“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Mt. 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” –Martin Luther, 95 Theses, Number 1
October 31, 1517, just about 500 years ago exactly, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg posted (in Latin) the thesis copied above (in English) along with 94 more of them. He provided an introduction “…to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter.” It began small, but eventually brought about quite a furor in Wittenberg, in all Germany and Europe, and unto the uttermost part of the Earth.
Luther was not attempting to repeal or replace the Roman Church. Rather than repeal or replace, he hoped, as he said, “Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it,” to reform the Roman Church especially regarding the abuse of the “power and efficacy of indulgences.” He was concerned that church authority had gone too far afield of the Bible. He is called a “reformer” since that is what he meant to do. Peter Waldo (c. 1140-c. 1205, France), John Wycliffe (1320s-1384, England), Jan Hus (1369-1415, today’s Czech Republic), and numerous others all preceded Luther in bold attempts to reform the Roman Church, but, largely due to the invention of the printing press, nobody had an impact like Luther’s.
Since Jacob Arminius was only 3 years old when John Calvin died, if you could wake Calvin from the dead, he would not be able to answer the question, “What are the five points of Calvinism?” This causes me to wonder if Luther would recognize Reformed or Lutheran churches today. I seriously doubt that the virtually uncountable specialized splinters and brands of Protestant churches today was anything like what he had in mind. On the contrary, I think he would be horrified. Everyone is doing what seems right in his own eyes.
So, realizing that reformation is every bit as needed today, in the spirit of Luther and the 95 Theses, I offer just 3 theses to consider in our times:
- No one may rightly enjoy the assurance of salvation who has “asked Jesus into his heart,” but then chosen to live apart from the church—Christ’s body, bride, flock, people, and kingdom.
- When the Apostle Peter said of water baptism, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,” and wrote of water baptism “which now saves you,” he meant that, at least in some way, water baptism actually does something related to salvation.
- The future hope of OT believers, the Apostles, the early church, and many more Christians through the centuries has not been of a disembodied spirit heaven in outer space somewhere, but resurrection to eternal, physical life in the renewed heavens and renewed earth.
That said, let us be exceedingly thankful for Luther’s contribution and what God did through him. It seems that most of the time, the doctrine of justification by faith alone is the main recovery attributed to Luther. No doubt, it is significant and precious. But I would suggest that it is his recovery of the Bible as the true authority that leads the way.
As Beeson Divinity School professor Timothy George has written, “For Luther, the church does not take priority over the Bible; instead, the church is the creation of the Bible. It is born in the womb of Scripture. ‘For who begets his own parent?’ Luther asked. ‘Who first brings forth his own maker?’ Luther held a high view of the inspiration of the Bible, calling it once ‘the Holy Spirit book.’ But what truly distinguished his exegesis was his ability to make the text come alive. For him, Bible stories were not distant historical acts but living current events, as we see in his treatment of Gideon: ‘How difficult it was for [Gideon] to fight the enemy at those odds. If I had been there, I would have messed in my breeches for fright!’ Thus, for Luther, the Bible is no mere depository of doctrine. In it, a living God confronts his people.”
That’s the kind of belief that caused another Roman Churchman to say Martin Luther was a “demon in the appearance of a man.” It’s also the kind of belief that caused the Reverend Father Martin Luther to say, “If you try to deal with sin in your conscience, let it remain there, and continue to look at it in your heart, your sins will become too strong for you. They will seem to live forever. But when you think of your sins as being on Christ and boldly believe that he conquered them through his resurrection, then they are dead and gone. Sin can’t remain on Christ. His resurrection swallowed up sin.”
Come hear it preached and enacted in the supper with Jesus this Sunday.
Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vapor.
Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vapor. –Ecclesiastes 11:7-10
In chapter 10 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us to be wise and then in first 6 verses of chapter 11, he tells us to be generous. These are definite answers as to how we are to live life under the sun where God’s ways are mostly unknowable, the future is unpredictable, and much of this life is vapor. Be wise and be generous. Now, in the second part of chapter 11, Solomon tells us to be joyful. Looking ahead to chapter 12, he summons us to be godly. But the subject of the verses copied above is be joyful.
All the way through the book, as Solomon reaches partial conclusions, he repeats the refrain that wisdom means joy. As he approaches the final conclusion of the book, he reiterates this truth with greater emphasis. Affirming life in all its fullness, he calls on light as a metaphor: “Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.” He’s just said that wisdom is generous and that God is in control of the outcome, so it follows that we can be cheerful, enjoying sweet light. It is all in God’s hands; God is in control of His world, thus, “if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vapor.” If you’re worried about every little thing: relax, go enjoy some chips and salsa. The Lord is in control; why try to control vapor?
I appreciate the realistic approach Solomon takes. After saying “that the days of darkness will be many” and “all that comes is vapor,” he adds, “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth.” Your future life, the number of your days, the success of your labors, are all outside your control and knowledge. So be joyful. It is not a choice between despair and delusion. We don’t have to pretend that days of darkness don’t exist. Face the facts or they will overwhelm you.
