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Truth Established by the Testimony of Two or Three Witnesses

1/25/2021

James Tissot, The Transfiguration, 1886-94, No Known Copyright Restrictions.

Transfiguration 2021
Matthew 17:1-9
2 Peter 1:16-21
January 24, 2021

St. Peter testifies saying, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16). St. John, who also was with Peter on that holy mountain, likewise testifies, “And we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14b) And these testimonies are important, because the Law of God makes clear that everything must be established on the basis of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1). And on that holy mountain of transfiguration, we have ample witnesses to establish that the Holy Scriptures are trustworthy and true and that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and Savior of the world.
On the mountain of transfiguration, we see the meeting of the Old and New Testaments. The prophets Moses and Elijah represent the Old Testament. They were two of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. Moses received the Law from God on Mount Sinai, and himself wrote the first five books of the Bible. Elijah, while not writing any of the books of the Bible himself, represents the prophets of the Old Testament who did, as he preached the Word of the LORD against the false prophets of Baal and Asherah, and famously challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, which resulted in the people praising the LORD and killing the false prophets of Baal after God answered Elijah’s prayer and sent fire down from heaven to consume his offering.
Moses and Elijah are two witnesses who testify of Christ. And Christ, by revealing his glory to them, testifies that what they preached is true. All the writings of the Old Testament are trustworthy and sure. Moses, Elijah, and the rest of the prophets of the Old Testament prophesied of Christ, yet, they did not get to see him. Rather, they were guided by the Holy Spirit to write of things they longed to see. But at Jesus’ transfiguration, Moses and Elijah see what they preached and wrote, God’s only begotten Son in human flesh.
For the Apostles Peter, James, and John, it is the opposite. They have not yet written down anything, but they have seen the Lord Jesus. In fact, even before this transfiguration, St. Peter confessed Jesus to be the Christ the Son of God. And after they witnessed Jesus proved to be the Christ, they then went to write of what they had witnessed. So, here on this mountain, we have two witnesses from the Old Testament and three witnesses from the New Testament, seeing with their eyes and hearing with their ears that Jesus Christ is the Son of God! You can see then why St. Paul declares in Ephesians chapter 2 that the house of God is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the corner stone (vs. 19-20).
Yet, there is more testimony to the trustworthiness of Scripture and to the divinity of Christ than two human witnesses from the Old Testament and three human witnesses from the New Testament. There is yet another witness, that makes these truths even more sure. The witness of the Holy Trinity. In John chapter 8, Jesus says to the Jews, “In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” (vs. 17-18) At Jesus’ transfiguration we see the testimony of God the Father himself, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” We have the testimony of Jesus, the Son. And as we did in Jesus’ Baptism when the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove, we have the testimony of the Holy Spirit in the bright cloud. Even apart from the two human witnesses of the Old Testament and the three human witnesses of the New Testament, Jesus’ transfiguration fulfills the Law’s requirement of two or three witnesses by giving us the witness of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
And this again supports the trustworthiness of Scripture. The Bible has over forty human authors spanning around fifteen centuries, yet the Bible has only one Author, the eternal God, the Holy Spirit. St. Peter declares, “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke rom God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21) And so, the Bible is a book like no other book. It has many authors, yet it has one author. It has the testimony of many witnesses, and all these witnesses testify of the truth. It is a human book written in human history, yet it is a heavenly book whose origin is in God himself, so that the Son of God himself is declared to be the Word (John 1:1-3). This means that we must consider the words of Holy Scripture to be nothing else than God’s holy Word.
When God the Father declared Jesus to be his beloved Son from heaven, he then made a command: “Hear him.” “Listen to him.” This is an important command. St. Peter tells Jesus that he has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). St. Paul tells us that saving faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Yet, how can we hear Jesus’ words? From holy Scripture. The Prophets of the Old Testament speak Jesus’ word. The Apostles of the New Testament speak Jesus’ Word. The entire Bible is the Word of Christ. This is why our faith is grounded on Bible as the only rule and norm of our teaching.
