Listen here.

John 15:1-8

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I am in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Vines, vines, vines all over the place. Scripture is literally crawling with vines. Jesus is making a big statement in these verses – calling Himself the “true vine.” So we’re going to take a little time  to see how God speaks about His vine in the Old Testament.

First, Psalm 80:8-18 talks about the people of Israel as a vine. This vine was brought out of Egypt, and God drove out the pagan people to plant it. The vine took deep root in the ground and filled the land. Isaiah 5:1-7 picks up the imagery and talks about the vine. God planted Israel on a very fertile hill. God cleared the ground of stones and put a watchtower to guard it. But when God looked for His vine to yield grapes, it produced a bunch of wild, garbage grapes.

So you have this picture of Israel being a choice vine, planted in the perfect place. But they did not produce fruit like they should. God says that He was looking for the fruit of justice, but found bloodshed. He looked for the fruit of righteousness, but there was an outcry (Is. 5:7). So God destroys the vineyard. The vine is reduced to a stump. God breaks down the walls of protection, allows thorns and briers grow up, and commands that the clouds do not send rain upon the vineyard.

But later in Isaiah 11:1, God promised that a shoot would come from that stump. And in Isaiah 53:2, God said that His servant would grow up like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground.

So when Jesus says, “I am the true vine” He is saying that He is the fulfillment of what Israel failed to be. Jesus is the vine who grows where nothing should be able to grow.

Around the dead stump of the cross, Jesus was wrapped like a vine. The bark of Jesus’ skin was torn by a whip. His growth was strangled by a crown of thorns. Jesus was scorched and blackened by God’s wrath against your sin. And His lifeless body was tossed into the ground. But, of course, Jesus, the true vine, grew up from the earth. He rose again.

Jesus, the true vine, has continued to grow and spread out His branches to all the earth. And now, Jesus, the true vine, bears and sustains the branches that do bear good fruit.

“I am the true vine,” says Jesus, “you are the branches.” Jesus speaks about two types of branches – branches that bear fruit and branches that do not bear fruit. According to Jesus, there is only life and death. Either you are alive, joined to Jesus, and bearing fruit, or you are dead, apart from Jesus, and withering.

Carry this analogy out: There are no plants that have branches that are sometimes connected and sometimes not connected. You cannot be connected to Jesus sometimes and disconnected other times. You either are connected or not connected – no middle ground. Unless you are connected to Jesus and His gifts, you wither and die.

But Jesus promises, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” Seven times in these nine verses, Jesus uses that word ‘abide.’ We don’t use that word very often anymore. But Jesus, your source of life, your true vine, invites you to abide in Him. Grow in and with Him as He delivers everything you need for life. Remain connected to Him where you receive nourishment. Stick with Him through the good and bad seasons of life. And you absolutely will bear fruit.

If you abide in Jesus, you are bearing fruit. Maybe you are having a hard time seeing your fruit. That doesn’t matter. You are not the judge of your own fruit, neither is anyone else. God the Father will take care of that.

But notice that all branches do get cut. Branches that do not bear fruit are cut off and taken away because they are dead. They wither and are thrown into the fire and burned. Branches that bear fruit are pruned. I’m not a plant (obvious statement of the day). But I would assume that getting pruned isn’t the most pleasant experience for a branch. Being pruned might not be pleasant, but it will cause you to bear more fruit. Jesus says the Father prunes you. He cuts off all your sinful dead weight so that you will produce even more fruit.

This pruning takes place through the Word of Christ. If you want to abide in Jesus, abide in His Word. The Father uses that Word to clean you so that you will bear more fruit. And this is so cool. Please, if you haven’t listened to anything else in this sermon, listen to this. Jesus says that every branch that does bear fruit the Father prunes. Then, Jesus says, “Already you are clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” The word ‘clean’ there in v. 3 is the same word Jesus uses that gets translated ‘prune’ in v. 2.

Soak up the Word of God. Read it daily. Come here and drink God’s Word as it comes through the songs, hymns, liturgy, readings, and sermons. Let the rain of your baptism, which is water connected with the Word, precipitate through your whole life. Open your lips to receive the nourishing sap of Christ’s body and blood given in bread and wine.

You will bear fruit. Jesus promises. And this fruit brings glory to your Heavenly Father. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

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

Listen here.

John 10:11-18

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Death died when Jesus rose. The stone is rolled away. The tomb is empty. The grave’s strength is spent. The guards could not keep Him. Death could not hold Him.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. As Jesus takes this title for Himself, all sorts of Scriptural imagery comes to mind. Psalm 23 naturally connects to these words from Jesus. Yahweh is our Shepherd who leads us to green pastures and still waters, who brings us safely through the valley of the shadow of death, who pours oil on our head and fills our cups until they run over.

Luke 15:3-7 is, of course, another picture of Jesus. The shepherd leaves his 99 sheep to search high and low for that one lost sheep. Then, when he finds it, he calls all his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him.

Other places in Scripture, like Ezekiel 34, God says that the shepherds He sent to His people are not doing their jobs and so God Himself will come to shepherd His sheep. Or in Micah 5 where it is prophesized that God’s appointed Shepherd would be raised and shepherd His flock and make them dwell in security. The Shepherd Himself shall be the peace of the flock.

So when Jesus applies the title of Good Shepherd to Himself, He is claiming to be God – God for you.

