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Quasimodo Geniti (Easter 2): Jesus Gives Us the Ministry of Reconciliation

4/30/2019

The Doubting Thomas, from The Small Passion,ca. 1510 Albrecht Dürer. German metmuseum.org Public Domain

Quinquagesima 2019
The Cross of Christ Reveals the Glory of the Holy Trinity
Luke 18:31-43
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
March 3, 2019

Natural science seeks to determine how the world and universe around us work through observation and experimentation. The natural scientist uses his senses to observe and test nature in order to come to conclusions. When I was a young student my science teacher told our class that we were all scientists, because we all made observations in order to obtain knowledge. And of course, using the scientific method and employing the senses, which God has given you to learn about creation is a good and useful task. We live in the most scientifically advanced civilization in history, because of the well-cultivated pursuit of scientific observation.
Science is very useful for learning about the creation, but what about the Creator? What can you know about God through observation and experimentation and gathering of information through the senses? I’ve recently been following the lectures of some prominent scientists, who argue in favor of intelligent design. They argue that through what we can observe in the natural world, we can conclude that an intelligent designer designed life and other phenomena in the universe. One scientist said that you could see the designer’s signature in the DNA of each cell. We of course, would call this designer, God, the Creator.
And even Scripture tells us that we can know something about God through natural observation. St. Paul writes in Romans chapter 1, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (vss. 19-20) This learning about God through nature is called natural theology. Yet, it is important to note that although one can learn somethings about God through observing the universe, the universe will not reveal to you the way of salvation or the truth of the holy Trinity. Natural theology will not teach you the Gospel. Rather, St. Paul uses the argument that God’s invisible attributes are clearly perceived in the things that have been made to show that the ungodly are without excuse. We can find evidence of God’s wrath in the natural world, but we cannot find God’s grace.
God’s grace and the glory of the holy Trinity can only be known through revelation of God’s word. Yet, God’s word must not be treated the same way as we do science with testing and experimentation, trying to understand something before we say that it is true. That is the stumbling block that Jesus’ disciples stumbled across when they did not understand his plain words. Jesus spoke clearly that he would be delivered over to the Gentiles to be mocked, mistreated, and killed, and on the third day rise again in order to fulfill the Scriptures.
Yet, his disciples did not understand. This is because the revelation of God’s word is not understood through the scrutiny of our senses, but as a gift from the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 states, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
You will not learn the truth of the one true God; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, by observing nature. You will only learn of the true glory and mercy of the Triune God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In John chapter 14 his disciple Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus responded, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” God the Father will not be seen apart from his Son, Jesus Christ. We see God the Father when we see Jesus crucified on the cross for our sins.
On the cross we see the Father’s righteousness, love, and mercy. The Father is righteous. Sin cannot dwell with him. In Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, we see the Father’s righteous wrath against sin as Jesus suffers the turmoil of our sin. We see the Father’s wonderous love, who loved us so much that he did not spare his own Son, but made him to be the propitiation for our sins. In the crucifixion of Jesus, we see the will of God the Father carried out on account of his deep love for us. God the Father will not be known and cannot be known apart from Christ’s crucifixion for us.
Christ Jesus, the Son of God, will not and cannot be known apart from his crucifixion. In John chapter 12 our Lord in great anticipation for his crucifixion said, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” (vss. 27-28) The crucifixion of Christ was the purpose for which he became a human being and was born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus did this to save us. And in saving us through his crucifixion, the Father glorified his name in Christ.
