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Jesus the Perfect High Priest and Victim

3/28/2023

Judica Sunday (Lent 5)
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
March 26, 2023

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) He entered once for all into the holy places, not by the means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11-12)

When two nations are at odds, it is common for diplomats from a third, neutral nation to mediate peace. Scripture says that Christ appeared as a High Priest. A priest is a mediator between God and man. He is that third party, who must bring the two other parties, God, and man, together. Yet, this is a huge problem. Who can possibly mediate between God and man? Perhaps an angel? Angels are certainly a third party. They are neither human nor divine. Yet, they are incapable of sympathizing with us humans in our weakness. They are spirits created by God for the purpose of doing God’s work. Psalm 89 states, “Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?” So, even the angels fear God and cannot be compared to Him. So, priests, that is, mediators between God and men, have always been men! And for this reason, priests have always been insufficient mediators.
For one thing, these priests, including the Levitical priests of the Old Covenant, were prevented by death from continuing to serve forever. So, a single priest could not continue to make intercession for the sins of the people. Secondly, these priests themselves were sinners! So, they needed to offer sacrifices to God, first for their own sins, and then for the transgressions of the people (Hebrews 7:27). Such priests themselves could not stand before God to make eternal intercession for the people. Their priesthood was bound to be replaced by a better one!
Yet, it is not only a fault in the priests being sinful men, that makes their priesthood incapable of making eternal peace between God and men, it is their victims, that is, what they offer to God as a sacrifice. In Genesis 22, God told Abraham to sacrifice his own son! Yet, this being a test, He did not permit Abraham to slay his son, but rather provided a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s stead. And this pattern of sacrificing an animal in the stead of the son continued throughout the history of Israel. God commanded through Moses that that Levitical priests sacrifice numerous animals, lambs, goats, bulls, and doves to make atonement for the sins of the people. This was necessary, because without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).
Yet, Scripture makes clear, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:4). For this reason, millions of lambs, goats, bulls, and doves were sacrificed, but the sacrifices were still required. God gave Abraham a ram to sacrifice instead of his son Isaac, yet their still remained a Lamb for God to provide!
This is because our sins are immensely grievous. We heard on Wednesday night from Psalm 130, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” Yet, our sins number more than the hairs on our head! (Psalm 40:12) The mediation we need between us and God is not like the mediation between two countries, who may each have legitimate grievances against the other. The conflict between us and God is very one sided. We have sinned against God. He has done nothing wrong. Our sins need to be atoned for. They must be paid for. God, in His righteousness, demands that these sins be punished. Killing innumerable animals isn’t going to cut it.
Humanity is in a crisis. We have convinced ourselves that our sins are not so bad. Yet, we murder. Perhaps not physically, yet in our hearts we hate, which is where all murders start. We speak evil of our neighbors, or at least think evil of them, all the while we expect everyone to look at our words and actions in the most charitable way. Our culture has been so perverted with sexual sins that we expect God to change His standard for chastity based on our opinions. And this gets to the heart of the problem with Jesus’ opponents in John 8. Jesus says to them, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (John 8:47)
We disagree with God, and we think it is nothing, as if our opinions are so lofty that God should lay His word aside and listen to us! We deny our own sins, but that doesn’t give us life! What were the Jews so angry with Jesus about? Jesus said that whoever keeps His Word will never see death. They were offended at this. They had rejected Jesus’ words, but they had accepted death! They not only rejected Jesus as the way to salvation, they rejected the idea of salvation all together! And that is all the world can do. When the world argues with Jesus and rejects Him as the Savior from sin and argues with God and tells Him sin isn’t sin, they don’t accomplish anything. They don’t solve the problem that sin places on us. They don’t soothe our guilty conscience and give us peace with God! They just push us into despair!
