Jerry Springer and Maury Povich. Elder Tom is embarrassed to have to admit that he has seen these two gentlemen and the shows that they host. Maybe you have too. But if you have too much class and way too many important things to do to waste your time in such a way, the shows feature many of the seedier, and sadder, aspects of personal and family life. One regular feature involves young women with child who have no idea who the father is. It is not uncommon for a girl to be on a show with the three men she thinks most likely to have sired her child, only to find out by a DNA test that none of the three could possibly be the one. And this is one of the tamer, more dignified types of episodes – downright decent when compared to most of their offerings. Many feature people involved in things that Elder Tom would not want to mention, even if this wasn’t a church web site. The shows are rife with conflict, and if there is not a good, knock-down, drag-out fight, Elder Tom is sure that many spectators would be disappointed.
Elder Tom is happy to relate that he has not seen either of these shows for a long time. So why is he mentioning them here and now? If you were in church last Sunday (July 18th) or if you have checked out the sermon on this web site, you know what prompted him to do so. Pastor White referred to them in his sermon. His text was the account of how Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. Pastor said that this account, and the family history that went with it, seemed like it would be more likely to be found on the shows mentioned above that in the Holy Scriptures. The text was chosen to illustrate the Fifth Commandment. There were multiple violations of that commandment in the text – hatred, jealousy and envy, conspiracy to commit murder, assault, kidnapping, the sale into slavery, and last but not least. making both Joseph’s and their father’s life miserable. If that weren’t enough, what was behind this was also from the seamy side of life. A dysfunctional family extraordinare – a man with two wives who happened to sisters, one of which he loved and one of which he endured – two concubines (slaves who were also mistresses) – at least 13 children from these four women – sibling rivalry – blatant favoritism on the part of the father toward one of the sons. And all of this is about the patriarchs, the fathers of God’s chosen people!
Because it occurs in Sunday School lessons (and for us Lutherans, in catechism class) this account is a little more familiar than other similar parts of the Bible, if not with all the sordid details. People who are unacquainted with the Bible might be very surprised to know that an account like this is in the Scriptures at all. Even Christians whose biblical background may be weak might be shocked to know that there are even more sensationalistic accounts than these, and that they involve not just fringe characters, but many of the heroes of the Bible. In fact, people might be amazed that stories like these would be in any kind of religious book, let alone the Holy Scriptures.
People frequently associate religion with idealism and “piety,” and they expect the Bible to be filled with ideals and pious platitudes. But the Bible is a very realistic book. It deals with real life people in real life situations. The heroes of the Bible are presented as they actually were, warts and all. In fact, if some people realized the titillating nature of many incidents in the Bible, they might be more likely to read it. But other people could easily become offended by the character (and characters) of these stories and the amount of space devoted to them. An individual might think that this stuff disqualifies the Bible as a book of religion, let alone the one and only absolute authority and infallible guide on all matters of faith and life, of God and man, of time and eternity. Elder Tom feels differently. The realistic, down to earth, no holds barred portrayal of life and people in the Scriptures has always been a source of assurance to him of the truthfulness and reliability of the Bible.
Why are there so many incidents of this nature reported in the Scripture? Are they there to pique our interest? Are they there to keep us reading through all the important but – to all too many people, including, sad to say, Elder Tom in his less sanctified moments – boring stuff about the grace of God, the way of salvation, the life we are to lead? (Incidentally, although much of the sermon dealt with sins against the Fifth Commandment, Pastor White did a very good job of bringing out the positive aim of the ordinance – that Christ-like love permeate and shape our lives.) No. They are there because they show us what sin is like, what it does to people, even to the noblest of people trying to operate with the best of intentions. Sin is ugly, sin is destructive, sin makes us “lost and condemned creatures.” Sin puts us in terrible shape, and in desperate need of a remedy.
And this brings us to the main reason why these accounts are in the Bible. They show us how much we need a Savior. And why was the Bible written? Elder Tom defers to two of His favorite apostles, St. John and St. Paul: ”…These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”; “…The sacred writings…are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” When the Bible shows how really bad sin is and what appalling things it does to people, along with the enormity of the acts that people do because they are sinners, it shows how great our Savior is. For our dear Lord Jesus has done all that it took to save us from our sins, to provide healing for all the effects of our transgression, and to make us the people of God. All the fetid aspects of our sinful human nature are in the Bible, starkly portrayed with no air brushing or photo shopping. They are in the Bible to glorify the name of Jesus, whose blood cleanses us from all our sins, and renders us ‘holy and without blemish.”
The Bible contains many things that people may find startling and even shocking. Elder Tom submits that they pale besides what he thinks is really amazing – that Jesus loves us so much, that He accepted responsibility for our sins as if they were his, that He took all the blame for what we did in our lives and gives us credit for all the good He did in His life, that in place of the stench of sin is the sweet smelling savor of His sacrifice – WHAT? That’s in the Bible! You betcha. As a matter fact Elder Tom does just that – he bets his life on it, bets his life on it for time and eternity. Elder Tom respectfully suggests, as well as hopes and prays, that you do the same.