It was necessary for Jesus to be crucified, so that we could be saved. Isaiah 53 articulates the necessity of Christ’s passion some seven centuries before it took place, “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one --to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (vss. 5-6) In Christ’s crucifixion he gathered all people to himself by removing that which separates us from our holy and righteous God. This is why Christ Jesus will not be seen as our victor as we see him on Easter Sunday, unless he is first seen in his passion on Good Friday.
God the Father will not be known apart from Christ and his cross and Christ Jesus will not be known apart from the Holy Spirit, who delivers the revelation of Christ crucified to us. Natural science cannot explain the value of Jesus’ crucifixion nor can it convince us that it takes away our sins. According to scientific scrutiny the crucifixion of Christ is of no value. This is because only the Holy Spirit can grant faith in Christ. 1 Corinthians 1 states, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (vss. 22-24) The Holy Spirit teaches us what we need to know about the Triune God by first teaching us of Christ’s death for our sins and his resurrection. And he calls us to believe these truths without seeing them or feeling them or testing them.
The blind man in our lesson is a great example to us. He is blind, which demonstrates a lack of the senses. But he doesn’t trust in his senses. He trusts in the promise of Scripture. That is why he calls Jesus, the Son of David, the title of the promised Christ, who would give sight to the blind (1 Chronicles 17; 35:5). Jesus tells the man that his faith has saved him before he receives his sight. The man believed that Jesus would heal him of his blindness before he could see any evidence of it. This is how faith works. Faith trusts in the promise. The Holy Spirit does not give you something for your senses to scrutinize, but for your faith to receive with hope.
To truly know God, you do not start by searching the stars or examining microorganisms under a microscope. To know God, you must look to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. There is the greatest manifestation of the divine essence. In the historical event where God saves sinners, who God is, is most clearly revealed to us. And this event and its meaning are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit in the holy Scriptures.
The crucifixion of Christ identifies for you who God truly is. The crucifixion of Christ also identifies who you really are. The cross of Christ defines you as a Christian. There you see God’s wrath against your sin and the tremendous distance between the righteous God and your sinful self, closed only by the blood of Christ. There you see God’s mercy and love for you, the extreme measure he goes to save you. There you recognize your worth purely through God’s grace. Through faith the Holy Spirit has joined your identity inextricably with the crucifixion of Christ. You are forgiven by Jesus’ suffering and death. You are joined to his death and resurrection. You are a recipient of God’s boundless grace revealed in Christ’s cross. When you call yourself a Christian or baptized you are saying that you are one redeemed by the blood of Christ. You cannot know yourself for the rest of eternity without knowing yourself in connection to Christ and his cross. Forever you are a recipient of God’s boundless grace.
And you can’t know your neighbor apart from Christ’s crucifixion; especially your fellow Christians, who put their faith in it. Jesus shed his blood for everyone here. This should draw us to treat each other with love and patience and forgiveness. When you look at your fellow Christian you see someone, for whom Christ shed his precious blood, whose identity is inseparable from the same event in which you set your hope.
Faith is different from scientific knowledge, because it is dependent on revelation, not observation. The revelation of Christ’s death and resurrection determines what our faith believes is true, not the observations of our senses. This is indeed comforting, because what we experience in this world often hides God’s grace from us, as we suffer pain, doubt, and guilt. But the revelation of Christ’s suffering and death for your sins remains the same. Your Baptism remains the same. The Sacrament, which gives you the risen body and blood of Christ to eat and to drink for your forgiveness remains the same. And by this you know that your God; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit remains the same, as does his forgiveness and love for you. This Wednesday we will begin to pay special devotion to the passion of Christ and to examine ourselves according to it as we begin the season of Lent. May our eyes be fixed on Christ and his passion beyond these forty days and into eternity. Amen.

