“The Son Who Learned Obedience” Hebrews 5.8-9 & John 19.25-30 St. John Chester March ‘13

1.                  Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this Good Friday is taken from selections of Hebrews 5:8-9 and from John 19:25-30.  It’s entitled, “The Son Who Learned Obedience,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

2.                  A man had inherited a business from his father. Sounds like a great thing. The son comes in, fresh from his schooling, to sit in a nice office next to his father, and to eventually take over the business, rule the company, and enjoy the lifestyle of business lunches, golf outings, foreign trips, and all the rest.

3.                  But, it wasn’t a bit like that. For a start, it happened at a time of great economic uncertainty, when there wasn’t any spare cash for even the occasional lavish lunch, let alone trips and outings. What was more, the father made sure the son learned the business. He had to work in the workshops along with the mechanics. He had to visit the suppliers to see where the materials came from, and find out how hard it was to get them at the right price. He had to go out as a salesman into the world that wasn’t convinced it wanted the product in the first place. And he had to share the work of the financial department as they spent day after day crunching the numbers that told the story of success or failure. Only when he had understood every aspect of how the business worked was he even given an office of his own. And that was only the beginning. Now he would have to learn both how to lead and how to manage a workforce at a time of growing economic unrest, as well as to represent the business in the wider world of local and national life and politics. He had to learn what it meant to be the son of his father. Nature put him in the frame for this, but a good deal of nurture was needed as well.

4.                  This goes some way towards explaining one of the oddest phrases in the book of Hebrews, which comes in chapter 5:8-9, which says, “⁸Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” One might have thought that being God’s son would simply be a matter of sharing God’s rule of the world, living in glory. Not so. The God who is the Father of Jesus is the God who made the world in the first place, and He remains deeply committed to His creation, even though it has become, sinful, wayward, and corrupt. If Jesus is to be His Son, He must learn what this creation business is about, what it will take to rescue it from the mess of sin and death it’s gotten itself into. He must get to know its depths as well as its heights. He must learn what it means to be his Father’s obedient Son. And, that will mean suffering, not because God is a sadist who simply wants to see His Son having a rough time, (a kind of cosmic child abuse), but because the world which God made and loves is a dark and wicked place and the Son must suffer its sorrow and pain in order to rescue it from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

5.                  The Apostle John records Jesus’ death with Jesus, God’s Son, fulfilling His Father’s will in chapter 19:25-30 where he says,  “²⁵but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. ²⁸After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

6.                  This is the last time we meet Jesus’ mother in the gospel story. Can you think back to the story, early in John’s gospel, when Mary pointed out to Jesus that the wine had run out (2:3–4). She didn’t understand that His time hadn’t yet come. And, she doesn’t understand, even at the cross, that His time has come at last. That this was where it was all leading.  That His calling, to turn the water of human life into the rich wine of God’s love, was now at last being fulfilled. We assume that she quickly came to believe all this through Jesus’ resurrection; and we assume it the more readily because of what happens here.

7.                  But the story of the water and the wine has more significance with this scene than simply Jesus’ comment to Mary. Here is Jesus, thirsty and they give Him the low-grade sour wine that the soldiers used. And yet earlier in John’s Gospel Jesus gave others the best wine, so good that people remarked on it. Jesus himself, at His moment of agony, has the cheap stuff that the lower ranks in the army drank when on duty.

8.                  The changing of water to wine was the first in the sequence of ‘signs’ in John’s Gospel by which Jesus revealed His glory. The second was the healing of the nobleman’s son at Capernaum (4:46–54). The third ‘sign’ is the healing of the paralyzed man at the pool (5:1–9). The fourth is the multiplication of loaves and fishes (6:1–14). The fifth is the healing of the man born blind (9:1–12). And the sixth is the raising of Lazarus (11:1–44).

9.                  John can’t have intended the sequence to stop at six. With Genesis 1 in the back of his mind from the very start, the sequence of seven signs, completing the accomplishment of the new creation, that God the Father had given His Son Jesus to accomplish. Now here we are, at the foot of the cross. John has told us throughout His gospel that when Jesus is ‘lifted up’, this will be the moment of God’s glory shining through Him in full strength. And the ‘signs’ are the things that reveal God’s glory. The crucifixion of our Lord Jesus is the seventh ‘sign’.

10.              To confirm this, Jesus gives one last cry. ‘It’s finished!’ ‘It’s all done!’ ‘It’s complete!’ The Son who learned obedience has finished the work that the Father had given Him to do (17:4).  He’s learned obedience to His Father in heaven.  Remember Hebrews 5:8-9 again, ⁸Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” Jesus has loved you my friends ‘to the very end’ His own who were in the world (13:1). He’s accomplished the full and final task.  He’s died the death we deserve.  He’s paid for the debt of your sins to His Father.  All this is for you!

11.              The word ‘It is finished!’ is actually a single word in the Greek language. It’s the word that people would write on a bill after it had been paid.  Like we do on our receipts, “Paid in full.” Here Jesus is saying your bill and debt of sin has been dealt with. It’s finished. The price has been paid.  No longer do you stand as a debtor in your sin to God the Father. Yes, says John. Jesus’ work is now complete. It’s upon this finished, complete work that we as God’s people can stake our lives.

