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Malachi 3:1-7b

¹ “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ² But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. ⁴ Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

⁵ “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

⁶ “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. ⁷ From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Imagine you are driving south on Columbia Rd. to go Christmas shopping. You’ve passed through the UND campus and crossed the bridge over the train yard and Demers. You are next to Altru and you hit the light next to Perkins red. You are the first car to the light. You wait as the cross traffic makes its way through the intersection. Finally, the light turns green. You start accelerating and, suddenly, you are T-boned by someone who didn’t stop. Your car is totaled. You have a broken arm and leg. The only good thing is that you are close to the hospital. After surgery, physical therapy, and a week-long hospital stay you are finally ready to go home; however, it will be five weeks before you can return to work.

You end up having to take the other driver to court. The judge asks you what compensation you are looking for. You tell your sad story of how the bills were piling up because you couldn’t work. You tell him about how you had late fees for your utility bills and mortgage because you had no income. You conclude by telling the judge, “I want justice. I want all my hospital bills paid for. I want compensation for all the time I missed work. I want the late fees for my bills covered. And I want a car that will replace the car that was destroyed. I want justice.”

The judge asks the other driver, “Did you hear all of that?” The other driver stares at the ground and nods. “Well,” says the judge, “are you willing to fix what you have broken?”

The other driver says, “I know I’m at fault. But I can’t afford all of that. I have a family of my own, and we struggle to make ends meet. I know I have made a mess of the plaintiff’s life, but I can’t afford to fix what I’ve broken. Please, judge, have mercy on me.”

The judge appears to have a soft spot for the defendant. He looks at you inquiringly, and you respond, “Your honor, I’m the victim here. I simply what what is right. It’s not as though I’m asking for millions in pain and suffering. I simply want justice. I demand justice.” So, the judge rules in favor of you. You get every penny that you are asking for, and life returns to normal.

One month later, you are driving along in your car. You hit a patch of ice and slide into oncoming traffic hitting an approaching vehicle head-on. You are fine, and neither car has too much damage. But, in the other vehicle, a child was eating her snack. The impact made the child choke she dies.

You find yourself, once again, in court before the same judge. The judge asks the other driver, “What compensation are you looking for?”

The mother’s eyes are filled with tears. She’s barely able to speak through her sobs. “Your honor, that was the worst day of my life. Because of that day, I will never get to see my daughter again. I simply want justice.”

You burst out, “I can’t give justice! I can’t replace what has been lost! I can’t give her child back to her. Please, your honor, have mercy.”

The judge looks at you and says, “I remember you. You were here before and demanded justice. I am ordering you to pay for every expense. You will pay all expenses to have the car fixed. You will pay for the funeral. Beyond that, you will pay $50 million in pain and suffering and be imprisoned for vehicular homicide.” And you are taken directly to jail.

The moral of the story: “Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.” Malachi has just told the people that they have wearied God by complaining about everything – every injustice, every misfortune, every bump in the road – they have been complaining about everything except their own sins and offences (Mal. 2:17). The people kept asking for God’s judgment and justice to fall upon evil. The people want God’s fiery wrath to scorch the sinners. “Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.”

The people crying out for justice in this text might not like it so much when it comes because they are not as good as they thought. Those calling out for God to punish evil are going to find out they are more evil than they thought. And you too, have a care. Do not be too eager for God’s judgment and justice to fall upon the guilty. You will not like it when justice comes because it comes for all – it comes for you.

“Who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?” (v. 2) “Christ is not merely the Purifier but also the purifying Agent. He is not only the Blacksmith but also the Fire; not only the Cleaner but also the Soap” (Luther). Jesus comes to burn away all the evil and injustice of the world. You too are evil and unjust, and you will not endure the coming of Christ. You will not stand when he appears.

Repent. Instead of asking for judgment and wrath, beg, plead, “Lord, have mercy upon me the sinner” (Lk. 18:13).

Here, Malachi, whose name means ‘my messenger/herald,’ announces that God is going to send another messenger who will prepare the way of the King. A herald heralds the herald of the King because the people had better be ready for His coming. This herald that Malachi spoke of came. John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness preaching, “Prepare the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill made low. The axe is already laid at the foot of the trees, and every tree that does not bear good fruit will be hacked down and thrown into the fire” (Lk. 3:4-5, 9).

John’s bony finger points at us and says, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Lk. 3:7). Don’t even try to pretend that the finger of the Law doesn’t point in your direction. When you see the evil in this world, instead of crying out for God’s justice, cry out for God’s mercy.

In repentance, we see John’s finger pointing away from us and pointing to Jesus. John’s preaching changes from, “You brood of vipers,” to, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” We hear from even from this text that though we deserve to be devoured in the refiner’s fire, “I the Lord do not change; therefore, you are not consumed.”

Advent is all about the coming of Jesus. He has come in the flesh by way of the Virgin. He is coming again in judgment on the Last day. And Jesus came preaching just as John did, “Repent.” But, unlike John, Jesus brought the very grace and mercy that you need.

Justice for your sins has already been doled out, but not on you. Your sins have been paid for, but not by you. Jesus comes here and now in this Sacrament. Jesus’ body is broken – for you. Jesus’ blood is shed – for you for the forgiveness of sins. Return to Him, once again, in repentance and faith. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.