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Easter Sunday 2019 Could the Head Rise and Leave His Members Dead?

4/23/2019

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Christ and Saint Peter; the Resurrection; Christ and Mary Magdalen,1360s Giovanni da Milano metmuseum.org Public Domain

Mark 16:1-18; Job 19:23-27; 1 Corinthians 15
April 21, 2019

On Monday of this Holy Week the world watched in horror and sorrow as the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France burned. People gasped as its spire, which towered 300 feet above the ground toppled over in flames. For much of the day the firefighters feared that nothing of the Cathedral would be saved. Finally, after over 12 hours of fighting the fire, the main structure of the church was saved. However, the roof was nearly completely destroyed along with much of the inside.
It was tragic to see such a gigantic and ancient building engulfed in flames. The first stones of that church were laid in the twelfth century. It took over a century for it to be built to its full glory, yet 19 years into construction its high altar was consecrated in 1182, which means that by the time Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg 500 years ago, Christians had been worshipping within the walls of Notre Dame for over 300 years. That’s older than the United States of America today!
What was most tragic about the sight of those flames ravaging one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the world was what it symbolized. The burning of Notre Dame came after the Christian Church in Europe has shrunk dramatically in recent decades. Around the time of my birth around 80% of France identified as Christian. Now it is around 50%! Of course, that’s just those who identify as Christians to pollsters. The number who actually attend Christian worship is significantly less than that. Yes, the burning of Notre Dame was a timely and tragic image of the Christian Church in the West. The Church is burning down.
The world mourned the destruction of this building, even many self-proclaimed non-Christians grieved its loss. It was a loss of history and art. For many Notre Dame was not much more than a museum, which showcased French pride and some neat historical religious stuff. Many pledged millions of dollars to rebuild. The French president, who is publicly agnostic, said that they will rebuild the church. Why? Why do those, who do not believe in Christ want to rebuild this structure? Well, for history, art, and architecture. This is much more than a religious building, we’re told.
But the fact of the matter is, the only true purpose for a church building is for Christ’s sheep to gather to hear the words of Christ. This is not to say that we shouldn’t make our church buildings beautiful and it is by no means a sin to make beautiful churches with stunning architecture and art to show to the world that this is God’s house. But such extravagance does not make it a church. The Church is not built of stone and mortar, but of people; human beings, who hear and believe the words of Christ.
If Trinity Lutheran Church here on this hill were to go up in flames it would sadden many you, who have worshipped here, been baptized, confirmed, and married here. It would be a sight to see and would probably make the news in Des Moines, but most likely not national news and certainly not international news. Yet, what would be much more tragic than these beams lighting up and these brick walls crumbling down would be if the pure words of Jesus stopped being preached and if people stopped gathering to hear them. What would cause the angels in heaven to mourn would be for you to stop hearing the words of your Shepherd.
Martin Luther writes, “Thank God, today a seven-year-old child knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers and lambs who hear the voice of their Shepherd.” Luther gets this definition from Jesus himself, who says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) And “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.” (John 8:31)
On Easter we usually have more people gathered in church than other Sunday mornings. However, there is little reason why our Easter attendance couldn’t be our average attendance. The Church didn’t start celebrating Easter as an annual celebration until the second century, decades after Jesus rose from the dead. But that doesn’t mean that the Church didn’t celebrate the resurrection of Christ until then. Rather, the yearly Easter celebration came about from the weekly Easter celebration. Ever since the very first Easter Christians have gathered on the first day of the week to worship Jesus and celebrate his resurrection. Every seven days since Jesus first appeared to his disciples displaying his pierced hands and side as they were hiding behind closed doors, Christians have gathered to hear God’s Word, to pray, and to celebrate the Sacrament.
Why? Why have Christians gathered together on the first day of the week every week for nearly two thousand years? We do this to remember and indeed to receive the benefits of Christ’s resurrection. Before Jesus died on the cross, he made clear that he joined himself to his Church. First, he joined himself to the entire human race by becoming a man. Jesus, while remaining forever God, is truly a human being like each of us except without sin. Yet, while Jesus resisted every temptation and kept himself pure, he willingly took upon himself the sins of the whole world and was punished in our place. Jesus’ death on the cross went far beyond physical suffering. He endured God’s wrath for all sins and satisfied it. In this way, Jesus has joined himself to every human being. He has taken our flesh and he has taken our sins.
