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Easter Sunday: Death is swallowed up in victory

3/31/2018

Job 19:23-27
1 Corinthians 15:51-57
Mark 16:1-8
April 1, 2018

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Every January hundreds of thousands of people march in Washington D. C. to protest the crime of abortion. Currently our nation is impassioned trying to figure out how to prevent mass shootings. Over the past few decades billions of dollars and countless hours have been spent educating youth on the dangers of using tobacco and abusing alcohol and others substances. And every war our country has participated in for the past fifty years has incited anti-war protests. These are just a few examples of mass attempts to prevent early death.

Of course, everyone is going to die eventually. So, billions and billions of dollars are spent every year on medical procedures, supplements, and many other methods to delay death. And even if people can't delay death, they will at least try to look younger, so that the reminder of death is stifled a bit.

No matter who you are, what country you're from, what language you speak, the color of your skin, your political views or religious affiliation, death is not simply a probability, but an absolute certainty! And while many will try to rub it off repeating oxymora like, "Death is just a part of life.", everyone knows deep down inside that death is bad. No one wants to die. And no one wants their loved-ones to die.

Death is God's judgment against sin. St. Paul writes, "The sting of death is sin." 1 Corinthians 15:56); and "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); and "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) The reason why we die is because we are infested from our very conception with sin. That is our diagnosis given by God. So, if you want to deal with the death problem we all have, you need to deal with the sin problem!

This is why we celebrate Easter. Jesus rose from the dead bodily. This is an historical fact, which has been verified over and over again through historical records not the least of which are the four Gospels of the New Testament. The only reason why anyone would deny the resurrection of Christ is because it happens to be impossible for dead people to rise form the dead. But nothing is impossible with God.

But knowing the historical facts isn't good enough. Christ's resurrection from the dead has huge gains for you. But you cannot understand what Christ has gained for you in his resurrection unless you see what Christ has achieved in his death upon the cross.

Jesus was innocent of all sins, as we know. Neither Pilate nor Herod found any guilt in him. And Scripture clearly says Jesus committed no sin and had done no violence, yet God laid on him the iniquity of us all. Jesus died upon the cross for your sins and for the sins of the whole world. For our sake, God made him to be sin, who knew no sin, in order that, we might become the righteousness of God. You cannot see the significance of this Easter Day, unless you realize the significance of Good Friday. God found Jesus guilty of your sins. The wrath of God for your guilt fell upon Christ.

You might wonder, "well, how could the death of one man pay for the sins of billions upon billions of people?" Jesus is not simply a man. He is also true God, begotten of the Father before all worlds and conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. Jesus' human and divine natures are so closely united that whatever Jesus does, both God and man does. So, when Jesus suffered on the cross, it was the eternal Son of God bearing our sins. God is immortal, yet we sang on Friday night, "O sorrow dread! Our God is dead."

So, because Jesus is truly a human being, and because he is truly God, he is able to die in our place and his death is worth the weight of countless souls. If sinners should outnumber the grains of sand in the sea or the stars in the sky, Jesus' blood would still be potent enough to grant forgiveness to all. We heard on Good Friday from 2 Corinthians 5, "We have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died." In Christ's death upon the cross all our deaths were paid. Now the whole world is reconciled to God.

So, what does Christ's resurrection mean in light of this knowledge about Good Friday? It proves that all I just said is true. We are reconciled to God. Our sins are washed away. Jesus' death achieved what it was supposed to! If Jesus were not God's Son, he would still be in the grave. If Jesus failed to wash away even a single sin, he would have remained in the grave. And if Jesus is in the grave, the debt of our sin remains on us and death still reigns over us. But if all die with Christ, since Christ died with all our sins, then all rise with Christ as well. This is why we celebrate Easter! Jesus' resurrection from the dead is a loud proclamation that death is swallowed up in victory. Death has lost its sting. And God has given us the victory through Christ Jesus.

This is why we believe that we are saved by grace through faith alone apart from our works. To be saved by grace means that you are saved by a gift from God. To be saved through faith means that you do not work to earn eternal life, but rather you believe and trust in God's work for you which gives you eternal life as a gift. You were born in sin, incapable of loving or choosing God. And there is no work that you could do to appease God's wrath against your sins. But God sent Jesus to appease His wrath for you. Jesus did everything necessary to save you. The only way you can be saved is to trust in what Jesus has done for you.

