What Did Jesus Do?

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Fast bound in Satan's chains I lay;
Death brooded darkly o'er me.
Sin was my torment night and day;
In sin my mother bore me.
But daily deeper still I fell;
My life became a living hell,
So firmly sin possessed me (LSB 556.2).

Recently, I watched a television show where science fiction crashed right into the realm of religion. In the show, the main characters crash-land onto a forlorn planet hovering precariously on the edge of a black hole, but mysteriously not being sucked in and destroyed. Some scientists had discovered this planet, and scans found that there was a massive, unexplainable energy source in the middle of it, so they set about drilling down to reach it. What they found was mind-bending: they found the Abyss, the prison of Satan, the great Beast.

"Blessed Be the Name of the Lord"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When life's troubles rise to meet me,

Though their weight

May be great,

They will not defeat me.

God, my loving Savior, sends them;

He who knows

All my woes

Knows how best to end them. (LSB 756.2)

Troubles come to everyone in this life. There is no escaping them. Sometimes troubles are small, sometimes they are very great. Nevertheless, you can be sure of two things – God is in control of your suffering, and He has the best end for you in mind.

However, it often – usually – happens that the ways of God are hidden from the eyes of men, especially in the midst of suffering. Consider the case of Job. Job was a man of God, given great faith, and great temporal blessings. He had land, property, flocks and herds, a large family, and a good reputation among the community. Scripture says that he was “the greatest of all the people of the east.” (1:3) All the blessings which the Lord had promised to Abraham, Job had them, and then some. And he had faith in the Lord God.