What this means is that we are saved apart from our works. Our works are contaminated with sin, but Jesus has taken away our sins. This means we are saved by faith in Christ. We receive such faith by hearing Jesus’ word. Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.” Again, Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” And “Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”
Through faith we are united to Christ in a special relationship that surpasses even our physical connection of sharing the same flesh and blood. Through faith we are joined to Jesus’ death on the cross. Our sinful old man dies with Jesus. And we rise again with Jesus. This is why we celebrate Easter week after week. Jesus teaches us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
After Jesus’ resurrection he continued to teach his disciples. He taught them how to be the Church. The Church is the Church by hearing and believing the words of Christ. Through Baptism and continued use of the means of grace Jesus’ body grows and lives. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19). The Church is the body of Christ. The Church does not exist without Jesus. And Jesus teaches us that we abide with him through his word. Jesus says, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers...” (John 14:5-6)
The Church is not just some institution that teaches good morals. Being a Christian is not just knowing a set of rules to make you a good person. Being a Christian goes beyond this life; this is what Jesus’ resurrection teaches us. If Christianity only pertained to this life, then we would have a sorry religion. St. Paul teaches us “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.” (1 Corinthians 15:19-20) Because Jesus is raised from the dead, you too who abide in Christ through faith will also rise.
This also means that the Church is durable and will last forever. We sing,
“Built on the Rock the Church shall stand
Even when steeples are falling.
Crumbling have spires in every land;
Bells still are chiming and calling,
Calling the young and old to rest,
But above all the souls distressed,
Longing for rest everlasting.” (LSB 645)
The Church is permanent. It cannot be destroyed. As long as there are Christians who hear and believe Christ’s word, which the Holy Spirit will make sure to supply, then Jesus’ Church will remain on earth even if all the great cathedrals in the world crumble down.
Jesus said while in the temple in Jerusalem, one of the great wonders of the world, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19) Of course, Jesus did not mean the temple, which took 46 years to build, but his body. Yet, what is easier, to rebuild a fallen temple or to raise a dead man from the dead? Which is easier, to rebuild the Cathedral of Notre Dame or to raise from the dead those 207 killed in Sri Lanka this morning? Yet, this is what Christ’s resurrection accomplishes. We are the body of Christ. Though we be torn down and buried, Christ will raise us up.
The Church gathers to hear Jesus’ words on the day of his resurrection, because Jesus’ words give eternal life. Jesus lives. He is risen from the dead. He will never die again. And he tells us that his words give eternal life. We hear his words, so that we might join him in his resurrection.
A great hymn of comfort says,
“Jesus, my Redeemer, lives;
Likewise I to life shall waken.
He will bring me where He is;
Shall my courage then be shaken?
Shall I fear, or could the Head
Rise and leave his members dead?” (LSB 741)
The head cannot rise without its body. Jesus is our head and we are his body, if we abide in his words.
Jesus’ resurrection draws the Christian out of the temporal and into the eternal. If I am a member of Christ’s body, then I will live forever. Money, food, drink, work, friends, all the cares and pleasures of this life are temporary. But my life in Christ is eternal. Possessions and reputation do not define me, but Christ does. In him I have forgiveness and life that will last forever.
I think I would like to go to France someday. I think it would be quite neat to place my hand upon the stones of Notre Dame and think about how those stones were laid in those walls over 800 years ago. Yet, what Jesus’ resurrection teaches me is that long before those stones were placed in those walls, indeed before those stones were formed in the earth, God knew me in Christ. And long after all these stones fall and everything made by man is a forgotten memory, I will still be alive, living with Christ my risen Savior.
The Church will never die, because Jesus will never die. And as long as I am a member of Christ’s Church, that is, as long as I am a lamb who hears and believes the words of Jesus, I know that I will never die. Jesus, my head, has taken death away from me. He gives me eternal life. Brothers and sisters in Christ, as long as we abide in Jesus’ word, we have eternal life.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

