The Rich Man and Lazarus

Text: Luke 16:19-31

James, the brother of our Lord, wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the second chapter of his epistle, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him… Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14, 17 English Standard Version) As Lutherans, many of us are familiar with that verse; some of us have had it spoken against us. This is one of those verses that gets turned into a clobber passage. A clobber passage is what happens when you’re in a theological argument and someone pulls out a verse that is intended to immediately end the conversation. No more questions. With this passage, usually the intent is to quiet us Lutherans who hold, with Scripture, that good works do not contribute to our salvation. But, just because good works do not contribute to our salvation, we do not therefore cast them out. Rather, we agree with St. James. Faith without works is dead.

What James teaches is what is taught throughout Scripture: that a living faith created by the Holy Spirit through the Word results in good works in the life of a believer. St. Paul, for example, right after saying that we are saved by God’s grace through faith, then says, “we are…created in Christ Jesus for good works.” (Eph. 2:10) We don’t do them to earn anything. Instead, good works are produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit through faith. Where good works are entirely absent, that’s where we run into problems. If good works give proof of a living faith, what implication does an absence give? This is one thing we learn from the parable today. A true faith formed by God through the Word causes us to love our neighbor.

I.

Our Lord’s teaching today is one where it’s easier to understand it if we start at the end and work backwards. The two men in the parable, the rich man and Lazarus, die. Lazarus goes to heaven, the rich man to Hades. The rich man, being in torment, asked Abraham near the end, “I beg you, father…send [Lazarus] to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – that he might bear witness to them.” (Lk. 16:27-28, my translation) Abraham responded, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” (16:29) With this interaction, we can see why it is the rich man ended up in torment. The primary cause of his damnation was not his lack of good works; it was his lack of faith. The rich man recognized that and begged Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead – for then they would listen. Abraham rightly said, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” (16:31)

The rich man hoped that a miracle would create faith in his unbelieving brothers, but what did Abraham point him to instead? The Word. Abraham pointed him back to the Scriptures, which he neglected, as the source of saving faith. St. Paul teaches the same in the words we know, “Faith comes by hearing.” (Rom. 10:17) The Holy Scriptures are the instrument, the tool, with which the Holy Spirit creates faith. We see this on Pentecost, for example, when many who heard Peter’s sermon were brought to faith. The Ethiopean eunuch, as well, was brought to the faith when Philip preached to him about Jesus from Isaiah 53. The jailer in Philippi, and his whole family with him, was brought to faith and baptized through preaching of Paul and Silas. We are saved by God’s grace through faith, not by our works. Faith is created in our hearts by the Spirit through the Word, and faith takes hold of the forgiveness Christ won for us.

II.

Our Augsburg Confession then says this, “Our churches teach that this faith is bound to bring forth good fruit. It is necessary to do good works commanded by God, because of God’s will. We should not rely on those works to merit justification before God.” (AC VI, 1) Later, it continues, “We teach that it is necessary to do good works. This does not mean that we merit grace by doing good works, but because it is God’s will. It is only by faith, and nothing else, that forgiveness of sins is apprehended. The Holy Spirit is received through faith, hearts are renewed and given new affections, and then they are able to bring forth good works.” (AC XX, 27-29) We saved by God’s grace through faith. Faith is produced in us by the Holy Spirit, and then the Holy Spirit then leads us through faith unto good works. Now, not all good works are the same or even visible to others – but they are present in the life of believers.

Jesus said, “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.” (16:19-22) When faced with such a situation, what should have the rich man done? Something. Anything. Here is this poor man, sick, lying at your door; what does it say if you do nothing? That’s what the rich man did. He feasted every day, he dressed in fine clothing; but for Lazarus – whose name he evidently knew – the rich man cared nothing. By his lack of love, the rich man showed his lack of faith.

III.

Of the two men in the parable, there’s one that we mirror more often than the other. It’s not Lazarus, whose name means, “The Lord is my helper;” it’s the rich man. St. Paul said we are created in Christ Jesus for the good works God has prepared for us to do. Our Lord Himself said that He is the vine and we are the branches. What do branches do? They bear fruit. If we take stock of our lives though, what do we find? Often, a lacking. Now, just as not all good works are the same – as each has been given different abilities and gifts by the Lord – so, also, we don’t all lack in the same way. Some of us have failed in regular church attendance at points in our lives. Some of us have failed to live in devotion to God’s Word. Some of us have failed to diligently encourage our families in their growth in the faith. And, together, we have all failed to love our neighbors as ourselves. For our lack, for our sins and times we act as if we were unbelievers, we deserve the rich man’s fate.

In Bible study on Tuesday we were in Matthew 14. There’s a spot there that says, “When [Jesus] went ashore He saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them.” (Mt. 14:14) Compassion is what our Lord has had on us. He saw us in our wretched state, knowing us even before we were born. He saw our sin and our lack of love, and He took it in Himself. Then He showed us a love of which there is no greater. He laid down His life for us. Last week we heard this, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

The truth of God’s Word is clear. Good works do not contribute to our salvation. We do not merit anything by them. But, that does not mean that we cast them out. Rather, good works (and love) are produced in the lives of believers through faith. And faith comes from hearing. May the Lord grant that we, who are sinners and by ourselves can do no good thing, would continue to hear and believe His Word. May the Holy Spirit grant us His grace that, His Word taking root in our hearts, would also lead us bear fruit in our lives – in faith toward God, in love for Him, and in love for each other. Amen.

Thrice Holy God

Text: Isaiah 6:1-7

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3, English Standard Version) These were the words of the angels in the throne room as they called out back and forth, giving praise to the eternal one God in three persons. They say, “holy,” not once but three times; once for each divine person. And yet, they say, “the whole earth is full of His glory.” The true God is the triune God: the one God who exists in three eternal, divine persons. Neither is greater or lesser than another, none is before or after another. This much is revealed to us in Scripture.

Today is Trinity Sunday. This week marks the shift in celebration from events in our Lord’s life to His teaching, and our growth in it as Christians. Holy Trinity is the only Church holiday devoted to a teaching of the Church. But, it’s not just a teaching; it is the divinely-revealed truth. There is no God but the God of the Bible, and He is triune. Rather than this teaching being a burden, as some would have us believe, the doctrine of the Trinity is a blessing – for by this teaching we learn to know our God, and ourselves, aright.