Since we are saved by grace and not by our good works, many think that means we can do whatever we want. "Let us sin, so that grace may abound! It doesn't matter what we do, since our works don't save us anyway!" But this way of thinking is detrimental to saving faith! St. Paul writes in Romans chapter 6, "How can we who died to sin still live in it?" And St. Peter writes that with the precious blood of Jesus and his innocent suffering and death "you were ransomed from the futile ways of your forefathers." (1 Peter 1:18) Jesus rescued you from death by bearing your sin! You cannot rejoice in Christ's resurrection from the dead while delighting in your sin! Christians gather to worship every Sunday, because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Yet, we preach Christ crucified, because it was on the cross where Jesus paid the debt for our sins that his resurrection gains its significance. And it is the fact that Jesus died to take away your sins that should cause you to flee from sin.

To celebrate the resurrection of Christ is to celebrate Jesus' removal of your sins from you. This is why St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." Christ's death and resurrection for you means that God has removed your sins from you. You are unleavened. And you will live with Christ in righteousness and purity forever. And God desires for you to live sinless now. And if the Spirit, who raised Christ Jesus from the dead, dwells in you, then you certainly want the same thing.

Christians don't want to sin. Why would we want to return to slavery leading to death, which Christ labored so hard to rescue us from? To willingly continue in sin without repenting is to deny Christ and to be the same as an unbeliever. The same apostle, who wrote so clearly and beautifully that we are not saved by our works, but we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone also wrote, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

But I thought we were saved by faith alone apart from our works? How then can Paul say that such sinners will not inherit the kingdom of God? Because true faith includes repentance. Without repentance from sin, your faith is a false faith, because true faith recognizes that sin is the cause of death and the reason for Christ's crucifixion.

This does not mean that Christians don't sin. Christians do indeed sin. But this is because of our weak flesh, which we still must live with in this life. St. Paul describes it well, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing." (Romans 7:18-19) But here Paul, the Christian, does not delight in his sin. He laments it. And he finishes this chapter saying, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (vss. 24-25) Although Paul's body is polluted with sin, he has confidence that Jesus Christ has delivered him from his body of death.

And this is why Christians daily repent of their sins. We believe that through daily contrition and repentance the old Adam in us is drowned and dies and that a new man arises. We repent of our sins, because we believe in the resurrection of Christ and in our own resurrection. We repent of our sins, because we believe that God will forgive us, no matter how grievous our sins are, no matter how many times we have fallen and repented again.

The resurrection of Christ is not an annual celebration for the Christian. It is not even simply a weekly celebration. You, the Christian, celebrate Easter every day when you put to death your old self through repentance of sin, and put on your new self through faith in the forgiveness of sins. You live every hour with the assurance that Christ's resurrection proves that your sin is put away and death cannot harm you.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

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Keeping Vigil: The Christian Life

3/31/2018

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John 20:1-18
March 31, 2018

Tonight, we keep the Easter Vigil. To keep vigil means to keep watch. On this holy night we keep vigil for our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, this isn't simply us playing pretend, keeping vigil at Jesus' tomb with great anticipation for his resurrection from the dead. Christians have been keeping vigil on the evening of Holy Saturday, to keep watch for the return of the resurrected Christ. This holy evening is an appropriate time for such a vigil, because the fact that Christ rose from the grave gives us assurance that he will also return in his risen form and give to us new life.

Yet, keeping vigil doesn't simply mean to stay awake. We need to be attentive. We stay attentive for Christ's resurrection and glorious return by focusing on God's Word. The lengthy Old Testament lessons we heard tonight all point toward the fact that Christ would rise from the dead bodily and give new hope to all who believe in him.

It is also a tradition to perform baptisms during the Easter Vigil, because of the beautiful connection St. Paul draws between Christ's death and resurrection and Baptism, as we just heard, "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 6:3ff)

And so, it is especially appropriate that Callel, Carah, and Emily were brought to the saving waters of Baptism tonight. On this night we are keeping vigil by focusing on God's Word and the fulfillment of God's Word in Christ Jesus. Yet, the entire Christian life is a life-long vigil, keeping watch for the return of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Tonight Callel, Carah, and Emily began their holy vigil when they were baptized. Their entire life from now on will be one of hearing and learning God's Word and in-so-doing, they will be keeping watch, as our Lord Jesus warns, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." (Matthew 25:13)

Our first reading on which we meditated tonight was the creation account from Genesis 1 and 2. This historical record should always be on the mind of the Christian, as we confess in the creed, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." Our God is a powerful God. He created the entire universe with only his word! Which gives us confidence in the power of God's Word, to forgive, even to grant new birth to three small children with a few splashes of water! God is the source of all life and he is certainly able to give new life, as we know from the resurrection of Christ. God is the source of all things good. After each day of his creation, he called all his work, "good." So, we know that the new heaven and earth, which God will create to be our eternal habitation, will most certainly be good. All of our following meditations on Scripture must keep this in mind, that our God is the powerful creator of all things, that he exercises such power through his word, that he is the source of all life and can give new life, and that everything he does is good.