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Easter Vigil 2019 I Believe in the Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting

4/23/2019

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The Resurrection,ca. 1562–63 Philips Galle Netherlandish. metmuseum.org Public Domain

John 20:1-18
April 20, 2019

Why did Mary Magdalene go to Jesus’ tomb so early on that Sunday morning? Mary Magdalene is known as the first witness of the empty tomb and of the risen Christ, but why was she there? She went there, as the other Gospels tell us, in order to anoint Jesus’ body with spices. You see, when Jesus died, they were in a rush to bury him. It was only a few hours before sundown. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday night and runs until sundown Saturday evening. Jews are not permitted to do any work on the Sabbath. So, in just a few short hours Joseph of Arimathea got permission from Pilate to take Jesus’ dead body down from the cross, then they brought him to a nearby tomb in the garden, and he and Nicodemus hurriedly prepared Jesus’ body for burial, binding his body with a mixture of myrrh and aloes as was the burial custom of the Jews. But the women, including Mary Magdalene, did not have time to anoint Jesus with their spices before the men closed the tomb with a large stone and the sun went down. So, the women spent the Sabbath preparing spices to bring to Jesus’ body first thing Sunday morning.
But why? Why was it the burial custom of the Jews to wrap the body with spices? Why did Mary and the other women feel the need to put expensive smelling oils and rubs on a corpse? The answer: Because they believed in the resurrection of the body. Mary was at the tomb so early on Sunday morning, because she firmly believed in the resurrection of the dead.
Now, that might sound odd, because Mary was so surprised when she saw Jesus risen from the dead. She didn’t even recognize his voice or even his face through her teary eyes. If she believed in the resurrection, why was she so surprised? Well, because she didn’t expect the resurrection to happen that day!
Mary was a Bible-believing Jew. That’s why she believed in the resurrection. All faithful followers of the Lord believed in the resurrection of the dead. That is why it was the burial custom of the Jews to anoint a dead body with oils and spices. They treated the body with respect in order to confess their belief that God would raise that body from the dead. It is why we too treat our dead with respect and bury their bodies to await the resurrection.
The resurrection of the dead is taught throughout the Old Testament both implicitly and explicitly. In Job chapter 19 Job confesses, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” (vss. 25-27) God speaks through the prophet, Isaiah in chapter 26, “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!” The prophet, Daniel sees in a vision, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (12:2)
The belief in the resurrection of the dead by the faithful is what caused Abraham to be so diligent in procuring a burial place for his wife, Sarah. It is why Jacob insisted that his children bury him in the promised land and Joseph’s last will was that his bones be carried out of Egypt and buried in Israel. The Psalmist confesses the resurrection of the dead in Psalm 6, “For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?”
Yes, there have been those who even claimed to worship the true God who have denied the resurrection of the body. Jesus himself shut down the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection when he said, “And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:32-32)
The resurrection of the dead has always been a firm belief of God’s people from Adam to Mary Magdalene. This is why when Jesus told Martha that her brother Lazarus would rise again, she faithfully answered, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” And there you see why Mary Magdalene was so surprised. She believed in the resurrection of the dead, but she was only thinking about the Last Day. She didn’t expect Jesus to rise on this day!
And that was the great lesson Mary learned on that day and which we learn today as well. Unless Jesus rises from the dead on this Easter Day, there will be no resurrection from the dead on the Last Day! When Martha so beautifully confessed the resurrection of the dead even as her brother laid dead in a tomb, Jesus answered her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)
When you think of it, it is quite remarkable that the Jews believed in the resurrection of the dead! God told Adam that on the day that he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that he would surely die. And he did die; first spiritually, and then eventually physically. And all Adam’s children died with the exception of Enoch and Elijah. As St. Paul tells us, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). All people are sinners. So, all people will die. So, why on earth did the Jews believe in a resurrection of the dead? Well, because they believed in the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus came to forgive our sins. He is the sacrifice foretold by Isaiah, who would bear the iniquity of God’s people. Jesus bore the sins of the whole world on his body and soul and died for them. Jesus bore not only the punishment of Roman soldiers and the shame from the Jewish people on the cross. Jesus bore God’s divine punishment for all sins upon his soul. Jesus made atonement for us and appeased God’s wrath. Scripture teaches us in Colossians chapter 2, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (vss. 13-14)
All the sins of the whole world were put on Jesus; sins, which keep us in our graves. Yet, Jesus, who took ownership of our sins, rose from the dead. There is not a sin you have committed or ever will commit that was not placed upon Jesus. And Jesus rose from the dead. That means that Jesus indeed took care of your sins. That means that you too will rise from the dead.
Mary Magdalene believed in the resurrection of the dead, but until she saw Jesus alive after his death, she did not understand how it would come about. Now she does. And she awaits the resurrection of her body even as we look forward to the resurrection of ours. All who believe in Jesus Christ will not only rise from their graves, but will live forever with him. Rejoice, my fellow Christians. You are not dead in your sins. Christ is risen. He is risen in deed. Alleluia! Amen.