I.

Before we go further, let’s talk about the text from Isaiah. As to his person, we don’t know much about Isaiah beyond his father’s name and the timeframe in which his ministry was conducted. Isaiah himself said that he prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. These were kings of Judah, who reigned in Jerusalem during a height of its power. During Isaiah’s ministry, which ran from about 740 to 680 B.C., Jerusalem’s influence was second only to the reigns of David and Solomon. While we don’t know much about Isaiah as a person, we know his doctrine. Isaiah, at times, has been called the fifth Gospel writer, for the promises of the Messiah – of His suffering, death, and resurrection, and the forgiveness we receive through the same – are sung all throughout his writing. Isaiah is also known for preaching of the Law against the decadent unbelief of Jerusalem. Our text today is the Lord’s calling of Isaiah to be a prophet.

Isaiah says, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple.” (Is. 6:1) Above the Lord stood the seraphim, who called to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” The foundations of the temple were shaking from the voice of God, which reminds us of how Mt. Sinai rumbled while God spoke to Moses. The people of Israel were terrified at that, and wished they would die. So did Isaiah. Having seen all this, he knew he was done for. Isaiah said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips…for my eyes have seen the King.” (6:5) The Lord granted Isaiah to see His full majesty, the glory of the holy Trinity with unfiltered lenses. Isaiah saw the Triune God and was terrified, for he knew that he was a sinner.

The revelation of the Triune God terrified Isaiah, but it turned out to be a blessing. While he was standing there preparing to be turned into goo, an angel flew to him. He had, “in his hand a burning coal that he had taken from the altar.” (6:6) He touched Isaiah’s lips with that burning coal and said to him, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” (6:7) Though the revelation of the Triune God was initially terrifying to Isaiah, it turned out to be a blessing for him. Now, he knew God (and himself) correctly. Isaiah was right when he confessed himself a sinner; and the conclusion he reached about what he deserved from God was also right. But, the almighty and eternal, glorious Trinity revealed Himself to Isaiah not to destroy him but to forgive him. And Isaiah had that forgiveness, which he would go on to preach about for many years.

II.

In our text, the prophet Isaiah received a vision of the heavenly throne room, where he got to behold the glory of the holy Trinity with his own eyes. To him that was a terrifying thing – and he wasn’t totally wrong; the sinner in the presence of almighty God can be a scary thing. Sometimes we treat the doctrine of the Trinity as if it’s just as terrifying. But, you know what? I think we should embrace it and hold it fast, especially in these dark and latter days, where no one seems to know what’s going on in the world. According to the goodness of His mercy, our Lord has revealed Himself to us and has granted us to know Him in truth. But, to embrace the doctrine of the Trinity, we must first know what it is.

It’s true, you won’t find the word “Trinity” in the Bible; neither will you find the word “Lutheran.” Just because a word doesn’t occur, doesn’t mean the teaching implied by it or the sense isn’t there. For example, David says in Psalm 16, “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your Holy One see corruption.” (16:10) Nowhere in that verse does David say the specific words “Jesus” or “Resurrection,” and yet that is in fact what the verse is about. The word Trinity is the word the Church uses to describe the way God reveals Himself to us throughout the Scriptures. He reveals Himself to us as three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Scriptures are also clear that there is only one God. That’s the way Jesus speaks. He speaks about the Father as God, Himself as God, and the Spirit as God – all three are together one God. No amount of mental gymnastics is going to find a way to understand this. It must simply be believed.

I said the doctrine of the Trinity isn’t a burden, it’s a blessing, because by it we know God correctly. We know the greatness of His love for us when we confess God the Father, who made us, provides for us, and defends us against all evil. We see this love put into action when we confess our faith in God in the Son, the one who, before the foundation of the world, elected to take on our same human flesh and die so that we might be forgiven. We see this love extended to us when God the Holy Spirit comes to us through the Word. He comes to us in our lost and sinful state, He brings us to repentance and creates faith in our hearts. This is a daily process, by which the Holy Spirit makes and keeps us holy in Christ and in the forgiveness of sins.

Sometimes we act like Isaiah in the throne room when it comes to the Trinity. We buckle at the knees and close our eyes. This would be a right reaction except for the fact that we are baptized Christians. Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered for us in the flesh and then rose again for us. We have the forgiveness of our sins. Beyond that, we have been given the blessing of knowing and being able to call upon God as He truly is. The Almighty God, the creator of all that exists has revealed Himself to you and me. And though we will not understand it this side of Eden, yet this teaching is a great blessing. God has revealed Himself as the One God in Three Persons: The Father who creates, the Son who redeems, and the Spirit who sanctifies and comforts. To Him alone be all glory, honor, and worship. Amen.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

Text: John 16:5-15

Every Sunday that we follow the Divine Service, there’s a portion of the service dedicated to the confession of our Christian faith in the Triune God. Either before the sermon or after, depending on the Setting, we rise to confess our faith using the words of the Apostles’ or Nicene Creeds. On Trinity Sunday, we’ll use the third Ecumenical Creed, the Athanasian Creed. Of the three, the Athanasian is the longest and spends the most time speaking specifically about the Trinity. Whether we use the Apostles’, Nicene, or Athanasian Creeds, each Sunday we are blessed to confess our faith in the God who loves and redeems us. Our God is the one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Though all three persons are equally God and together are involved in all their works, to help us humans understand all the things God does for us, we usually speak about God the Father as the one who creates and sustains the world. God the Son, of course, is Christ. Our redemption is His work. But, the Third Person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit – what does He do? That is a question we can cover today. In short, it’s the Holy Spirit’s work to make us Christians. Jesus taught the Disciples in our text about this work. The Holy Spirit works through the preaching of the Law to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; He works through the Gospel to take what is Christ’s and give it to us: namely, the forgiveness of our sins.

I.

The setting of our text this week is, as with last week’s Gospel, the night our Lord was betrayed. On Holy Thursday, our Lord celebrated the Passover with His disciples one last time and instituted the Lord’s Supper. He also spent time preparing the disciples for His departure and what would come after that by teaching them. Last week, we heard our Lord speak about how the disciples’ (and our) sorrow will turn to joy. This week, we receive our Lord’s teaching about the Holy Spirit. He started by saying to the disciples, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7, English Standard Version) Jesus’ disciples were sorrowing over the fact that our Lord was leaving them. But, it’s actually a good thing, Jesus said. Because, first of all, His departure means our salvation. Secondly, and more pertinent to this text, after Jesus goes to the cross, then the Holy Spirit gets to do His Work. But, what is His work?