12.              You and I know the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice for all people, for all time. He did this for you and me!  On this most sacred and holy day, this Friday we call Good, we stand in solemn silence and sublime awe at the foot of the cross.  On the cross, Jesus was stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God so that we are accounted righteous, healed, and at peace with God.  The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, keep your hearts and minds, in true faith in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.

“On the Night When He Was Betrayed” 1 Cor. 11.23–32, March ’13 Maundy Thurs.

1.            Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word on this Maundy Thursday is taken from 1 Cor. 11:23-32 and is entitled, “On the Nigh When He Was Betrayed,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

2.            At age 96, Claire’s eyes were bright, her smile contagious, and her faith strong. For many years, God had granted her Lutheran Pastor the privilege of visiting her and bringing the Lord’s Supper.   Every time her pastor came, he would be sure to bring his hymnal, because Claire loved to sing her faith. And each visit would end with Holy Communion. Each time, Claire would receive Christ’s very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.  Her pastor looked forward to his visits with Claire in the same joy she had in receiving her pastor.  Eventually, Claire asked her pastor to help plan her funeral. She could sense that her body was growing weaker and that she would soon end her pilgrimage on earth. Finally, the day came when Claire’s pastor came to visit her to find her lying in bed facing the wall. She was too weak to turn toward her pastor. He asked her how she was feeling, and she responded, “Not too well.” In more than twenty years of visiting with Claire, her pastor had never before heard a response like that.  Both Claire and her pastor sensed that this was going to be their last visit.  They celebrated the Sacrament of the Altar and said their good-byes. Just two weeks later her pastor had the privilege of preaching for her Christian burial. 

3.            It doesn’t take too many years in the Holy Ministry before a pastor experiences such a moment in sharing the Holy Supper of our Lord with the fellow redeemed. In the text recorded by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians, we recall the most touching celebration of the Lord’s Supper ever shared, and already that night Jesus saw what was coming for us.

4.            It was the night on which Jesus was betrayed. Unlike Claire, the disciples were ignorant of an impending death. But Jesus was deeply aware. He would use this occasion to leave behind his last will and testament. Like Claire, he was preparing for his departure.  What Jesus would leave behind on that Holy Thursday was the New Testament in his body and blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins. It was the Good News for his disciples to receive and share for the rest of time. On this night so many years later, we have the privilege of receiving the gift won by Christ on the cross, the precious treasure of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. It’s the pure Gospel, the love of God for lost and condemned sinners.

5.            How unfortunate it is then that some feel no hunger and thirst for this great treasure of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus asks us to do this often in remembrance of him, but even on that first night, Jesus foresaw many who wouldn’t. Some are lazy. Some make excuses. Some claim freedom. Still, Martin Luther reminds us in the Large Catechism “that no one should by any means be forced or compelled to go to the Sacrament.” In fact, he says, “Indeed, those who are true Christians and value the Sacrament precious and holy will drive and move themselves to go to it” (LC V 42–43).

6.            The real danger comes if a person withdraws from the Sacrament. He may become more callous and cold and will at last disregard the Sacrament completely. To avoid this, let us spend a moment to examine our hearts and consciences so that they won’t be cold, but instead desire our Savior’s last will and testament of his body and blood.  You may feel you shouldn’t come to the Sacrament because you’re not prepared. When we view the Sacrament as something we do, it’s natural to feel unworthy and unprepared. We sin daily. If we were to wait until we were pure, we would never come to the Sacrament.  There are also those who should stay away from the Sacrament because they lack repentance. They are unprepared to receive forgiveness of sin because they have no desire to be godly. St. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 6:9–10, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

7.            Thanks be to God that these words no longer apply to us. In v 11, Paul goes on to say, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

8.            Luther reminds us: “This Sacrament does not depend upon our worthiness. We are not baptized because we are worthy and holy. Nor do we go to Confession because we are pure and without sin. On the contrary, we go because we are poor, miserable people. We go exactly because we are unworthy” (LC V 61). Each of us can join Luther and say, “I, indeed, would like to be worthy. But I come, not upon any worthiness, but upon Your Word, because You have commanded it. I come as one who would gladly be Your disciple, no matter what becomes of my worthiness” (LC V 62).

9.              Jesus saw all this on that first holy night of the Sacrament. So we come because of his promise, for he declares, “This is My body, which is given for you. . . . This is My blood . . . shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” (LC V 64). Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are all for you!  Luther says, “Here in the Sacrament you are to receive from the lips of Christ forgiveness of sin. It contains and brings with it God’s grace and the Spirit with all His gifts, protection, shelter, and power against death and the devil and all misfortune” (LC V 70).  “If, therefore, you are heavy laden and feel your weakness, then go joyfully to this Sacrament and receive refreshment, comfort, and strength. . . . If you wait until you are rid of such burdens, so that you might come to the Sacrament pure and worthy, you must stay away forever” (LC V 72–73).

10.        Still this may not be enough for some. Luther says that some may ask, “What, then, shall I do if I cannot feel such distress or experience hunger and thirst for the Sacrament?” (LC V 75). He gives 3 down-to-earth answers to this question. Luther’s first answer is this:  For those who are of such a mind that they don’t realize their condition I know no better counsel than that they put their hand into their shirt to check whether they have flesh and blood. And if you find that you do, then go, for your good, to St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Hear what sort of a fruit your flesh is:  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these (Galatians 5:19–21). (LC V 75)

11.        For those who still need more encouragement to go to the Sacrament, Luther suggests, “In the second place, look around you. See whether you are also in the world” (LC V 79). Contemporary Christians have ample evidence for sinfulness and misery in the world. You may have a satellite dish, cable TV, and the Internet. You may watch TV or listen to the radio. Wherever you turn, you will discover a world filled with violence, anger, sin, vice, and despair. Any one of these things will move your heart to the Savior in the Sacrament.