Being a shepherd isn’t a glamorous job. Remember that David, the youngest son of Jesse, tended the flock while his brothers were off fighting in the war. Shepherds were on the edge of society. Where were the shepherds were when Jesus was born? Out in the fields in the cold, dark night. Shepherding is a lowly, humble task. But being humble and lowly never stops Jesus.

Jesus says He is a Shepherd who is even more lowly and humble than your average shepherd. Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.” The word ‘good’ there also means right, fitting, true, competent. What makes Jesus the good, right, fitting, competent Shepherd? Jesus tells us, “The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Sometimes, for us to understand what Jesus is saying, it is good for us to see what Jesus is not saying. Jesus does not say, “I am the good shepherd. I give the sheep everything they want.” Jesus does not say, “I am the good shepherd, and I make sure my sheep are comfortable and enjoy a great life.” He doesn’t say, “I am the good shepherd, and I am here to be your best friend, to be there for you when you are lonely.” Jesus does not say, “I am the good shepherd, and I am here to have a close, personal relationship with the sheep.”

Jesus does say, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” What makes Jesus the Good Shepherd is that He dies – nothing less. He dies for His sheep. The Good Shepherd has blood, His own blood, on Him. The Good Shepherd has holes in His hands and feet, wounds that He suffered on the cross for you. Jesus, the good, fitting, competent Shepherd suffered, bled, and died so that He could be your Shepherd. The kind of shepherd you needed. You needed a shepherd to be really, truly abandoned and condemned by God because of your sin. Jesus, your Shepherd, died a real death and was buried in a real tomb. Your sin was that serious of a problem.

Many Christians will use this phrase: “You need to have a personal relationship with Jesus.” Now, that phrase isn’t untrue, but it is (at best) only half true. You do need to have faith in Jesus in order to be saved, and you can, I suppose, characterize faith as a relationship. But doing that tends to make you focus on yourself. You have to wonder, “Am I holding up my end of the relationship?”

With as often as Christians talk about a personal relationship with Jesus, you would think the Bible would be talking about it all the time. But do you know how many times the Bible uses the word ‘relationship’? I’ll give you a hint – it’s equal to the times that the Vikings have won the Super Bowl. That’s right, a goose egg, zero. Scripture never says that you need a “personal relationship” with Jesus.

If your biggest need is to have a “personal relationship” with Jesus, then Jesus didn’t need to die. Jesus could have just come and hung out with us. He could just sit on the couch and watch Jeopardy or the NFL Draft while eating chips with us or something. Ask yourself this: If a relationship with Jesus is the solution, what is the problem?

You see, our biggest problem is not loneliness. If that were the case, any number of individuals could help us. Our biggest problem is not a lack of companionship. Our problem isn’t even that we have a hole in our hearts that only Jesus can fill. We don’t need a buddy, a chum, or a pal. We need a Savior from sin.

Our problem is that we poor, wretched sinners dash ourselves to pieces against the holy, righteous God. We cannot avoid Him. And the only solution for our true problem – our sin – is the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The good news is that the good, fitting Shepherd does lay down His life for the sheep.

Why would Jesus be willing to lay down His life for us? He tells us in the closing sentence of our text. “This charge (lit. ‘command’) I have received from My Father.” Jesus willingly lays down His life for you because the Father commanded and He obeyed. And because Jesus obeyed, He is exactly the kind of shepherd you needed.

When Jesus is your good, fitting, crucified Shepherd, He knows you and you know Him. You’re as close to Jesus as the Father is to Jesus because He lays down His life for you. And Jesus is eternally your Good Shepherd because:

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

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

Listen here. (Please note, we had a power outage that lasted until right before the sermon, so the flock was a little more cantankerous than usual.)

Luke 24:36-49

³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them. ⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Death died when Jesus rose. The stone is rolled away. The tomb is empty. The grave’s strength is spent. The guards could not keep Him. Death could not hold Him.

Our Gospel text today is a replay of last week. Easter evening Episode 2. Why? Why would we look at the same event two weeks in a row? Well, Luke tells us some things that John doesn’t. Dr. Luke wrote his Gospel for a different reason and to a different audience than John, the fisherman. So Luke gives us some details that John doesn’t.

To set this all up, I want to tell you about a real problem that is common among pastors. I’ll call it clerical tautologitis (‘tautology’ means “the same word twice”). I’m going to call this problem clerical tautologitis. Yes. I know I said that twice. It’s humor.

I’ve been around pastors all my life. I was born right before my dad’s last semester of seminary. So I’ve been listening to pastors repeat themselves since I was born. Pastors have an uncanny ability to tell the same story in the same way to the same person – over and over and over. I think it happens because pastors are supposed to preach Jesus Christ crucified, risen, and coming again. Part of their calling is to say the same thing repeatedly. I think another contributing factor is that pastors get asked the same question by several different people. When I give the same answer several times, I forget who has already heard what I am saying.

Please, I beg you, help me curb the early onset of clerical tautologitis. If we’re having a conversation, let me know if you’ve already heard what I’m saying. Please, save yourself and me. I promise I won’t be offended.

But you know what? Jesus was repetitive too. Especially when He used one little word in our text. That word is in v. 44 of our text, and gets translated here ‘must.’ “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

The Greek word that gets translated ‘must’ there is the Greek word δεῖ. In English it means ‘it is necessary’ or ‘must happen.’ When Jesus says something “must happen,” it is probably good for us to listen to Him.

