Tag Archives: Belief

Ingredients of Great Faith – Sermon on Matthew 15:21-28 for the Second Sunday of Lent

Matthew 15:21–28

21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I want to start with an analogy that gets regularly used. Imagine two men who want to cross a frozen river with thick ice. One man doesn’t hesitate at all because he believes the ice is strong and stable. So, he gets in his ¾ ton pickup truck and drives straight across no sweat. The other man is terrified and trembling because he doesn’t trust the ice. He lays out as flat as possible to distribute his weight and crawls on his belly inch by inch and makes it to the other side. Both men had faith. The guy in the truck had a strong faith, and the guy wriggling on his belly had a weak faith. Was their success in crossing based on their faith? No. Obviously, one had an easier time than the other but they both succeeded in the goal of crossing.

Now imagine those same two men needing to cross the frozen river, but the ice is less than an inch thick. Again, the first man doesn’t hesitate at all because he believes the ice is fine, but he and his pickup plunge into the frigid river and are swept away. The other man is crawling because he’s worried about the thickness of the ice. But it doesn’t matter how careful he is. That thin ice cracks, and he’s swept away too. Now again, was their failure in crossing based on their faith? No. It was based on the thickness of the ice.

Here’s the point: Faith has an object; faith is in something. You can have a lot of faith, but if that faith is in the wrong thing it doesn’t matter how strong that faith is because the thing you believe isn’t right. The opposite is true too. You can have a tiny, little, weak faith in the right thing and that’s what matters because that thing can support that faith even though it’s weak.

For a long time now, you’ll hear people talk about being a “believer.” Ok, but a believer in what? That term is fine. The Bible uses it, but it needs more context. What is it that you believe? A newer term that seems to be gaining popularity is “a person of faith.” That one drives me nuts – as though faith is the thing that matters. Everyone has faith in something. A “person of faith” has faith in what? Honestly, an atheist is a person of faith. They are. An atheist believes that everything that exists came from nothing or believes that matter is eternal. An atheist believes, contrary to every observable fact, that the order and beauty we see in creation happened by mere chance. An atheist believes he knows enough to conclude that there is no designer or creator. Now that takes a lot of faith, but that faith is based on complete foolishness.

Christian, you can define your faith. The Creeds are excellent summaries of what you believe. The strength of your faith or the amount of your faith doesn’t matter as much because what you believe is solid, right, and true. The stronger your faith is, the better your life will be. Think back to the analogy of the two guys crossing the river: They both get across. The guy who has great faith gets across quickly and easily, but the guy who crawls still gets across.

We do want to grow in and strengthen our faith. Sometimes people will think that when Jesus calls us to have the faith of a child (Mk. 10:14-15) that He’s saying that a weak faith is fine. A child’s faith is not weak. Think about it. An infant can’t do anything on her own. But that infant has faith that simply crying will get her parents to spring into action to fix her problem – her hunger, need for a nap, or messy diaper. Infants actually have a strong faith that trusts the adults will take care of whatever needs that infant has.

Ok. All of that brings us to the text about the Canaanite woman. She is one of only two people in the Gospels who has a faith that gets praised by Jesus, “O woman, great is your faith!” (the other is in Mt. 8:10; Lk. 7:9). So, it’s good for us to consider what is it about this woman’s faith that makes it great enough that Jesus would praise it. Well, let’s consider the text.

The first ingredient of great faith is that it trusts that Jesus is the Savior of all mankind. This woman is an outsider – a Canaanite. She was part of the people that should have been eliminated because of their demonic worship. Psalm 106 talks about the failure of the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites and how that failure led to tolerating the pagan religious practices of the Canaanites. Because of that failure, the people were sacrificing their sons and daughters to the demons (Ps. 106:34-39).

It is no stretch to assume the reason this woman’s daughter was so severely possessed by a demon was because of her own actions and due to her pagan worship. If I’m wrong about that, I’ll apologize to this woman in heaven because we’ll meet her there. Now, despite all of that, this woman trusts that Jesus is herSavior and can help her and her daughter. So, she goes to Him and prays, which leads us to the second ingredient.