12.        Finally, if these aren’t enough to drive you to the Sacrament, remember that you also have the devil to contend with. He’s a liar and murderer. He will do anything to lead your heart away from God’s Word. Luther observes, “If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows are every moment aimed at you . . . you would be glad to come to the Sacrament as often as possible” (LC V 82).  On the Night When He Was Betrayed, Jesus Looked Forward to This Night and Gave You a Great Treasure and Gift.

13.        It was his very body and blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. He gave it for Claire, for you and for me. He gave it for all who are weary and heavy-laden with sin—right now, this night, in our real lives and our real world. Come here tonight and find rest for your souls.  Amen.

“Faith’s Lenten Plea” John 12.20-33, Palm Sunday Series C 2013, Confirmation Sunday

1.                  Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Well, here we are now in our beginning of the observation of Holy Week to remember our Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection from the dead for the forgiveness of our sins.  And today, our confirmands Lindsay & Justin, are making that solemn vow and promise that they believe in this Jesus who was crucified and risen from the dead and they are willing to stake their lives on this belief in Him as their Lord and Savior as Christians have done in the past since the time of the Apostles.  The message from God’s word today comes to us from John 12:20-33, specifically from verses 24-26, where Jesus says, “²⁴Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”  The message is entitled, “Faith’s Lenten Plea,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  We live in an age that is conscious of the value of life, at least in some areas. As a result, we have many devices for saving life. We have life preservers, life belts, life rafts, lifeboats, lifelines, life nets, lifeguards, even life insurance, which is a bit of a misnomer since it pays off only at death. And there are also many courses on lifesaving. In all this emphasis upon the saving of life, however, there is probably no instruction as strange as that of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said to the people of his day, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (v. 25). We say, “The one who would save his life must save it.” Jesus said, “The one who would save his life must lose it, for only by losing it can he save it for the life to come.”

3.                  Why should we listen to advice that seems so foolish? For two reasons. First, the One who spoke those words did exactly what he said. He gave up his life, yet in such a way that we can hardly regard his having done so as foolish. Second, by giving his life he was extraordinarily successful; he gained both his own life and also a vast host of followers.  This is instruction that cannot easily be put aside. So, we turn to his words with interest.

4.                  To begin with, our Lord Jesus illustrates a great principle drawn from nature. He said, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”   This is the principle of death and denial, the truth that life comes only by death. Here Jesus illustrated the principle by referring to a grain of wheat, which remains unfruitful so long as it’s kept to itself but which becomes fruitful when thrown into the ground and buried there.  Jesus is telling us that there are two kinds of life. There’s what is known as the psychological life, the life of the psyche, life that enjoys the things of this world and finds satisfaction in the gratification of the senses. It’s the kind of life that really whoops it up down here. “He that loveth his life” refers to this physical life that we have. You can really live it up, drink it up, take drugs, paint the town red, but do you know what is going to happen? One day you are going to die. You’ll lose it.

5.                  There was a Pastor in Texas who was asked to preach at the funeral of a rich man of the town who had been a church member but had broken every law of God and man and was living in sin and in drunkenness. This was in the oil section of Texas and a lot of rich people, the fast crowd, the jet set, came to the funeral. This pastor preached a gospel message of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins! Then he stepped down to the casket and he preached on what sin will do for an individual and that it will finally send a man to hell. The people were getting uneasy. Then when he invited them to view the remains, he said, “His life is past; he lived it up; he is through. He despised God and he turned his back on Jesus Christ.” Then he looked at that crowd and said, “This is the way each one of you is going to end up unless you turn to Jesus Christ.”

6.                  We see this in many areas. The man who works only to put in time and receive a paycheck is not worth much to his employer. On the other hand, the man who gives himself to the work, who is seeking above all to do a good job and to get it done, is invaluable. The family provides us with another application. If a father or mother lives only for himself, or herself the family suffers and the children go astray. On the other hand, if they give of themselves, the family thrives and the children become an honor to their parents and multiply the parents’ joy.

7.                  Only when we say no to ourselves do we become capable of saying yes to God and so receive his fullest blessing. This is what Paul meant when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20). He meant that he had died to self in order that he might live for God. Or again, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). In saying this Paul meant that his identification with Christ in death made it possible for him to live for Christ and by Christian values and not for the world and its values.  FAITH’S LENTEN PLEA THEN IS: death and denial. It is only by death that life comes. We can hardly miss the fact that Jesus demonstrated the principle by his own death and subsequent resurrection.

8.                  For some reason the idea is current today that, because God is gracious and loving, a Christian can enjoy the fullness of God’s blessing without at the same time accepting the lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ in his or her life. This isn’t biblical. Those who have convinced themselves of this flout God’s laws. They disregard his instructions about the permanency of marriage, for instance. So they get divorces or they live together with someone outside of marriage or they get involved in a homosexual relationship. They ignore his instructions about continuing to meet together with other Christians in worship.  They ignore the unbeliever around them, forgetting that Jesus has sent them as witnesses into the world. They don’t live by the highest of moral standards. So they’re not happy, and they don’t know why. Well, this is why. They’ve not died to their own desires in order that they might live for Christ. They have not been crucified with him. They have not obeyed him. Jesus is their Savior, but he is not truly their Lord.