In the Gospel of Luke particularly, when Jesus uses this little word δεῖ, it forms an interesting arc through the Gospel. We aren’t going to look at all of the times Jesus uses the word, but the ones we are going to look at are listed in your Scripture insert. I’d invite you to follow along as I go through them:

The first comes in Lk. 2:49. Jesus is twelve-years-old. Mary and Joseph have taken Him to the Temple to celebrate the Passover. Mary and Joseph start to travel back home, but pre-teen Jesus stays behind. His parents are terrified when they can’t find Him, and Jesus is lost for three days. Finally, they find Him in the Temple listening to teachers and asking them questions. Joseph and Mary get after Him a little bit, “Why are You doing this to us?” Jesus’ first words in the Gospel of Luke are His response to that question, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I δεῖ be in My Father’s house/about My Father’s business?” (the phrase is literally translated ‘in the things of My Father’).

What is Jesus talking about? What does it mean that He has to be about His Father’s business? We don’t know yet. But we will find out as we continue through Luke’s Gospel – especially when we find Jesus using the word δεῖ again.

The next comes in Lk. 4:43. Before Jesus calls the first disciples, He is casting out demons. The people in that area want Jesus to stick around and help them with all their problems. But Jesus won’t. Why? Jesus said to them, “I δεῖ preach the good news [the Gospel] of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

So, It is necessary for Jesus to be about His Father’s business and it is necessary for Him to preach the Good News of the reign of God to everyone. What is that Good News? What’s the Father’s stuff? We still don’t’ know. But we’re about to find out.

The next time Jesus uses the word δεῖ comes in Lk. 9:22. Peter has just confessed that Jesus is God’s Messiah. Jesus tells the disciples, “Don’t tell anyone because the Son of Man δεῖ suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Jesus says He must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again. But maybe the disciples figure Jesus doesn’t know what He’s talking about. Maybe Jesus is simply mixed up on what He must do.

But look at what happens later when Jesus uses the word δεῖ. In Lk. 13:32-33, Jesus is outside of Jerusalem and lamenting over the city. He wishes that Jerusalem would have listened to the prophets. But because they didn’t, they are going to be destroyed. Some people warned Jesus that He should get away because Herod is seeking to kill Him. But Jesus responds “Go and tell [Herod] that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish My course. Nevertheless, I δεῖ go on My way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’”

Jesus is saying, “Hey, I’m not worried about Herod. I know I’m going to die. That is what I’ve been saying all along. But I’m going to die in Jerusalem. Since I’m not there yet, I’m not going to be killed.”

What is necessary? It is necessary for Jesus to keep preaching, but it is also necessary for Jesus to die. Jesus’ death must happen. It must happen for you, for your redemption.

But keep going. [We’ll skip the next few times Jesus says δεῖ 17:25; 19:5; and 21:9). In Lk. 22:37, Jesus tells Peter, “You are going to deny Me three times.” Then, Jesus tells the disciples to be ready. He tells them to make sure they have a moneybag, a knapsack full of food, and even a sword because dark times are coming. Jesus says, “For I tell you that this Scripture δεῖ be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about Me has its fulfillment.”

Δεῖ: it is necessary that sinless Jesus be numbered with the transgressors. It is necessary for Jesus to take the sins of the world upon Himself. He must carry the disciples’ burden, your burden, my burden on His shoulders and die. The disciples still don’t get it. They say, “Here are two swords, Lord.” But Jesus stops them, “It is enough. Guys, you are missing the point. I’m saying I’m going to die.”

The incomprehension of the disciples is about to change because, before δεῖ gets used again, Jesus does suffer. Jesus is crucified. He does die and is buried. But surprisingly, Jesus can’t be found at the tomb. In Lk. 24:6-7, an angel says to the women standing at the empty tomb, “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee,  that the Son of Man δεῖ be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

Later that day, Jesus appears to the two disciples who are traveling on the road to Emmaus. They don’t understand what is going on. People keep saying that Jesus is risen. And Jesus says to them Lk. 24:25-26, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not δεῖ that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Then again in v. 44 of our text, Jesus says, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms δεῖ be fulfilled.”

Now, finally, Jesus opens the disciples’ minds to understand the books of Moses, Genesis – Deuteronomy; to understand the Prophets, more than just Isaiah – Malachi, also what we call the Historical Books; and to understand the Psalms. Jesus opens their minds to the whole Old Testament. All the Old Testament is fulfilled when Jesus dies and rises again.

If you have a hard time understanding anything in the Bible, simply ask yourself, “How does this fit in with Jesus’ death and resurrection?” because that is what all the Bible is about. The story of Scripture is about God pursuing you, forgiving you for Jesus’ sake, and creating faith in you.

The disciples, you, and I are totally dependent upon God opening our minds, just like the disciples were. The task of accomplishing salvation was Jesus’ work, and it is still God’s work to grant faith in that salvation. God wants nothing more than for you to have your mind opened by the Holy Spirit as He works through the Word of God.

Jesus wants you to know that you are redeemed, forgiven, and have eternal life because:

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

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

Listen here.

John 20:19-31

¹⁹ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Death died when Jesus rose. The stone is rolled away. Jesus escaped. The grave’s strength is spent. The guards could not keep Him. Death could not hold Him.

Thomas gets a bad rap. Was he doubting? Yes, of course, but no more doubting than the other disciples.