Jesus said, “When He comes, He [the Holy Spirit] will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (Jn. 16:8) The word “convict” here maybe doesn’t give the full sense of what Jesus said. Rather, He said that the Holy Spirit would prove the world wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment. “Concerning sin,” Jesus said, “because they do not believe in Me.” (16:9) There are certain things that the world does recognize as sins, in a general sense. Murder, for example; theft. These things are recognized all throughout the world as being wrong because, as St. Paul says, God has written His Law in our hearts. But, there are also sinful things that the world doesn’t recognize, such as sex outside of marriage. And then, there are yet things that aren’t actually sin that the world calls sin, such as recognizing differences in doctrine. Part of the Holy Spirit’s work is to show that the world is altogether wrong. The fact is, that all sin at its core is unbelief. Sin is no mere lapse in judgment or mistake. All sin has as its headwaters unbelief – a lack of fear, love, and trust in God.

Because sin is unbelief by another name, the world is also wrong when it comes to righteousness. We consider someone righteous when it appears to the outward observer that nothing bad can be said about a person. But, because all sin stems from unbelief – which is something on the inside – no one is righteous. St. Paul came to the same conclusion as he quoted from the Psalms, “None is righteous, no, not one.” (Rom. 3:10). It is the Holy Spirit’s job to point all this out, and He does it through the preaching of God’s Law. He uses the Ten Commandments to put everything and everyone in its proper place. Even us. We said earlier that it is the Holy Spirit’s job to make us Christians. One cannot be a Christian, however, who has not been brought to repentance over sin. So, the Spirit works through the preaching of the Law even in our lives, to convict us of sin, also. Because we are in the flesh, we all have blind spots when it comes to sin. We all have things that we’d much rather not talk about. There’s a phrase, “light is the best disinfectant.” It is the Holy Spirit’s job to shine the through the light of the Law and reveal the true state of things.

II.

Jesus said, “When [the Helper] comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” This He does through the preaching of the Law. The Holy Spirit shows through the Commandments that all that the world thinks about sin and righteousness and judgment should be balled up and thrown away. He also does this work among us. When the pastor preaches a Word of Law from Scripture and applies that to our lives to show that we, too, are sinners worthy of condemnation – in that moment the Holy Spirit is at work. When we hear the preaching of the Commandments and realize from it that we are sinners and when we sorrow over our sins – that is worked in us by the Holy Spirit. Repentance and sorrow over sin isn’t something we create; the Holy Spirit does it. He produces repentance in us so that He can also do something else.

As our Lord continued teaching His disciples, He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (16:13-14) Here Jesus promised the Disciples not a new revelation or teaching, but that the Holy Spirit would produce in them a deeper understanding of what the Lord had already taught them. This is one reason we trust the New Testament, since these writings were produced by men who had received this gift of the Holy Spirit. But, here, Jesus also touches upon a second work of the Holy Spirit, His proper work. He works through the preaching of the Law to convict the world and us of sin and our (lack of) righteousness. Then, He works through the Gospel to give to us what belongs to Christ: the forgiveness of sins.

While our text translates Jesus’ word as  “Helper,” many of us learned it as children, “Comforter,” or Paraclete. When Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, He promised that the Spirit would produce in His people comfort. Now, we’re not talking about a worldly comfort – hot chocolate in front of fire – that sort of thing, but a true and Godly comfort in the forgiveness of sins. We learn from the Scriptures that Jesus Christ bore in Himself the guilt of all the world’s sin and made payment for it by His death on the cross. The Holy Spirit works through the preaching of Christ’s cross to create faith in our hearts. When we hear that Jesus died for us and believe it, that is because the Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts. We who are here now, are here because of the Holy Spirit. Just as He produces repentance through the Law, He produces faith through the Gospel. Along with faith, He brings to us the forgiveness of our sins. He takes what Christ earned and gives it to us.

Every Sunday we confess our faith in the Triune God. We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three are God. Yet, there are not three gods, but one God in three persons. We’ll talk more about this next month. Usually, we have a pretty good grasp on God the Father and our Lord; but what does the Holy Spirit do? In short, it’s the Holy Spirit’s work that we are Christians. He works through the Law to convict us of our sins and bring us to repentance. Then, He declares to us through the preaching of the Gospel that by Christ’s death, our sins are forgiven. Now, since this sermon has been a little on longer side, let’s end it on a high note. Jesus Christ died for you. His death atoned for your sin. You are reconciled to God and He to you. Because Christ lives, you will, too.

Just a Little While

Text: John 16:16-22

“Just a little while.” That’s what we say to ourselves or to others when we’re caught up in doing something that, maybe, well, we don’t really want to be doing. We say that it’ll just be for “a little while.” Or, if it’s already happening, we might say it’s just for “a little while longer.” We tell ourselves this, or we say it to others to offer some form of comfort. The unpleasant situation we’re in – whatever it might be – will end. We’ll move on to greener pastures, as we might also say, in just a little while. Jesus said to the disciples in our text, “A little while, and you will see Me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” (John 16:16, English Standard Version)

With these words, Jesus was preparing His disciples for the time where He would be parted from them by death. The world would rejoice at this – its seeming victory. But they, His faithful, would be filled with sorrow. They would weep and lament, but only for “a little while.” Then Christ would see them again, and they would rejoice with an unending joy. Jesus teaches this week that, as He suffered cross and affliction, so, too, will His followers. But, this will only be for a little while, and soon afterward our sorrow will turn to eternal joy.

I.

Our text this week comes from John 16, which takes place the night our Lord was betrayed. Everything from John 13-17 happens that evening. We’ll be in and around this chapter for a few weeks. The Lectionary does this to gradually shift our minds from our Lord’s Resurrection to His Ascension, which we’ll be celebrating the last Thursday of this month. Jesus wanted His Disciples to be focused and prepared as well, so He continued teaching them in our text what was about to happen. He said the words which we’ve already heard, “A little while, and you will see Me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” He’s telling them by these words that it would be soon – in just “a little while” – that He’d be taken away from them. In just a little while He’d be betrayed and crucified. In just a little while, they’d see the Son of Man suffer for the sins of the world. After another little while, though, they’d see Him again – say, after His three day rest in the tomb.