So, what is the Holy Bible about; this most unique and profitable book, which claims prophets, apostles, and God himself as its author? It is about Jesus. This is the meaning of the prophets from the Old Testament and the apostles from the New Testament standing before Jesus in his shining glory as the Holy Spirit covers them and God the Father from the cloud declares Jesus to be his Son. The Bible tells us about Jesus and through Jesus we have access to our heavenly Father. This is why Jesus says in John chapter 5, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” (vs. 39).
The entire Bible is about Jesus. The purpose for reading the Bible is to learn who Jesus is and what he has done to save you. This is why the Apostle John writes toward the end of his Gospel, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31)
Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. He is the only way to eternal life. St. Peter declares in Acts chapter 4, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (vs. 12) And for this reason, the Holy Bible is the most precious book on earth. In fact, the Word of God is our dearest treasure. The Bible would be the greatest treasure on earth simply for being God’s Word! Yet, not only is it God’s Word, but it declares to the Gospel, which gives eternal life to all who believe.
Shortly after God the Father commanded Peter, James, and John to listen to Jesus, Jesus spoke. What did he say? He told his Apostles not to tell anyone about the vision until after he was raised from the dead. It seems strange that Jesus would tell his Apostles, whom he brought up to that mountain for the purpose of them witnessing his glory, to then tell them not to tell anyone about it! Yet, Jesus does not tell them to remain silent forever, and it is very important why he wants them to wait. Jesus wants the disciples to witness his betrayal, condemnation, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection first. Why? Because you cannot receive Jesus’ glory without Jesus’ cross.
On the mountain Jesus revealed who he is. He is the Son of Man and he is the Son of God. He shines with the un-reflected light of the Divine. He is true God and true man. Yet, this glory does us sinner no good, unless our sins are taken away. What Jesus wants his disciples to preach is not only his transfiguration, when his divine glory was revealed, but also his crucifixion, when his divine glory was hidden. On the cross, laden with the sins of the world and covered in blood, Jesus was still just as much God’s Son as he was on the Mountain of Transfiguration. And this is exactly what they did. St. Peter told the Jews, “you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:15)
Jesus’ glory does us no good while we are sinners. So, Jesus bears our sin and takes them away. Now, Jesus’ glory does us infinite good, because we know who died for us, God’s own Son! This means that our sins are gone. If Jesus, in whom God the Father is well please, bore all your sins on the cross, and God was still so pleased with him to raise him from the dead, then that means that your sins our obliterated. They do not stand a chance against Jesus’ crucifixion. This means that God is immensely and infinitely pleased with you on account of Christ. That is the meaning of Jesus’ transfiguration, crucifixion, and resurrection, which Holy Scripture reveals to you.
A lot of voices have gone out over the world. It seems that we are constantly bombarded with new and conflicting information. What you were taught in school as true when you were a child may very well be considered false or even dangerous today. There are multiple sources of information from television to the internet to books, yet, they do not agree. They are not multiple witnesses, confirming the truth, but rather multiple voices arguing over your mind. And although none of these voices are God’s voice, it has become increasingly obvious that these voices are not simply trying to tell you what is going on in the world, but what you should believe is going on. A war of words is waging over our minds and hearts as well as over the minds and hearts of our children. And it is important to recognize that most of these voices, lie, they do not teach the truth of God’s Word, and they do not reveal your Savior.
Christians are called to be judges, to judge the spirits to see whether they are from God or not (John 7:24; 1 John 4:1). Yet, how are we to judge? How are we to test the voices whether they are true or not? By whether they conflict with God’s Word or agree. In order to do this, you must listen to God’s Word and hear sound preaching grounded on the Scriptures.
The chaotic voices of this world cause us stress and confusion. They divide us and cause people to hate one another. They lead us into sin and doubt. But God’s Word reveals our Savior Jesus. Holy Scripture is in full agreement that Jesus is the Son of God, who has won salvation for us, who is and ever will be pleasing to our Father in heaven. There has been much talk in recent weeks about censorship and freedom of speech and misinformation. And Christians are concerned that they will be silenced and lied to. But we already the true source of the most important information. We have God’s holy Word, the words of eternal life. As long as we have God’s Word, we will be able to protect our minds and hearts and battle misinformation, and much more, we will have Jesus and his Salvation. Amen.