But let’s stop playing games for a minute. We aren’t God. All people put together do not possess the wisdom, knowledge, or power of God. We cannot absolve ourselves of our own sins or tell God that He owes us anything. Yet, we will all stand before Him on Judgment Day to give an account for what we have done in this life. Are you going to defend your idolatry, lust, hatred, gossip, anger, laziness, greed, and pride? How can you stand before the righteous God and argue your cause to Him? (Job 13:3)
So, no. Your excuses and scheming cannot explain away your guilt. Your “good works” cannot earn your peace with God. Not even the blood of countless sacrificial animals commanded by God can take away a single sin. Why then did God command them? To point us to the one true priest and the one true sacrifice for sin: Jesus Christ.
The entire story of Abraham nearly sacrificing Isaac teaches of Jesus, the only true Mediator between God and man. God told Abraham to sacrifice his only Son, whom he loved. God gave His only begotten Son, whom He loved to be sacrificed for our sins. Abraham said to His servants, “I and the boy will go over there, and worship and we will come again to you.” Abraham was not lying. He believed that God would raise his son from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). So also, Jesus said that He had authority to lay down His life and authority to take it back again (John 10:18). Isaac carried the wood on which he would be sacrificed up the mountain. So did Jesus bear the wood of His cross to Golgotha. Isaac could have outmuscled his elderly father and saved his own life, but he laid down willingly to be sacrificed. So also, Jesus could knock all His opponents to the ground with a word, but He willingly went to be crucified. Yet, Isaac was not sacrificed. His father received Him back alive. Instead, a ram was sacrificed in Isaac’s stead.
That ram, along with every whole burnt offering, peace offering, guilt offering, and Passover lamb did not actually take away sin, but Jesus did! Why can Jesus do what all these sacrifices failed to do? Because Jesus is true God and true man.
The Jews were angry at Jesus, because Jesus said that Abraham rejoiced to see His day, he saw it and was glad. They said to Jesus, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham.” Jesus responded, “Before Abraham was, I am.” This makes Jesus the perfect Mediator, the perfect Priest! At that time, Jesus was indeed less than fifty years old, having been born of His virgin mother about thirty years earlier. Yet, Jesus is also God, the Son of God the Father. He did not simply exist before Abraham. Before Abraham was, He is. When Moses asked God in the burning bush, “What is your name?” God responded, “I am who I am. Tell the people of Israel that I AM has sent you.” (Exodus 3) So, the people of Israel called God, “HE IS.” By Jesus saying, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” He is in no uncertain terms claiming to be God. Before Abraham was, He is unchanging and eternal. Before Abraham was, He has the name of the only God. Jesus is the Angel of the LORD, who stopped Abraham’s hand from slaughtering his son. Abraham rejoiced to see Jesus’ day through faith, believing that God would provide the true Lamb of God to make atonement for sins.
St. Paul writes to St. Timothy, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6) Jesus Christ is a man, yet He is not an insufficient mediator, because Jesus Christ is true God. He is obedient in our place, able to sympathize with our weakness. He is able to represent us truly as a man, standing before God as the representative of the entire human race. And His death on the cross, laden with the sins of the whole world, is a sufficient price to pay for the sins of every human being once and for all.
We desperately needed a High Priest, a Mediator to make intercession before God on our behalf. No angel could do it. The men who served as priests before Jesus could not do it. The blood of bulls and goats could not pay for our sins. Our smart thinking and cleaver works could not make up for our sins. Only Jesus, the Godman, could stand between us and God and make peace by His own blood.
This is why Jesus can promise us, “Amen, amen, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” To keep Jesus’ word is to believe His promise of forgiveness and salvation and trust in it. Jesus can give us this promise, because He is our great Mediator.
Jesus is your mediator. That means that when you look at God, you look at Him only through Jesus. This means that when you look at God, who see the God who sent His Son to die for your sins and who gladly forgives you for Christ’s sake. Jesus is your mediator. That means that when God looks at you, He does not look at you apart from Jesus. When He looks at you, He sees you washed clean of all your sins and clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
Jesus is our great High Priest. That means Jesus is our Mediator between us and God. And there is no other mediator, who can grant us peace with God. Amen.