The second ingredient of great faith is that it is bold and persistent in prayer. This woman is unflinching. I know that it’s hard to hear how our Lord treats this woman. She cries out, and He ignores her. Jesus dismisses her and acts as though He doesn’t have anything for her. And, finally, Christ insults her by calling her a dog.

By the way, don’t let the way Jesus acts toward her make you think that Jesus is a misogynist or is racist. Look at the end of the account. Because He praises her faith, we know what He thought of all those prayers that came before. He loves this woman and her daughter. But in the middle of it the woman doesn’t know what Jesus thinks of her or her prayer. And despite the way she is treated, she keeps praying. She doesn’t let up. She keeps asking for relief and trusts that Jesus will deal with her according to His grace and mercy.

How many times have you prayed about something and it seems as though God is ignoring you or the situation gets even worse? That is not the time to stop praying. Great faith stays bold and steadfast even when it appears that God doesn’t care. Know that He does care and loves you.

The third and final ingredient of great faith is that it recognizes that God’s crumbs are more than enough. Now, getting rid of that demon was huge for the woman. It’s something she can’t do on her own. But her faith has such a high opinion of Jesus and His power that she recognizes that it’s no big deal for Him to conqueror that demon and expel it from her daughter. This woman recognizes that it is just a crumb for Jesus to completely defeat this demon who has crushed her soul, who has plunged her entire world into chaos and grief and suffering, and who has brought her all this pain and torment. It’s just a crumb. It’s no big deal for Jesus.

Dear saints, it’s nothing for Jesus to take away all your sins. He’s already done all the heavy lifting. So, it’s a simple task for Him now to forgive you, bless you, and grant you eternal life. He gives you better than crumbs. He gives you Himself to cure your soul and bring you unto eternal life with Him. Amen.

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

As You Believe, So It Is – Sermon on 2 Samuel 22:26-34 for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity

2 Samuel 22:26-34

26 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; 
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; 

27 with the purified you deal purely, 
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. 

28 You save a humble people, 
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. 

29 For you are my lamp, O Lord, 
and my God lightens my darkness. 

30 For by you I can run against a troop, 
and by my God I can leap over a wall. 

31 This God—his way is perfect; 
the word of the Lord proves true; 
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 

32 “For who is God, but the Lord? 
And who is a rock, except our God? 

33 This God is my strong refuge 
and has made my way blameless. 

34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer 
and set me secure on the heights.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If this text feels like a Psalm, you are a good student of Scripture. 2 Samuel 22 is actually the same as Psalm 18. David wrote at least 74 of the 150 Psalms, and it’s interesting (at least, I think it’s interesting) that this is the only place in the story of David’s life where a Psalm recorded. We don’t know exactly when the Psalm was written. But this is placed here in 2 Samuel 22 at the end of David’s life, and v. 1 tells us that this was David’s song, “when the Lord delivered [David] from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.” And the contents of the Psalm are a very fitting way to wrap up David’s story.

David had fought his last war. He had faced the lions and bears as a shepherd. He had killed the giant, Goliath. He was rescued from the spears of King Saul. David had been saved from the Philistines. David was reestablished as king even after his own son, Absalom, had dethroned and hunted him. And, maybe, most importantly, God had rescued David from himself. God forgave David for his adultery with Bathsheba. God absolved David from the sin of murdering Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah. Through it all, God was faithful to David in the face of David’s enemies of the devil, the world, and David’s own sinful flesh. From a humble shepherd who was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse to the conquering King of Israel, David’s life is a rags to riches story. But morally, David started out better than he ended. The tail end of David’s life was disappointing to say the least, but that is what makes this passage so interesting.

The verses you just heard are the middle of the Psalm where David is reflecting on all of God’s gracious acts throughout his life. David addresses God, “With the merciful You show Yourself merciful; with the blameless man You show Yourself blameless; with the purified You deal purely.” God does show us all these things about Himself, but it sounds as though David is bragging that he was those things – merciful, blameless, and pure. How could such a great sinner like David say something like that?

Well, look again at v. 33. “God is my strong refuge and [He] has made my way blameless.” It was God who made David all those things. By God’s declaration, by God’s mercy, and by God’s absolution, David was merciful, blameless, and pure.