Our second meditation was on the flood account from Genesis chapters 7, 8, and 9. This account, perhaps above all others, shows us the necessity of our life-long vigil. Our Lord says in Matthew chapter 24, "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. … Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." (vss. 37-39, 42) This certainly is a solemn warning. We can see ourselves being caught up in the cares of this world, distracted by eating and drinking, marriage, jobs, and pleasures, many of which are not sinful in and of themselves, but we permit these things to distract us from our vigil for our Lord. And if we fail to keep vigil, we will not be prepared, because no one knows when Christ will return to judge the living and the dead.

The flood also gives us a picture of Baptism, as St. Peter writes, "God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 3:20-21) Noah's flood is an historical event. It really did happen. Scripture declares it and even geological records verify it. Yet, this cataclysmic event also serves as a type of Baptism, that is, it gives us a visual lesson of what happens in Baptism.

God destroyed all life on earth through the flood because of the great wickedness and violence of mankind, as is made clear in Genesis chapter 6, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (vs. 5) Likewise, within hearts of Callel, Carah, and Emily, from their conception, was only sin and evil. They were inclined toward sin and unbelief and away from true faith in God. So, just as God washed away all sin in the great deluge, so also, he washed away all sin in the hearts of Callel, Carah, and Emily as water was poured upon their heads in Baptism. Of course, the little bit of water that wet their hair did not wash away their sins, but the Holy Spirit, who works through God's Word in the waters of Baptism did this.

And as Noah and his family were kept safe in the ark, separated from the wicked world and death, so Luther's Baptismal prayer requests that God grant that Callel, Carah, and Emily be kept safe and secure in the holy ark of the Christian Church, being separated from the multitude of unbelievers and serving God's name at all times with all believers in God's promise. Baptism places the baptized into the safety of the Church, where Christians keep vigil and are made a distinct people, separated by God from the unbelieving world. And so, in our meditation on Noah's flood, we recognize the great work God does and continues to do in Baptism.

Our third meditation was on God's deliverance of Israel through the Red Sea from Exodus chapter 14. This too connects to Baptism, as they entered the water as slaves, but came out free. And their slaveholders, who followed them into the sea drowned in the tides of the sea. And so, Callel, Carah, and Emily entered Baptism as slaves of Satan, sin, and death, but they emerged free citizens of heaven. And all sin and death was drowned in the Baptismal waters, even as Pharoah and his army were drowned in the Red Sea.

This is a wonderful illustration of Baptism. Yet, it is important to note that Israel did not enter immediately into the promised land after crossing the Red Sea. And neither do the baptized enter heaven immediately after Baptism. Rather, as Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years between their crossing of the Red Sea and final crossing of the Jordan River, so we baptized children of God must contend in the wilderness of this world, keeping vigil until we cross the Jordan into heaven. Baptism isn't a magic trick that gives salvation even to those who do not have faith. St. Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 10, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness." (vss. 1-5)

And so, we should guard ourselves from the misleading notion that Baptism saves apart from faith. Those who cross through the Red Sea must keep constant vigil on God's Word lest they deny the salvation granted them in their Baptism.

Our fourth meditation is a favorite Bible story of many children. And why shouldn't it be? God's tremendous miracle kept the three men alive in a fiery furnace! Yet, our focus for this meditation is on the words of the three men before they were thrust into the fire. "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." These three men had faith that God could save them from the fiery furnace, but they did not necessarily have faith that he would. Nevertheless, they refused to worship a false god. They would have rather burned to death than break their vigil. And they teach us a great lesson. God certainly is able to save you from many physical disasters. And he has no doubt rescued you from many calamities, most of which you are oblivious of. Yet, these three faithful teach us that nothing in this life is as precious as the heavenly gift God gives to those who trust him. It is better to die than deny Christ, who bought us.

Our final meditation is on the resurrection from John chapter 20. This is the event to which all Scripture points. And it is this historical event on which our vigil depends. As St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. … But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." (vss. 12-14, 20-22)

This is why we keep vigil! This is why we have faith that Christ will return and give new life to our mortal bodies. This is why we daily turn from our sins and remember our baptism, that we are joined to Christ's death and resurrection and shall experience eternal life without sin! This is why we come together on the first of the week every week to celebrate Christ's resurrection, because this gives us hope in our own resurrection! This weekly gathering is essential to our life-long vigil.

The resurrection of Christ is proof that what we heard Jesus suffer last night for our sins was not in vain. Our sins truly are washed away, and all who are joined to Christ in faith will live again. We look forward to Christ's return with hope. And through this hope we are given strength to watch another hour. Here we learn that our vigil is not in vain! May God bless your vigil this evening with increased faith and may he keep you in your vigil until you meet its glorious end. Christ is risen! Amen.

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Good Friday: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried

3/31/2018

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John 18-19
March 30, 2018

Jesus suffers as an innocent man. The chief priests and elders bring two main charges against Jesus to Pilate. They accuse him of being a blasphemer on which account he should be punished according to Jewish law. And they accuse him of being an insurrectionist, that is, one who conspires to overthrow the government, which of course would call for him to be punished under Roman law. Yet, Pilate doesn't find him guilty of insurrection. Jesus clearly says that his kingdom is not of this world, which means that it is no threat to Pilate or the Roman government. And as we heard on Sunday from Luke's account of the Passion, Pilate even sent Jesus over to King Herod and he found no guilt in Jesus. Two rulers, whose number one concern was squashing insurrection confidently found no cause for alarm in Jesus and declared him innocent of any crime. Jesus was innocent according to Roman Law.

So, the Jews had to resort to their first charge, which they had brought against Jesus before Annas and Caiaphas: the charge of blasphemy. "We have a law," said the Jews to Pilate, "and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God." Now, according to the Law, which the Jews received through Moses, a blasphemer should be put to death (Leviticus 24:16). But Jesus is no blasphemer. Yes, he claims to be the Son of God. But he is the Son of God. So said the angel at the announcement of his birth, and so did his many works and true teachings verify throughout his ministry. Jesus was innocent according to God's Law.

It is interesting that the Jews resorted to the charge of blasphemy. Pilate, a Gentile, had no interest in blasphemy laws and certainly didn't want to put someone to death for an offence against a non-Roman law. This shows that Jesus' trial was a complete sham and his condemnation came at the behest of an angry mob, although he had done no violence.

Yet, the Jews ironically were correct about one thing. According to the Law, Jesus ought to die. Yet, not as they meant it. The Law did not require that Jesus die, because he was a blasphemer. (Jesus is no blasphemer!) The Law required that Jesus die, because he indeed is the Son of God. The word Law does not only refer to the commandments given through Moses, which governed the people of Israel for about a millennium and a half before Jesus' crucifixion. The Law refers to the whole council of God, which is revealed in the Scriptures. And throughout the Scriptures it is made clear that the Christ, who is both David's Son and David's Lord (Psalm 110:1) must die for the people.

And so, we recognize that something much greater is going on than what we see. Jesus is found innocent of both blasphemy and insurrection, yet he is condemned to death by human courts anyway. Yet, in heaven, God the Father finds him innocent of every crime and sin, in fact, he is the only innocent man ever to live! Yet, God too condemns him to death, yet not only for the crime of insurrection and for blasphemy. God the Father condemns his Son for every crime committed in our hearts, mouths, and hands. Our hymn describes it very personally,

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered Was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with thy favor, And grant to me thy grace.

We aren't having a funeral tonight. Nor are we mourning the unfortunate death of an innocent man. Rather, we are celebrating the truth. Jesus is fulfilling Scripture! Jesus said to Pilate, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world- to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." Throughout Jesus' ministry he bore witness to the truth through his teaching. And now at his darkest hour, he carries out the truth of Scripture fulfilling what was spoken by the prophets.

You can only imagine what Scripture passages must have been racing through Jesus' mind during the hours leading up to the cross, as he prayed drenched in bloody sweat in the garden, as he waited in captivity in Caiaphas' house before being led to Pilate, and as he carried his cross to Golgotha. Some of the passages we know, as Jesus cited Isaiah 53 that he must be numbered with the transgressors. Yet we know that Jesus was fully aware of every line of Scripture that he fulfilled as he fulfilled them. We know how Jesus cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!", as recorded in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark. Yet, Jesus was well aware that he was fulfilling the rest of Psalm 22, which he was quoting: verse two, "O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest;" verse six through eight, "But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 'He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!'"; Psalm 69:21, "They give me poison for food, and for my thirst they give me sour wine to drink."; and Zechariah 12:10, "When they look on me, on him whom they have pierced."

Yes, Jesus' crucifixion was clearly foretold in Scripture and Jesus bears witness to its truth with bitter pain and flowing blood. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is an historical fact. John the Evangelist writes of his own eyewitness, "But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness- and his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth- that you also may believe."

It is clear that Jesus' crucifixion is a true story and that this event proves the truth of Scripture. Yet, the truth is not complete simply by recognizing the historical facts. The truth also includes the meaning and purpose of the historical facts. As Jesus bore his punishment during those excruciating hours he not only meditated on the Scriptures, which foretold of this event. He comforted himself in his affliction with the prophecies, which proclaimed the great good his suffering would gain.