The Disciples, however, didn’t understand what Jesus was saying to them. At this point, their minds had not yet been opened to fully understand the Scriptures. That would come after the Resurrection. This is why they were wondering among themselves what Jesus meant by both, “a little while,” and “because I am going to the Father.” (16:17-18) Sure, there were little glimmers of a true knowledge about Jesus’ work here and there throughout those three years, but even Peter said just a little bit earlier that same evening, “Lord, where are You going?” (Jn. 13:36) They had been thinking that Jesus would remain with them always – in the very same way He had been with them so far. Jesus responded that that was not meant to be, for He was going to the Father – He means, He was going to die.

At Jesus’ death, the disciples would be filled with sorrow. Jesus said. “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” (16:20) How proud the chief priests and elders must have been to see our Lord on the cross. Think about how St. Paul – before he was converted – was fired up by St. Stephen’s execution. The Holy Spirit says that after Stephen fell asleep, “there arose…a great persecution against the church.” (Acts 8:1) What we see in the Book of Acts as a whole, though, is that the rage of Satan cannot stop the spread of the Gospel or tear down the Church of Christ. He may scowl fierce as he will, but Jesus said that it would be just for a little while, then the disciples would see Him again. In history this happened Easter Evening. For a little while the Disciples didn’t see Jesus, then they did. There, Jesus gave to them the peace the world cannot give, the peace which surpasses all understanding. He forgave them their sins, and proclaimed to them that, because He lives, they shall live. This truth turned their sorrow to joy, a joy which never ends.

II.

When Jesus said to the Disciples that they wouldn’t see Him for a little while, He meant a “little while.” From the time of His death on Friday afternoon to His appearing in their midst – that was the little while. Of course, there would be suffering and sorrow for them in the future – but, that, too, would turn to joy. To take things in a little different direction, our whole lives are like the “little while” Jesus speaks of. This is what St. Paul preached, too. One time he was in a city called Lystra. Some of the Jews didn’t like him there, so they stoned him. They thought they had killed him, so they dragged him out of town. Instead, he got up, went back into the same town, and continued preaching the forgiveness of sins which is in Christ. In his preaching he said, “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) Experience proves this to be true in our own lives, as well.

Our whole lives we live in this “little while” which is filled with sorrow and during which the world rages and tears. Every day the world rejoices when it seems as if Christ’s Church is growing smaller and weaker. The devil dances a jig whenever someone forsakes their faith, and he continually tempts us to do the same. As Christ’s beloved flock we do suffer the hatred of the world – and if not us, then our brothers and sisters around the world. When one part of the body suffers, the whole suffers with it. In addition to the rage of the world and its prince, we also suffer the various afflictions which are the results of the fall: illnesses, economic hardships, and such. But, remember what Christ said, “A little while and you will not see Me, and again a little while and you will see Me.” (16:19)

We tell ourselves, “just a little while,” to comfort ourselves when something we don’t like is happening. But, there is true comfort in the fact that the sufferings which we endure now are truly just for “a little while.” This is what our Lord says. Someday soon He will return and all evils will finally be put far away from us. Our temporal sorrows will give way to an eternal joy. The sufferings we endure now are but for a little while, and our Lord remains with us through them all. He Himself said, “I am with you always.” Moreover, He uses them to discipline and teach us. But, they will only be for a little while, and then the morning will come.

This is another way of saying what Jesus taught the Disciples in our text. He would be parted from them, but only for a time. They would be filled with sorrow, but just for a little while. Then, they would see Him again and rejoice. Soon, we, too, will see our Lord face to face. Then, we will have joy that no one or nothing will ever take from us.

I Know My Own, They Know Me

Text: John 10:11-16

This last week was Call Week at our seminaries in Fort Wayne and St. Louis. Call Day is the day where our fourth-year seminarians find out where the Lord is sending them to tend His flock. Five years ago, I myself was in that position. We give thanks to God for raising up servants for His Church, and we pray that He would continue to do so more and more even as we currently face a shortage of pastors. And, not just pastors, but Lutheran school teachers and principals, as well. The topic of Call Day has caused me to reflect back on my time at seminary, and there’s something to comes to mind this week. In the Gospel text, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father know Me and I know the Father.” (John 10:14-15, ESV)

At seminary we had daily chapel services. They were held throughout the day, but the main service was at 10 a.m. On Wednesdays, and on Feasts Days, we received the Lord’s Supper. The distribution took place in continuous fashion; you would come and kneel, receive the Sacrament, and then return to your seat with the dismissal being after all had communed. The professors were the communion assistants. As they served, they would speak the words we normally hear: “The body of Christ, the blood of Christ.” One particular professor, when he assisted would always say, “the body of Christ for you, the blood of Christ for you.” He would emphasize that Christ’s body was broken and His blood was shed not just for the world in general, but also for you in particular. His body and blood were given for you, for the forgiveness of your sins; you are known to Christ. That’s what Jesus says this week. He is the Good Shepherd who knows us each by name, and He makes Himself known to each of us in His Word and Sacrament.

I.

This Sunday, the Third Sunday of Easter, is the one commonly called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” This idea is brought out very clearly by the readings. In the Gospel text we hear our Lord describing Himself to us as a good or noble shepherd, a contrast to the hired hand who flees at the sign of a wolf. This idea would’ve been familiar to our Lord’s initial audience as shepherding was a very common profession at that time in that part of the world. But still, the image of a shepherd is one we can bring up in our minds. It’s the job of a shepherd to care for his sheep. During the day, it’s his job to lead the sheep to good pasture. Then, at night his is to guide them back to their pen – which, in Jesus’ time, was often a cave. Once they were all in, the shepherd would then lay at the entrance. Nothing could go in our out without his say so.

One aspect of shepherding in Jesus’ time, and maybe now, was that the shepherd had a name for each sheep. Each of his sheep he knew by name. They weren’t just a flock of nameless animals, but each had a name and was precious to the shepherd. This is where Jesus is going when He said, “I am the good shepherd. I know My own…just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father.” Scripture often describes the Church, God’s people – us – as a flock. Just as a shepherd knows the name of each of his sheep, so also are we known to our Lord. When He looks upon us, He doesn’t just see us as just a mass of nameless people, but each of us, individually, as a beloved little lamb. We are each precious lambs of the Good Shepherd.