Now, whenever we hear passages like this, we need to recognize God’s actions come first and then God’s attributes shine through God’s children. The text does not say that God is merciful to the merciful, blameless to those who are blameless, and pure to those who are pure. If that were the case, God’s mercy, blamelessness, and purity would never be revealed because we are all sinners. Instead, we need to recognize that God is the one who makes us blameless, makes us merciful, and makes us pure, and all of that shines through us. We are not the light of the world. Jesus is, and His light shines through us for all the world to see. God is merciful, blameless, and pure according to His nature, and God works on us and in us to make us like He is. Colossians 3:10 says that we are being renewed after the image of God, and Romans 8:29 says we are being conformed to the image of Christ. As Christians, God is renewing us in His image.

So, again, with the merciful God shows Himself merciful; with the blameless God shows Himself blameless; with the purified God deals purely. But then notice how v. 27 changes gears, “with the crooked You make Yourself seem tortuous.” Big change there. Just quickly, the translation there is tortuous not torturous. Torturous is related to torture and causing extreme pain and suffering. That’s not the translation here. Instead it is tortuous (remove the second ‘r’) which means full of twists and turns or shifty. It isn’t as though God is shifty toward crooked, bent sinners. Notice very carefully, shifty and complex is simply how God seems to the crooked.

Dear saints, we don’t and can’t change the nature or character of God, but what you believe about God does shape how God will appear to you. In short, as you believe, so it is (Mt. 8:13, 9:29). If you believe God is merciful, and He is, you have no trouble seeing God’s mercy. If you believe God is blameless, and He is, His blamelessness is apparent. If you believe God is pure, and He is, you will see and receive His purity. But if you wrongly believe that God isn’t those things, if you believe God is a as crooked as you are, it will seem and appear as though God is twisted, convoluted, and out to get you even though God by His nature and character is direct and straight; He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Ex. 34:6) toward you.

We can see this in how Jesus deals with the scribes and Pharisees. They were always out to get Jesus and trap Him in His teaching, and Jesus will respond in a similar way. Remember when they were trying to trap Jesus by asking Him a question about divorce (Mt. 19:1-9), and Jesus responds to this Law question in a similar fashion by asking them what the Law says. The Pharisees wanted to live by the Law, which isn’t possible, so Jesus lovingly points them back to the Law in an effort to mercifully show them that life does not come through the Law (Ro. 7:5-12). But rather than fleeing to Jesus to receive God’s mercy, the Pharisees stubbornly reject Jesus and are left under the torture of needing to keep the Law perfectly. Because of this, God seems tortuous.

Dear saints, the way you view God will affect the way you interpret all reality. Lord, have mercy on us, and deliver us from believing wrongly about You.

When life gets tough and bad things happen, when we feel the weight of the burdens and crosses we bear, one of the first things we sinners do is blame God. We ask questions like, “What have I done to deserve this?” “How could You do this to me, God?” Or, even, “What kind of God would allow this evil?” In those moments of grief, sorrow, and despair, God does seem absent, uncaring, and tortuous, but remember that your feelings do not dictate reality.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. Your feelings are a good and important gift from God. But your feelings are also fallen and infected with sin and don’t always match up with reality. So, when God seems to be absent, when God seems to be uncaring, when God seems tortuous, that is not the time to reject or abandon God. That is the time to run to Him.

God loves you with the purest love. He has demonstrated His love for you in that while you were a sinner and enemy of God, rebelling against Him, God gave Jesus, His Son, to die for you and restore you (Ro. 5:8). So, when you feel forsaken, abandoned, and even cheated by God, ask yourself, “Did God send Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world to die for my sins?” The answer to that question is always, “Yes.” Then, be honest with God about your feelings. Cling to His promises that He gives you in His Word. Run back to Him in prayer, and ask Him to be true to those promises. That is what faith does.

Dear saints, God has given you His mercy by sending His blameless Son to redeem you and make you pure. That is how He is toward you now and for all eternity. Believe that, and watch how God’s mercy, blamelessness, and purity flow freely to you. Believe that and God will always be your rock, your strong refuge, and your shield as you take refuge in Him. Amen.