9.                  If this is true of you, I encourage you to learn this lesson. It’s not pleasant to be crucified, I know. But you’ll never truly live in the full spiritual sense until you are. George Mueller could be your example. He lived in England several generations ago and founded many great orphanages, maintaining them solely through prayer. He was extremely effective. But when asked the secret of his effective service, he replied, “There was a day when I died—died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame of my brethren or friends; and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.”

10.              To lose your own life in order to gain it unto life eternal doesn’t mean you must do what Mueller did. But it does mean you must be willing to do anything for Christ, if he directs it. It will not be a sad and gloomy thing either. Do not think that. The sad thing is to disobey him. To obey is a joy. Remember that it was “for the joy set before him” that our Lord endured the cross and scorned the shame (Heb. 12:2).

11.              The third element in our Lord’s teaching about life through death is an invitation. He has stated the principle and applied it. Now he invites each of us to put it into practice by following him. He says, “Whoever serves me must follow me.”  How can we follow him? First, you can follow him in the same kind of self-denial about which I have been speaking. That is, you can take up your cross and follow him. Are you willing to do whatever Christ calls you to do? To be poor in his service? To be despised?  To surrender a cherished hobby, sin, or pastime? Will you obey him? Will you serve Christ by following him in self-denial?  Second, you can follow him in service. Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40)?  Jesus was talking about those who fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, and visited the sick and those in prison.  Third, you may serve Christ by following him in holiness. He lived a perfectly holy life. If you would serve him, you must strive to be like him in that. To do that you must put aside all you know to be sin, spend time with him in order to grow in him, and then seek to practice what you already know.

12.              Having given his invitation, our Lord Jesus Christ offered two incentives to help us respond. First, he promised that he would be with anyone who followed him; second, he promised that God would himself honor such a one. He said, “Where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”  The first half of this phrase, containing the first promise, may be understood in two ways. On the one hand, it can apply to this life. If we follow Christ here, we can be sure that wherever we are, he will be with us. For if we are with him, then obviously he is also with us. To me this is a great promise. “What is better?”  “To be in the best of circumstances without Jesus? Or to be with Jesus even if being with him means being with him in persecution or suffering?” To be with Jesus whatever the circumstances or whatever the cost. He is worth any cost.

13.              The second way Christ’s promise that we will be with him may be taken is in reference to the fact that he was going to be with the Father. I know that he said, “Where I am,” using the present tense. But this can refer to something in the immediate future and often does. Here it likely refers to his soon return to heaven. It means that if we are with Jesus here, identifying with him in his suffering and sorrow, we will also be with him in glory. It is the equivalent of Paul’s statement, “If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us” (2 Tim. 2:11–12).

14.              This leads to Christ’s second promise: “My Father will honor the one who serves me.”  Jesus tells us that God will honor those who follow him in this life. In this life his way often involves suffering. Sometimes it involves death for his sake. It always involves self-denial. But, says Christ, the suffering will be followed by honor and the self-denial by praise.

15.              Can we not hear it? I think I hear the King’s voice. “Stand back, you angels! Make room, you seraphim! Make way! For here comes the man, here comes the woman, who was with my Son. He was only a poor sinful man. He was born in an ungodly time in the midst of an ungodly people. He did not know much. But he was with my Son. He was like him. He stood by him. Now I will honor him. Come up here. Here, take this crown, and then sit there with my Son on his throne and reign with him. For you shall indeed be with my Son in his glory, even as you were with him in his shame.” God grant that this might one day be true for all of us who truly call upon his name as our Lord and Savior from sin, death and the power of the devil.  This is faith’s Lenten plea, that we would see Jesus and spend the rest of our lives with Him.  Amen.

“We Eat a Holy Supper-The Sacrament of the Altar” Matt. 26.26–28 Lenten Midweek Series 6 ,‘13

1.            Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word today comes to us from Matthew 26:26-28 and is entitled, “We Eat a Holy Supper-The Sacrament of the Altar,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

2.            The sun danced through the window and fell on her shoulders. It gave a sparkle to Ruth’s hair that matched her personality. But, today, she’d come with a serious concern to discuss.  Ruth’s first husband had died. Some years later, she’d married a member of a Lutheran congregation and attended adult instruction to learn about the Lutheran Church, but this faithful woman, an eager Bible student, had not been able to bring herself to join. Her grandfather had been a pastor in another denomination. As a small girl, Ruth had been close to her grandfather. Loyal to his memory, she couldn’t leave his denomination.  But, she’d grown to love the Lutheran Church and its teachings. In her heart she knew it was time to join the congregation where she’d been worshiping for more than a few years. The sun gave a glow to her face as she asked again about the differences between the Lutheran church and her grandfather’s denomination. The conversation turned to the Sacraments and to the Lord’s Supper in particular.  The Lutheran pastor explained that Jesus said, “This is my body. This is my blood,” and that Lutherans believe he meant what he said. We believe that his body and blood are truly present in, with, and under the bread and the wine.  Ruth looked at the pastor and exclaimed, “This is what I’ve always believed!”