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God’s Glory Is Revealed in Love

1/18/2021

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Marriage at Cana of Galilee by Adelaide Ironside, 1861, Public Domain

Epiphany 2
John 2:1-11

January 17, 2021

What do you think? Is God’s glory revealed more prominently in his power or in his love? This is a major question, the answer to which determines very much how you perceive your relationship with God. Jesus performed his first sign at a wedding in Cana in Galilee, manifesting his glory, so that his disciples believed in him. While turning water into wine is certainly a miracle, it does not demonstrate the immense power of dividing the Red Sea in two or walking on water or raising the dead. Yet, by turning water into wine at a wedding, Jesus showed that his glory is not revealed primarily in his power, but rather in his love.
This is not to say that Jesus is not all powerful. Jesus is omnipotent, the almighty God. But we don’t believe in Jesus through the revelation of his power alone, but through the revelation of his love. And in turning water into wine at a wedding, Jesus shows his love and commitment both to our earthly marriages and to Christ’s heavenly marriage with his Church. The stone jars Jesus filled with wine were not meant for wine. They were meant for water used in ceremonial washing after the tradition of the Jews. Yet, by using them for wine, Jesus demonstrates that it is not human traditions that determine what marriage is, but God. And God has made both earthly marriage and the marriage between Christ and his Church to be a joy.
There are three God-given purposes for marriage: Companionship, Chastity, and Children. First, Companionship: God said in the Garden, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18) So, God made a woman for the man and joined them together as one flesh (Genesis 2:24), so that Jesus says, “What God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Matthew 19:6) So, it comes as no surprise that God says that he hates divorce (Malachi 2:16 NKJV). Who doesn’t hate divorce? But God doesn’t simply hate divorce the way Tammy Wynette sings about it. God hates divorce so much that he undoes divorce and will never again be separated from his Bride.
When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they caused a great divorce between man and God. Sin separates us from God. And through Adam we are all born in sin. Yet, this divorce did not just separate man from God, but man from one another. The first man ever born murdered his first brother. And mankind was divided into factions; families dividing in hatred, nations rising in enmity against other nations. Yet, God did not stop loving our race, and so he sent a Savior, as it is beautifully described in that great hymn,
“The Church’s one foundation/ Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is His new creation/ By water and the Word.
From heav’n He came and sought her/ To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her, And for her life He died. (Samuel Stone, The Church’s One Foundation, LSB 644).
And this is the reason Scripture says that husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5:25). Neither the threats of the Law nor God’s demonstrations of power through a world-wide flood, plagues, and the destruction of nations could reunite his people to himself, but rather in love sending his only begotten Son to die for us. (That is where God’s greatest glory is revealed!) Likewise, a husband cannot get his wife to respect him by exerting force, but rather through love, even by laying down his life for hers.
This also leads to the discussion of wives submitting to their husbands. Few passages in Scripture are met with as much resistance as the passages, which tell a wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-24; 1 Peter 3:1-6). And many women (and men) reject this, either dismissing it outright or trying soften it by saying that husbands and wives should submit to each other. Yet, that is not what the word means. Submit means to subordinate. Two people cannot submit to each other. One submits to the other. When St. Paul tells us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ, he is not telling every single person to submit to every single person. Rather, he is telling each of us to submit to those whom God has placed over us, even as we submit to Christ. God has created an order (1 Corinthians 11:1-3). The husband is the head and the wife the body just as Christ is the head of his body the Church. The Church submits to Christ. Christ does not submit to the Church, rather, he lays down his life for her in love. Yet, Christ does submit to the Father’s will, even though he is equal to the Father. Likewise, the husband does not submit to his wife, but rather loves her, serves her, and lays down his life for her.
And so, you see that it is actually a strange thing to protest that wives should submit to their husbands. Except for God the Father, there is not a being who must not submit to another. All of us must submit to many people on a regular basis, from employers to people in government and the church. Yet, God here tells the wife to submit to her husband, the man whom God has commanded to love her unconditionally and to sacrifice all for her welfare. Of all the people a woman must submit to in her life, she should be most willing to do so to her husband, because by submitting to him, she is putting her trust in him. This is how the Church submits to Christ. The Church submits to Christ by trusting in his love, believing that everything he does for her is for her good. Yet, even if a husband does not love his wife as he should (which they never do perfectly), Scripture still tells wives to submit to their husbands to the glory of Christ, so that they may win them over by their Christian conduct (1 Peter 3:1). And Scripture spends many more words commanding a husband to love his wife, so that when his wife submits to him, she is putting her trust in his love for her.