As a good shepherd, Jesus said, He lays down His life for the sake of His sheep. He is not like a hired hand who, “sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees.” (Jn 10:12) The hired flees because the sheep aren’t his and he doesn’t care if they die. We are Jesus’ sheep and He does care if we die, if we die eternally. Therefore, being our Good Shepherd, He did what only He could do – He laid down His life in our place. Because Jesus is God, His death is able to atone for the sins of the world, and even ours. This is why the one professor at seminary would say “for you,” during the distribution. Jesus says He knows His sheep. We are His sheep. Therefore, He knows us, and laid down His life for us – not just for the world, but for you and for me. 

II.

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me.” This is another comforting word for us today. As you know, the New Testament was originally delivered to us by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles not in English, but in Greek. And, though the translation we’re using for the readings is generally speaking very good and accurate, every now and then there are spots that could be tightened up. Here is one of them. We all know this passage as it is in the bulletin, but it could also be rendered: “I am the Good Shepherd, and I know My own, and I am known by My own.” Translating it this way – though a little more wonky to say – keeps the focus on the Good Shepherd who not only lays down His life for each of us, but also makes Himself known to each of us.

How does He do that? That is Judas’ question in John 14 – not Iscariot, the other Judas. He asked Jesus, “‘Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’” (Jn. 14:22-23) This is to say, Jesus makes Himself known to us – He reveals Himself to us, His sheep – through His Word. The Holy Spirit works through the Sacred Scriptures to reveal Christ to us and draws us to Him through the same. Christ makes Himself known to us through the written Scriptures and through His visible Word in the Sacraments. In Holy Baptism, He unites us to His own death and resurrection. In the Lord’s Supper, He makes Himself known to us by giving us His true body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, knows each of us by name. He laid down His life for us. He makes Himself known to us, His sheep, by His Word and Sacrament.

Let this by our encouragement this Sunday. The Latin title for this Sunday comes from Psalm 33, where it says, “the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.” (33:5) The Lord is our Good Shepherd who knows us each by name. As our Shepherd, He gave His own life into death so that we might be forgiven. Now, He continues to make Himself known to us in His Word and Sacrament – even in just a few moments. Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me.” Amen.

Peace the World Cannot Give

Text: John 20:19-31

These last Advent and Lenten seasons we continued our normal practice of midweek services. During those times in the Church year, we pause to focus on the mercy and love of our God toward us. In both seasons we used a service called “Evening Prayer.” It’s a beautiful service, as most would agree. In it, we sing a canticle after the sermon. After that, come the prayers. These include the Litany, the Lord’s Prayer and, sometimes, the Collect of the Day or other intercessions. Included among all this is what traditionally was always the last prayer of the service: the Collect for Peace. I’d like to invite you to open to page 251, and we’ll take a look at it.

The Collect for Peace is a very old prayer. It comes from a prayer book dating back to the fifth century. It has survived this long and is used frequently not just by us, but by the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches as well, because of its wisdom. The prayer begins, “O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works.” This is called the address. After the address to God the Father comes the petition, the part where we ask for something, “give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give.” (Both citations from Lutheran Service Book, pg. 251) This is the phrase that comes to mind this week, “peace which the world cannot give.” By rising from the dead, Christ won for us a peace the world cannot give – the peace of sins forgiven –  and He gives it in a different way than the world does, too.

I.

Our text this week takes place on Easter Evening, the same day that Jesus rose from the dead. The Holy Spirit tells us by St. John that, although the women were initially alarmed at the absence of Jesus, they did eventually tell the disciples what they saw – including that Mary Magdalene had seen the Lord. But, when they told this to Jesus’ disciples, it all seemed to them to be idle tales. “Foolishness,” St. Luke wrote (Lk. 24:11) Instead of joyously believing what the women told because it matched with what Jesus had said to them before, the disciples were locked away, St. John wrote. They locked themselves up for fear of the Jews. They were afraid that the wrath poured out on their master would overflow onto them. In addition, think of the shame they must have felt. They had all vowed never to fall away from Jesus. Sure, Peter denied Jesus with his words, but they all ran when the soldiers came for the Lord. Think, also, of the despair and loneliness they felt over His death.

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” (Jn. 20:19, English Standard Version) Then, He showed them His hands and side. Remember how Jesus rode into Jerusalem not on a warhorse, but on a donkey? By that, He demonstrated His great humility and love for us. Here, Jesus came and stood in the midst of His cowering disciples and His first words to them weren’t, “I told you so,” but, “Peace be with you.” He didn’t speak to them a word of condemnation, a word of Law, but Gospel. “Peace be with you.” And, with this, Jesus spoke of peace the world cannot give.

That peace, which the world cannot give, is the forgiveness of sins. This is the whole reason Jesus died, the reason why He became flesh – to win for us the forgiveness of sins. When He said, “peace,” to the disciples, it’s as if He said to them, “you are forgiven.” He did what He came to do. They are forgiven. They need not fear, not fear neither sin, death, nor hell. Instead, they can be at peace. Their Lord, and our Lord, has risen from the dead. As proof, He showed them His hands and side. He is the same Jesus they saw crucified, not a ghost or other such thing. Then, having received the peace the world can’t give, St. John writes, “the disciples were glad.” (Jn. 20:20)

II.

The peace that the world can’t give, which God alone gives through Christ, is the assurance and confidence that our sins are forgiven. Every sin that we have committed – and which we have yet to commit – finds its atonement in Christ’s passion. By His wounds we are healed. By His wounds, and by His rising again, we have peace. And that’s something the world can’t give us. We have the glad confidence of the forgiveness of sins and the joyful hope of the resurrection to eternal life. And, not only does Christ give us a peace which the world cannot, He also gives it in a different way than the world gives its sort of peace.

St. John writes,

“Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

John 20:21-23

With these words Jesus instituted the Office of the Holy Ministry and entrusted to it the responsibility of speaking publicly, in His stead, the forgiveness of sins. The Apostles and our pastors today, who follow in their train, speak forth the forgiveness of Christ. When they speak within their office, such as in the Divine Service or in private confession and absolution, that our sins are forgiven and that we may depart in peace – they truly are, and we truly can. This is totally different than how the world works. In the world, if we want peace, we have to make it. Christ won us a peace the world can’t and He gives it in a way the world won’t: freely. He gives forgiveness to us freely through His Sacraments, through the Means of Grace, and He constantly reassures us by sending us pastors to speak His forgiveness in His stead.