3.            Ruth simply believed the Word of God that she had read in the Bible. Like Luther, she knew that the Sacrament of the Altar “is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.”  Unfortunately, there are many who hear Jesus’ words and refuse to believe them. Their human reason asks, “How can bread and wine be Christ’s body and blood?” (LC V 12). Ruth and Luther knew what these people cannot bring themselves to believe. The bread and wine in the Sacrament aren’t mere bread and wine, such as are served at our dinner table, “but this is bread and wine included in, and connected with, God’s Word” (LC V 9). With Luther, Ruth understood that all human reason is “not as wise as is the Divine Majesty in His little finger” (LC V 12). Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood.” And we know that he can never lie or deceive (Titus 1:2).  In the Large Catechism, Luther says, “Everyone who desires to be a Christian and go to this Sacrament should know” these three points: “What is it? What are its benefits? and Who is to receive it?” (LC V 1, 2).

4.            Understanding and believing Jesus’ words enables us to answer the second question concerning the benefits of the Sacrament. When Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood,” he also says, “for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:26–28).  Luther explains it this way: “For this reason we go to the Sacrament: there we receive such a treasure by and in which we gain forgiveness of sins. . . . Christ asks me to eat and drink, so that this treasure may be my own and may benefit me” (LC V 22).  Because there’s forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament, it can be called food for the soul. In it we receive nourishment to refresh and strengthen our faith.

5.            I’m sure your Christian life is a struggle.  I know that mine can be too! The Bible tells us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8). He uses every trick he can think of to pull you away from the Savior. When the road is long and the way is difficult, Jesus gives you his Holy Supper to strengthen you for the struggle, to give you courage in the face of discouragement, and to support you for battle.  Jesus defeated sin, death, and the devil by the sacrifice of his body and blood on the cross. His work is done. Forgiveness of sins is secured. He gives you this treasure through his Word. You receive it by faith. He makes it personal by connecting his forgiving Word to the bread and the wine, his body and blood, that you eat and you drink. This is the benefit of the Sacrament.

6.            With Luther, we then ask, “Who is the person that receives this treasure and benefit in the Sacrament?” Does this question sound silly? It does to many people who believe there’s no benefit in the Sacrament, only an opportunity to think about Jesus. It means that not everyone who comes to the Supper receives a benefit.  And, in fact, this is the case. In the Large Catechism we’re reminded, “Whoever now accepts these words and believes that what they declare is true has forgiveness. But whoever does not believe it has nothing” (LC V 35).  Some may come to the Holy Supper but refuse to see what God has offered there. Jesus has placed a treasure on the Table, but some ignore it and walk away without any benefit from the Supper at all. In fact, St. Paul tells us that anyone coming to the Holy Supper without faith “eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Cor 11:29).  This is why Lutherans practice close communion to prevent their neighbor from bringing judgment on themselves.

7.              On the other hand, whoever believes the words has what they declare. Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Here Jesus offers and promises forgiveness of sins. It is received by faith. The benefits and blessings of Baptism can’t be seized with a fist, but this treasure is received and made yours with the heart (LC V 36).

8.            Many years ago, a Lutheran pastor spoke this way about the Sacrament of the Altar. He explained that at the beginning of each service he would pronounce the forgiveness of sins and from the pulpit he would proclaim Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for the salvation of souls. But, at times people may feel that their sins are so great or that their faith is so weak that this forgiveness must be only for the other people around them. Like those people, you, too, may believe that the salvation won by Jesus on the cross is for everyone else, but the pastor really never meant it for you.  But, when you come to the Sacrament and kneel before the altar, when you take and eat the true body of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ given for you for the forgiveness of sins, and when you take and drink the true blood of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shed for you for the forgiveness of sins, then there can be no doubt that this treasure is yours. It is meant for you. At that very moment there is no uncertainty that you are the one eating and drinking and that the blessings and benefits of the Holy Supper are meant directly and absolutely for you.  Jesus Intends You to Have the Riches of the Treasure: Forgiveness of Sins, Life, and Salvation.

9.            So what have we learned?  What is the Sacrament? It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.  What are its benefits? These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.  Who is to receive it? Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

10.        We’ve come to the conclusion of our midweek Lenten journey through Luther’s Catechisms. I pray that this Lenten walk with Luther has helped to strengthen your faith. We rejoice with the authors of the Formula of Concord that Luther’s Small and Large Catechisms are “ ‘the layman’s Bible’ because everything necessary for a Christian to know for salvation is included in them, which is handled more extensively in the Holy Scriptures” (FC Ep Summary 5). We’ve learned that the message of God’s Word as contained in the Six Chief Parts of Christian Doctrine are meant personally for each of us. Each of us has fallen short of God’s Law, but God in his mercy has sent Jesus to be the Savior. He came into our sinful world to bear our sins on the cross and arise triumphant from the grave. Through his Word and Sacraments, he gives each of us the treasures won on the cross: forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.  Join us next week for Holy Week as we allow Martin Luther again to be our guide in discovering the treasure of Christ’s Passion and triumph over the grave.  Amen.

