Ask the Pastor: Reformation; the Dogwood; a Soiled Girdle; Christ in Isaiah 53
by the Rev. Walter Snyder
Religion Columnist

Reformation Day is October 31. This is the anniversary of Martin Luther's 1517 posting of his
Ninety-five Theses (debate topics) on a church door in Wittenberg, Saxony, in what is now modern
Germany. While there had been divisions among his followers from the time of Christ onward (see,
for example, John 6), the Reformation marked one of the two great divisions in the Church. The
other was the split between the eastern (Orthodox) and the western (Roman Catholic) churches.

While the first split still kept both sides relatively intact, the Reformation more completely
shattered earthly unity. This was in part because of the times in which it came, with increasing
nationalism and free-thinking stemming from the Renaissance. When the Lutheran party was ejected
from the Roman Catholic Church, some others who disagreed with Rome but who did not agree
with Luther joined the Lutherans for a time. Later, some of these would splinter off into other bodies.
England, which was protected by water from threats of force, went its own way from the beginning.
Yet the English (Anglican) Reformation also was divided for both doctrinal and political reasons.

Since it started with Luther---who built on the work of earlier Catholic theologians---the
Lutheran Church has celebrated the day with more zeal than most. This may be positive, reminding
us of the core reason why it all happened. Martin Luther was convinced that the saving Gospel of
Jesus Christ was being obscured by legalism and empty, unchristian ceremonialism. Thus, when
Christians gather to receive and rejoice in salvation by grace through faith in Christ, such celebrations
are good. However, when Lutherans or others use the day as one of empty boasting, of vainly over-
trumpeting Luther, other reformers, and their followers, or by attacking and criticizing others, then
they are returning to the bondage that the Reformation sought to cast off. Harm is also done when
we throw out good ceremonies and traditions that the reformers kept, just because we think of them
as "too old-fashioned" or "too Catholic." The heirs of the Gospel place themselves back under God's
law if they judge intent in others or if they take false pride in their heritage instead of true pride in
the merits of Christ. They also create problems when they attack what is good in what other churches
have kept simply because they disagree with part of what those churches teach.

Q: Was the cross Jesus was hung on made from a dogwood tree? I had never heard of
this before but, the women I work with say it was. Could you please help?

A: This is a folk tale. The dogwood is not native to Palestine. Some creative mind, looking at
the flowers of the dogwood, decided to use it as a reminder of Christ's crucifixion. I include one
version of the story for those interested.

"There is a legend that at the time of the crucifixion the dogwood had been the size of the
oak and other forest trees. So firm and strong was the tree that it was chosen as the timber of the
cross. To be used thus for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the tree, and Jesus, nailed upon it,
sensed this, and in his gentle pity for all sorrow and suffering said to it:

"'Because of your regret and pity for My suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow
large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its
blossoms shall be in the form of a cross, two long and two short petals. And in the center of the outer
edge of each petal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center
of the flower will be a crown of thorns. And all who see it will remember.'"

Q: Where and who did God tell to hide a girdle in the hole of the rock?

A: First of all, we need to know what a girdle is. Older translations, such as the Authorized
(King James) Version use it to translate several different words, which are often rendered now as
apron, sash, or loincloth. Thus, a girdle could be either underwear or outerwear, depending upon
the word being translated.

In the instance you mention, we are dealing with a loincloth, which would be underwear
that would provide for modesty and decency. God told Jeremiah to do this (Jeremiah 13:1--11) to
show how, just as the linen girdle becomes soiled and marred by such treatment, so God's people
were soiled and marred because they had removed themselves from God and were rolling around in
idol worship and other sins. Now God was going to set about doing some even more serious marring
and would rub Judah's pride in the dirt.

Q: Every Christian I know points to Isaiah 53 as a prophetic passage about Jesus, so I've
been studying it closely. If Isaiah 53 predicted that the Messiah would be "pierced for our
transgressions," why then, do Jesus' apostles say things like, "Oh no, not you" in Matthew, for
example, when Jesus says that he must be killed?

I've come up with three theories. 1) Isaiah was not understood by the Apostles, which
could be implied when it says in Isaiah 52 that some will be not hear and not understand, etc.
They didn't think Isaiah 53 was talking about a Messiah, rather Israel, the nation, or something
else. 2)The "Oh, no!" was a human response which came from the wish to deny the prophecy
because the thought of Jesus being tortured was too difficult for them. 3) Isaiah 53 does not
refer to Jesus.  Is there a "theory #4" or have I already come across the answer?

A: Actually, your theories #1 and #2 are closely related and both probably have some
bearing on the apostles' response. Part of the blame can be laid at the feet of later scholars, who mis-
taught Israel. They only looked at the passages involving Messiah's ultimate triumph and explained
away the "Suffering Servant" of Isaiah 52 and 53, the "Lamb to the Slaughter" and the destruction of
the Tree and its fruit of Jeremiah 11:18--20 in terms of the prophet or the nation.

Remember also that the apostles were seeing great earthly success, with the throngs following
Jesus and may have thought that it was only a matter of time before he ran off the Romans.
Remember that Peter confessed Jesus as Christ, then immediately spoke against the divine purpose of
Messiah, as One dying for the sins of all people.

It's not the fault of the Scriptures that they are misinterpreted. It's the fault of the sinners
doing the interpretation. For just as Christ praised Peter for the correct confession, he also said that
his Father had revealed it to him; this was not Peter's great idea. So it is with us: Only the Holy Spirit
can convince us of the truth of the Word of God and can lead us to proper interpretation and
application. And as soon as Peter turned from the God-given confession of Jesus as Christ to the
human-centered, "No, Lord, this cannot be," Jesus rebuked him as Satan---just as we are also
rebuked when we try to impose our wisdom upon God's greater wisdom, which is so often
foolishness to our sinful natures.

The ultimate problem is that we tend toward a "theology of glory," looking for the ultimate
victory and its rewards in this life. God instead hides behind the cross, not only sending his Son to his
death but also crucifying our sinful desires and telling us through Jesus' words to take up our own
crosses and follow. If you would see the Father face-to-face in eternity, you will see him in this life
only through the suffering and death of Jesus. This will never be the popular way, nor is it the way of
human reason. But the way of the cross is the only way of salvation.

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."

Ask the Pastor is copyright (c) 2000 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced
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