Sharper Iron from KFUO Radio

After seven days of silence with his friends, Job speaks first. With vivid imagery, he curses the day of his birth and says it would be better if he were now dead. Yet this is not a despairing desire for death. The key to understanding Job's lament is the reality that Job's suffering has made him unsure if God remains for him. The thing that Job fears is that God is now his enemy. If that is the c...

The scene in the heavenly council from Job 1 replays in Job 2. The LORD again taunts Satan with the righteousness of Job, yet Satan challenges God once again. Job's own health remains, the accuser says. God keeps Satan on a leash, refusing to let the accuser kill Job even as he strikes the righteous man with terrible sores. Job refuses to fall into the despair of his wife in the midst of his terri...

The backstory for Job is found in God's heavenly council. There, God taunts Satan that Job is a righteous man. Satan challenges God, however, claiming that Job only fears God because of all the things God has given. God allows Satan to take away Job's possessions and family. The news of one disaster right after another hits Job all at once. Yet he responds faithfully: "The LORD gave, and the LORD...

The book of Job is wisdom literature, in which God's Word helps us to wrestle with important questions of faith and life. Job's great suffering leads to a debate between him and his friends, which is finally concluded by the thundering and authoritative voice of God. As the book of Job begins, Job is introduced as living an ideal life economically, socially, and religiously. Yet the name Job is re...

“There Is a Redeemer” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the book of Job. The suffering of Job raises important questions. Does man fear God for no reason? Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? Who can be an arbiter for man? As this book of wisdom literature wrestles with such questions, God reveals to us that He is our Living Redeemer whom we are right to fear, love...

When the guards give their report of events at Jesus’ tomb, the Sanhedrin bribes them to say that the disciples stole Jesus’ body. Their lie has sent this false gospel into the world still today. Nonetheless, Jesus has a true Gospel to send into all the world. He gathers His disciples to Himself in Galilee. From there, He sends them to all nations with His authority to make disciples through Bapti...

At dawn of the first day of the week, the third day since Jesus had died, the two Marys went to see Jesus’ tomb. They expected Jesus would be dead, despite Jesus’ promise. A divine earthquake and a heavenly angel interrupted their expectations. The only dead men at Jesus’ tomb were the guards attempting to keep Jesus inside. The angel announced the good news that the Crucified One had risen, as He...

Joseph of Arimathea uses his wealth in service to the Lord by providing a tomb for Jesus. Through Joseph, God fulfills the Word He spoke through Isaiah. From an earthly perspective, things look final. Joseph and the women who witness Jesus’ burial act on the belief that Jesus will remain dead. Ironically, the enemies of Jesus are the ones who remember what Jesus had said concerning His resurrectio...

The signs accompanying Jesus’ death provide God’s testimony for the victory that He has won. The tearing of the temple curtain showed that the once-for-all sacrifice has been made by Jesus so that He is our true and only Mediator before God. The earthquake showed the reality of God’s judgment and served as a confirmation of Jesus’ teaching. The raising of the saints showed that Jesus’ death was li...

For three hours, miraculous darkness covers the land as Judgment Day comes upon Jesus on the cross. He experiences the suffering of hell as the Father forsakes Him. Nonetheless, as Jesus prays Psalm 22, He does so not in despair but trusting in His Father’s will. As the crowds continue to doubt and mock Jesus, He gives up His life for the sake of sinners. Because God has died for us on the cross,...

Pilate’s soldiers treat Jesus with cruel mockery. Even though they do not believe He is a King, Jesus truly reigns as He is crowned with thorns and enthroned on His cross. Through the suffering of Christ, the eyes of faith see the glory of God to win our salvation. Jesus refuses to come down from His cross, even as diabolical temptation calls out to Him from the religious leaders and bystanders. J...

As Pilate examines Jesus for guilt, the governor is amazed at the Lord’s silence to His accusers. Pilate attempts to use his custom of releasing a prisoner at the Passover to release Jesus. The dream given to Pilate’s wife reveals that Jesus truly is innocent, yet Pilate’s passive plan backfires as the religious leaders persuade the crowd to plead for Jesus’ crucifixion. Pilate’s handwashing does...