This authority to forgive sins in the stead of Christ, what we know from the Catechism as the Office of the Keys, isn’t the sole property of the pastoral office, but it is given by Christ to His Church. Jesus teaches us this in Matthew 18, where the authority to bind and loose sins is given to the congregation as a whole. The pastor is called to speak publicly in the stead of Christ and on behalf of the congregation. In our personal lives, however, when our neighbor sins against us – or we, them – and the words of Christ’s forgiveness are spoken, in that moment sins are truly forgiven. When we forgive our Christian friend because Christ forgives us or they assure us that we are forgiven because of Christ, that is true and valid in heaven. And, that gives us peace, too. This means that God is not up in the sky looking to smite us, but looks down upon us in love and smiles upon us.

When Martin Luther preached on this text he made a good observation. He said the Lord gives us peace, not by taking away danger or sadness but by soothing our hearts, calming us and making us unafraid. This is true. By His resurrection, Christ brings us peace the world cannot give. In Him, the sins which formerly would’ve seen us eternally condemned in hell are forgiven. By Him our bodies will be raised anew and we will live in eternal joy – and that is something the world can’t give.

He is Going Before You

Text: Mark 16:1-8

Have you ever put something down and then, when you went back for it, it moved? Remote controls and keys are notorious for this. You set them down and come back, and somehow, they aren’t where you left them. It’s like whatever it was grew a set of legs and walked off. What really happened is you forgot where you put it, but it’s more fun to think of it this way. Sometimes things don’t stay where you put them. Children, for example. But you know what else didn’t stay where it was put? Jesus. 

When the women went to the tomb early that Sunday morning, they expected to find Jesus right where they left Him, dead and cold on a slab. But, instead, He wasn’t there. He didn’t have to grow legs to walk off; He already had them, and He did. Graciously, He appointed an angel to stay behind and tell the women when they got there. These are the words the angel said, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here…He is going before you to Galilee.” (Mk. 16:6-7, ESV) Jesus went ahead of His Disciples to Galilee, but He went ahead of all of us in death so that we might follow Him into life.

I.

That wasn’t what the women were expecting when they went to the tomb, though. There were three of them that Sunday. They were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother James, and Salome. These three were present at Jesus’ crucifixion, and likely had been looking after Him and His disciples for some time before that. They were believers in Christ, but they didn’t quite understand Him when He said that He would rise from the dead. After He gave up His spirit, Joseph of Arimathea took our Lord down from the cross, wrapped Him in a linen cloth, and placed Him in a tomb he had prepared for himself. The Marys watched this all take place. And they figured that, since things normally stay where you put them, Jesus’ body would be there when they came to anoint it.

St. Mark writes, “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.” (Mk. 16:1-2) Their only concern as they approached our Lord’s tomb was who would roll away the stone that was placed at the entrance – it being very large. But, looking up, “they saw that the stone had been rolled back.” (v. 4) Going inside, they found it empty. What was put there was no longer there. Instead, something different – an angel. St. Mark describes a young man, “dressed in a white robe.” (v. 5) Understandably, the women were afraid. But the angel said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus…who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here.” Then, he directed them, “Go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.” (v. 7)

II.

Normally, when you put something somewhere it stays there. Children are exceptions, but then they’re people. Animals don’t always stay when you tell them to, either. Bodies, however, do. Or, they’re supposed to. Not Jesus’, though. No, He rose just like He said He would. As recently as Holy Thursday, in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before He was betrayed, Jesus said, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” (Mk. 14:27-28) This is also what He preached and taught for three years all around Galilee, in Judea and Samaria. 

This is what He spoke through the prophets of old. Through Isaiah it was prophesied that the Messiah would die bearing the sins of the people yet live again. (Is. 53) King David prophesied by the Holy Spirit that God the Father would not let His holy one see the corruption of death. (Ps. 16:10) And, as far back as the Garden of Eden, the Lord promised that the offspring of Adam and Eve would crush the head of the ancient foe. What Christ foretold by His holy prophets, and what He Himself taught in His ministry – that He would bears the sins of the world, make payment for them in death, and then rise – He thus fulfilled that Sunday morning. Therefore, He went ahead of His Disciples to Galilee, so that He might see and comfort them there, and assure even Peter – who denied Him three times – that their sins were forgiven.

III.

The Disciples aren’t the only ones Jesus went ahead of, though. Listen to what St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: 

If the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 

1 Corinthians 15:16-23

Christ didn’t just go ahead of the Disciples to Galilee, but He went ahead of them and us in death, so that we might follow Him into life.

Jesus Christ is the eternally-begotten Son of the Father. He is without beginning and without end. He willingly took upon Himself our same human flesh, and humbly submitted Himself to death, even death on a cross. By His death, our sins are atoned for and our guilt is taken away. And now, by His rising again, we will rise again. Because He lives, we shall live also. Though our flesh now is corrupted by the fall into sin, when Christ returns, He will raise our bodies in glorified fashion, and we will see with our own two eyes the Son of God. He went ahead of us into death and then back to life so that we, too, might pass with Him through death into eternal life. 

Most of the time, when you put things places, they stay there. Sometimes they don’t. Keys, remotes, children. These things grow legs and move when you’re not looking. But, so did something else: our Lord. Only, He didn’t just move – He rose from the dead, never to die again. He left that tomb empty and went ahead of the Disciples to Galilee. So, too, will we leave our graves empty at the final trumpet. Christ went ahead of us in death, so that we might follow Him into life.

No Guilt in Him

Text: Is. 53 and Jn. 18-19

The Holy Spirit spoke by the prophet Isaiah about our Lord’s death and burial, “They made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence and there was no deceit in His mouth.” (Is. 53:9, ESV) By this, the circumstances of our Lord’s death were foretold, how He would be killed beside criminals and be buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s new tomb. St. Isaiah said that these things would happen, even though Jesus had neither done any violence or ever spoken any lie. In other words, there was no sin in Him, no guilt worthy of death. This is a fact that even Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea, recognized. 

