Mid-Week Lenten Worship March 6, 2024
“When You See Such Blind Ignorance, What Do You Think?”
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
Evil likes company. It doesn’t like to be alone. We call that “mob mentality”. It is very evident in our short reading from Luke that ignorance needs a companion. (Luke 23:63-24:1) We read such phrases: “They blindfolded Jesus”. “They demanded an answer.” “They insulted him.” “They all asked, ‘Are you then the Son of God?’” After Jesus responds, “You are right in saying I am.” The whole lot of them said, “Why do we need any more testimony?” “Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.”
They were not looking for truth. They had one agenda – the crucifixion of Jesus and they were focused on getting that deed done. I was watching “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the classic from 1962. In the movie a black man from the deep south had been charged with the attack and the rape of a white girl. No evidence was presented, except the words of the white girl and her father that the black man had committed these crimes. But the lawyer for the black man, Atticus Finch (played by Gregory Peck) provided evidence that his client was innocent. But justice was not served, the black man, Tom Robinson, was declared to be guilty. Justice was not served that day.
Jesus was asked by His opponents, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” Do you remember His answer? “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer.” (Luke 22:67-68) Jeffrey Gibbs paraphrases the answer, “It’s like this. You don’t really care what I say. You’re blindly against me. Your mind is made up, and nothing can change it. All you know if where you want to go with this.” (Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs, “You Meant It For Evil, But God Meant It For Good.” Concordia Seminary Press, 2022, Pg. 17)
How do you describe unbelief? You’ve spoken to those who do not believe. Why don’t they accept Jesus? Why don’t they confess Him as their Savior and Lord? There are a variety of reasons and one of them is what we see here: Blind Ignorance. They didn’t want to see. They didn’t want to know. Jesus had provided them with enough evidence from His teachings and His miracles that He was the Christ, the Promised One, the Messiah, the Son of God. He had done enough to substantiate the claim, “But I say to all of you: in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64) But Jesus knew that blind ignorance prevailed. “If I tell you, you will not believe me.”
Jesus in John 5, speaks to those who opposed Him and His message, He addresses those who lived in blind ignorance: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have eternal life.” (John 5:39-40. Later Jesus said, “But do not think I accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” (John 5:45-47) In the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) Jesus concludes His teaching about it with these words, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:31)
How frustrating it must have been for Jesus!! It was Jesus, speaking to ignorant, blind unbelief who moans, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” (Matthew 23:37)
There is a danger in what I have said to you this day. It happens when we compare ourselves with what they did. When we speak in arrogance and say, “Well, I would never do that!”, we fall into a dark place. We could be filled with pride and say, “They would do such a thing, but I never would!” “I would never be so blind, nor would I ever be so ignorant.” Really?
How about the way that Jesus would have us be? Humble. You ever hear the phrase, “Except for the grace of God, go I.” We witness a life that took all the wrong turns, and we realize it was God’s grace, not our self, who saved us from that same path. You see, we have enough ignorance to go around. We have enough blindness to do us harm. But our God had all of this worked out for our good. On the cross Jesus addressed the blind ignorance of unbelief, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
In humility we come to God and trust that Jesus has become everything for us. God meant all of this for our good. Our good came by His suffering. Our good came by Him becoming our substitute. Our good came by His deep and abiding love. When Paul speaks about what Christ brings to us through the strength of the cross and the wisdom of the crucifixion he says, “He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’” (I Corinthians 1:28-31)
Enough of ignorance. Enough of blindness. Enough of unbelief. It is time for clear sight. True faith. True wisdom. It is time to see that God brought Jesus to bring us His goodness now and even forever. Amen!!
(Much of the outline, thoughts, theme and some of the words come from the Lenten Sermon Series, “You Meant It For Evil, But God Meant It For Good” by Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs, Concordia Seminary Press, 2022)
