Ask the Pastor: Prophecy in action, Dianetics, Jesus' temptation, and suicide
by the Rev. Walter Snyder
Religion Columnist
     Q: Jesus' actions in the story of the fig tree seem to be in the tradition of some of the
Old Testament prophets. Could you please give me an example of how one of them uses a
symbolic, dramatic action to illustrate his teachings?
     A: One example would be in the life of Hosea. His actions were quite dramatic, including
marrying a prostitute to show how God bound himself to an unfaithful, idol-chasing Israel. When she
abandoned him to return to her former lifestyle, he sought her out and took her back again, showing
how the Lord also sought out sinners and brought them back to himself. Hosea also gave his children
names reflecting God's judgment only to change them to names that showed his mercy.
     The "king" of action prophecy in the Old Testament would either be Moses, as agent of
God's plagues against Egypt or Ezekiel, who did all manner of things to illustrate the message of the
Lord. For example, in Ezekiel 4, he uses a brick as a model of Jerusalem and lays siege to it. He then
lies bound on his sides to show the times of sin and judgment on Israel and Judah. Such prophetic
actions continue throughout the first part of the book.
     Q: I would like to know what is "Dianetics": Is it a sect, a science or something else?
     A: Dianetics is a philosophy of life (or a religion) based on the writings of science fiction
author L. Ron Hubbard. There is a book of the same title that illustrates its major points. I've never
been able to read the whole thing from cover to cover, but it appears to be a mixture of various
philosophies and religions with a bit of outer space thrown in. Superior beings play some role in the
whole thing. Dianetics is the central teaching of the organization known as Scientology.
     Q: When Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, was he capable of
sinning? I think not, because of his divine nature. He could not sin and at the same time be
God. I think he felt and suffered through the temptation (in his human nature), but ultimately
could not have sinned if he wanted to (because of his divine nature). I have heard other people
say that this takes something away from his keeping the law perfectly. What do you think?
     A: I agree with you---Jesus is true God and cannot sin. However, he still felt the full effect of
keeping God's Law perfectly. His sufferings were profound; even as any believer might some time
suffer for the faith, Jesus' perfect obedience led to the incredible suffering he felt in the Wilderness
and the even greater pains of his crucifixion. Your comment about some others dismissing his perfect
obedience because of his inability to sin is telling. This is akin to blaming God for not "playing fair"
with Satan, even though the way God "played" was to win the victory for us. Such people sound like
they don't appreciate God trying so hard on our behalf.
     Q: If a person commits suicide, will he or she go to hell?
     The answer is in God's hidden will. We know that faith in Christ saves and unbelief damns.
However, we cannot normally know the mind of a suicide. Generally, those who've dealt with it in
the writings of the Christian Church tend to say that a person who is in open rebellion against God
and who consciously seeks to be the final judge on the end of life is in danger of eternal damnation.
     On the other hand, some people may be driven to extremes by terrible trials in their lives
and may not be completely in their right minds when they decide to end their troubles by ending
their lives. If these people were in a trusting relationship with God, it may be that he still sees and
acknowledges their faith and forgives them their sins of self-love, self-delusion, and self-murder.
     To Ask the Pastor, please write Ask the Pastor, PO Box 12, Emma, MO, 65327 or send
email to askthepastor@aol.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
     Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of
the book "What Do Lutherans Believe."