“We Are Forgiven: The Office of the Keys” John 20:19–23, Lenten Midweek Series 5

1.             Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  One TV show that I enjoyed watching while I was growing up was Home Improvement with Tim Allen. One episode in particular comes to mind. Tim Taylor, played by Tim Allen, returns home from doing his Tool Time show. His hands are in his pockets. He won’t take them out. His family suspects something, and they try to trick him into taking his hands out of his pockets. But no matter what they do, he refuses. Finally, something happens, and he reveals what they had suspected. His hands are dyed green up to his wrists. There’s no denying it. His clumsiness is there for all to see.  Here’s a perfect example for us as we consider sin. Sin stains our hearts just as dye had stained Tim Taylor’s hands. There’s nothing you can do to get rid of that stain. What we may try to do is hide it. Hide it from everyone else. Hide it from God. Sometimes we may be so convincing that we even hide this stain of sin from ourselves.

2.             This seems to have been the case with David. David was a man after God’s own heart. David killed Goliath with one smooth stone and a sling. David was the great king of Israel. But, he became involved in the sordid matter before us.  You know the story. David committed adultery with Bathsheba. In modern times, people might say, “What’s the big deal? It’s only sex.” They may have said it back then too, at least in the pagan world. After all, David was the king. He could do whatever he wanted. But David? David, a man after God’s own heart?  When David learned that Bathsheba was expecting a child, he had to find a way to hide his sin before he was found out. Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband, was given a leave of absence from the war. David wanted to make Uriah think that this child was Uriah’s, but Uriah would have none of it. His buddies were engaged in battle. He wouldn’t let them down.

3.             David tried everything, but Uriah wouldn’t spend the night with Bathsheba. Finally, David gave up. He sent Uriah back to the front and developed a plan to kill him. His plan was subtle. Uriah would be assigned to the most dangerous spot on the frontline. In an attack, the frontline soldiers were the first to be killed. In this way, David murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites. Then very quickly, David married Bathsheba, and now the baby makes it look like David is on the up and up. He thought he was home free. His sin was hidden. No one would ever find out. Possibly David even started to convince himself that everything was fine.

4.             Have we been there? Are we there? Is there something in our past that no one has discovered? Maybe even a sexual sin? We never ask, and no one should start thinking of anyone but himself or herself, but even in a Christian congregation, it’s not unlikely that there have been extramarital affairs. Or maybe activity before we were married—maybe with the ones we’ve now married, maybe with someone other than our current spouses. Does she or he know? Maybe there was once an abortion even our parents never knew about. Or maybe it’s something everybody knows about, a matter of public record, but we’ve convinced ourselves was never wrong: a divorce. We’ve since gone carelessly on our way, glad to have the world’s okay. 

5.             But, David couldn’t hide his sin from God. God knew what had happened. God was aware of the stain of sin on David’s heart. So God sent the prophet Nathan to David.  Nathan told David this story: There were two men in a certain town, one rich and one poor. The rich man had very large numbers of sheep and cattle. The poor man had only one little pet sheep. He treated it like a daughter. He even let it eat his own food. When a wealthy visitor came to the rich man, he took the poor man’s pet lamb and slaughtered it and ate it.  Oh, how angry David became! How could someone be so heartless? The man ought to die! He should pay 4 times what that lamb was worth. I can imagine that Nathan looked him right in the eye when he said to David, “You are the man!”

6.             You are the man, David. You are the man! Then David’s hands were out of his pockets. He could hide it no more. The crushing weight of sin fell on David’s shoulders as Nathan told him that God would punish him for his sin. I’m going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you. What you did in secret, I will do in broad daylight before all of Israel. David was caught red-handed.  What could he do? He turned to Nathan and said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan now has David right where he wants him. Then Nathan said to David, “You can make things all better by tithing and not missing any more church services.” What a great opportunity for Nathan to lay out a list of things he would require of the great King David. Nathan had it made. But that is not what God directed Nathan to say. Nathan replied, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”

7.             What a wonderful word rang in David’s ears from the voice of Nathan when he said, “The Lord also has put away your sin.” Those same words ring in our ears, especially when we use the liturgy that reads, in David’s own words from Psalm 32, “I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (LSB, p 184). That’s what happened here. We’re remembering this event of God’s wonderful forgiveness to a penitent sinner and know that forgiveness applies to us as well.  Yes, we could keep our hands in our pockets. We could act as if the Sixth, Eighth, or other Commandments are unimportant. But we can’t fool God. John writes in his First Letter, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn 1:8). You may be able to deceive yourself, but you are not going to be able to deceive God. “But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (LSB, p 151). This is a wonderful, wonderful promise from God.

8.             John goes on to tell us why all of this is true: “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn 2:1–2). This Jesus, nailed to the cross, was nailed there for your sins and mine, so that Nathan, together with pastors though the centuries, is able to say, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Sam 12:13). That’s what the cross is all about. What a great and wonderful thing it is to have the privilege of being your pastor and sharing those words with you.

9.               How often we take them for granted. There was a time years ago when, due to an electrical problem, when a pastor was given the task of announcing on Sunday morning that there would be no Christian Day School on Monday. A cry and cheer went up from the congregation such as was never heard before—at least from those in the 8^th grade and below. This gets us to think.  “Sunday after Sunday, the Pastor says, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ and there’s no reaction.” Forgiveness is just taken for granted. But the release from sin is more valuable to us than a day released from school.  What a wonderful thing it is that God gives us the privilege of sharing forgiveness with one another. Sunday after Sunday, I can say to you as your pastor, “As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit” (LSB, p 151).