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

If you have a heart that can expect of Him nothing but what is good—especially in need and distress—and a heart that also renounces and forsakes everything that is not God, then you have the only true God. If, on the contrary, your heart clings to anything else from which it expects more good and help than from God, and if your heart does not take refuge in Him but flees from Him when in trouble, then you have an idol, another god.[1]

[1] LC. 1st Commandment, par. 28.

Name-Calling Savior – Sermon on John 20:1-18 for the Resurrection of Our Lord

John 20:1-18

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Just as a ‘heads-up,’ I’m going to set the scene and fill out some details about Mary Magdalene as well as the events of morning of Jesus’ resurrection. I’m not making stuff up; I’ll be pulling from Scripture. If you want the references for things that I mention that aren’t in this text, ask me after the service, and I can print out the sermon with all the references.

Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb before light dawns the morning of the Resurrection, but she isn’t seeing, hearing, or thinking clearly. She is still filled with grief and sorrow from watching Jesus’ crucifixion. Mary Magdalene stood and witnessed the sad events of Good Friday at the foot of the cross (Jn. 19:25; Mk. 15:40). And the last time she had seen her Lord, He was wrapped in burial cloths before the sun set on Friday (Mt. 27:61; Mk. 15:47; Lk. 23:55-56).

But now, it’s Sunday, the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene was one of several women who went to the tomb (Mt. 28:1; Mk. 16:1; Lk. 24:10). As the women approached, they began to ask each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they got there, they saw that the stone had already been rolled away by an angel who was sitting on it (Mk. 16:1-4; Mt. 28:2). It seems as though Mary Magdalene immediately ran back to the disciples as soon as she saw the open tomb.

For Mary Magdalene, the empty tomb was, initially, another reason to grieve because she thinks that someone has stolen Jesus (Jn. 20:13, 15). She runs back to tell Peter and John about it. She returns to the tomb with them while they investigate her claim (Jn. 20:3-9). They see the empty tomb and the neatly-folded burial cloths (Jn. 20:5-7). But these two disciples can’t comfort Mary because they didn’t believe that Jesus had risen; at least not at this point. In fact, the disciples won’t believe the resurrection until later that evening (Jn. 20:8b-9; Lk. 24:36-49).

Peter and John leave the tomb, but Mary stays there. And sorrow again fills her. She sees two more angles dressed in white robes sitting inside the tomb where Jesus had been laid, and she even has a conversation with them. They ask her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” And you can hear the pain in Mary Magdalene’s voice as she answers, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” This conversation with the angels doesn’t help Mary believe in the Resurrection.

And I wonder what the angels thought about this conversation with Mary. They might have been a bit confused by her reply because, as Mary said this, Jesus is standing behind her.

Mary turns around and sees Jesus standing. But seeing the resurrected Jesus doesn’t give her faith. She thinks He is the gardener. And Jesus, patient Jesus, asks her the same question the angels had asked, “Woman, why are you weeping?” But Jesus adds another question, “Whom are you seeking?”  It’s almost like Jesus is saying, “Hey, it’s Me, I’m right here.” But Mary still doesn’t believe Jesus is raised. She says, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Even this conversation with the resurrected Jesus doesn’t give her faith.

But then, everything changes when Jesus speaks her name, “Mary.” I wonder what intonation Jesus used. Did He say it with a mild rebuke, “Mary”? Did He say it with a snicker, “Mary”? Maybe, He said it with utter compassion, “Mary.”

No matter how Jesus said her name, she believes. That one word – and not just any word, but her very own name spoken by the lips and voice of her resurrected Savior – pulls her out of her grief and sorrow. This is so magnificent.

The same voice that called seven demons out her (Lk. 8:2; Mk. 16:9) now expels the demon of unbelief. The last time she had heard the voice of Jesus was when He cried out on the cross “It is finished,” (Jn. 19:30) and, “Father into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Lk. 23:46). Now, that same voice, filled with life and peace, speaks her name, “Mary.” Jesus – who had drunk the cup of God’s wrath, had all the sins of the world laid on Him, and had passed through death and the grave – He calls her by name. And Mary believes and latches herself on to Jesus as though she will never let go. But her grip on Jesus isn’t as important as His grip on her.