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Maundy Thursday: Jesus Creates Love in Our Hearts by Loving Us

4/20/2019

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The Last Supper ,ca. 1325–30 Ugolino da Siena (Ugolino di Nerio) Italian. metmuseum.org. Public Domain

John 13:1-15, 34-35
April 18, 2019

This is the last night of Jesus’ life before he will die and he knows it. St. John writes, “When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father...” That right there sets the mood for what Jesus is about to do and say. Jesus isn’t joking around. He is about to die. He has only a few more hours with his disciples before he will be taken away by armed men to be tortured and killed. It behooves all of us Christians to pay careful attention to the words and actions of our Lord this night. They weigh greatly upon his heart and he makes the best use of his final hours to speak them and to do them.
This holy night is commonly called Maundy Thursday after the Latin word mandatum, which means command. Jesus says in our Gospel lesson, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (vs. 34) This night is also when our Lord Jesus instituted the Sacrament of his body and blood for us Christians to eat and to drink. And as with the command to love, we Christians should also listen to these words with special reverence. St. Paul again sets the tone with these words, which are repeated every time the Church receives this Sacrament, “[Our] Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread...” (1 Corinthians 11:23) These words tell us that what Jesus is about to say and do is absolutely deliberate. And he wants us to pay close attention. These words about eating and drinking his body and blood are his last will and testament before he dies.
Preachers are often conflicted between these two great lessons on Maundy Thursday. Which text should I preach on? Should I emphasize Jesus’ exhortation to love one another just as he has loved us? Or should I give a lesson on what the Sacrament of the Altar is and why it is important for the life of the Christian? Yet, these two lessons first taught by Jesus on the night he was betrayed are not exclusive, but flow in and from each other.
Jesus did not simply give a command to love, he gave an example by washing his disciples’ feet. If he, their Lord and Teacher washed their feet, so also should the disciples wash one another’s feet. Yet, even this example was only a lesson, a small token of what Christ was about to do. It says, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” The service Jesus offers his disciples and indeed the entire world transcends feet washing. Jesus loves them to the end, his end upon the cross.
Jesus’ death upon the cross was the greatest act of love ever done. And it is that act of love, which enables his disciples to love one another. St. John writes, “We love, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) It is this act of love, which washes away our sins, conquers hate, death, and hell. When Jesus washed the grime off his disciples’ feet, he taught them that he washed the guilt from their souls with his very blood. Jesus said in John chapter 12, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” All people are sinners. And Jesus joins all sinners to himself by bearing their sins and giving them all access to eternal life through faith in him. Jesus’ love is universal.
And on the same night in which Jesus teaches his disciples to love, he feeds them his very body and blood, which he gave in love to save sinners. These words, “Given and shed for you.” are a proclamation of the Gospel. Jesus tells his church every time these words are repeated that he gave his body over to death for us. He tells us that his blood, not the blood of bulls and goats, is the basis of his New Testament. Jesus’ blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sin. His blood marks our door, so that death not only passes over us for a night, but for all eternity.
Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Every time we receive Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament, Jesus makes known to us that we are his friends. He laid down his life for us. There is no greater love than that proclaimed to the faithful, who receive this Sacrament of Jesus’ body and blood.
Jesus tells Peter that if he does not wash him then he has no part in him. Jesus does not mean a physical washing, but a spiritual washing. Unless Jesus wash away your sins, then you have no part in him. Unless you receive Jesus’ love, which he performed for you on the cross, in faith, then you cannot call yourself a Christian. And then Jesus says something more. “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.”
Now, there is an obvious reference to Baptism there, but what Jesus means is this. You do not need another atoning sacrifice. You do not need to be baptized again. You who have been made clean by Christ’s love on the cross through faith are indeed clean. Yet, you still need your feet to be washed. You are still going to get dirty in this world; you’re still going to sin. You need to be forgiven. You need to be absolved. You need the muck that sticks to you from your sinful nature, from walking in this God-hating world, from the assaults of the devil to be cleansed off of you. This is done by the repeated forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ washes your feet when you receive the absolution, when you hear the preaching of the Gospel, and yes, most certainly when you eat and drink Christ’s true body and blood for your forgiveness. Here at this altar, Christ washes your feet.