Jesus, no doubt, as he hung dying on the cross meditated on that first messianic prophecy spoken by God to the serpent in the newly fallen garden of Eden, "I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." And our Lord was consoled by this ancient passage knowing that even as his life left him, he was delivering the victory blow to Satan on behalf of the children of Eve.

Jesus certainly remembered the first Passover, as it was recorded in Exodus 12 and knew that the blood of the lambs spread on the door posts of the homes of the people of Israel pointed to his own blood, which now causes the angel of death to pass over us. Christ remembered Zechariah 9:11, As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit." He knew from Isaiah 53 that he was bearing the iniquities of us all and that his passion was earning eternal life for many.

Our Lord was comforted even on the cross knowing that his passion saved you from eternal death. And we can be certain that even as Jesus prayed for you in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he prayed not only for his disciples, but for all who would believe through their words (John 17:20), so he also had his mind on you as he labored on the cross, suffering willingly, because it gained you salvation.

Millions of pages have been written on the meaning of Christ's passion on the cross. But it is God, who determines the true meaning of Christ's crucifixion. And he reveals this meaning through his apostles. St. Paul writes, "we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." (2 Cor. 5:14-15) Jesus died for all people. There is no one that does not include. What does this mean? God tells us again through St. Paul, "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation."

God does not count the trespasses of the world against them, because he counted them against Christ, who was punished for them. God has reconciled the entire world to himself. He is at peace with the world. He has forgiven all sinners. This is the ground on which the ministry of reconciliation rests! The Gospel is that God is reconciled to you. When God's ambassadors declare, "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!", they are not telling you to earn your reconciliation or do something that will appease God's anger. They are telling you that God has already reconciled you to himself, he has already forgiven you for Christ's sake. Believe it!

Your faith is true only if what you have faith in is true! You can't believe that God is reconciled to you and has forgiven you unless he has already reconciled you to himself and forgiven you. You aren't going to get God to forgive you by believing that he forgives you. You simply believe what is true. The truth is that Jesus Christ died on the cross according to the Scriptures, as many eye witnesses have proclaimed. And the truth is that this death God credits in your favor. God put to death sin in Christ's body, so that you might be righteous. This is the Gospel truth!
What can we learn from this historical fact, which we remember this evening? We learn that it truly happened. We learn that Scripture foretold that it would happen. We learn that it is for our sins that Jesus died. And above all, we learn that God is pleased by this death and is reconciled to you by it. Through this work of Christ on the cross, you have peace with God. The work has been done. You need only have faith.

May the remembrance and celebration of Christ's passion tonight bring to your heart true repentance of your sins, which themselves laid the blows against Jesus and bring you true faith in the benefit of Christ's death, that God is not angry with you, but forgives you for the sake of this precious blood. Amen.

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Maundy Thursday: The Son of Man Came Not to be Served but to Serve

3/29/2018

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John 13:1-15, 34-35
March 29, 2018

Jesus is a teacher. Yes, Jesus performed many signs and miracles during his three-year ministry on earth, but Jesus' ministry was primarily about teaching. All of his signs and miracles, in addition to showing compassion to his creatures, had the purpose of reinforcing Jesus' teaching. And so, on this holy night in which our Lord is betrayed into the hands of evil men, our teacher gives one last lesson. It's an object-lesson. Jesus washes his disciples' feet.

The disciples needed their feet to be cleaned, for sure; walking everywhere on dusty roads. Jesus performed a needed service. Yet, much more, the disciples needed to learn a lesson. The setting of this final lesson is very important to mark. This is Jesus' last Passover. He is about to be betrayed into the hands of evil men, to be flogged, crucified, and murdered. And he knows it. The words and actions of Jesus at this moment should be taken with the utmost seriousness. And in this final lesson, Jesus teaches his disciples the sum of Christian doctrine.

What is the purpose of Christ's ministry here on earth? Why did God send him? In Matthew chapter 20 Jesus tells us, "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Here in John 13, Jesus shows us. Jesus "rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him." (vss. 4-5)

In these two verses John describes both Jesus' action in washing his disciples' feet and his entire work of humiliation here on earth. First, Jesus takes on the form of a servant. He rises, lays a side his teacher clothes, and ties a towel around his waist. Then, he performs the task of a servant, he washes the grime off his disciples' feet and wipes them with the towel. St. Paul expresses this same thing in regards to Jesus' earthly ministry in Philippians chapter 2, "Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (vss. 6-8) First, Jesus, who is in the form of God, takes the form of a servant. Then, he performs the task of a servant, except much more than any servant would do. Jesus becomes obedient unto death on a cross!

When Jesus took off his outer garment he did not cease to be his disciples' teacher. And when he wrapped a towel around his waist, he did not cease to be their Lord. Likewise, when Christ Jesus, who was in the form of God emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, he did not cease to be our God. Even when Jesus pushed the putrid muck from between their toes with his fingers and scrubbed the calloused soles of their feet as a common slave, Jesus remained their Lord. Likewise, when Jesus became obedient to the point of death on the cross, he remained our God and Lord.

Jesus is teaching us why tomorrow is such an awesome day. It isn't a common criminal hanging on that cross with a crown of thorns on his head. It isn't even a righteous man dying the sinners' death. There dying upon the tree is our God and Lord! And there kneeling at the feet of the disciples is their Lord and teacher! It is of the utmost importance for our faith to grasp this lesson, because herein lies our certainty for our salvation! The one who pays the price for our sins is the eternal God. Not only does this tell us how much God loves us, but it gives us confidence that the debt of our sins has been paid. The sacred blood of Jesus our God has paid it.

Tonight is the night our Lord Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Altar, as we hear every week, "Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed took bread..." Yet, the appointed Gospel lesson for the night of Jesus' betrayal does not tell of this account. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all give the account of Jesus instituting the Lord's Supper, as well as our Epistle Lesson from 1 Corinthians 11. Yet, John writes of another event on that same night. Yet, this feet-washing teaches us a lot about the Sacrament of the Altar, as well as of Baptism, Absolution, and the preaching of the Gospel. In fact, if you do not understand what Jesus is teaching in this lesson of the washing of his disciples' feet, the meaning of the Lord's Supper will be lost to you.

When we as the church receive the Lord's Supper, Christ our Lord is serving us! He is the host of this meal. He is also the meal itself, as he offers his very body and blood prepared for us on the altar of his cross. This is a very important thing to mark. The Lord's Supper is Gospel, not law. That is to say, the Lord's Supper is God's work for us, not our work to please God. This was one of the main points of contention between the Lutherans and the Roman Catholics during the Reformation. The Lutherans argued, based on Scripture, that the Lord's Supper is God's work for us, whereby God forgives our sins through faith. The Roman Catholics argued that the Lord's Supper is the perpetuation of Christ's sacrifice, which the Church offers to God along with the works of the saints in order to merit justification.

It is important for you to understand what is going on in this Sacrament. Christ was sacrificed once and for all on the cross. And his sacrifice alone atones for our sins. In the Sacrament of the Altar, Christ our Lord and teacher serves us. He washes our feet clean, so to say, by feeding us his true body and blood, which were given and shed for our salvation. When you receive Christ's body and blood in faith, you receive the forgiveness of sins, strengthening of faith, and certainty of eternal life.

There are also many who deny that Jesus' body and blood are truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar. Yet, this is to deny Jesus' clear words, which we just heard read from 1 Corinthians 11 and which you can clearly read from Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22. Jesus clearly says that the bread is his body and the wine is his blood. We should not think that our Lord on the night he will be betrayed to death in giving his last will and testament will be speaking in jest. Nor should we doubt Christ's power to be present in the bread and wine on many altars even as he is seated at the right hand of God the Father. Yes, Jesus is truly human. Yet, that does not limit his ability to do the impossible. Jesus remains truly God. And so, just as Jesus did not cease to be his disciples' teacher and Lord when he stooped to wash their feet, Jesus does not cease to be our God as he takes on human flesh and blood nor as he condescends to us in the form of bread and wine to serve us this meal which gives eternal life.

"If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.", Jesus says to Peter upon his refusal to let Jesus wash his feet. Now here, Jesus is teaching Peter and us a lesson and not saying that we need to have our feet literally washed by Jesus in order to have a part in him. Jesus is saying that he must serve Peter by dying on the cross for his sins and he must continue to serve him through word and sacrament. If he does not, neither Peter nor we can have a part in Jesus. Many want to have a personal relationship with Jesus without Jesus washing them. They want to have faith without hearing the Gospel or receiving Baptism or the Lord's Supper. Jesus is very clear, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." You must be washed by Jesus; you must be served by him. If you refuse Jesus' service for you, you refuse Jesus.

This is also why Jesus says that not all are clean. Jesus washed all their feet, but not all were clean. Why? Because not all had faith. Judas was a hypocrite. Jesus died for everyone, but not everyone is saved. Why? Because not all have faith. Likewise, just because you receive Baptism or the Lord's Supper or Absolution, does not mean that you are clean, unless you have faith. It is faith which receives Jesus' service. Again, this points to the fact that Jesus is cleansing your heart, not the outside of your feet.

Faith is not only knowledge that Jesus lived, died, and rose. Faith is trusting in Jesus' service for you, because you need it. Christ has made us clean through his death, which he gives to us through faith and in Baptism. Yet, our feet continue to get dirty. We still sin every day. We must continue to have our feet cleaned. We must continue to receive Absolution and the Lord's Supper, because we continue to sin and our faith continues to falter. Faith acknowledges your need for Christ to continue to serve you until you join him in the Church Triumphant.

Today is called Maundy Thursday. Maundy comes from the Latin word for command. Jesus says, "A new command I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (13:34) This truly is the sum of the Christian life. Having been loved by Christ, we continue in love for one another. Jesus did not institute a new Sacrament of feet washing, as he did with the Sacrament of his body and blood. Rather, he says that he has given them an example. Jesus, their Lord and teacher, served them in the basest way, so that they would learn that there is no service beneath them nor human being unworthy of their service.

Jesus teaches us on this night what it means to love. He loved them to the end. How? Well, he serves them as a slave. Yet, even this is just a sign foreshadowing what he will do on the cross for all mankind. Love is service. So, when Jesus tells you to love one another, he is telling you to serve one another.

How do you know when and where and how to serve? Look at your life according to the Ten Commandments. Honor your parents and other authorities. Look after the physical needs of your neighbor. Defend his property and reputation. What do you pray in the Lord's Prayer? Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Forgive those, who sin against you, even as Christ has forgiven all of your sins. Look at your neighbor in the best light and explain every situation in the kindest way instead of putting the worst construction on a situation and jumping to conclusions. And in this way, you will wash your neighbor's feet.

But I might get burned! And I might fail! No, you won't. You can't fail. You've been washed by the blood of Jesus. Before Jesus knelt down to wash his disciples' feet before his ultimate betrayal, he knew that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God. Jesus laid aside his glory with confidence, knowing that God would give it all and more back to him. And so, you too can lay aside whatever glory you think you have and serve. There is nothing you can lose that God will not give you back times 100. And when you fail you have the certainty of the forgiving blood of Christ. Look to your Baptism for full confidence. You are from God and you are going back to God. Amen.

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Palm Sunday 2018: The King Comes to Reign

3/26/2018

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Zechariah 9:9-12
Philippians 2:5-11
John 12:12-19
March 25, 2018

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double. (Zech. 9:9-12)

The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed. This pithy statement expresses for us the relationship between the Old and the New Testaments in the Bible. All Scripture speaks of Christ. And all of the prophets of the Old Testament prophesied of Christ, as Jesus himself said. (Luke 24:44) If you do not know Christ as he is revealed in the New Testament, the prophecies of the Old Testament will make no sense and the Old Testament will remain a closed book to you. But if you do know Christ, then the Old Testament becomes an endless fountain of knowledge, that teaches of Christ Jesus and his salvation on every page. Our Gospel lesson tells us this when it says that Jesus' disciples did not understand what was going on, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done by him. (John 12:16) Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the waving of palm branches and shouts of "Hosanna!", were written about in Zechariah chapter 9. And since Christ has been revealed to us in faith, this Old Testament lesson reveals to us much about our king.

Jesus is the king prophesied of by Zechariah, who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Yet, it is important to know what type of king he is and what kind of kingdom he will rule. It is clear from Zechariah's words and through Jesus' fulfillment of these words that Jesus is a spiritual king and his kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.

The prophet tells the daughter of Zion to rejoice and the daughter of Jerusalem to shout. Zion is the mountain on which the city Jerusalem is seated. The daughters of both are the same citizens of this city. And they did in fact rejoice and shout as Jesus entered on a donkey. Yet, there is also a spiritual fulfillment of this prophecy, which transcends its physical manifestation. For Jesus does not enter Jerusalem to rule as a physical king over Israel. As Jesus says to the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. … But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth." (John 4:21, 23) And St. Paul makes a distinction between the physical Jerusalem, which corresponds to slavery under the Law and the free Jerusalem above, who is our mother. (Galatians 4:25-26) And the author to the Hebrews speaks of a spiritual Jerusalem when he declares to those of faith, "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the first born who are enrolled in heaven..." (Hebrews 12:22-23)