It is through this relationship of love being given and love being trusted that God designed the companionship of marriage to survive. It involves continued repentance and forgiveness, patience and kindness, humility and selflessness. And this is what our Lord Jesus has demonstrated to us by continuing to forgive us with patience. And he promises never to divorce us.
Chastity is sexual purity. Sexual relations are only permitted within marriage between husband and wife. Outside of that bond it is called fornication and adultery. Yet, within marriage it is a blessing from God, which helps prevent sin, as St. Paul says, “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each wife her own husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:2) Sex outside of marriage is a sin and an attack on marriage. It harms men, women, and children, and cannot be considered an act of love, but of selfishness. Therefore, all Christians should abstain from sex until they are married and then be faithful to their spouse. Such faithfulness God rewards with happiness and children.
Faithfulness in marriage relates to faithfulness to Christ. We are to have no other gods and we are to trust in Christ alone for salvation. So, just as husband and wife should be faithful to each other and remember their wedding vows, so each Christian should remember that we have one Lord who has bought us and joined us to himself forever. He is our Redeemer.
When God first joined man and woman together in marriage, he blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply.” (Genesis 1:18) And the Psalmist declares, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.” (Psalm 127) And so, children have always been a God given blessing to marriage and the fruit of marital fidelity. So likewise, Christ’s union with his bride the Church begets children born of water and the Spirit. And within the household of God, these children are nourished by the proclamation of the Gospel, Absolution, and the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood. In the Church he strengthens and shelters his children by forgiving their sins and filling them with his Holy Spirit. And everything he gives to his children, they receive from their Mother, the Church.
Yet, despite how Scripture praises children as a wonderful blessing from God, children are often despised. People think they get in the way of life. They disrupt plans. They’re expensive. They wreck things. So, more and more married couples choose to prevent having children so that they can save more money to spend on stuff or they wait to have children until they think they have enough money, as if God would let their children starve or go naked. And of course, many learn that it isn’t for them to choose anyway. God is the one who gives and withholds children.
Marriage took multiple blows even before so-called “same-sex marriage” became a thing. Divorce destroyed the lifelong companionship instituted by God. Fornication has defiled the marriage bed. And people value stuff that will turn in to junk in a few years more than children they can baptize and teach the Gospel to, so that they can live with them forever in heaven! And many young people are forsaking marriage all together, choosing rather to fornicate, since it is now socially acceptable. Marriage is looked at as a burdensome undesirable thing.
This is sad. God didn’t create marriage to be a burden. He doesn’t give us children, because he hates us. Marriage isn’t a life-long prison sentence. God gives us marriage, because he loves us. Outside of the Mystical Union between the Church and Christ, marriage is the most blessed union on earth! God created marriage to be a joy! This is shown in how Jesus blesses this wedding with wine. Wine is considered a non-essential, a luxury you can do without. Yet, Jesus uses his first miracle to make wine, because, as Scripture says, wine gladdens the heart of man. (Psalm 104:15) He does this to show that joy is not a non-essential. God created marriage to be a joy, just as he sent his Son to rescue us from our sins, so that we may have joy with him forever in heaven.
Yet, we must not confuse the joy God gives to marriage and to his Church with the lusts and passions of the sinful flesh, which pass away, give headaches, and fill you with regret. The joy God gives his Church stems from the forgiveness he won for us for Christ’s sake, which brings us into Communion with him and one another. God gives joy to marriage even when our sin tries to ruin it. God honors marriage by likening it to Christ’s union with the Church. He gives joy to marriage by blessing it with his children, whom you raise as God’s holy instruments. Even when God withholds children from a marriage, he still blesses it with love. He blesses marriage with the forgiveness of sins, so that husbands who fail to love their wives and wives who fail to respect their husbands can be reconciled. And in his Church, Christ even gives joy to those who have unlawfully divorced, who have committed adultery, fornication, or have otherwise dishonored marriage, by forgiving them and joining them to himself again.
Jesus turned water into good wine even after the wedding guests had already drunk enough wine. He did this to show that he gives his joy to those who don’t deserve it out of his own grace and mercy. He forgives us sinners. He blesses our marriages. He gives us laughter even in the midst of this sinful world.
Jesus performed this first miracle in the village of Cana in Galilee, a town forgotten by history. This shows us that Christ values our marriages and our families and desires to dwell in them to make them holy. Although history will most likely forget you, your marriage and children, God will never forget you. The most sacred house is not the Capitol or even some ancient cathedral, but the Christian home where husband and wife dwell with their children in the Word of God. That is where Christ desires to dwell, to forgive and strengthen them through his word. To such a meek and despised setting, Christ continues to reveal his glory through his love in the Gospel. Amen.