The Lord’s Supper is a “feast of love,” not only because Jesus instituted it out of love for you, but because it is the source of the strongest love between Christians, as we pray after receiving this meal that it would strengthen us in fervent love toward one another. This Supper is not only an expression of love between God and the individual Christian, but between all Christians who participate in this meal. Through this meal you are given the ability to love one another and in fact this very meal is an expression of love between us.
“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? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) It is this passage from 1 Corinthians 10 where we get the word Communion. Participation is Communion. The body of Christ is not torn apart by the congregation or by an individual as they eat the bread and wine in the Supper. Rather, each communicant receives the one and the same complete body and blood of Christ in a miraculous way that only God understands. This means that each Christian receives the entire Christ when he receives this meal. We all become intimately united with one another as one body and soul.
You don’t hate yourself. Then how can you hate the one, who is joined to you so closely as to be a fellow participant in the body of Christ? It is impossible for one who believes in the mystery of this meal to hate his fellow Christians, whom he knows also share in the same body and blood of Christ.
This is why it is so important that we believe that the Lord’s Supper is truly Christ’s body and blood. First, because the clear words of Jesus compel us to believe that his body and blood are truly present with the bread and the wine, as he says, “This is my body. This is my blood.” The only reason not to believe this is because it is impossible to understand. But we must remember that God is able to do far more than we can ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20). But second, because Jesus truly is present with us. We don’t just hold him in our memory, while he is really far away. Christ is truly with us here, his body and soul. And he is in those, who receive the Sacrament. And if you despise those, who receive this Sacrament in faith, then you are despising those who are joined in a loving relationship with Christ. It means that you are despising Christ’s own body and blood.
This Sacrament of the Altar, which was given to us in love by Jesus Christ indeed increases the mutual love all those who receive it. And so, many might ask, “why don’t we practice open Communion, so that we may spread this love to even more people?” The answer is because this Communion we experience with this meal is real. It is not created by us, but by Christ, by his pure teaching and his real presence. When you partake of Christ’s real body and blood in the Sacrament you confess that you are truly eating Jesus’ body, which hung on the cross and drinking his blood, which was shed for you. You confess Jesus is truly here with his Church. It is wrong then to commune with those, who say that Christ’s body and blood is not here, that we eat only bread and drink only wine. The unity we experience is dependent on Christ’s body and blood truly being here and given to all who believe it.
Also, when we eat and drink the body and blood of the Lord, we confess the teaching of the Church where we commune. Here, we confess that the Bible is the true Word of God and source of all Christian teaching. We confess that Baptism saves and that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone apart from our works. It would then be a lie to eat from an altar where the whole truth of the Bible is denied, or where it is denied that we are saved by grace as a free gift. To confess two contrary things to God is to misuse the name of the Lord. It would only achieve superficial Communion, but not the Communion that comes through faithfully receiving Christ’s body and blood with a united faith.
It is also important to receive Christ’s body and blood with a repentant heart, because you receive this meal for the forgiveness of your sins. It is therefore also important that you be willing to forgive those, who sin against you. You receive forgiveness from this meal, so you can also freely forgive others.
Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, because he loved them. In this Sacrament Jesus gives us a greater washing, which not only forgives our sins, but creates in us a greater love toward God and toward one another. Every time we receive this Sacrament, God feeds us the very same body and blood, which was given and shed for us on the cross out of great love for us and desire for our salvation. It is only through first receiving such love from God that we are able to then love each other. We have received such from love God. And God pours this love into our hearts again this evening. So, let us love one another with love from God’s own heart. Amen.