Jesus sends her with a message to give to the disciples, “Go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’” Jesus can call the disciples, “My brothers,” and say this because something new has arrived. All who believe in Christ, all His disciples, all Christians, are welcomed into a new world where they are Jesus’ siblings, where God is ‘your God’ and Jesus’ Father is now ‘your Father.’

So, that very moment in the garden next to the empty tomb, Mary experienced the fulfillment of Isaiah 43:1-3. “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

I’m going to give you some Easter homework: Before you send your kids out hunting for Easter eggs, as a family, read Isaiah 43:1-3 and v. 11-18 of this text, then read Isaiah 43:1-3 again to see the parallels.

Dear saints, what Jesus did for Mary Magdalene the morning of the Resurrection, He does for you. He calls you by name. In John 10, Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11). In that passage, Jesus also says that He is the shepherd who, “calls His own sheep by name and leads them out” (Jn. 10:3). Jesus, your Shepherd, is the name-calling Savior. He calls you by name in your Baptism and places His name – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – upon you (Mt. 28:19). 

Jesus is your God, your Savior. You, Christian – this could be said to each and every one of you by name – you will always have the risen Jesus. He will never leave you or forsake you. He died for you and has forgiven all your sin. Christ leads you through every trial and tribulation you face in this life. And He leads you to the resurrection. Nothing in this world will overwhelm or consume you. You belong to Him. Jesus is your Savior, Redeemer, and Brother, and God is your God.

You are His. You belong to Him. He has bought and purchased you with His holy and precious blood by dying on the cross and rising again for you.

And now, He invites you to come to His table where you will again see Him in Bread, which is His resurrected Body, and in Wine, which is His life-giving Blood. Come, taste, and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8).

Alleluia! 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.

Infant Baptism – Sermon for Midweek Lent 5

Listen here.

Do children also believe? Are they rightly Baptized?

The Baptism of infants is pleasing to Christ, as is proved well enough from His own work. For God sanctifies many of those who have been baptized as infants and has given them the Holy Spirit. There are still many people even today in whom we perceive that they have the Holy Spirit both because of their doctrine and life. It is also given to us by God’s grace that we can explain the Scriptures and come to the knowledge of Christ, which is impossible without the Holy Spirit [1 Cor. 12:3].

For this reason let everyone value his Baptism as a daily dress [Gal. 3:27] in which he is to walk constantly. Then he may ever be found in the faith and its fruit, so that he may suppress the old man and grow up in the new…. [I]f anyone falls away from the Christian life, let him again come into it. For just as Christ, the Mercy Seat [Ro. 3:25], does not draw back from us or forbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all His treasure and gifts also remain. Therefore, if we have received forgiveness of sin once in Baptism, it will remain every day, as long as we live. Baptism will remain as long as we carry the old man about our neck.

Martin Luther’s Large Catechism

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Many times, we Lutherans (along with Roman Catholics and others) are accused of doing something that is not biblical when we Baptize infants. Some well-meaning Christians will say, “The Bible never records an infant being Baptized.” And I have to admit that is correct. There is no verse that says, “Little two-week-old Bobby was Baptized,” or, “Timmy was Baptized as an infant.” The snarky side of me would like to point out that nowhere in Scripture does a woman explicitly receive the Lord’s Supper. If we would deny a child the gifts that God gives in Baptism just because there is no explicit mention of an infant being Baptized in Scripture, should we deny women the Body and Blood of Jesus? No!

Even though the Bible does not have a record of an infant being Baptized, the Scriptures certainly do imply that babies were Baptized. Look again at our first lesson (Act. 2:37-41). Peter has preached his great Pentecost sermon and closes with the horrific words of the Law, “Know for certain that God has made [Jesus] both Lord and Christ, whom you crucified.” The people are terrified, cut to the heart, and ask, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter answers, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” now listen closely, “for the promise is for you and for your children.” In other words, the gift of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit is for the people there and for their children. That doesn’t mean that their children get the promise eventually when they grow up. The natural reading of that text is that Baptism is for the people there and for their children and babies. Peter could have limited it to people who were of a certain age, but he didn’t.