10.          From time to time people from a non-Lutheran tradition will come to me and ask, “Who are you to forgive sins? You’re just a man.” Of course, I am just a man. Jesus alone can forgive sins, but he gives that right and privilege to the Church.  On the night of the resurrection, what is Jesus giving away? He’s giving the forgiveness of sins. Jesus came to his disciples, breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven” (Jn 20:22). He gives that right and privilege to the Church. He’s saying, “You have the right and privilege to forgive sins, because I give it to you.” The congregation by calling a pastor has authorized him to fill the Office of the Public Ministry and do this forgiving officially for the entire congregation, but the right and privilege to forgive comes from Jesus.

11.          Luther’s Small Catechism asks and then answers, “What do you believe according to these words? I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.”  Luther has some other interesting things to say about confession. He was very concerned to purge false notions about private confession. Before Luther and the Reformation, private confession was thought to be something you had to do. It was ordered and commanded. Luther explains it with this example that I embellish a little bit:  Imagine there are poor miserable beggars. The authorities order them to go to a certain place at a certain time. For example, maybe the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Glenlord Road. The authorities never tell why or what they’ll find there or what benefit it’ll be for them there. They are just ordered to go. How many beggars would do this? The ones who did would go grumbling and complaining. Luther says this is the way it used to be, but it is not the right way. Rather, imagine the beggars are told that on the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Glenlord Road they will find immense piles of riches. All the food they can eat and wonderful wealth are there for the taking. You can be sure the beggars will flock to receive these great gifts (BEC 23–24).  As I read Luther using this example, I thought of people heading into the Klondike during the gold rush. Amid the snow and ice, people were climbing mountain passes lined up like ants. In the Klondike, they imagined finding gold lying on the ground for the taking. In fact, we do have the gold of forgiveness freely given to us in confession and absolution.

12.          The Bible talks about two kinds of confession. The first is the need to confess our sins to God every day as we do in the Lord’s Prayer. This is a constant ongoing need. We also confess our sins one to another. When we’ve sinned against others, we need to confess our sin to them. Again, the Lord’s Prayer implies this when we pray, “Forgive us our sin (or trespasses) as we forgive those who trespass against us.” That is what’s commanded. Private confession isn’t a divine command but given to us as a rich treasure (BEC 14–15). When you feel sin weighing on your soul, you can come and receive personal consolation and forgiveness. If something is troubling you, maybe in your past, maybe something even those closest to you don’t know about—and maybe they never need to know—but something that’s ever caused you to say, “Those words of forgiveness are for other people; I’m too bad,” or if today there’s something you’ve realized has been wrong all along and for the first time it’s causing you grief, what an invitation to come and hear the words of forgiveness directed personally, to you. Your sin—yes, that sin—is forgiven!

13.          Jesus placed absolution in the hands of his Christian people; we read about it in John 20. I assume that at night or sometime during the day, you ask God for forgiveness. He does forgive, but how many times has he answered you with words you can actually hear: “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die”? This is why God has given us the privilege of coming to the pastor. So that Through Human Lips You Can Hear God’s Word of Forgiveness in Your Ears, whether it be in church on Sunday morning or in confession in the pastor’s office.  In this way you experience exactly what David experienced. David said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan was privileged to say on God’s behalf, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” Amen.

“May This Never Be” Luke 20.9-20 Lent 5C, March 2013

1.             Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer.  On this 5^th Sunday in Lent we reflect on today’s Gospel reading from Luke 20:9-10.  Here we have words of warning from our Lord Jesus Christ as He speaks in the city of Jerusalem to His followers and His opponents alike.  Jesus warns us here in Luke 20, may this never be that we despise God’s Word (vv. 9–12).  May this never be that we reject God’s love (vv. 13–15), and may this never be that we are crushed by God’s judgment (vv. 17, 18).  The message is entitled, “May This Never Be,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.             There’s a story about the comedian W. C. Fields (never noted for his Christian beliefs) reading the Bible on his deathbed. “Getting religious at the eleventh hour?” someone asked him. “No,” Fields replied. “Just checking for loopholes.” There are different reasons for investigating Jesus’ life and works. People can come to him openly and honestly, sincerely wanting to know what he is all about and what it means to be his follower. Or they can come to him like the spies, only looking for something to criticize. God knows everyone’s heart. He knows whether a person comes to him as a seeker or a cynic. Ask him to give you an open, receptive heart to hear his truth.

3.             Jesus spoke the words contained in our text from Luke 20:9-20 on the Tuesday of Holy Week just days before His crucifixion on the cross. He spoke them in the presence of all who wanted to hear him and directly to those who were plotting his death, some of His own critics. While Jesus was teaching the people, his enemies interrupted him and questioned his authority to teach. Jesus kept on teaching. But the thrust of his words now was directed at these chief priests and elders. This was one of Jesus’ last attempts to warn them and to show them the patience of God in spite of man’s disobedience, the sinfulness of rejecting him as the Messiah, and the terrible judgment which would come upon all those who failed to heed his warning. 

4.             Notice here in Luke 20 that even on his way to the cross Christ warned his enemies. They failed to listen. “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (Jn 1:11).  This brings us to our first point from the parable that Jesus told.  May this never be that we despise God’s Word (vv. 9–12).   Is it possible that this very same thing can be happening today, even during these solemn hours before another Holy Week? Sometimes it seems that those who are the loudest in claiming that they’re God’s own people are in the greatest danger of rejecting him through whom alone there is hope of standing before God.