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The Epiphany of our Lord in the Jordan

1/11/2021

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Bartolomé Esteban Murillo: The Baptism of Christ, 1655, Public Domain

The Baptism of our Lord
Matthew 3:13-17

January 10, 2020

Blessed Epiphany! Epiphany comes from the Greek word for manifestation or appearing. It refers to God revealing himself to us in his Son, Jesus Christ. So, it makes sense in this Epiphany season that we remember the Baptism of our Lord Jesus in the Jordan River, because in few places does God manifest himself and his desire to save us so clearly and succinctly as in Jesus’ Baptism.
There is a saying, “The Old is in the New revealed; the New is in the Old concealed.” This saying refers to the Old and the New Testament. Both the Old and the New Testament are God’s holy Word. And the Old Testament is truly valuable and profitable to read and meditate on for faith and salvation. Yet, without the revelation of the New Testament, there is much in the Old Testament that remains hidden from our understanding. St. Peter explains it this way,
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” (1 Peter 1:10-12)
What does this mean? It means that you are the most blessed people, privileged even above the prophets and seers of the Old Testament! Because to you has been revealed the Gospel in its fullness and clarity. Think of this, the Prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Virgin would conceive and bear a son and would call his name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). He wrote of the suffering of the Christ, who would go as a lamb to the slaughter bearing the iniquities of us all (Isaiah 53). Yet, search as he might in his own prophecies, he could not answer when these things would be or exactly how they would be carried out. Yet to you, o blessed of all people, is revealed the meaning of Isaiah’s prophecies, even more clearly than Isaiah could make them out! The prophets searched their own writings! Yet, to us is revealed just how wonderful their message is.
This great mystery is summed up in the first verse of the book of Hebrews, which says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” The prophets of the Old Testament write much about God and his plan to send his Son to save us. Yet, you must read many passages to find arguments for the Holy Trinity. Although much is written about Christ, there are still many unanswered questions. Yet, in the New Testament, what is hidden in the Old Testament is revealed. This is because the New Testament reveals God’s Son Jesus to us. And in the five verses that make up St. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Baptism, more is revealed to us about who our God is and what he does for us than in many chapters of the Old Testament.
You can find much about the Holy Trinity in the Old Testament. In the first three verses of Genesis, we can see the three Persons in the Holy Trinity: The Father, the Son, that is, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. The Father speaks, which shows that he begets the Word through whom he creates all things and the Spirit of God hovers over the water. Yet, that passage alone does not suffice to prove the Holy Trinity: Three distinct Person, yet one God. There is also the passage of the burning bush, where the Angel of the LORD is in the burning bush, but then Scripture says that God spoke to Moses from the bush, so he is both the Angel of the LORD, yet he is God. He is multiple distinct persons, yet one God. Yet, this passage alone is also not sufficient. Again, in Genesis chapter one, God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” And then it says, “So God created man in his own image.” Again, an example that God has multiple persons, yet there is one God. In the Aaronic Benediction in Numbers 6, we hear, “The LORD bless you and keep you, the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” So, the name of the LORD is put on the people of Israel with the name of the LORD repeated three times. In Isaiah 6, the angels sing to the Lord, “Holy, holy, holy,” thrice holy for the three persons in the holy Trinity.
And there are many other passages that point to and hint at the holy Trinity in the Old Testament, yet, many of them are not sufficient on their own and you must read many passages and search for it to find the teaching of the Holy Trinity. Yet, in Jesus’ Baptism, in just a few short verses, we hear the Father from heaven speak, declaring Jesus to be his beloved Son, and we see the Holy Spirit descend like a dove upon Jesus, anointing him for his mission to save our souls. In a single sentence we see the glorious doctrine of the Holy Trinity with more clarity than in all the Old Testament together. And we also see God’s Son Jesus reveals himself to us in his Baptism! And this same Jesus then commands that all nations be baptized into the name of this one God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20).
In the Old Testament we learn a lot about Christ Jesus our Savior. In Genesis 3:15, we learn that he will come from the seed of the woman and will crush the head of Satan, while he himself will be bruised on the heal. To Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God promised that all nations of the earth would be blessed through this descendent of theirs. God revealed to King David that this Christ would descend from his family tree and would rule forever (2 Samuel 7), a fact confirmed even by the Prophet Jeremiah in the midst of the destruction of Jerusalem, when he assured us that God would raise up for David a righteous branch, who would reign as king, save Judah and Israel, and would be called, “The Lord is our Righteousness.” (Jeremiah 23:5-6) Isaiah too confirmed that the Christ would come from David’s father Jesse’s stump. And David himself told us that the Christ was both his Son and his Lord, when he said, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your foot stool” (Psalm 110)