Our text starts on the evening Jesus rose from the dead. Peter and John had seen the empty tomb, and John believes (Jn. 20:8). Mary Magdalene and some of the other women see Jesus (Mt. 28:9-10). Two other disciples, who are not part of the Twelve, see Jesus on the road to Emmaus. And, at some point, Jesus appears to Peter privately (Lk. 24:34). Jesus is popping up all over the place, but the disciples are scared. Why were they scared?

On the day Jesus died, the Pharisees had gathered before Pilate. They remembered that Jesus had said that He would rise after three days. They figured that the disciples would steal Jesus’ body and fake a resurrection. So Pilate tells the Pharisees to set a guard and seal the tomb (Mt. 27:62-66). So the disciples know that there is an empty tomb. They know the Pharisees were afraid that the disciples might steal Jesus’ body and fabricate a resurrection. The ten disciples are afraid. So they go to the upper room, lock the door, and sit there terrified. They figure, at any moment, the guards were going to come and smash the door and do to them what they had done to Jesus.

But the door doesn’t come crashing down; it isn’t unlocked; it doesn’t even open. Jesus simply appears there in the room with them to say, “Peace to you.” Jesus shows the disciples His hands and side, and the disciples were filled with joy. And Jesus repeats Himself, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.” Then, Jesus breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any it is withheld.” (More on that a little later.)

Now, Thomas wasn’t with them, and we don’t know where he was. The ten were gathered together with the doors locked because they were afraid. But Thomas isn’t there. Maybe he was out checking to make sure the other disciples were safe. Maybe he wanted to see if they had been arrested. Maybe Thomas was just out running errands. Eventually, Thomas does find the others. They tell him that they have seen Jesus. But Thomas says with some vulgarity, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails and thrust (not just ‘place’ – lit. ‘throw’) my finger into the mark of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

Now, our text jumps to one week later. The Sunday after the Resurrection, Thomas is with the disciples. Even though the ten had seen Jesus, even though Jesus had sent the disciples with His peace to forgive sins, the doors are locked again. Thomas has an excuse to be there but not the others. The ten should have been out speaking about the Resurrection and forgiving sins. But there they are, locked inside. It’s not just doubting Thomas – it’s doubting disciples.

They doubt just like you and I doubt. If you are like me – and I would be willing to guess you are – when you hear the words, “You are forgiven,” your mind goes back to that one sin or those several sins that you have committed. Sins that haunt and guilt and convict and remind you that you deserve hell. Sins that you would do anything to make sure no one ever learns about them. We doubt that Jesus’ forgiveness really covers those sins.

That’s why, dear saints, we need absolution – over and over and over again. That is what Jesus has called us to do. That is what Jesus has called me to do as your pastor.

I wouldn’t dare stand up here and say, “I forgive you of your sins,” unless Jesus had said that is what should be done when sins are confessed.

Another pastor (Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller) uses this analogy: Imagine you are found guilty of a crime and locked in prison. As you sit there in prison, a judge looks over your case and rules that you are innocent. He sends an order to the guard of your prison to set you free. The guard comes with the keys, unlocks your cell, and releases you back into society. Now, who set you free, the judge or the guard? Honestly, the answer is both.

If the judge declares you innocent, but the guard doesn’t go to where you are and unlock your cell – you are stuck in prison. But if the guard, with no order from the judge, lets you go, you will live the rest of your life expecting to be arrested again because you haven’t been justly declared innocent.

Christ is your Judge, and because of what He has done, He declares you innocent. God then orders pastors – the people who have been given the keys (Mt. 16:19) – to go to where you are locked up and open your cell. That is why the absolution is given only “by Christ’s command and authority.”

But this authority isn’t just given to pastors to announce over congregations on Sunday mornings. Jesus gives all believers this authority too. You can announce this forgiveness. If someone comes to you and tells you about their sin and guilt and shame, you can tell them of Jesus death. Tell them that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Tell them that Jesus’ death takes away their sins, and His resurrection shows that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice. And tell them, “I forgive you of your sins because of what Jesus has done.”

That is the Gospel message. That is the authority Jesus has given to the Church. That is the message Jesus has sent us into the world to announce. That is the peace that Jesus gives when He says, “Peace to you.” It is the peace that, because He died and rose again, sins are forgiven. They are gone. As far as the east is from the west, so far has Jesus removed our transgressions from us.

No locked door can hold Jesus back. No “secret” sin can match Jesus’ ability to forgive. Jesus is way better at forgiving than you are at sinning. Don’t be afraid anymore. Boldly go. Boldly forgive because:

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

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

Listen here.

Mark 16:1–8

¹ When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³ And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.

⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. ⁶ And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

⁸ And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Death swallowed up the Son of God. The grave took Jesus’ lifeless body into its jaws. Jesus was brought so low that His breath was stopped. He was cut off from the land of the living. The full brunt of the God’s wrath against your sin fell upon the perfect, sinless Son of God.

Was that death’s victory? Had hell won?

Absolutely not. The stone is rolled away. Jesus escaped. The grave’s strength is spent. Death could not hold Him. The guards could not keep Him.

Death died when Jesus rose.

But doesn’t death still rule over the battlefield, the cancer center, the hospital, and even the womb? Aren’t we reminded of death in every skinned knee, mosquito bite, and every time we fall asleep? Isn’t death still the master that will take every one of us and our loved ones whenever it wants? Doesn’t death still make our bodies weak, grow stiff and old, and contract diseases? Yes, it still does.