Another point in Solomon’s realistic approach is “let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes.” But then comes the caution, “But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.” Contrary to plenty of American Puritans, the Bible has an overarching point that, while some things are prohibited, everything else is left wide open for you to enjoy. Fear God and enjoy life. Wisdom is keeping both of these hand-in-hand with the other.
Finally, “Remove vexation from your heart,” is a wise instruction given by Jesus Himself. It is a fool’s response to the vaporousness of life. Jesus says, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Come hear it preached and enacted in the supper with Jesus this Sunday.
Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. –Ecclesiastes 11:1-4
Last week in looking at this same passage, we saw that to “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days” is not some folksy advice to risk a little more with your investments. It is, unfortunately, often taken in ways similar to that—something to the effect of, “C’mon, quit being so conservative and see what happens!” But the second part, “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth,” interprets the parable for us.
Solomon is calling wise people to be bold in their generosity and give lavishly to their neighbors. Yes, it may seem like a losing proposition at the outset, but wisdom does not walk by sight, but by faith. This is nothing new for those who’ve followed the Wisdom Books of the Bible. Don’t forget Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.” It’s a matter of faith since we cannot control life and ensure that our generosity comes back to us, but God is faithful.
What, then, is the “seven” and “eight” in the explanation? It is as though Solomon is saying, “Give to the utmost: seven. No, wait, wait, even beyond seven to eight!” He is exhorting us to be rivers of generosity. It’s like Psalm 112:9, “He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.”
So, when Christians “cast [their] bread upon the waters” and “give a portion to seven, or even to eight,” we are giving generously to others—so much so that the world will marvel. This is what Israel was to do: to be a blessing to the nations, or, as God put it in the promise to Abraham, “Bless all the families of the earth” (Gen. 12). Solomon blessed King Hiram in Tyre, and it came back like this: “Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks” (1 Kings 10:22).
The next line, “If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie,” speaks of what is controlled by God rather than us. Solomon offers a warning, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” Are you going to wait to be generous until just the right time? Isn’t caution a virtue? Or, is that like trying to shepherd the wind? This warning is against thinking that tomorrow will be a better day to be generous.
We can’t do a thing about the time and place that rain falls. A tree falls where it falls without checking in with us. Solomon’s point is simple: waiting until you can figure out the rain or which way the tree is going to fall, or what the wind will do before you plant means you’ll never sow, and thus never reap. If we wait around until the conditions are just right before making the move to give away, we’ll never do it. Instead we tend to hoard if we think things might take a turn for the worse. Solomon warns against that covetous narrow-heartedness.
Thankfully Jesus Christ lived a life of pure generosity. He trusted His Father for the outcome. He was moved by the Spirit, who was given to Him without measure. And by the Spirit, He gave Himself for us all. Did He have to trust His Father before giving Himself away? Of course! And the seed planted in the ground, which died, did indeed bear much fruit. That’s the gospel.
Come hear it preached and enacted in the supper with Jesus this Sunday.
Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. –Ecclesiastes 11:1-4
I heard a lecture recently that we are all making a mistake if we think “risk” is the real factor to consider in everything from investing to letting children do new things on their own to pursing the next big thing. Instead of “risk,” the speaker said, the real factor is “uncertainty.” Your ability to handle uncertainty will determine future success. I’m not sure if that’s a helpful distinction, but Solomon has made abundantly clear in the book of Ecclesiastes so far that uncertainty is certain in life under the sun. God’s plan and God Himself are not only uncontrollable by us, but often unknowable.
This can be paralyzing. In the previous chapter we heard about flies that sometimes get in the ointment even though you used wisdom and did a good job. Does that mean we should just give up and stop making ointment? Wisdom is superior to folly and better than weapons of war, but it is quite vulnerable to small things such as just one sinner, a bird, a snake, a rock, a fly, or a splinter (see chapters 9 & 10). All are small and apparently insignificant things. Foolishness is like that. The threat is huge from such small things. If this truth leads to the crippling inactivity of despair, Solomon offers the passage copied above.
The meaning is plain: in spite of life’s uncontrollability and vaporous outcomes, in spite of wisdom’s vulnerability, God has promised abundance when His people trust Him and risk uncertainty to serve other people. Solomon is exhorting generosity when he writes, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.”
The little parable about casting your bread upon the waters is one of the most famous lines in Ecclesiastes and has been used in a myriad of different ways (not all true to the text!). The second part (“Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth”) interprets the parable for us.
Obviously, throwing bread onto the water seems like an ill-advised way to invest. But he is calling wise people to be bold in their generosity and give lavishly to their neighbors. How often does wisdom seem like a losing proposition at the outset! Wisdom does not walk by sight, but by faith. This is nothing new for those who’ve followed the Wisdom Books. Don’t forget Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.” It’s a matter of faith since we cannot control life and ensure that our generosity comes back to us, but God is faithful.
The wise King Jesus said, “Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back… give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” To follow Jesus requires faith in God’s integrity and faithfulness to keep His promises. That’s wisdom.
Come hear it preached and enacted in the supper with Jesus this Sunday.