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Jesus Is the Bread of Life from Heaven

3/24/2023

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Laetare Sunday (Lent 4)
John 6:1-15
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
March 19, 2023

Jesus asks His disciple Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He asked this to test him. The goal of testing is to strengthen one’s faith. God does not tempt us into sin. God tests us, so that our faith will be stronger.

So, how is Jesus testing Philip, so that his faith will be stronger? And does Philip pass the test? There is a crowd of five thousand men. St. Matthew tells us that this did not include the women and children (Matthew 14:21). This means that this crowd could have been as large as twenty thousand people! Jesus asks Philip where they will buy bread, so that this humungous crowd could eat. Philip answers as anyone could expect, “Two hundred [days’ wages] would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” Yet, with these words, Philip failed the test.

Jesus is God. The Jews are already angry at Jesus for calling Himself the Son of God. Philip should have answered with the Psalmist, “The eyes of all look to You [O Lord], and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:15-16) And indeed, this is exactly what Jesus does. As the eyes of all look to the LORD, so Jesus’ eyes look at the needy and He cares for them. With just five loaves of bread and a couple fish, Jesus distributed the bread and fish to the crowd, as much as they wanted, so that they ate their fill. Jesus proved Himself to be God, who not only created the universe, but continues to preserve it. As God fed the children of Israel in the wilderness with mana from heaven, so Jesus feeds the children of Israel in Galilee.

Yet, Philip isn’t the only one who failed this test. All the disciples failed this test! The evangelists Matthew and Mark record how after Jesus fed the five thousand and then the four thousand, His disciples still squabbled over not having enough bread! (Matthew 16:6; Mark 8:16) And in fact, the great multitude, which ate their fill of the loaves and fish failed the test as well. They wanted to seize Jesus and make Him their king, so that He would continue to feed them bread and fish.

The crowd caught up to Jesus the next day and Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” (John 6:26-27) Here Jesus teaches them and us that He has something much more important to give us, a Bread that isn’t eaten and expelled, but which grants eternal salvation. This Bread He is speaking of is Himself. Jesus says later, “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

After Jesus had fed the multitude with bread and fish, so that they were not hungry for a day, they decided to seize Jesus and force Him to be their king. Jesus would not permit them to force Him to be a bread king, so He withdrew to the mountain by Himself. Yet, later the Jews would seize Jesus, and force Him to wear a purple robe and a crown of thorns, and they would lift Him up on a cross with an inscription, “King of the Jews,” where they would mock Him until He died. And Jesus let them do it! Jesus refused to be made a bread king here on earth to satisfy our carnal desires, so that He could reign from the cross and earn for us that Bread, which does not pass away.

Jesus again said to the crowd, “I am the Bread of Life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

God took on our human flesh, so that He could fulfill God’s Law in our stead and suffer and die on the cross for our sins. We die because of our sins. Our sins merit us eternal damnation. Yet, Jesus died to take them away. That is why He is the Bread of Life, which grants eternal life to all who believe in Him. Jesus still gives us ordinary bread. But that isn’t really what’s important. All who eat ordinary bread will die. Jesus is the Bread from heaven, which gives eternal life to all who consume it. And we consume this Bread through faith.

All who fail the test keep missing the point that Jesus is the Bread of Life. Those who fail the test can’t get over the loaves of bread Jesus fed them in the wilderness. These loaves of bread represent everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, as when we pray for our daily bread. We’re distracted by our need for daily bread so much that we neglect our need for the Bread of Life!

Indeed, we need daily bread. We pray to God for daily bread. Jesus tells us to pray to God for daily bread. And God gladly gives us daily bread. Yet, we should not crave daily bread so much that we neglect the only Bread, which grants eternal life: Christ Jesus, who suffered and died for our sins!