But death has died. The grave cannot hold you. Jesus lives. He has risen out of death and back to us. He came out as a king to meet His people. He is a victorious general returned from war. Jesus burst down the prison walls of death from the inside. Death could not hold Him, and it cannot hold you.

On the last day, the dead will rise. No one will stay in the grave. Death has died.

There will still be a division. The goats will be separated from the sheep, unbelievers from believers. God will not force Himself on you. He will not steal you. If you do not want Him, you can chose to remain in hell. Your body will rise, but you will forever return to the grave, even though the grave is defeated. You will get what is yours. You will be paid the deathly wages of your sin.

But everyone who believes in Jesus, the Risen One, you will rise to eternal life. It doesn’t matter whether you are good or bad, whether you are full of virtue or full of scandal. Through faith, you have eternal life and a place in God’s kingdom. God will happily give you what you did not earn and definitely didn’t deserve. God will freely give what Jesus has won for you. Christ will give you His perfect life.

Now, even when we lower our loved ones into the grave, we do it in mockery of death. Even though they are dead, they live. They are with Jesus who is the Resurrection and the Life. Their bodies only await the resurrection and the life of the world to come.

My kids teach me a lot, but about eight months ago, Annalise gave me a lesson I’ll never forget. On August 4^th, she was at the cemetery as we buried Roy Link. I could tell that being there and watching the casket lowered into the ground had got her to thinking. When we arrived home, she said that she was very sad for Sonia. But then she asked the perfect question. “Papa, when is Easter?”

Well, Easter is today. The Resurrection is now. The grave is defeated. Death has died.

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.[1]

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

[1] I am thankful to Rev. David Petersen’s sermon on this text as inspiration for this sermon. http://emmanuelpress.us/books/thy-kingdom-come/

Isaiah 52:13–53:12

¹³ Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.

¹⁴ As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

¹⁵ so shall he sprinkle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;

for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.

¹   Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

²   For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.

³   He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴   Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.

⁵   But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.

⁶   All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷   He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.

⁸   By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?

⁹   And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.

¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What should sinners expect when the holy, righteous God shows up? We expect judgment, punishment, condemnation, destruction.

That is why Adam and Eve hid themselves when they heard the sound of God walking in the Garden. They knew what they deserved – their eyes had been opened. They knew they were naked. They knew shame. God showed up and they were terrified.

The same goes for Isaiah when he saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and lifted up. He heard the cries of the seraphim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah’s only response was, “Woe is me for I am unmade. For I am a man of unclean lips and dwell among a people of unclean lips.”

Adam, Eve, Isaiah, you, and me – our reason and our experience says that each person must bear their own sin. Anything else is “unfair.”

Yet, what actually happens? What do Adam, Eve, Isaiah, you, me, and every other sinner experience? Contrary to all reason and logic, when God shows up, He offers pardon and forgiveness.

God told Adam and Eve that on the day they ate of the tree, they would surely die. But what happens? God slaughters a flock of animals, covers their nakedness, removes their shame, and they live another 900 years.

Isaiah figured He would be unmade because he, a sinner, stood in the presence of God. But what happens? God sends a seraph with a burning coal to touch his lips. His guilt was taken away, and his sins atoned for.

How can God do this? Adam and Eve had the fruit in their stomachs. They were picking the peel from between their teeth. Isaiah had his uncleanness on his lips. All the fingerprint and DNA evidence pointed toward their guilt. So how can God pardon the guilty?

God can forgive because our text says that the sins of Adam, Eve, and Isaiah were somewhere else. Scripture also says that your sins are no longer yours – they are gone. They now belong to God’s Servant, Jesus. God placed on Jesus the iniquity of us all. Jesus bore your griefs. Jesus carried your sorrows. Jesus was pierced for your transgressions and crushed for your iniquities. Your sin, all your sin, even the sins that you will commit years from now, they have all been placed and punished upon Jesus.

The Gospel tells us that, contrary to everything that is right and “fair,” Jesus is judged guilty for your sin. Jesus bore your sin in His body on the tree that you might die to sin (1 Pet. 2:24). God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin that you might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). As John the Baptizer said, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). In other words, Jesus has stolen your sins from you. He took possession of them, they are His.

Where are those sins now? They are forever lost in the emptiness of the Easter tomb.

Faith is the constant struggle about who owns sin. Your sin can only be in one of two places. Either your sin is upon you and you are damned, or your sin is on Jesus.

Faith is a struggle because Satan, the world, and you yourself will throw all sorts of accusations against you. The devil, the world, and you will see your sin and say, “Look at that terrible thing you did. You deserve death and condemnation.”

Faith is learning to say what the Scriptures say, what God says about your sin. When you feel the guilt and load of your sin, when you are accused, you can respond, “That sin you see on me is not mine anymore. That sin belongs to Jesus. Jesus has taken away the sins of the world. That includes me. If you want to talk to anybody about that sin, you go talk to Jesus.”

Jesus, God’s suffering Servant, has given you a wonderful exchange. You sin, but Jesus pays the penalty. Jesus deserves lives a life completely obedient to God and deserves peace, but He gets God’s wrath. And you are given, you receive God’s peace.

Some people ask, “How can I know I’m saved?” The answer is, “Jesus is crucified. He has taken the shame of my past. He owns the failures of my present. And He removes the guilt of my future.”