On Holy Thursday, our dear Lord was betrayed into the hands of sinful men. The one who betrayed Him was one of His own disciple; He betrayed Him with a kiss. The soldiers bound our Lord and dragged Him to the household of the high priest. They placed our Jesus on trial, which was a sham. It was filled with false testimony, and those who made the lies about our Lord weren’t even in agreement among themselves. It was determined that Jesus must be put to death for His crimes. As it was unlawful for them to carry out that sentence themselves, early on Friday morning they led our Lord to Pilate.

Pilate examined Jesus and the complaints against Him. This was the conclusion the Roman came to, “I find no guilt in Him.” (Jn. 18:38) Though himself not a Christian, Pilate by his words acknowledged what the Holy Spirit said through Isaiah to be true. There was no guilt in Jesus. St. Peter wrote the same, “[Jesus] committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.” (1 Pt. 2:22) St. John spoke likewise, saying, “In [Jesus] there is no sin.” (1 Jn. 3:5) 

The crowd was displeased at Pilate’s findings, so he wavered and had our Lord flogged. Pilate’s soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, then they put it on Jesus’ head along with a purple robe – the color of kings. They spit on Him and hit Him.

Pilate brought Jesus out in the thorny crown and robe and testified, “See, I am bringing Him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” (Jn. 19:4) This enraged the crowd. They cried out, “Crucify Him.” One last time, Pilate responded, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” (Jn. 19:6) Three times Pilate confessed that Jesus was without guilt. He did not deserve to die. He had no sin. Yet, “They made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death.”

II.

After Pilate confessed that Jesus was without guilt, he handed Him over to be crucified. They made Him carry His own cross to Golgotha. There, they stripped Him naked and nailed His hands and feet to the cross. Although He had committed no crime, our Lord died a criminal’s death with criminals on either side of Him. This was an excruciating, humiliating death. It was a death He did not deserve. It was a death you deserve.

Our good and gracious Father created all things that exist. He formed our first father from the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life. Our first mother, Eve, was formed by God from Adam’s side. They were created perfect. They had the ability to fear, love and trust in God above all things, but they didn’t. They doubted and disobeyed God’s Word, and subjected all creation to the corruption of sin. Beginning with Cain and Abel, all human beings are born bearing the image of Adam, the corruption of original sin. Original sin is that corruption of the flesh that resides within each of us, tempting us, driving us, enticing us to doubt and disobey God’s Word – to hate it and Him, just like our first parents. And we have. All of us.

The Lord has revealed Himself to us, He has told us what is good and right and true, and we have spit on it. What else is sinning, other than rejecting what God has said? Each time we’ve sinned, we’ve said that we know better and our wants are better than God. We’ve sinned in the past and enjoyed it. We still sin and we do enjoy it. Hear now what God says about those who sin. “The soul who sins will die.” (Ezek. 18:20) Our Lord speaks not just of temporal death for those who sin, but of an everlasting condemnation and an eternity of torment in hell. Our God’s righteous decree is that everyone who sins deserves to die. We deserve to die.

Jesus did not sin, there was no guilt in Him; He did not deserve to die. But He did – for you. Jesus took upon and in Himself your sin. All of it. Every evil thought, every malicious deed, every careless word. Jesus took it all. St. Paul says that God, “made Him to be sin,” for our sake. (2 Cor. 5:21) Jesus took upon Himself your every sin, the wrath of God stored up in heaven to be poured out on you on the Last Day, instead, was poured out on Him on the cross. By His wounds, you are healed. Amen.

The Lord’s Supper

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in the Epistle text tonight: 

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

1 Corinthians 11:23-25, English Standard Version.

These words, together with the accounts of the holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are called the Words of Institution. These are the words by which our Lord Jesus Christ gave to us a new meal to be celebrated without end, the holy meal of His true body and blood.

This event, the instituting of this Supper, is the reason for our gathering tonight. Today is Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday. “Maundy” comes from the Latin translation of the Gospel text, “A new commandment I give you.” (Jn. 13:34). Holy Thursday references that this is the day our Lord was handed over into the clutches of sinful men for us, as well as, especially, the instituting of the Sacrament of the Altar. This will be our focus tonight. In the Lord’s Supper, our Savior Jesus Christ gives us His true body and blood under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins.

I.

Our gracious Lord and Master knew that Thursday evening that His earthly ministry was drawing to a close and that He would soon be handed-over into death for the sins of the people. In faithful observance of the Scriptures, He desired to eat the Passover meal with His disciples one last time. This is the context of the Gospel reading tonight and the setting in which He gave us His new Supper. As they were eating, Jesus taught the disciples about what would soon happen, and what would happen after that. He was departing back to the Father, and they would be His witnesses to the world. He would send upon them the Holy Spirit to comfort them and make them bold. Still, there was one other thing Jesus would give them to strengthen and support them (and us) in the wilderness of this life.

Let us hear, again, the words of our Lord through St. Paul. 

[Our] Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread,and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 

As our Lord would soon die, rise, and ascend to the Father, He desired to give us a gift by which He would remain among His faithful until He returns on the clouds. This gift is a meal by which His passion is remembered and confessed, and also by which the fruits of His cross are received. This gift we now call the Lord’s Supper. Our Lord took bread and gave it to the Disciples, saying, “This is My body.” With the cup, He said, “This is My blood.” And, so, we believe that in the Lord’s Supper we receive, as Jesus says, His true body and His true blood.

II.

This is the clearest and simplest understanding of Jesus’ Words. The Evangelists and St. Paul are all in agreement in using the literal words “This is” to convey our Lord’s teaching to us. Both our Lord and St. Paul employ figurative language in other parts of Scripture, but there is no indication from the text that creative language is used here in any way. Our Christian Book of Concord speaks about the Words of Institution in this way:

We believe, teach, and confess that the words of Christ’s testament are not to be understood in any other way than the way they read, according to the letter. So the bread does not signify Christ’s absent body and the wine His absent blood. But, because of the sacramental union, ‹the bread and wine› are truly Christ’s body and blood.

Formula of Concord, Epitome: Article VII, paragraph 7

In the Lord’s Supper we receive the true body and blood of Christ, the very same which were broken and shed for us on the cross. And, yet, we receive it in way that the bread and wine are also present. This is what St. Paul teaches earlier in 1 Corinthians, when he says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor. 10:16) That is to say, we receive at the same time both the bread and wine and the true body and blood of Christ. We Lutherans call this the Sacramental Union. We believe that Christ, by the power of His Word, unites His true essence to the earthly elements. The substances of bread and wine are not changed, but they are united to Christ’s body and blood in such a way that we receive with our mouths His very body and His very blood beneath, under, with, and in the bread and wine.