Day after day, we strive and worry. Some are sick. Some are old. Some are in financial trouble. Some need a new job. Some are struggling in school. Others need to fix their house or car. And we think that if we just get this taken care of, then we’ll have peace. If I can just pay off this bill, if I can just get over this sickness, if I can just finish this project, if I can just get the kids through school. That is how we think, but our struggles never end. We get over one hump, and then must climb another, like a hamster running on its wheel, exhausting itself without ever getting anywhere. You’re never going to get caught up on this earth. There is always going to be something that you’re going to care about once you take care of the thing you’re currently caring for. This is why Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and the rest will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) Don’t worry about tomorrow.

So, the question really isn’t whether Philip or the other apostles passed the test or even if the multitude passed the test. The question is whether you have passed the test. Are you hungry for the Bread of Life, which Jesus alone can give you, which grants eternal life to all who consume Him? Or have you hungered and labored rather for that bread which perishes? Has your pursuit of earthly bread prevented you from receiving the heavenly Bread? Have you been more concerned about giving your children financial advice or pushing them toward a more lucrative career than you have been to bring them to church to eat the Bread of Life from heaven, which alone can grant them eternal life? We know when we’re hungry for food. It captivates our whole mind. We know when we want or need something for our body, but are we aware of our need for our soul? If you could look in the mirror and instead of seeing your body, well-fed and healthy, you saw your soul, what would you see? If you have been neglecting Christ’s Word, then you would see a starved person, emaciated, malnourished, desperate for food. Yet, the food you need is not for the belly, but for your soul!

Jesus again said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him… This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:53-56, 58). The language Jesus uses here sounds like the Lord’s Supper, which 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. However, Jesus is not speaking here strictly of the Lord’s Supper, but of faith. To eat Jesus’ flesh and to drink His blood means to have faith in Jesus’ crucifixion for your sins, where He delivered up His body to death and shed His blood for us.

Yet, this spiritual eating of faith is necessary in order to properly receive the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is Christ’s body and blood, whether you believe it or not. Jesus’ words make it so. However, if you do not believe, then you eat the body and drink the blood to your own judgment, as St. Paul warns “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). This is why the Lutheran Church along with the historical Christian Church practices closed Communion. We do not give the Lord’s Supper to people before they have been examined and absolved, nor do we give it to those who are living in open sin without repenting, or those who commune at altars, which teach false doctrine. Otherwise, those who would come up to eat the body and drink the blood of the Lord would do so to their own judgment and harm, and not for the forgiveness of sins and strengthening of faith. It is out of love that we withhold the Sacrament of the Altar until people have been properly examined, just as a pharmacist does not give prescription drugs to a person without a prescription, lest he take it to his own harm.

Yet, Jesus did not institute the Sacrament of the Altar for people to stay away from it! Neither did He suffer and die on the cross for you to ignore the preaching of His crucifixion, which is the very feeding of the Bread of Life from Heaven! And the fact that Jesus bids us to come and eat and drink in faith, means that we need it! Jesus is our great physician. He knows that we are sick. He knows that we are starving. We can’t say to Him, “Oh, don’t worry, Jesus. I’m doing fine. I’m just busy. I’ll get around to you soon.” No. You aren’t fine. You’re starving! You need the Bread of Life, which alone gives eternal life. You need Jesus! You need to repent of your sins and believe in Christ Jesus, who died for your sins!

The disciples at first failed the test. Yet, later when everyone left Jesus because of His hard teaching, the twelve disciples refused to leave. St. Peter explained, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69) So, if you have failed the test, and have valued food which perishes over the Food which endures to eternal life, repent, but do not despair. Jesus still desires to feed you, so that you will live forever. Come, and feast on the Bread of Life. Amen.

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Wrestling God and Prevailing

3/8/2023

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Eugène_Delacroix, Jakob ringt mit dem Engel Österreichische Galerie Belvedere. Public Domain.

Reminiscere Sunday (Lent 2)
Genesis 32:22-32 (Matthew 15:21-28)
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church

The story of Jacob wrestling God and the Canaanite woman pleading with Jesus are parallel stories. They seem disturbing to us, because it’s hard to understand why God can be so mean! Yet, if you are a Christian, you are likely familiar with this side of God. God wrestles with His children. To the untrained eye, it seems cruel. But it is absolutely necessary. And if you are to get through this life with your faith intact, you need to learn how to wrestle with God!
You know the story of Jacob, how he cheated his older brother Esau out of his blessing, and how Esau vowed to kill him, so Jacob had to flee to his uncle Laban’s house. And God richly blessed Jacob. Jacob married Laban’s two daughters and God granted him (at this point) eleven sons by them. He gave Jacob flocks and herds and servants. Jacob left with nothing and he was returning a rich man! Even more, God sent angels to greet Jacob on his journey, reminding Jacob of the promise God gave to him at Bethel, when he promised to make his offspring like the dust of the earth and to grant them the land of Canaan as a possession, and to bless all families of the earth through his offspring, and how God said, “I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.” (Genesis 28:15) Indeed, Jacob had good reason to be confident in the Lord!
Yet, as quickly as dark clouds can block out a bright sunny day, so Jacob’s situation seemed to change. Messengers returned to Jacob and told him that his brother Esau was coming with four hundred men. Jacob was certain that Esau intended to kill him, his wives and his children, and plunder all his possessions. So, Jacob divided his family and possessions, in hopes that if one camp were attacked, the other would survive, and he sent convoys of livestock ahead of him as gifts to Esau in an attempt to appease his wrath. And Jacob bowed down to pray to God, appealing to His mercy and promise.
Yet, God answered Jacob’s prayer by appearing to him as a man and wrestling him throughout the night. It seems that God is being cruel to Jacob. Yet, remarkably, Jacob continues to wrestle. It’s a match that can’t be won! How can a man defeat God in a wrestling match! Yet, Jacob holds on, even more, he appears to be winning! So, God knocks Jacob’s hip out of joint! Yet, Jacob continues to hold on. So, God tells Jacob to let go. Jacob is certain that this man is sent by God, so he says, “I will not let go until you bless me.” So, God blesses him. He changes his name from Jacob to Israel, saying, “You have striven with God and with man, and have prevailed.”
There has been much arguing over the meaning of the name of Israel over the millennia. In the name Israel, you can find the Hebrew words for to see and God, so some say it means seeing God. However, you can also find the word for contend or persevere, so Israel might mean God will contend. Either way, it is clear that Jacob did see God face to face, and he did contend with him, and he did prevail. Although weeping tarried through the night, joy met him in the morning (Psalm 30:5). God blessed Jacob.
Moreover, when Esau met Jacob, he embraced him and kissed him. He had forgotten his anger and forgiven Jacob, a reminder to us that we should not fear to talk to those we are at odds with, but seek to be reconciled.
Yet, how did Jacob win against God? He clung to God’s word and promise. God promised Jacob that He would give him and his descendants the land, that He would make his descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth, that He would bless all nations through his offspring, and that He would not leave him until He had accomplished what He had promised him. This is what Jacob reminded God in his prayer that night. And this is the reason he held on and strove through the sweat and the dust and the blood, even through dislocated limb.
So, Jacob teaches us how to pray, persevere, and wrestle with God by clinging to God’s Word and not letting go. Next, the Canaanite woman does the same thing. She cries to Jesus for help, because her daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. Yet, Jesus ignores her, because she is a Canaanite woman. She is not a descendant of Israel. Jesus has only come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Furthermore, he calls her a dog, saying it would not be right to take the children’s bread, that is the blessings of the Israelites, and give it to the dogs, that is, this Canaanite woman.
But there the faithful lady finds her Word and she clings to it for dear life, just as Jacob held fast to God. She exclaims, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” And with these words, she proves herself to be a true daughter of Israel. For Israel was given that name, because of his faith. By faith he strove with God and won, clinging to His promise. And so, this woman is given a seat at the table of Israel. She is a true daughter through faith.
She could have been offended at the words Jesus spoke to her. When Jesus implied that she was a dog, she could have said, “Okay, fine, I’ll find another savior.” But rather, she humbled herself and clung to Jesus’ Word. And she found her salvation in Him. “You call me a dog? Then I’m a dog. Yet, even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
And so, it is with us. We confess at church that we are poor miserable sinners, who deserve God’s temporal and eternal punishment. We do this, because holy Scripture clearly teaches that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Hearing this, we could get offended and say, “If that’s the way it is, I’ll find another god to worship who will be more polite to me.” But rather, we confess our sins and acknowledge that God is right. We are poor miserable sinners. But we have a word from Scripture. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! (1 Timothy 1:15) So, we gladly confess that we are sinners, so that we may receive salvation as a gift.
And this is how you go through the trials in your life, when you don’t know what tomorrow brings, when you are anxious about the needs of your body or your family, when your conscience is stricken, when it seems that God is absent or when it seems that God is pressing you hard so that you cannot breathe, you have a word from God.
Are you anxious about food, clothing, health, or other things of the body? Jesus says, “Do not be anxious, your heavenly Father knows that you need these things.” (Matthew 6:32) God promises to care for you. “Ask, and it will be given to you,” he says. (Matthew 7:7)
Are you afraid of your sins? Of death? Of hell? Christ Jesus has granted you many words to comfort you. He has given you Baptism, to which he gives the promise of the forgiveness of sins, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. He promises you that when His minister declares that your sins are forgiven, it is as valid and certain even in heaven as if He spoke the words Himself. (Matthew 18:18; John 20:23) Christ has given you His body and blood with a pledge of forgiveness and Communion with Him to all who believe. When you are going through hell here on earth, Christ gives you words of promise to cling to, so that you can get out of hell.
Jacob’s hip was put out of joint when he wrestled with God, foreshadowing that his offspring Jesus Christ would have all his limbs pulled out of joint on the cross (Psalm 22:14), so that all families of the earth may be blessed through Him. And it is in Jesus that we see the most important wrestling match with God. Jesus is Himself true God, the only begotten Son of the Father from eternity. Yet, He became a man. And in human flesh, He wrestled with God. In the garden, as His soul was in anguish to the point of death and great drops of blood dropped from His pours like sweat, He prayed to His heavenly Father that this cup of woe and judgment be taken away from Him. Yet, He prayed not His will, but His Father’s will be done. Jesus wrestled with His Father. And although He did exactly what His Father directed Him to do, He did not lose His wrestling match. He won, because He clung to His Father’s will and promise, and so the Father raised Him from the dead. By winning His wrestling match, Jesus won for us eternal life by paying for our sins on the cross.
So, in Jesus’ wrestling match, we learn also to pray, “Thy will be done.” We don’t know exactly what God has planned for us in this life. But we do know that He willed for His Son to suffer and die for us, so that we could inherit eternal life as a gift. If God so loved us to offer His Son for our salvation, how much more will He graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32) How much more should we believe that all things will work out together for good for those of us who love God and trust in His plan. (Romans 8:28)
We are not abused children when we trust in our Savior in this way. Rather, we are well trained and well reared children. Our natural sinful inclination is to flee from God and to seek our own pleasure. The world eggs us on in this desire. And the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he will devour, that is, whose faith he will destroy. If God were to leave us to our own devises, we would be destroyed. He would be a negligent father. Yet, Scripture tells us, “The Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” (Hebrews 12:6)
So, God wrestles with us to make us stronger in the faith, to make us let go of our fears and cast our anxieties on Him who cares, to bring us to true repentance of our sins and to make us confident in His Salvation and love for us.
In Jacob, the Canaanite woman, and Jesus we see that God wrestles with those whom He loves and intends to bless. So, when trials meet you, do not despair. Do not flee from God’s Word and preaching or neglect your prayers. Look to God’s promises to you in Christ Jesus. Cling to these promises. Receive them in faith. And pray fervently according to the promises which God gives you through Christ. And God will most certainly bless you. Amen.