The Old Testament is filled with information about the Christ. Micah told us he would be born in Bethlehem. David told us that they would pierce his hands and feet, divide his garments and cast lots for his tunic (Psalm 22). The prophet Zechariah said they would look on him whom they have pierced (Zech. 12:10). Yet, here in the Jordan we see him appear to us, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We see him, the Son of Mary, born in Bethlehem, who is called a Nazarene for living in Nazareth, this descendent of David standing in the Jordan, anointed by the Holy Spirit, declared to be God’s Son!
And we even learn that Jesus does not do this for himself! Obviously, he doesn’t! He has no sin! John knows full well he has no need of his own accord to be baptized. Sinners are baptized. John the sinner needs to be baptized by Jesus, not Jesus be baptized him. Then why is Jesus baptized? Jesus says, “to fulfill all righteousness.” That is to say, in order for poor sinners to become righteous and be saved.
By willingly being baptized in the Jordan River, Jesus willingly joined himself to sinners. He took upon himself his mission to be the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. You cannot separate Jesus’ Baptism from his crucifixion and resurrection. When he entered the Jordan, he entered his course to the cross. From there, he would take our sins, possess them, own them, and pay for them with his own blood. He, who shares our flesh and blood is God’s beloved Son, and as God’s beloved Son, he rescues those whom God loves.
So, we see in Jesus’ Baptism a great Epiphany. A revelation of who God is: The Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We see the revelation of his Son, the Christ: Son of David and Son of God. And we see God’s desire to save us and fulfill righteousness for our sake.
As certainly as we cannot separate Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan from his death by crucifixion and resurrection from the dead, so certainly can we not separate our own Baptism from Christ’s Baptism and his work of salvation for us. In his Baptism, Christ was anointed to save sinners. And in so doing, he joined himself to the Baptismal waters. He sucked all the sin out of them and poured into it his righteousness and Holy Spirit, so that those waters become a washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:6-7), so that Christ might present us holy and blameless without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:26-27).
This means that in your own Baptism, which you should remember every day, you should see the great Epiphany of God’s love for you! At Jesus’ Baptism, God sent down his Holy Spirit to anoint Jesus. So, in your Baptism, God sends his Holy Spirit to anoint you and make you a little Christ, that is, a little anointed one, who bear’s Jesus’ name. At Jesus’ Baptism, God declared Jesus to be his beloved Son in whom he is well pleased. So, he does the same to you in your Baptism. This is what has been revealed to us by Christ’s holy Apostle Paul, who says, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:26-27) If this is the case, then you have no fear of sin, death, hell and damnation, since God has declared you his beloved in whom he is well pleased. Since you are joined to Christ through those Baptismal waters, you have a great Epiphany that God is pleased with you!
Baptism joins us to Christ’s death and resurrection, as again, Jesus’ holy Apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:3-5) What this means is that we are a new creation in Christ. We turn from sin each day, because we have died to sin with Christ. And the Holy Spirit, whom we have received in our Baptism, draws us to repent and raises our new man to new life every day. This also means that we have no fear of death. We’ve already died with Christ. Rather, we have a sure hope of the resurrection from the dead as we follow Christ.
Jesus’ Baptism is a great Epiphany of our salvation. And the entire New Testament is filled with such epiphanies. In fact, the New Testament shines a light on the Old Testament, so that it is clearer and more comforting. The entire Bible is now for us a book of epiphanies, which show us our Savior Jesus, God’s own Son.
You are blessed of all people, not simply because you have heard this Epiphany of Christ, but because you believe it. And faith begets faith. A living faith desires to grow and be strong, which can only happen by continued meditating on the Epiphany of Christ. We should not despise the revelation of Christ, but recognize how fortunate we are to have it in such clarity! In faith, we should always follow that light of Scripture and cling to Christ’s Sacraments, so that Christ may enlighten our darkened minds and keep us from being pulled away from him by this sinful world. Let us pray.
O Lord, our hearts awaken To know and love You more,
In faith to stand unshaken, In spirit to adore,
That we through this world moving, Each glimpse of heaven proving,
May reap its fulness there. Amen.