Later, in Act. 16, there are two entire households that are Baptized. First the household of Lydia (Act. 16:11-15), and later the household of the Philippian jailor (Act. 16:25-34 esp. v. 31-33). Remember that in the time of the New Testament, the life expectancy wasn’t that much longer than normal, child-bearing years, and they didn’t have the methods of birth control that we do. Also, children were much more valued back then. It is highly unlikely that neither Lydia, who was a seller of purple goods (Act. 16:14), nor the Philippian jailor had households without any children.

And remember, when Jesus gives the gift of Baptism to the church as the method of making disciples, He says, “Make disciples of all nations (ἔθνος, ‘ethnicities,’ ‘all types of people’) by Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). If Jesus wanted to limit who is eligible to be Baptized, He would have made a limit there, but He didn’t.

Now, very briefly (I don’t want to spend much time on this because it is an absurd thought process): We know that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Ro. 3:23). Our Psalm tonight (Ps. 51) teaches us that we are brought forth in iniquity and in sin did our mothers conceive us (Ps. 51:5). Still, some people teach that God does not hold babies accountable for their sins until they reach some sort of ‘age of accountability’ (which isn’t a biblical term anyway). But just use a little logic: If God isn’t going to punish young children for their sins until they reach a certain level of understanding of their sins, then abortion and infanticide would be evangelistic tools. God forbit it! Enough on that thought.

Back to what Peter says in Act. 2:38-39, some will say that Peter requires things to be done sequentially. First, you have to repent, then you can be Baptized. Or first you have to believe and only after you believe then you can be baptized. First of all, salvation isn’t a three-step program. But also notice that argument implies that babies cannot believe, which is not in line with what Scripture teaches – not at all. The overwhelming teaching of Scripture is that babies can and do believe.

I included an insert in your bulletin tonight titled, “Infant Faith in the Scriptures.” For anyone watching or listening, I’ll include links to it in the description (click here). And I would like us to quickly walk through it.

First, let’s start with Ps. 71:5-6. “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.”

One of the reasons this is such a great place to start is the variety of vocabulary used to describe a child. The verses start by saying that the Lord is my hope and trust ‘from my youth.’ In English, we use the word ‘youth’ for a very wide range of ages. Sometimes, churches have ‘youth group’ for middle-school through high school. East Grand Forks has ‘youth soccer’ for preschool through sixth grade. The Hebrew word translated as ‘youth’ here has a wide range of meaning too. One of the nice things about Hebrew poetry is that it’s very repetitive, and the repetition helps us see how expansive the term is. So, in v. 5 God is the object of hope and trust for the psalmist from his youth, and notice in v. 6 how it gets specific. The psalmist has leaned on God from before his birth. He recognizes that God was the one who brought him from his mother’s womb, and he continually (i.e. from before his birth and throughout his youth) praises God.

Those verses are very instructive, but let’s turn to the New Testament, and specifically what Jesus teaches about the faith of children. To do that, we need to understand some of the vocabulary of the Greek New Testament. In English, we have lots of words for a kid: infant, baby, toddler, tyke, little one, child, youth. Greek does the same. I’ve included five words (there are more) that deal with children. And I put them in different colors so they pop out in the verses that follow. Let’s quickly go through and define them:

βρέφος (brephos) – very small child; baby; infant; unborn baby in the womb

παιδίον (paidion) – a child below the age of puberty; it’s maybe the most basic words for ‘child,’ but it has a wide range of ages that it can apply to.

μικρός (mikros) – ‘little one’; one who is small; it’s even used to describe Zacchaeus

νήπιος (nēpios) – a very young child; infant; a minor not yet of legal age

θηλάζω (thēlazō) – v. ‘to nurse’; can also be used as a noun meaning ‘one who nurses’

So, let’s go through the verses on that sheet. First, Luke 18:15-17 which is the same account as our Gospel lesson tonight (Mk. 10:13-16). Now, to be fair, Mark only uses the word παιδίον when he records this, but that’s why I used Luke’s account here. According to Luke, the doctor, people are bringing even their βρέφος (infants) to Jesus to be blessed by His touch. The disciples didn’t like it, but Jesus says, “Let the children (παιδίον) come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child (παιδίον) shall not enter it.” Jesus here plainly says that the kingdom of God belongs to children to παιδίον – and notice that includes infants, βρέφος. And if we say that the kingdom belongs to children apart from faith, we are going to end up in a very bad place theologically.