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Jesus Is the Son of God

3/4/2023

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Temptation of Christ, St. Mark's Basilica, Venice. 12c. Public Domain.

Invocavit Sunday (Lent 1)
Matthew 4:1-11
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
February 26, 2023

When God commanded Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, He sent him to Pharoah saying, “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.”’” (Exodus 4:22-23) And after ten destructive plagues upon Egypt, Israel did escape from Egypt, passing through the Red Sea, which St. Paul called being “baptized into Moses” (1 Corinthians 10:2). Israel, God’s son, then wandered in the wilderness for forty years. However, Israel did not live up to the title of God’s son. He was unfaithful. He did not live on God’s Word alone, but grumbled for food, saying it would have been better to be slaves in Egypt with food than to die in the wilderness. In other words, Israel would rather eat bread than be God’s son. Israel tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not” (Exodus 17:7), when they thirsted for water. And Israel did not worship the LORD God or serve Him only, but they ran after the Baal’s of the nations around them, even worshiping a golden calf! God was displeased with Israel and scattered him in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:5).

Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God the Father, His only Son from eternity. He too was called out of Egypt after His family fled the murderous Herod (Matthew 2:15). Jesus too was baptized in water, at which time God the Father declared from heaven, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) And Jesus too was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit of God to be tempted by Satan for forty days. Israel, God’s firstborn son failed to prove himself a son. Instead, he was only a type of the Son who was to come, Jesus Christ.

When Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days, Satan tempted Him in a similar manner to how he tempted Israel. He tried to get Jesus to care for the needs of His body instead of the care for His soul. Yet, Jesus answered Satan, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) This shows Jesus’ perfect faith. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17). For a son to be faithful, he must listen and pay attention to the word of his father. Jesus is perfectly faithful. He knows that it is by the Word of the LORD that we eat all our food, are clothed, and rest our heads. God sent Him into the wilderness to fast. Jesus does not need to prove that He is God’s Son. He trusts that God will feed Him at the proper time. This is a great lesson for us. How often do we ignore God’s Word, putting it aside to deal with the “more important” things of this life. But no. We’re wrong. Your job, food, clothing, spouse, children, everything you have is given to you by God. He answers your prayers. To forsake His Word in order to pursue these things is to deny that God gives us the things we need. That is an act of unbelief.

Next, Satan tries to prove to Jesus that he too knows God’s Word. He uses Psalm 91, which promises the aid of angels to God’s children, to get Jesus to test God by jumping off the pinnacle of the temple. Yet, that passage is not meant to get God’s children to live recklessly, but rather to trust that God will protect them with His angels as they live out their faith. Satan omits the important line, “to guard you in all your ways,” which makes clear that angels should not be taken advantage of so that we may test God. Yet, Jesus again responds with Holy Scripture, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Deuteronomy 6:16)

It is God’s prerogative to test us. He tests our faith in order to strengthen our faith, so that we cling closer to Him and trust His promises. Yet, we must never test God. We test God in order to manipulate His Word and avoid accepting the truth. This is done by all false teachers, who manipulate the Word of God in order to fit their own opinions. Scripture has been abundantly clear from the beginning and Christians have always acknowledged its clear words regarding marriage and chastity, that Jesus is the only way to heaven, that Scripture cannot be broken.

Yet, Christians continue to follow after preachers and teachers who claim that Scripture does not really say what it has always said. And lo and behold, these discoveries always seem to fall in line with the current trends. It is exactly as St. Paul said, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) If you are following a new teaching about sexuality, marriage, salvation, or any other teaching contrary to the pure words of Scripture, then you are not following the voice of God, but your own passions. You should repent and not test the LORD God. You must not put your own words in God’s mouth.