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Through Christ We Put Evil and Death to Shame

1/4/2021

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Eugène Girardet (1853–1907), Flight into Egypt, Public Domain

Christmas 2
Matthew 2:13-23
January 3, 2021

“We resist evil with the ministry of Word and sword, and yet, the evils which cannot be averted we bear to our great advantage but to their detriment and destruction.”, wrote Martin Luther in meditation on our Gospel lesson. And indeed, our Gospel lesson teaches us how to resist and avoid evil and death with God’s word and sword, yet even more, how to put both evil and death to utter shame and destruction.
We have one Father in heaven. His authority it divided on earth into three estates, so that we have three types of earthly Fathers. First, the House Fathers, whom God gives authority over body and soul. Second, the Civil Fathers (Government), to whom God gives authority over the body, but not over the soul. And third, Ecclesiastical Fathers (Church), to whom God gives authority over the soul, but not over the body.
Of these three estates, the house father is above the others and the most important. First, because house fathers come first and the authority of the civil and ecclesiastical fathers passes through the house father. God first instituted fathers of families before he instituted either the Church or the Government. And both the Church and the Government get their authority from God through the family.
Secondly, A house father is a more intimate relationship. Unless the house father take care of the body of his wife and children, the provision and protection of the civil father, that is, of the government will be insufficient and tyrannical. Unless the house father care for the soul of his wife and children, the spiritual care of the ecclesiastical father, that is, of the church will be hindered and stifled.
Thirdly, the authority and responsibility of the house father is broader, covering both body and soul. God gives the government a sword and says, “Protect the weak and punish those who do wrong. Curb evil with all your might, so that the people may live in peace, be clothed and fed.” Yet, God gives the government no responsibility over the souls of those it governs. Neither does God give the government power to grant eternal life.
God gives the church His Word, that is, the Bible and with it the Ministry of the Word and Sacraments, and says, “Preach and teach. Save the souls of these people with the words I give you. Baptize them into Christ, so that I might make them my sons and heirs. Feed them the precious body and blood of Christ, so that they may forever be united to Christ and to each other. With words, prepare them to enter through the gates of heaven. And when persecution comes, accept your death with faith in Christ’s eternal life.” Because God gives the Church no sword in her hand.
Yet, to house fathers God gives both the ministry of the sword and the ministry of his Word. God puts a sword in the father’s hand and says, “Take this sword, and shovel, and hammer, and plow, and whatever tool you may need. Work, so that by the sweat of your brow not only you may eat, but your wife and children as well. Work those fingers to the bone, so that your family may be clothed and fed. And defend them with might, even lay down your life for theirs.” Yet, in the other hand God places the Holy Scriptures and says, “Though you work till the sweat of your brow run dry and those fingers are worn to the bone, though you lay down your life to preserve the life of your wife and children, know that death will still come to them. There is nothing you can do with your might that will make them live forever. So here, I give you my words, so that when death comes, he may be put to shame by you, by your wife and children. So, bring your children to be Baptized, and teach them my word each and every day. Teach them to pray, to ask for forgiveness and to give it, bring them to church to hear God’s holy Word, and be the mouth of Jesus at home. When you lie down, when you rise, when you walk by the way and sit in your home, provide, strengthen, and protect your wife and children with my Holy Word.
As the Virgin Mary is a wonderful example to all Christian mothers of pious humility and faithfulness, who meekly accepts the will of the Lord and does mighty works without pomp and circumstance, so is Joseph a wonderful godly example of faith and good works for us Christian fathers. As the heavenly Father entrusted to Joseph the care of his only begotten Son, to be his foster father and guardian here on earth, so our heavenly father entrusts us Christian fathers with his own children, whom he has caused to be born from above through water and the Spirit. Through Joseph we learn to protect our children from evil through the ministry of the sword and Word, yet even more, we prepare them to conquer death and destruction and to put those imposters to shame through Jesus Christ.
Because St. Matthew is the only contemporary historian to report Herod’s slaughter of the baby boys in Bethlehem, many modern historical critics deny that this massacre ever happened. Yet, this assumption is flawed for a number of reasons. First, St. Matthew wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so he is more reliable than assumptions made by the silence of other authors. Secondly, the death toll of baby boys two years old and under from that little hamlet Bethlehem and its surrounding region probably only added up to one or two dozen victims. So, it is not that surprising that this event was missed by early historians, who recorded many other barbaric events around the same time.