5.             Before the enemies of Christ could leave, he told the parable of our text.  Luke 20:9 says, He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time.” Not only were the Jewish leaders present to hear what Jesus had to say, but many of the people as well. The picture of a vineyard was a familiar one. Most people knew of such a garden where grapes were raised and had possibly even worked in one. The owner of the vineyard was patient and fair. He allowed a long time for the vines bring forth fruit. He was not unjust, nor was he unreasonable in dealing with the farmers who worked his vineyard for him. Their payment was a share of the harvest.

6.             In Luke 20:10–12 Jesus says, “At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.”  The owner asked for a portion of the harvest. This was the agreement made with the farmers. But the farmers treated the owner’s representatives in a most shameful manner. Not only did they refuse to give up part of the produce as agreed, but they also abused the men who were simply doing what the owner commanded. The Greek words which tell of this treatment describe especially how cruel their actions were, they uses words with the meaning of “to tear off the skin” & “to wound severely”). The fact that this action was repeated several times shows the great patience of the owner as well as the wickedness of the farmers.  It wasn’t difficult for Christ’s hearers to sense the direction which this parable was taking as far as its application was concerned. The people of Israel were the Lord’s own vineyard (cf. Isa 5:7). In spite of God’s patience in dealing with his people, they remained rebellious. They misused his gifts. They treated the prophets who were sent to them by God in a most shameful way (cf. Mt 23:34; Ac 7:52).

7.             This leads me to my next point.  May this never be that we reject God’s love (vv. 13–15).  Luke 20:19 says, “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’”  Already the owner had shown unusual patience by sending one servant after the other to these wicked people. Now his decision was even more unusual. No human father who loves his son very much is going to send him to people who have already shown themselves to be so cruel. Would a father want to take such a chance? Would he say, “Perhaps they will respect my son”? No, but this was the only possibility that remained.  And, the Jewish leaders were aware of what this implied. They knew very well that Jesus could only be thinking of God, his Father, and that Jesus meant himself when he referred to the “son.” Jesus had often referred to himself as God’s only Son (cf. Jn 3:16; Lk 10:22).

8.             Luke 20:14–16 says, “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “May this never be!”  “How could anyone be so foolish to think he could get away with such a crime?” we ask. Could these tenants really have supposed that the owner would do nothing to them? They had mistreated the owner’s servants in most shameful ways. Then they had even gone so far as to kill the owner’s son and “heir.” 

9.             Jesus was standing before those who were plotting to do this very same thing (cf. Jn 11:47–53). He could not have given his enemies a stronger warning. Yet the blind unbelief of these Jewish leaders led them to attempt this very crime against Jesus.  This is true of every unrepentant sinner who refuses to listen to God’s servants. He is guilty of the death of God’s own Son on account of his sins and yet somehow imagines that he can escape God’s just punishment. “No way!” Jesus says. The farmers will be punished. The vineyard will be given to others.  The people were shocked. “May this never be!” they cried out. Whether or not the Jewish leaders joined in this exclamation in a hypocritical way we don’t know. At this point, however, the people were not aware that their leaders were plotting the death of Jesus at that very time.

10.                     This leads to the last point.  May this never be that we are crushed by God’s judgment (vv. 17, 18).  Luke 20:17-19 says, “Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone’?  Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed. The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.”  The teachers of the law and the chief priests showed by their actions that they knew Jesus was speaking against them. They wanted to arrest Jesus at this time. Jesus prophesied correctly. They had persecuted God’s servants, the prophets. They were now about to kill his Son.  Did Team Sanhedrin get the message? Oh yes! They recognized a spiritual slam dunk when they saw one. They understood the parable/allegory and understood its implications. They knew it threatened the giving of the vineyard/Israel to new leadership. They got it—but tragically they didn’t believe it for a second.  As the leaders of Israel stood in the temple, the great golden vine symbolizing Israel gleamed nearby in the light. Before them sat the Lord of the temple, the capstone to the entire structure. Around the temple spread the vineyard-clad slopes of Israel, pleading reinforcement for his words.

11.                     But despite all the reasons to believe they rejected him. Spiritually, they stepped into the gaping abyss below.  What about us? Jesus claims authority in every area of our lives.  Early in his ministry Jesus displayed his authority to forgive sin when he said to the paralytic, “ ‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins …’ He said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home’ ” (Luke 5:24; cf. Matthew 9:6; Mark 2:10). He now forgives sin with ease because he bore the unfathomable burden of our sins on the cross.  He also has authority to give spiritual life. As John explained, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right [that is, authority] to become children of God” (John 1:12). 

12.         But where is the gospel in this text? It is there. See it in the patience of God as pictured in the owner of the vineyard. Repeatedly the owner sends servants who are treated shamefully. See it in the love of God as pictured by the owner sending his own Son. This is a love which staggers the imagination. It goes far beyond the limits which we set as human beings. See it in the Son as pictured in the heir who was thrown out of the vineyard and killed. How this reminds us of him who was put to death on Calvary outside the city of Jerusalem (Jn 19:17; Heb 12:2).  Yes, there is a note of hope even in the picture of Jesus as the stone which the builders rejected and which will crush all those on whom it falls.  Jesus has all authority, and he passes it on to all who take his name to the world. From the bottom of the sea to the end of the expanding universe, from the depth of Hell to the heights of Heaven, all authority belongs to Jesus!  What is Jesus to you? Is he an impediment? Or is he your Master? Your Lord? Your authority?  Are you rising or falling?  Amen.