Jesus Answers Despair

Jesus Answers Despair

1 Kings19:11-21; Luke 5:1-11 T Trinity 5

INI

In our Wednesday evening Bible Studies, we’ve covered some heavy topics – abortion, addiction, suicide, divorce. We’ll cover many others but these weighty spiritual issues have similar things in common: despair.

These topics are heavy for unbelievers, but believers aren’t exempt from the temptations of despair either. Despair is an unshakeable feeling when confronted with difficult situations around us. It’s a Christian’s temptation to give up hope, to stay in one’s corner and not pick up our crosses and follow Jesus. That’s what’s easy – picking the path of least resistance. But the Christian life is never about what’s easy – it’s about following Jesus.

The temptation for Christians is to take their eyes off Jesus in the midst of despair and hopelessness. And we don’t have to look far to find some despair. Whether we turn on the T.V. and watch the news, look at the suffering of our neighbors down the street, or we look at our own lives. Satan is always around the corner to tempt us towards despair. His means for this temptation are varied – sicknesses and diseases that are incurable, debilitating injuries that prevent someone from living a full life, death, war, political wars, rampant immorality in every aspect of life, financial troubles, threats from the weather, the advancing of AI and the potential problems associated with that. These problems surround us every day and it’s easy to become numb with despair.

Or the temptation towards despair may be closer to home – children who’re rebellious against parents, children who question their faith, family members who battle addictions and subsequent depression, husbands and wives take each other for granted and don’t honor and respect each other, marriages that act more like two different people than the one flesh they are in Christ.

Or the temptation towards despair and hopelessness resides in our own hearts – we lust for people or things that don’t belong to us. We want to use others and material things to serve our idolatrous needs. We’d rather fight the world with its own weapons because we imagine that’s more effective than being delivered over to Jesus. We’re greedy for what we don’t have and discontent with what we do have. This leads us to despair because the hope we have in things will never fill us. Anger builds when given over to despair and hopelessness. And our anger delivers us over to all kinds of unrighteousness.

The temptation towards despair and hopelessness may seem like it’s unique to our day and age, but it’s actually common in the Scriptures. In the Gospel lesson today, Peter was inflicted with despair as he worked all night and caught no fish. I’m sure he prayed to God to help him catch some fish! Or look at the Old Testament text for today. We see Elijah being tempted with real sins, real doubts, real despair. You know Elijah – he was a prophet of God! He battled the false prophets at Mt. Carmel. He communicated directly with God. He went up against powerful kings with the truth of God. He even raised the widow of Zarephath’s son from the dead! By God’s power, Elijah was certainly mighty. God used him for wonderful miracles and signs. Yet today, we see him as a man. He’s like any one of us. He’s delivered over to despair. He believes that the only path ahead is one without hope as he sees his death sentence written on the wall. He says, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of Hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek to take my life.”

How does the Lord answer Elijah? Essentially, He reminded Elijah that the world and God’s plan are bigger than he is. God reminds Elijah that he’s not the center of the world, yet He loves him and will take care of him and the generations after him. God tells Elijah to go and anoint his successor. Don’t worry, because God is in control. This gives hope to the despairing. Because even though you may feel alone, you’re not. God is with you. And He’s providing for you and all in the household of faith. That’s how he answered Peter’s despair. After a night of not catching any fish, Jesus provided a miraculous catch. And Jesus, being in control, calls Peter to catch men, not fish. So, Peter leaves the $10,000 worth of fish, and follows Jesus. Because He is the answer to Peter’s despair.

For all who are tempted towards despair, hopelessness, apathy of faith, and anger, God is here this morning to deliver you over from yourselves. He’s come to call you and say “follow me”, like he did for Peter. He’s here to remind you that He is the creator of the world and that He is in control. Just like He controlled Peter’s miraculous catch, so does God control the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the winds, the waves, the land and sky, the droughts, the famines, the fires. He’s in control despite your illnesses and diseases. He’s in control despite your being tempted towards despair. Even though you may see yourself weak, count yourselves in good company, because He uses the weak to shame the wise. For He’s come to give you hope through the folly of the cross, because the cross is His saving power. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For through the cross, God becomes a Savior. God became man in the flesh of Christ to grant deliverance from and meaning to your sufferings. Through His incarnation, innocent suffering and death, He draws near to you now because He is in control. He comes to you in simple means through Word and Sacrament. He washes you clean in the waters of baptism and sets you on a path following Him. On this path, He feeds you with His precious body and blood. He speaks to you in your times of doubt and despair through the Holy Scriptures. He does all of this because He loves you. Jesus is the answer to your despair. For He is the High Priest who sympathizes with you in your weaknesses. So don’t fear. Don’t despair. The Lord is with you everywhere you go. He never leaves His church, and He never despises the promises given to her. For this is where God in flesh meets you to grant you hope.

So, when the outside world, our own families, or our own lives, cause us to despair and feel hopeless, be like Peter. Leave everything and follow Jesus. For life with Christ is what matters most. Listen to Jesus – because He is the Lord over all things. He’s overcome temptation. He’s overcome the world. He’s overcome the devil. He’s overcome your sin.

He’s placed you here for a reason. So may we provide mutual help and support to all our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need. But above all, may the despairing find hope and consolation in Christ, the God of all creation, who draws near to you now.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston