Our text today from Genesis 3 is often called the story of “The Fall.” Right here we are confronted with a question. How bad a “fall” is it? I mean, not all “falls” are the same. Some falls are rather minor and some are rather major. Falling and skinning my knee is not the same as falling off the rim of the Grand Canyon. So what is the story before us today? Is it the story of humanity skinning its knee or of humanity plunging off a cliff?
The word of the LORD came to me (v. 9) Thus begins our text. With these words the prophet Zechariah tips us off he is going to tell us a story of what happened to him one day. Maybe just a word about the man Zechariah. Zechariah was a prophet at the time the Jews had returned from the Babylonian exile. They had begun the work of rebuilding the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. Zechariah ministered to and among these returned exiles. The word of the LORD came to me, says Zechariah. And the LORD told him to do something very odd.
Oftentimes in life, paying attention to a light means the difference between life and death. Drivers better pay attention to the traffic lights as they approach an intersection. Green means I can go; red means I better stop or risk being T-boned. The pilot of a plane flying on a foggy night better pay attention to the runway lights as he comes in for a landing. Long before the days of satellite global positioning devices, ship captains at sea knew they better pay attention to the light from lighthouses on shore to avoid running aground, or worse.
The time had come. They had helped him move all his stuff into his room in the freshman dorm. They had gone to the campus bookstore and purchased the books he would need for his first semester classes. They had walked around campus a little bit. They had taken him out for supper. There was nothing more to do. The time had come to say goodbye. Dad, who was not usually a “hugger,” leaned in and gave his son a tight hug. As they separated, Dad locked eyes with his son and, with a father’s earnestness, said, “Remember who you are.”
Human pride is a stunning thing . Sometimes it is stunning in its silliness. For example, there is a character in a movie named Miles Gloriosus. He is a captain in the Roman army. And in one scene, before getting off his horse, he announces, “Stand aside everyone! I take large steps!” Sometimes human pride is stunning because it is nonsensical. Nietzsche once wrote: “I have reached such a height that when I stand atop the summit, I look down upon myself.” Huh? Or, a musician once commented, “My greatest pain is that I cannot watch myself perform live.” Sometimes pride is stunning because it is so blasphemous and disturbing. Some of you will remember years ago when the Beatles were at their peak and John Lennon announced, “We’re more popular than Jesus now.” Another pop artist of more recent vintage proclaimed, “Some accuse me of worshiping the devil. If there was a devil, he would worship me.”
Today we commemorate “The Conversion of St. Paul.” This gives us the opportunity to linger over this thing called “conversion.” Just what is “conversion”? “Conversion” is what happens when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ. The word literally means a “turning around.” A person who has been turned from unbelief to faith in Christ has been “turned around.” They have been converted.
Have you ever noticed how often we find the Son of God in the most unlikely of places? It just happened. We celebrated Christmas and we found the Son of God in a trough, in a feed-box for animals! Not exactly where one would expect to find the Son of God. It happens time and again in his ministry. We find him in the company of society’s “outcasts.” Those known only as “sinners.” We will find the Son of God on a smelly donkey on Palm Sunday. We will find him as a defendant in court. We will find him on a cross. And we will find him temporarily in a tomb. Not exactly places we would expect to find the Son of God.
The historic lesson for this festival and our text for this evening is from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew has been called the most “Jewish” of the Gospels. Matthew begins right away in chapter 1 with a genealogy of Jesus that traces Jesus as a descendant of father Abraham, through the proud tribe of Judah, right on through Israel’s great King David. From the outset Matthew wants to present a thoroughly Jewish Messiah!
You’ve got to have the right person with you. That makes all the difference. It is a lesson learned early on in life. Ask the child, “Who do you want to go with you?” Work your way through the list. “You want me to take you?” A little head shakes, “No.” “Do you want Uncle Squirt? He’s fun!” Still shaking “no.” “You want Aunt Deb?” No. “Do you want mommy to go with you?” Now we’re getting somewhere! Now you have mentioned the one who is always there! Now you have mentioned the one who can always be trusted! Now the head goes up and down! “Yes! I will go IF mom goes!”
A couple of weeks ago, we went on a tour of the Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee. The Pabst Mansion is the home Frederic Pabst built back in the 1800’s. It is a grand Victorian mansion typical of what some would call “The Gilded Age.” Upon entering the mansion, one stands in a grand entry area. There is a beautiful grand staircase that ascends three stories. I noticed another set of stairs in the home. This set was around the back of the home, by the back door. It was just an enclosed narrow staircase. It was the servants’ staircase. Only members of the Pabst family and their distinguished guests used the grand staircase; the servants the other.
