was converted to Christianity by a direct intervention from Jesus Christ. The story is found in Acts 9. A man who was a violent enemy of the Church now has become its greatest evangelist!

He traveled to Corinth on his 2^nd Missionary Journey. He wrote this letter – and possible three others (of which, only 2^nd Corinthians survives) to the congregation in this Roman-Grecian City. The thought is that Paul wrote this letter while on his 3^rd Missionary Journey but before he arrived at Corinth for a second visit.

It should be no surprise to us that Paul preached the Gospel to the people in Corinth. Obviously, the Holy Spirit blessed Paul’s efforts, as there is now a Christian congregation in the city.

The progression of the Gospel’s work in Corinth:

1. Gospel Preached
2. Gospel Received
3. Gospel Is Where We Stand
4. Gospel Is Saving

At the end of verse two is the point of this part of Paul’s letter and must have had a drastic effect on those reading it.

“Unless you believed in vain.”

Is that a possibility? Is it possible that believing in the Gospel is worthless?

The answer is “yes” is one condition is met – the lack of a resurrection.

 ³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures….

While we have been learning the Gospels as “BLDRA” – Paul here focuses on just the “D” and the “R.”

While the entire Gospel is important, it hinges on the “D” and “R.” Without the “D” and “R” there is no Gospel and – as Paul will make the case for – we all believe in vain.

A key point for Paul – and for us – is that Christ died and rose “according to the Scriptures.” This phrase makes its way into the Nicene Creed. The “Scriptures” that Paul speaks of, however, are our “Old Testament.” The New Testament was in the early stages of actually being written when Paul wrote this letter.

Paul doesn’t indicate which “Scriptures” specifically – which is an indication in itself that Paul meant all Scripture.

But two passages come to mind.

Isaiah 53:12

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Psalm 16:8-11

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

It is the resurrection of Jesus that is Paul’s point at this juncture of his letter.

A word about the purpose of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: After Paul left Corinth the first time, the members of the church apparently began to lose sight of the reason they were a Church. They – like many today – broke into factions. They also fell into some pretty gross sins (one guy decided that his Christian freedom allowed him to marry his step-mother). Paul writes about several subjects in this letter to correct the false teachings of the church – the Lord’s Supper, Worship, Use of Spiritual Gifts, – but the key subject of this letter is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the key element to the Gospel. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, nothing else matters.

⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 

The members of the Corinthian Church – presumably – have not direct contact with the evidence of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, just as we do not. They, like us, have to rely on the witness of those who were there.

Paul starts  with Cephas (Peter).

Paul probably has in mind John 20, when Jesus “reinstates” Peter with “feed my sheep/lambs” three times (to overturn Peter’s three-fold denial of Christ).

Then Paul talks about all the Disciples (the “Twelve”).

Paul uses the term “the twelve” to indicate the original disciples. They would have literally been “the eleven” because Judas committed suicide before the resurrection. However, Paul may also be indicating the restored “twelve” after Matthias is chosen to replace Judas.

Then Paul talks about an appearance to “over 500.”

The only event that is recorded in the Gospels that Paul might be referencing is the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28.

“Fallen asleep” is a euphemism for “die.” Paul’s point here is that the Corinthians can still talk to someone face-to-face who had a face-to-face encounter with the Risen Christ.

Paul mentions James next.

This is “James the Just,” not one of the original 12 (James the Greater and James the Lesser). This is also – probably – the brother of (or step-brother) of Jesus. James comes late to the party, not believing in Jesus as Savior until after the resurrection. But he goes on to be one of the early leaders (bishops) of the Jerusalem Church. Tradition tells us he was martyred by stoning shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Before Paul moves on to himself as a witness to the Risen Christ, he mentions “the apostles.”

Again, no definitive explanation to who comprised this group. There are ideas floating around about this group included Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, etc. But this could also be the group of 70 (or 72) Apostles sent out on a missionary journey by Jesus in Luke 10.

⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. ⁹For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Paul then mentions himself as one who can be considered a witness of the Risen Christ.

“One untimely born” is the translation of e;ktrwma. However, this might be misunderstood as Paul saying he also came late to the Christian party. The word in Greek actually means “an abortion, abortive birth; an untimely birth.” With this one, little word, Paul is making the case for the human state before Baptism.

In our natural human nature, as the Small Catechism teaches, we are born “spiritual blind, dead, and an enemy of God.”[Luther’s Small Catechism, CPH 1991, page 150]

R.C.H. Lenski goes a step further in his translation of this verse. “And last of all, as to the dead fetus, he appeared also to me” (RCH Lenski, Interpretation of First and Second Corinthians, Augsburg 1961, page 634).

Paul also enforces the fact that God is the one who is at work here. If anyone was disqualified to preach the Gospel, it would most certainly have been Paul. But by God’s grace – and by God’s grace alone – Paul is able to preach the Gospel. In fact, it doesn’t matter who preaches the Gospel.

 ¹² Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ¹⁵ We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Paul makes the claim that to say there is not resurrection of the dead, in general, then Christ is not risen.

If Christ is not risen, then …

Preaching is in vain.

Faith is in vain.

We misrepresent (lie about) God.

We are still in our sins.

Those who have died (and will die) will perish.

We are to be pitied.

 ²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

But the eye-witness testimony of hundreds of people testify to the fact that Christ is, indeed, raised from the dead.

And if Christ is raised from the dead, there must be a general resurrection of the dead. His “logic” is that since death came through one man (Adam) so also life comes through one man (Jesus).

The “firstfruits” (although plural, refers to Christ alone) means that there will be others – indeed, all – will follow.

And yes, all the dead will rise on the last day, not just believers in Christ.

But not all will be raised to everlasting life in heaven. Some will be raised to everlasting death (same word as parish) used before.

Believer in Christ will be raised to everlasting life in heaven with Christ.

How do we get that?

Our Connection via Baptism – Romans 6 

³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

When Jesus was baptized, he put into the Sacrament of Baptism Himself (the Word of God) and gave Baptism its power.

When we are baptized, we were buried with Christ (that removes the sin) and raised with Christ (that gives us His righteousness – because the sin is now removed).

And now that we are raised and going to be raised on the last day, we can walk in newness of life today – but that is the topic for next week’s session.

Heart Work

Matthew 28:5-6

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

Romans 6:4

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

1 Corinthians 15:3a, 4

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: … that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 15:20

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Revelation 2:10

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

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Today is Ash Wednesday – a reminder that “dust you are and to dust you shall return.”

This reminder will be in the form a little cross of ash on the forehead. The palm branches and leaves that ended the Church Season of Lent last year have been burned to ash and are now used to begin this year’s Church Season of Lent.

This dust – and all dust – reminds us that we are mortal. We will die someday. Well, probably. I mean, Jesus could come back before we die – and then there will be no more death for those who believe in Him as savior.

But the reality that I live today is that I will not get out of this life alive. And that’s ok, because for me, death is not the end. Jesus’ death was the end of my death. When my body ceases to live – when my heart stops beating and my brain stops waving – my eyes will close to this world and open to see Jesus. I will see – and live in – the new heaven and new earth. I will be with all those who fell asleep in Jesus.

In the mean time, I have been given a promise of life from Jesus Christ. He warned that “the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.” But Jesus also promised us, “But I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ESV)

The ashes remind me that this life is not all there is. There is more to have, more to come.

The whole Season of Lent is a microcosm of life for the disciple of Jesus. We begin with a reminder of our mortality (and a great reminder to teenagers and young adults that we are only immortal for a limited time).

Then we quickly move on to a reminder that in this world we will face temptation. Many temptations, in fact, but they all come down to the same thing. We will be tempted by the devil (yes, he really exists. Jesus faced him down in the wilderness – recorded in Matthew 4). We will be tempted by the devil to question who we are and whose we are.

When the devil tempted Jesus he started two of the three temptations with the same words, “If you are the Son of God.” Right away, the devil was trying to cause doubt to rise in Jesus’ mind that He (Jesus) was who God said He was. A little over a month before this temptation, Jesus was baptized and heard the words from His Heavenly Father, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” But Jesus hadn’t had anything to eat since then. He was tired, hungry, exhausted to the point of collapse (as I’m sure I would be if I hadn’t eaten for 40 days).

That’s when the devil strikes. When we are riding emotional highs and also at the point of exhaustion, the devil will tempt us so that we try to convince ourselves that we are not really a child of God, we are not saved, we are not worthy of God’s love, and on and on.

But Jesus didn’t give in to this temptation of the devil. The weapon Jesus used to fight off this temptation He gives to us.

“It is written….”

The Word of God. The Sword of the Spirit. This is the ultimate – and only – weapon we have to fight the temptation of the devil.

Pick up your sword, and get ready to fight … and win … and live!