Next passage, Matthew 18:1-6: The disciples want to know who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus brings a child (a παιδίον) into their circle and says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children (παιδίον), you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child (παιδίον) is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child (παιδίον) in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones (μικρός ‘little guys’ and notice what Jesus says next) who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” According to Jesus, children, even little ones believe in Him.

Next verse, Matthew 21:15-16: This is after Jesus has entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the shouts of “Hosanna!” The chief priests and scribes get furious when they see all the things Jesus is doing, and they see children (παιδίον again) crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” They want Jesus to get them to quiet down by asking, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus responds, “Yup! Have you never read,(then He quotes Ps. 8:2) “‘Out of the mouth of infants (νήπιος) and nursing babies (θηλάζω) you have prepared praise’?” Right praise of God is only possible through faith (Ro. 14:23b).

Chugging right along, Matthew 11:25-27: Jesus praises His heavenly Father, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children (νήπιος infants); yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” God is more than capable of hiding things from the wise and understanding and able to reveal the things of faith to the infants.

Two more, 2 Timothy 3:14-15: Paul tells pastor Timothy, “Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.” Pause for a second: remember from the previous verse, who does the teaching and revealing? God does. Continue at v. 15 “and how from childhood (βρέφος from ‘infancy’) you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Since his infancy, and maybe even before his birth (as we’ll see in a minute), Timothy was acquainted with the sacred writings, the Scriptures, through which God makes even infants wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Finally, we see this actually happen in our final passage, Lk. 1:15, 41: This is about John the Baptizer. In v. 15, the angel Gabriel announces to Zechariah that he will have a son, that’s John. And that John will, according to v. 15, “be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.” Later on in v. 41, Mary visits Elizabeth, John’s mother and Mary’s relative. When Mary got to her house and greeted Elizabeth, the baby (βρέφος the pre-born baby, John) leaped in her womb. Elizabeth goes on to say that pre-born John leaped precisely at the sound of Mary’s greeting, which, if I remember rightly, was shalom, ‘peace.’

With that text in particular, we see that babies can hear in the womb. But even more importantly, that the Word of God, that proclamation and greeting of God’s peace, is effective to give the Holy Spirit and create faith even for pre-born babies. So, all you dads and moms, take note. Read the Scriptures to all your children, even before they are born. God works through His Word.

So, Scripture teaches that children, infants, and even pre-born babies can have faith. So, if someone objects to infant baptism based on the idea that infants can’t believe, they are arguing against Scripture.

And we can admit that it’s difficult to know how babies believe. How can infants who can’t talk or express themselves believe? But that’s the miracle of faith. How can any sinner, dead in their sin believe? Faith is always a gracious, life-giving gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9).

Think back to what we’ve covered the past five weeks and see what Scripture says that Baptism does: Baptism saves (1 Pe. 3:21). It forgives sins (Act. 2:38). Baptism delivers from death and the devil (Col. 1:13). It gives the new begetting from above (Jn. 3:3, 5-6). In Baptism, God joins you to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11) and clothes you with Christ (Gal. 3:27). And nowhere does Scripture limit that work. All sinners, even infants, need God to do those things. And, God be praised, God promises that Baptism does all of these things, and God cannot and does not lie. So, continue believing what God has done for you in your Baptism.

I want to close with the second paragraph from the Large Catechism in your bulletin:

“For this reason let everyone value his Baptism as a daily dress [Gal. 3:27] in which he is to walk constantly. Then he may ever be found in the faith and its fruit, so that he may suppress the old man and grow up in the new. [I]f anyone falls away from the Christian life, let him again come into it. For just as Christ, the Mercy Seat [Ro. 3:25], does not draw back from us or forbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all His treasure and gifts also remain. Therefore, if we have received forgiveness of sin once in Baptism, it will remain every day, as long as we live. Baptism will remain as long as we carry the old man about our neck.”

Even though we can (and, sadly, some do) walk away from the faith and deny the benefits of their Baptism, God remains faithful to His promises (2 Tim. 2:13). Those promises are always there for you to return to. Live in those promises trusting what God has done for you through your Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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