Finally, Satan tempts Jesus with the kingdoms and glory of the world, promising that he would give them all to Jesus if he would only fall down and worship him. At first thought, this seems like such an easy temptation to overcome. Who on earth would worship Satan? And why would someone think that Satan could give you anything? Yet, people fall away from the only saving Christian faith for this very temptation every day. Young people acquire new wisdom when they go off to college, assuming that they’ve figured out in a short time what most people can’t learn in a lifetime. So, they forsake God’s Word. They stop going to church. Although they’ve discovered new types of sins, they neglect going to receive the forgiveness of sins or strengthening their faith in Christ with His Sacrament. Young and old Christians chase after money, careers, sex, doing exactly what Satan tells them to do, although they do not recognize it as such. They bow down to Satan spiritually as they chase the glories of this dying world at the expense of God’s sweet forgiveness for the sake of Jesus Christ His Son.

Yet, Jesus once again proves Himself to be the Good Son. He quotes Scripture, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” (Deuteronomy 6:13) This gets to the heart of faith. Why live by God’s Word alone? Why not test God? Why not worship and serve anything or one else but God? Because He is your God, your Creator, your Provider, your Protecter, Redeemer, and Savior. He alone gives you life. He alone forgives your sins. He alone can rescue you from death and hell. Satan lies, promising to give you a little of what God has already promised to give you in full: Joy and eternal life.

So, Israel is a bad son. He doesn’t live up to his title. And what’s worse for us, we learn from Jesus’ example that we’re not good sons either! It is not a hypothetical whether we would withstand Satan’s temptation in the wilderness. We fall to Satan’s lies every day in this valley of the shadow of death! God’s Word is often not on our mind. When we decide to do something, we ask ourselves whether we want to or can do it. We don’t ask if it is God’s will! We test God by listening to liars, and like teenagers driving a car on empty, we see how long we can go in the faith without hearing and meditating on God’s Word. Although we hate to admit it, we serve the gods of this world, who offer us glory instead of devoting ourselves to God and serving Him.

So, what good is it to us that Jesus is the Good Son? How can we bad sons rejoice in the victory of the Good Son? Why does it matter that Jesus overcame the temptation of Satan? Because He is our Champion! Jesus was not tempted for His own sake, but for our sake, so that we might become sons of God.

Jesus is not God’s Son simply as an honorary title. Jesus is God’s Son from eternity. He shares in the same substance and nature of God the Father and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are one God, distinct persons, yet indivisible in essence. When Jesus prayed His high priestly prayer before His betrayal by Judas Iscariot, He prayed to His Father, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:5)

Before the universe was created out of nothing, before God made human flesh out of dust, before God endowed man with an immortal soul, Christ was the Son of God. He does not need to strive with Satan to prove His divinity. He didn’t need to earn His Sonship. Yet, the Son of God took on our human flesh and in human flesh, He strove with Satan and won. He did what Adam and Eve failed to do. He did what Israel failed to do. He did what each and every one of us has failed to do. He remained sinless in human flesh while being tempted by Satan himself.

And Jesus conquered Satan in human flesh, so that He might give us the victory over Satan and declare us to be sons of God. St. Paul writes to the Galatians in chapter 4, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Jesus did what we could not do, so that He could make us what we could not make ourselves. Jesus in human flesh conquered Satan and kept God’s Law. And He did not fail the test, even as Satan’s minions tested Him, crying, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” (Matthew 27:40) God’s Son remained on that cross in human flesh until every one of our sins was paid for. Jesus is our champion. Jesus gives us the victory. (1 Corinthians 15:17) And we receive this victory through faith, when we believe in what Jesus has done for us, as St. Paul writes, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” (Galatians 3:26)

The title devil means slanderer. The devil slanders us, questioning whether we are God’s children. We point to our Baptism into Christ and the victory Christ won for us over Satan in the wilderness and say, “Christ is righteous, and therefore, so am I.” Satan means adversary. When Satan opposes us, we can say to him, “Christ Jesus defeated you, and I am clothed in Christ. Begone Satan!”

Through faith, Jesus’ victory over Satan is our victory over Satan. Jesus’ death on the cross is our death on the cross. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is our resurrection from the dead. And so, through faith in Christ, we are God’s children, heirs of His Kingdom Amen.

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"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

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