Jesus makes you to be accounted righteous. He has borne your iniquities, and with His stripes you are healed. Amen.

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

Listen here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Three men are tried and condemned as criminals. They are sentenced to be hung until they die. Two of them, the two on the outside, are getting what they deserve. But not the man in the center. He is innocent. But all three share the same execution together. They are brothers in death.

We have followed Jesus’ life through the first half of the church year. We witnessed His birth, just like one of us. We heard as He grew to be a man, a carpenter by trade. Jesus shared His whole life with us. He was our brother in everything, except He did not sin. Jesus’ life was in total harmony with God. Jesus had no life apart from God. He was obedient to God in all things.

So why did He die? Jesus came to go through your whole life with you, and this was completed by His sharing physical death with you. He is with you even when your body dies. As these three men on their crosses were made brothers in death, you are too. Jesus put Himself not only next to the two criminals there on Calvary, but also next to you and next to all rebels against God. Jesus goes through it with you.

Jesus really died. Scripture emphasizes this by telling of His burial. In the Creed we say not only that Jesus was crucified and died, but also that He was buried. His corpse was taken down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, wrapped in a piece of linen, and put in a grave. Jesus was buried. And so whenever you put the body of a loved one down into a grave, you know Jesus has been there too. That makes all the difference. In Jesus you see how God does things.

In John 12:23-25, Jesus says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

When Jesus said His hour had come to be glorified, He referred to His death. As a seed only bears fruit by dying first, so it was with Jesus. So it is with you. God brings you to that death, to that participation with Jesus in crucifixion (Ro. 6:3-5). As you stand beneath the cross this morning you can say, “As Jesus dies, I die too. From here on out, I will know no life but that which comes from our dying together.”

Jesus dies the big death for you. He carries the awful load of your sin for you. You are spared from your sin by His death for you. Jesus answers for your sin and breaks it’s domination over you. But all this becomes yours only as you die with Him. At the cross, you part company with both your sin and the miserable life that you would make for yourself apart from Him.

The path of life lies only through dying. Jesus’ death was the climax, the crowning glory. It did not appear so, but He committed Himself to the God who brings life out of death.

So your death, your parting company with sin, will seem a loss to you, but it is not so. For when you die, you are cast on God. The God who brings life out of death – only out of Jesus’ death. He died the big death for the sin that separates you from God. With your sin He suffered, with your sin He was rejected and abandoned by God. Sin cannot condemn you again. For the death Jesus died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Ro. 6:10-11). Amen.[1]

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

[1] This sermon is based on a sermon by Rev. Donavon Riley https://thefirstpremise.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/homily-for-good-friday-on-mark-1533-47-the-path-of-life-lies-only-through-dying/

Listen here.

Mark 10:32-45

³² And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, ³³ saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

³⁵ And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. ⁴² And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus had called the disciples to follow Him, and here they literally are following. Jesus is ahead of them. moving at a fast clip walking to Jerusalem, and the disciples are behind, amazed and afraid. They sense that something dire is down the road in Jerusalem. Things are coming to a head.

So what does Jesus do? He takes the twelve aside and turns up the heat. “We’re going to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him, spit on Him, flog Him, and kill Him. And after three days He will rise.” Jesus doesn’t sugar-coat what is about to happen.

James and John don’t like all this death talk, so they try to change the subject to something more comfortable – for them at least. “Let’s talk about heavenly seat arrangements, Jesus. When You sit in Your glory, how’s about You let us sit on either side of You – one at Your right and one at Your left.”

This request is so breathtakingly bizarre. In all the Gospels but especially in Mark, the disciples come across as numbskulls who repeatedly don’t get it. But brutally honest moments like these, where the disciples come across as imbeciles, show that the Gospel accounts are honest. If the apostles were making up some new, fake religion, they would certainly make themselves look better in the stories they told.

Jesus bluntly tells James and John that they are out of their minds and don’t have a clue what they are asking. So Jesus asks them, “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

The cup that Jesus will drink is the cup of God’s wrath against our sin. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays that this cup will pass from Him. But He finishes that prayer with, “But not what I will, but what You will” (Mk. 14:36).

Predictably, James and John answer Jesus’ question, “Sure, we are able.”

Can you imagine the look on Jesus’ face as He pauses and says, “Oooookay. I’m in the death and resurrection business, and that’s all I’m into. You will certainly have that. But the issue of who gets to sit where, well, that’s not in My job description. The seats at My right and left when I am in My glory have already been assigned.”

But then the other disciples, showing that they are just as imbecilic as James and John, get mad at the sons of thunder (Mk. 3:17). So Jesus calls a closed-door team meeting.

“Ok guys, listen up. All this talk of power and glory, it’s Gentile talk. You’re working the way the world works. A CEO will call in his vice-president of production and chew him out. The VP will take it on the chin, apologize, and leave the CEO’s office. But once he’s out of there, he’ll turn around and rip apart the first manager he sees. The manager will turn around and get after the shift supervisor and so on and so forth. But that’s not how it goes in My kingdom. If you want to be great, you must be servant of all. Even I came not to be served but to serve. I’ve come to give My life as a ransom payment for many.”

That’s the key to understanding this whole text. When God shows up on earth, it is to serve and not to be served. You see, we’re no different than the disciples; we are just like James and John.

If you think your presence here at church is fulfilling your weekly duty for God, or if you think coming here is about you offering something to God – well, you’re wrong. When God shows up, He shows up to serve. He came to serve you and give His life as a ransom for you.