And Zechariah makes clear that Jesus comes not to rule a physical, but a spiritual Jerusalem by the manner in which he describes his conquest and rule. He comes lowly on a donkey, not upon a war horse. Neither does he threaten any of the political leaders of Jerusalem. Zechariah does not say that he will put an end to Roman military rule, but rather he says, "I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem." Ephraim represents the northern kingdom of Israel. Jerusalem represents the capital of the southern kingdom and the true capital of the united nation of Israel. Zechariah tells us that he will cut off their military might, that is, God will put an end to the political and earthly kingdom of Israel and replace it with a spiritual kingdom. Jesus does not conquer with the use of military might, he even leaves his twelve legions of angels in heaven (Matthew 26:53). Rather, he speaks peace to the nations. He conquers the nations by the word of his mouth.
This brings us to another proof from Zechariah that Jesus' kingdom is spiritual. "His rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth." Jesus' kingdom will not be confined to the borders of Israel but will rule over the entire earth! If this were a prophecy of a physical kingdom, it certainly would have failed, since the kingdom of Israel no longer exists and the nation of Israel only rules a sliver of land. This prophecy is shared by Psalm 72:8, "May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!" Psalm 72 also makes clear that the Christ's kingdom will have no end, "May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! … May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun!" (vss. 5, 17a)

Today the Church recognizes the Annunciation of Jesus' Birth to the Virgin Mary. Exactly nine months from today is Christmas. At the annunciation the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary as recorded in Luke chapter 1, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Vss. 30-33) The angel Gabriel makes clear before the conception of Jesus in the womb of his mother that his kingdom shall be an eternal, spiritual kingdom.

And this tells us a lot about what Jesus is doing as he rides into this holy city. Jesus does not come to battle earthly armies. He comes to wage a war within our hearts! We are captives to sin and death, under the constant threat of God's Law. Satan is constantly assaulting our hearts with temptation and doubt and our hearts themselves are by nature tainted with sin. And the Ten Commandments, which we have not kept constantly threaten death and eternal punishment. This is the task at hand. No amount of chariots or swords or tanks or nuclear missiles can solve this dilemma. Rather, Jesus, who was appointed by God to live under the Law perfectly in our stead must sacrifice himself as our scapegoat. As Jesus rides weaponless upon a donkey into his city he comes fully armed to win the day and set his people free.

And this makes the betrayal, the beating and spitting, the scourging, the willing ascent to the cross all make sense. It is by this punishment upon his body and soul that he removes our sin from our consciences, disarms the devil and removes the threats of the Law from us. The Prophet says, "As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit." Not the blood of the thousands upon thousands of lambs to be sacrificed that week for Passover. That is the blood of the old covenant. No, by the blood of the new covenant, which Jesus will shed, he sets the prisoners free from the waterless pit. We are the prisoners. The waterless pit is the threat of the Law upon all sinners. Just as a waterless pit cannot offer life, so the Law promises only death to us sinners. We are left to suffocate in our own sins, until Christ comes to rescue us through his blood!

When we see Jesus riding in on a donkey we see the Lamb of God being led to slaughter silently and willingly. He humbles himself to the point of death upon the cross. "Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus won for himself an eternal kingdom inhabited with citizens, who will live forever. He couldn't do this with military might. He had to do it through humble sacrifice.

This message is difficult to accept, even for us, who have no hope like the Jews for the re-establishment of the kingdom of Israel. We are earthly minded. We want a powerful earthly king. We want God to work for us on our terms, make us rich and healthy and successful and happy. We make God out of our own image and demand that Jesus ride in on his war horse and solve the earthly problem we deem to be the most important. But God reveals to us through Scripture that the spiritual is more important than the physical and the eternal is far greater than the temporal.

This means that Jesus will serve you in a different way than you would expect, if you simply want him to solve your earthly problems. We are the daughter of Zion and Jerusalem. We are citizens of Jesus' spiritual kingdom. And Jesus comes to us even today, bringing salvation for us. But you will only recognize him if you recognize your greatest need: the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. And you will only recognize him if you pay attention to his word as it is revealed in Scripture.

Mary was rightly perplexed by the message of the angel. Yet, when Gabriel told her this was from God and her son would be the Son of God, she responded, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38) And so our mother in the faith teaches us how to live in Christ's kingdom today: by trusting in the word that comes from God. God's Word reveals to us that the lowly rabbi who rides in on a donkey and is beaten and crucified to death does so to bring salvation to you. God's Word reveals to you that Jesus comes to you today with words of peace, the forgiveness of sins, and even his body and blood, which sets prisoners free. God's word reveals to you that you live now in a spiritual kingdom you cannot see, which grants you peace with God and eternal life by grace apart from your works. Through physical eyes this is impossible to see. But with spiritual eyes of faith, you can with confidence say to God, "Let it be according to your word." Amen.

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

Easter Sunday: Death is swallowed up in victory

Keeping Vigil: The Christian Life

Good Friday: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried

Maundy Thursday: The Son of Man Came Not to be Served but to Serve

Palm Sunday 2018: The King Comes to Reign

Rev. James Preus

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