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Good Friday 2019: Jesus Marries His Bride from the Cross

4/20/2019

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The Entombment ,1554 Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bonvicino) Italian. metmuseum.org Public Domain

John 18-19
April 19, 2019

“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’” And thus, Jesus from the cross fulfilled what God spoke in Genesis chapter 2, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” This is exactly what Jesus does on the cross. He is leaving his earthly mother and holding fast to his wife. Through the shedding of his own blood, he is united to his bride, the Church forever.
St. Paul describes Christ’s death upon the cross as the archetype of all weddings. Here, Jesus demonstrates what a husband ought to do for his wife. His willing suffering and death are his wedding vow. St. Paul writes, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.” (Ephesians 5:25-28)
On the cross, Jesus lays down his life for his wife. This is his entrance into his marriage with her; he says his vows with blood and water flowing from his side. It is just as that great hymn proclaims, “From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride, with his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died.”
Jesus makes atonement for his bride. She is not clean, but filthy in her own sins. She is unfaithful, adulterous, and sinful. Christ did not come to draw the righteous to himself, but sinners, who need a Savior. He says, “Come now, let us reason together, … though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) Jesus finds his sinful bride and with his own blood he makes her pure. He pays her debts. He clothes her with righteousness. He rescues her. As Boaz redeems Ruth and makes her his bride, so Christ pays the price to make us his own.
We do not deserve this. Scripture says that our righteousness is as filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) We are like Barabbas, who deserves to die. The other Gospel accounts make it clear that Pilate tried to use Barabbas to release Jesus. Barabbas was his worst prisoner. Pilate thought that if they had the choice between releasing a murderer, insurrectionist robber and Jesus, they would choose Jesus. Surely their envy was not so great. But this was God’s plan. Jesus came for this very purpose. So, the murderer goes free, and the Prince of Life is slain. You, with all your sins go free. Jesus, the sinless one dies. This is the greatest love a husband has ever shown to his bride.
Jesus clings to his wife. His death for her sins joins her to him forever. They are no longer two, but one flesh. Jesus speaks to his Father on the night he was betrayed, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (17:22-23) We are joined to Christ. We are his body. He is our head. We are not a bunch of individuals, we are one body, the Church. He is the Vine; we are the branches. Our eternal existence is united with Christ, and so we are eternally united with each other as well.
If we are united with Christ, that means we share in his glory. Again, Jesus said on that night of his betrayal, “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you.” I’m not surprising any of you when I say that Jesus is risen from the dead. Good Friday is not the end of the story. And because Jesus lives, and lives eternally, Jesus gives life to all those who are united to him in his death.
A husband gives all he has to his bride. Jesus tells his disciples that he will do this. Speaking of the Holy Spirit he says “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14-15). In our wedding liturgy one of the options for the exchanging of the rings goes like this, “With this ring I marry you, my worldly goods I give to you, and with my body I honor you.” Jesus has given all his goods to us, everything. We are rich. We are heirs to Christ’s kingdom. We are clothed in his righteousness. All that he has is ours. His pierced hands and side are his wedding ring in which we give him all we have, sin and guilt.
Your faith in Christ is your wedding ring by which you receive everything from Christ. The Church is made up of the faithful, who trust in the wounds of Christ. Jesus said that when he is lifted up, he will draw all people to himself. And indeed, the Church gathers around the preaching of Christ crucified, putting her trust in him. Cathedrals may burn and church building might be sold to relators to be turned into apartment buildings and tacky trinket shops. But the true Church of Christ, his holy bride will continue to dwell on earth as long as his sheep gather to hear his words.
Again, on that final night with his disciples Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (14:2-3) Jesus is the Bridegroom, who goes to prepare his marriage home for his bride and who will return at an hour no one will expect. He is ascended into heaven, but he will return. And even now, he prepares a place for us, purchased with his blood, for us to abide with him forever.
Some might be uncomfortable with the language of Christ as the bridegroom and the Church as the bride. Yet, this language is biblical. Jesus has joined himself in a marriage to his Church, which is much purer than any union you will find on earth. Through word and sacrament Christ provides for his bride on earth, so that she might be united with him forever in heaven.
Seeing Christ’s passion as his wedding vows communicates to you that all this that you have heard tonight, the brutal passion our Lord suffered so unjustly, he did for you and for your benefit. All this is for you. Christ suffered this for your sake. And it worked. Because of what Christ did on this day you are his forever. Amen.

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Good Friday 2019: Jesus Marries His Bride from the Cross

Rev. James Preus

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