Yet, it shouldn’t surprise us that this event was ignored by the pagan world. Today in our country around three thousand unborn babies are murdered in the womb every day, over a million each year, and almost no one takes notice of them There are no news reports about them or death toll tallies on the bottom right screen of your television. But such silence does not make the crime disappear or any less horrid. Abortion is worse than you think. Even if you have not personally had an abortion or are personally opposed to it, all of us should be ashamed for what our country has done. If God was able to destroy the mighty empires of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians on account of their wickedness, and if he did not spare his chosen nation Israel from destruction on account of her wickedness, we should not think that America is beyond God’s judgment and righteous punishment. We should pray that our nation repents from this sin and pray for leaders who will oppose this wicked crime. And we certainly should not support Herods, who openly defend the killing of these children.
And although the slaughter of holy innocents took fewer lives than you might have expected, this does not make this any less of an evil. The slaughter of these innocent children was a worse crime than even our bleeding hearts can know. And yet, although the historians all ignored the cries of Rachel for her children, God heard the cries of these children’s blood, praying for justice out of the ground. King Herod suffered a much worse fate than those poor children of Bethlehem.
And so, we learn why God permitted this awful episode to take place, so that we see his only begotten Son flee to Egypt and the innocent children of Bethlehem murdered.
First, this took place to fulfill the prophecies of Scripture and so prove that Jesus is in deed the Christ and redeemer of the world. Secondly, we see that even as a baby, our Lord Jesus suffered persecution and danger for our sake. Thirdly, we learn that when we suffer persecution as Christians, we always follow our dear Lord in this suffering, and so we are blessed. And finally, we learn that there is something worse than death and that those who die for Christ’s sake are infinitely blessed.
And this is a good lesson for us Christian fathers to learn as we seek to follow the example of Joseph. As we work to provide for our families, to feed, clothe, and find shelter for our children, as Joseph did for his young wife and baby Jesus; as we seek to protect them from danger, as Joseph did by fleeing to Egypt and then to Nazareth, we will learn that we cannot perfectly protect them from evil and death. And although it is our God-given duty to protect them from evil and death, we do not get to choose when these foes will overwhelm our greatest defenses. And, so it is our primary duty as Christian fathers to prepare our families to face every evil, persecution, and death and come out victorious.
How is this done? Only through faith in Jesus Christ. As we have seen, Jesus was still a swaddled infant when persecution came to destroy him. And so, we see that there is not cross we bear in life on account of Christ that he has not born for us first. This is why St. Peter says, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” We are blessed forever when persecution falls upon us, because we join the blessed company of Christ. And when the enemies of Christ attack Christians, whether with words or fists, they harm themselves much more than they do the Christians they seek to hurt.
Likewise, in Christ Jesus your children are impervious to death. When Jesus was crucified, death came to devour him. Yet, death only has authority to devour sinners. Jesus had not sin of his own, but rather bore the sins of the world. So, when death devoured Christ, he went beyond his office. The devourer was devoured, or as Martin Luther paraphrases St. Paul, Death is swallowed up by death (Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands, LSB 458:4). This is why Jesus rose again from the dead. Death had no authority to keep him bound.
Now, in Christ Jesus, all your sins are taken away. Jesus has put them away forever in his death. So, when death comes for you to devour you, he again goes beyond his office. He has nor right to keep you, because death only has authority to take sinners. But if your sins are taken away by Christ, then you are not a sinner! And so, when death comes to kill you, he is put to shame. Your death destroys death and you inherit eternal life through Jesus!
And so, you fathers learn well, that the Book God places in your right hand is much more helpful than the sword or shovel or hammer that he places in your left. Despite your best efforts, despite being the best dad you can be, you cannot keep your children alive forever. Yet, by the Word God gives you, you can equip your children to conquer death and put Satan and death to shame. Temptation must come. Satan will roar. Death will rear his ugly head. Yet, when your children bear the name of Christian, these enemies are destroyed by them. Then your children are blessed forever.
May God raise up for us good fathers like Joseph, who will sweat and run and work to keep their children clothed and fed, yet much more, will employ the Word of God to clothe them in Christ, so that these children will overcome every evil and be God’s children forever. Amen.

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

Truth Established by the Testimony of Two or Three Witnesses

God’s Glory Is Revealed in Love

The Epiphany of our Lord in the Jordan

Through Christ We Put Evil and Death to Shame

Rev. James Preus

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