Although Peter follows Jesus at a distance, Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus happens just as the Lord had foretold. With growing vehemence, Peter refuses to acknowledge any connection to Jesus, until the rooster crows after the third time. Peter recalls Jesus’ words, and the apostle leaves with bitter tears. As Jesus goes to His trial before Pilate, Judas regrets his betrayal of the Innocent One,...

As the Sanhedrin meets in the darkness, they have already determined a guilty verdict for Jesus, regardless of the evidence. Their initial inability to find even false witnesses to agree on an accusation against Jesus shows their corruption and evil. When two witnesses do agree on something close to what Jesus said, the chief priest puts the question to Jesus directly. Despite the attempts of the...

Just as Jesus said, one of His own twelve disciples delivers Him into the hands of those who desire to kill Him. In an awful irony, Judas uses a sign of greatest affection for the deepest betrayal. Although divine deliverance is only a prayer away for Jesus, He goes to His arrest willingly. He tells His disciples to put their swords away, and He reminds the crowds of His innocence. As Jesus is led...

Jesus heads to the Mount of Olives with singing. There, He forthrightly tells His disciples what is about to happen to Him and to them, all in fulfillment of the Scriptures. In Gethsemane, Jesus prays to His Father knowing exactly what He is about to face, yet He does so in obedience to the Father’s will. Although Peter, James, and John cannot stay awake and pray with Jesus, the Lord continues res...

Jesus observes His Passover with His family. He instructs His disciples to make the necessary preparations for the meal that He will bring to fulfillment. As He eats with His disciples, Jesus tells His disciples that one of them will hand Him over. Judas’ own words reveal him as the betrayer. Nonetheless, Jesus remains focused on the gifts that He has come to give. He brings the Passover meal to f...

Jesus continues to move resolutely toward His crucifixion. Although the chief priests and elders believe they are accomplishing their plan, Jesus' suffering and death is truly the Father's will for the salvation of sinners. A woman who anoints Jesus with expensive ointment receives scorn from the disciples, but Jesus teaches them that her action has shown that His suffering, death, and burial trul...

Jesus concludes His Olivette Discourse by describing His coming again in glory on the Last Day as a shepherd who separates sheep from goats. The sheep are His righteous ones. They are righteous because they have been blessed by the Father from the foundation of the world, and that righteousness was seen by the way they received Jesus by receiving His messengers. On the other hand, the goats are th...

Jesus' parable of the talents teaches His people how to live faithfully now awaiting His return. God gives to His children according to their ability. Because His gifts come from His love, the proper response is to put those gifts to work in faithfulness to God, knowing that He is our loving Master whose gifts always bear fruit. The third servant in the parable illustrates the faithlessness of ina...

Jesus tells a parable that illustrates what it means for His Church to always watch for the unknown day and hour of His return. He tells a story of ten virgins whose role is to greet the bridegroom's arrival. Five are wise by having oil to keep their lamps lit when the bridegroom arrives later than they had anticipated. Five are foolish, for their lack of oil leaves them far away when the bridegro...

After answering the disciples' first question concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus now turns to answer the disciples' second question concerning His coming in glory. Jesus is direct. No one knows the day or the hour. Those who attempt to predict the date reveal themselves to be false teachers. Instead, Jesus compares His second coming to the suddenness of the flood in the days of Noah. T...

Jesus reiterates the importance of watching out for false teachers in the days leading up to the fall of Jerusalem. No false teacher will be needed to add to anything Jesus has said concerning the imminence of the temple's destruction. Jesus describes those days surrounding Jerusalem's fall with apocalyptic language reminiscent of the Old Testament prophets. The day of the LORD that came upon Jeru...

The disciples ask Jesus two questions that prompt His last great discourse in the Gospel according to St. Matthew. They want to know when Jerusalem will be destroyed, and they want to know what sign will announce His second coming. Jesus answers both questions in order, careful not to allow the disciples to conflate the two events. This text speaks about the fall of Jerusalem. Jesus warns His disc...

Jesus speaks Jerusalem's name twice with love and sadness, for its reputation has not lived up to its name. Instead of being the city of peace, Jerusalem has been the city that kills the prophets, and the same is about to happen again to Jesus. Even though His will was to gather Jerusalem into His refuge, Jerusalem's will was the opposite. In foretelling the destruction of the city and the temple,...