This is the last Sunday of Lent. Next week, we will watch the fulfillment of Jesus’ ominous talk about going to Jerusalem to be tried, convicted, crucified, killed, and buried. We will see that the only place where Jesus is labeled as “King of the Jews” is when a sign is hung above Him on the cross (Mk. 15:26). We will learn the identities of those who have the honor of sitting on Jesus’ right and left (the same language that James and John use here) – and they are two robbers (Mk. 15:27). And we will see Jesus serving all humanity, giving His life as a ransom.

But go back to Jesus’ initial question to James and John, “What do you want Me to do for you?” and turn it around. What do you want from Jesus? Like James and John, do you want honor and prestige and power? Or do you want Jesus to serve you by giving His life as a ransom for you?

Before you answer that question, ask yourself: What is the greater honor, sitting chummy with the Son of God at a glorious banquet? Or being served by God in the flesh as He gives His life for yours?

I was intentionally overly harsh with James and John and all the disciples in this sermon. Calling them ‘numbskulls’ and ‘imbeciles’ is hardly charitable. For all their faults, the disciples are to be admired. Being able to walk with Jesus for those three and a half years was not an advantage over us. Instead, we have a huge advantage over the disciples. We live after Easter, after the resurrection. We can admire the disciples’ honesty. We should be thankful for how unapologetically they portray themselves as foolish and downright evil. But they can do that precisely because Jesus gave His life as a ransom for them. The apostles were confident of the forgiveness and grace of Christ (Rev. David Petersen).

You can be confident of that same forgiveness and grace. Jesus has come to serve you. He has given His life as a ransom for you. The story of Christianity is not about the best and most holy moving up to God. Instead, it is about God moving down to the worst of sinners, about God moving down to you. Amen.

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

Listen here.

John 3:14-21

¹⁴ “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Thursday morning before I left for work, Naomi made a loving gesture. She handed me a little plastic, pink ring with the shape of a heart. As she gave it to me, she said, “Here Papa. Take this so you can remember that I love you when I don’t see you today.” The ring just barely fits on my pinkie, and it probably looked a little ridiculous to the handful of people who saw it on my finger. I’m sure they wondered why 33 year-old man with a beard was wearing it. But it was a good reminder throughout the day. A quick glance at my pinkie reminded me that my little daughter loved me.

To prove He loves us, God has given us a sign, a gesture of love – Jesus on the cross. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we can look to this sign and know God loves us. God in the flesh crucified, hanging on a tree, and lifted up for you is greatest gesture of love ever given.

As precious as Jesus lifted up on the cross is to us, we tend to forget how strange, mysterious, and downright offensive it is. This text, a familiar text, is a good occasion to remember how odd and wonderful and precious the cross is. John 3:16 has become cliché – we hear it so often – but we rarely hear the context.

The full context, of course, goes back to the beginning of John’s Gospel. The Word who was in the beginning with God and was God, this Word became flesh and dwells, tabernacles, among us. The Word of God in the flesh says in v. 14, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

Jesus is, of course referring back to our Old Testament text (Nu. 21:4-9). God’s people were complaining for what seems like the eighteenth time about being out in the wilderness with no water and nothing to eat except that loathsome, worthless food. They seem to forget the fact that God repeatedly, miraculously provided water and that God was daily providing them with manna and quail. But the people still whine and moan and complain.

So God sends serpents among the people. Those serpents bite and injecting their fiery venom of death. This venom causes many of the people of Israel die, but they realize what they have done. So they come to Moses and say, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prays and God tells him to make, of all things, a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. If anyone is bitten, he can look at the serpent raised up on that pole and live.

Now, doesn’t it seem a little rude of God to make the people look at an image of the curse to be healed from their bites? Imagine feeling the poison coursing through your veins, the last thing you would want to look at is an image of the very thing that has caused you this pain.

When something hurts you, you naturally try to avoid it. You have watched your friends and relatives get bitten by these snakes and die in pain as the fiery venom courses through their veins. Now you are bitten. But all God has given you is a bronze image of one of those serpents to look at. Moses says, “Here’s your remedy. If you get bitten, look at this bronze serpent that looks just like the ones that are biting you. Look here and live.”

You would be thinking, “Moses, are you insane? How could that help us? Why would we want to look at an image of the very thing that is killing us and terrifying us?”

But as ridiculous as it sounds, God gave this bronze serpent as a sign of His love and care for His people. Odd? Yes. Strange? Indeed.

But it was God’s sign, God’s remedy. God gave it and attached His promise of life to it. What other cure was there? Nothing. No matter how foolish it seemed, it brought healing and life.

Now, Jesus takes this story and broadens it. Jesus says that God has given one sign of God’s love to all humanity. There is one place to look for healing from the poison of sin coursing through our veins. There is one sign of God’s love. And that is Jesus on the cross.

Just as the people of Israel were bitten with the fiery, poisonous venom of death, you and I and all humanity has the venom of sin coursing through our veins. Only one cure exists – the Son of Man dying on a cross. The only cure for us is to look at Jesus beaten, bloodied, and dying on the cross. Only there do we find forgiveness, life, and healing.

What does God’s love look like? What is the sign of His love? Jesus lifted up on the cross, and nothing else.

John 3:16, maybe the most recognizable verse in the Bible, is one of those verses that can get neglected. We hear it so often that we don’t realize what a beautiful verse it is.