III.

Our Lord also tells us why He gives us this precious gift. He says, “For the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt. 26:28). This, truly, is the whole point of His Incarnation, and of the Scriptures as a whole. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, in the flesh. He took upon Himself our same human flesh that so that He might bear in Himself the sin of the whole world and make the complete payment for it on the cross. By His perfect life and sacrificial death He won for us the forgiveness of sins. In the Lord’s Supper, He gives that forgiveness to us. The Lord’s Supper is, therefore, a Sacrament and Means of Grace.

Our Lord did say, “Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (1 Cor. 11:25) He encourages us to receive this precious meal often – not as a command, but a gracious invitation to receive continually the forgiveness of sins He won for us. As long as we are in this flesh we will remain both saint and sinner. As long as we are in this flesh, we will need the forgiveness of our sins – and our Lord gives that to us here, in His Supper. Let us, therefore, respond to His invitation with joy. Tonight, we receive with the bread and wine the true body and blood of our Savior. In this sacred meal He gives us the forgiveness He purchased for us by His death on the cross. As the Catechism says, “where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.” Thanks be to God. Amen.

Fear Not, Daughter of Zion

Text: John 12:12-19

In Psalm 46 it says, “I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation…Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord.” (Ps. 46:2, 3-5, ESV) These words come from a time after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, after the Lord’s people had been returned from their exile. They had been carried off into Babylon some seventy years earlier because of their evil deeds, but were now forgiven by the Lord and returned to their home. However, not long after returning home from Babylon, Israel’s leadership again fell into idolatry and other sorts of unbelief. This left the faithful among God’s people filled with some measure of worry. The psalmist here reminded the people not to trust in worldly leaders, but in God.

The people of Jerusalem who sang out to Jesus at the Triumphal Entry knew this. They cried out to Him not as to any earthly leader, but to their heavenly king. The words they spoke show this. “Hosanna” means, “save us now.” “Son of David,” as St. Matthew records them saying, shows that they believed Jesus to be the promised offspring of David who would sit on the throne forever and rule in equity, justice, and love. Therefore, St. John encourages us his hearers to not be afraid, for Jesus our heavenly king comes.

I.

We heard St. Matthew’s account of the Triumphal Entry back on the First Sunday in Advent. There, we focused on the humility of our Lord’s coming: how He was born of the Virgin Mary to be like us in every respect, how He rode into Jerusalem not on a warhorse but on a donkey, and to die, even; we talked about how He comes to us today in humble Word and Sacrament. Today, I’d like for us to mediate a moment on what the Holy Spirit teaches us through St. John in verse 16. He says, about the Triumphal Entry, “His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him.” (Jn. 12:16) St. John wrote this earlier, too, when Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (Jn. 2:19) The disciples didn’t understand until after the Resurrection that Jesus was talking about the temple of His body – which He did raise after three days.

The Disciples remembered after the Resurrection that all the things written in the Old Testament about the Messiah were about Jesus. What sort of things might those be? Let’s start with the passage St. John cites from the prophet Zechariah. It says, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” (Jn. 12:15) That passage speaks of the Lord’s judgement against the enemies of His people and the eternal salvation He will grant to His children through a king yet to come. This king would be righteous and humble, mounted on a donkey. Sounds like our Lord. He rode into Jerusalem to bring His people salvation by His death on the cross. This is what the prophet Isaiah said, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…He was pierced for our transgressions…and with His wounds we are healed.” (Is. 53:4-5) Last Sunday we heard about the sacrifice of Isaac. Jesus rode into Jerusalem to be the true lamb of God, provided as the sacrifice for sin in our place.

II.

Just as Jesus rode into Jerusalem to do and suffer what was written of Him in the Old Testament, the people cried out after Him using Old Testament words. They cried out to Jesus, “Hosanna,” which means “save us,” and comes from our Psalm today. But, from what did the people need saving? Well, a lot, probably. Their land was occupied by a foreign and Godless nation. Their leaders, including in the church, were often corrupt. Then, there were the daily hardships of life common to all. But, I think there is a particular reason they cried out to Jesus. St. John wrote in verse 18, “The reason why the crowd went out to meet [Jesus] was that they heard He had done this sign” – that He had raised Lazarus from the dead. The people were crying out to Jesus to save them from death, from sin.

That’s something we need, too; and we feel it. This Lent we’ve gone through the Ten Commandments. The Commandments are God’s holy and righteous will. They are the supreme measure of what’s right and wrong when it comes to our thoughts and actions. And, if we rightly consider them in our lives, then we realize how greatly we have transgressed them. The Scriptures clearly teach what the penalty for breaking a Commandment is: death. Now, multiply that by however many times we have sinned and we’ll realize what sort of a position we are in. Not a good one. And, it’s not one that any earthly ruler or power will ever get us out of. Because we are sinners we will all eventually die, and if our sins are left unforgiven, after death we enter eternal condemnation in hell. Therefore, we have good reason to cry out the same word as the people at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, “Hosanna.”

III.

The Holy Spirit does a masterful job in this text by having St. John cite from Zechariah. Take a second and look at the first line of verse 15. “Fear not, daughter of Zion.” “Fear not.” These words were addressed to God’s people of old just as they are to us today. There’s not one of us that isn’t concerned about the way the world is going, or to some extent about our health, our work, or our children’s future. Beyond these things, what should really give us pause is our sinfulness and the need for salvation. But, do you know what the Holy Spirit says about that today? “Fear not.” Why? “Behold, your king is coming.”

These words were written about Jesus. They were written about His humble entrance into Jerusalem, where He would humbly submit Himself unto death for you. Jesus died, as we heard in Hebrews last week, to be the one eternal sacrifice for all our sins, so that we might be redeemed and set free from our sin and fears. This is our confidence, our hope, and our faith as we enter now our Lord’s Holy Week. This is the week that He submitted Himself to the wrath of God against sin so that, in Him, we might have no fear.

This was the encouragement of the Psalmist we heard before: that we not put our trust in earthly princes who cannot truly save us. Instead, let our hosannas be sung to Christ, who comes as our humble heavenly king to save. He is the one the prophets sang and spoke of, who saves us from all our sins and from eternal death. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Amen.