On Friday, Sarah and I went to the jewelry store where we got our wedding rings and had them both cleaned. Our rings are always on our fingers, and they naturally lose their original shine and beauty just because they are always there. But you get them cleaned and they look like new. The same thing can happen with familiar Bible verses.

Today, look at John 3:16 with fresh eyes. Look at fresh and clean. See it from a little different angle to notice the beauty there. Let me tweak the translation a little bit. The little word, ‘so’ can mislead us somewhat. Often, ‘so’ is taken in the sense of “God loved the world soooo much.” But that isn’t what this word means. The Greek word means “in this way.” “For God in this way loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.”

God gave His Son to the world, to you, lifted up on the cross. This sign of God’s love is universal. Jesus crucified is given to all the world, to you. No one falls outside of this gift of God’s love. God loved the world so He gave His only begotten Son for the world to see lifted up on the cross as the remedy for sin. Jesus, lifted up, suspended between heaven and earth, held by three nails is God’s eternal sign of love for you.

Jesus crucified is God’s eternal sign of love to show you that God is not out to condemn the world but to save the world through Jesus.

Whatever you are going through, this is God’s one and only sign that His love for you does not change based on how you are doing at any given moment.

When times are good, look to Jesus crucified for you. When you are upset with God, look to Jesus crucified for you. When you feel the pains of sin and death, look to Jesus crucified for you. Look to the Son of God lifted up on the cross as the remedy, the salve, for all your woes, all your pains. Look to Him dying on the cross so that you not die but have everlasting life. This is God’s eternal sign of His love for you. Amen.

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

Listen here.

John 2:13-22

¹³ The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. ¹⁵ And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

¹⁸ So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. ²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’”

Jesus has a mean side. “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild” – not so much here. This is more like, “Aggressive Jesus, scrappy and contentious.”

After seeing the merchants selling their oxen, sheep, and pigeons and the money-changers, Jesus assembled His homemade whip. And out He drove them – the sellers, the animals, and the money-changers. Imagine the sounds – animals howling, people yelling, whip cracking, tables flipping, coins clanging to the concrete. A scene like this is more akin to a child throwing a temper tantrum than a religious teacher restoring reverence to a place of worship.

But Jesus didn’t have a choice in the matter. Zeal consumed Him. God’s Temple, God’s house was being destroyed. This was something that had to be done. Jesus had to protect His Father’s house.

But why did it have to be done? Prayers were being made, sacrifices offered. How was what they were destroying the Temple? After all, the merchants and money-changers were offering a service.

God had instituted the sacrifices, and sure it was reasonable for someone from Bethlehem, Nazareth, or Capernaum to bring their own sheep or ox to Jerusalem for a sacrifice. But what about the faithful who lived in Turkey or Rome? Getting to the Temple was difficult enough. Bringing an ox or a sheep or even a pigeon was a burden. It’s much easier to bring money with you, buy the animal at the destination, and sacrifice it. The priests recognized this. And they, as stewards of God’s house, had sanctioned it.

The merchants and money-changers just made everything more convenient. And, quite frankly, there wasn’t anything wrong with them making a profit as they did it. The merchants were simply running a business. No sin in that. Everyone has to make a living. They were simplifying worship. But just because something makes worship more simple, doesn’t make it right.

The problem wasn’t what they were doing – it was where they were doing it. The sale of sacrifices had been going on for a long time, but it had occurred outside the Temple on the slopes of Mount of Olives. Apparently, Caiaphas, who was high priest in Jesus’ day (Lk. 3:2; Jn. 18:24), was the first to allow the merchants to set up shop inside the Temple.

The vulgarity of what they were doing was that, through their indifference and complacency, they turned the house where God freely gave forgiveness into a house of business, a house of transactions. God’s forgiveness should never be connected with making a transaction. The place where God extends mercy to His people gratis should never be a house of business, trade, and enterprise. Through complacency, God’s people were destroying God’s house. Their indifference was the catalyst for the decay and destruction of the Temple that had taken forty-six years to build.

But they didn’t see it that way. They were still offended at Jesus’ action, Jesus’ zeal. So they ask Jesus for a sign. But notice that John doesn’t say that the religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, demand Jesus give a sign to authenticate His authority. It was all the people. “The Jews said to Him, ‘What sign do You show us for doing these things?’”

Jesus replies, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” But, in saying that, Jesus had moved the metaphor. He was speaking about the temple of His body.

As important as the Temple building was to Jesus, the Temple was pointing to something even more important – Jesus Himself. Jesus is the place where God’s glory dwells. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14). Jesus is the place where the perfect Sacrifice for all sin, for your sin, was offered to God. The Jews will get the sign they demand, but only in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus had authority to drive the merchants and money-changers out because He is the resurrected One.

Jesus’ zeal for God’s house consumes Him – in fact, it destroys Him. Jesus’ zeal for God’s house came at a great price.

What about today? Well, the metaphor moves again. The Temple pointed to Jesus’ body, and now the Church – that’s you, believer – the Church is the temple of God. 1 Cor. 3:16-17 says, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

Jesus’ zeal for God’s house consumed Him. Jesus’ zeal for you consumed Him. He was destroyed for you. The Jews did destroy the temple of Jesus’ body, and Jesus raised that temple. Jesus protected that house, and Jesus will protect this house. He will protect you, His church, His temple. Amen.

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