Working with Jesus – Sermon on Matthew 3:13-17 for the Baptism of Our Lord

Matthew 3:13–17

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

At Christmas, we celebrate the fact that the eternal God the Son came down to us so He could bring us up to Him. God, who is spirit (Jn. 4:24), became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14). This is the wonder of wonders and deserves our eternal contemplation, thanks, and praise. That being said, God simply becoming flesh wouldn’t have done us any good unless He did more than simply have a body. God came in the flesh and used that body to be your Savior from sin, and that is what we see happening at Jesus’ Baptism.

Today, we’re mainly going to focus on how Jesus responds to John’s objection, but before we do that, we need to consider for a minute what Jesus’ Baptism accomplishes. John said the reason he was preaching and Baptizing in the wilderness is for repentance (Mt. 3:11), and Lk. 3:3 says John’s baptism was for the forgiveness of sins. But Jesus doesn’t have any sin, so He doesn’t need either repentance or forgiveness. That is why John objects and would have prevented Jesus from being Baptized (Mt. 3:14). Jesus isn’t Baptized because of His sins because, again, He didn’t have any. Instead, Jesus is Baptized to be anointed with the sin of the world. In His Baptism, Jesus steps into the office of being the Messiah or the Christ, both of those titles mean ‘the Anointed One.’

Imagine what was happening as John was Baptizing. People who recognized how they had sinned against God by idolatry, profaning God’s name, and breaking the Sabbath; people who were convicted of how rebellious they were toward their parents, murderers, adulterers, thieves, liars, and coveters; they were all coming to John repenting and to have those sins washed away in the waters of the Jordan River. So, imagine all the sins of all those sinners floating around in the water, making it filthy.

But then, Jesus steps into those repugnant waters. Since Jesus didn’t have any sin to wash away, He soaks up all those sins into Himself like a sponge leaving the waters clean again. This is why, the next time John sees Jesus, he says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). It is at His Baptism that Jesus, at least, begins to fulfill what was prophesied about Him back in Isaiah 53 – that He would be numbered with the transgressors (Is. 53:12), and that God would lay on Him the iniquity of us all (Is. 53:4-6).

One of my favorite verses is 2 Cor. 5:21, which could be viewed as an interpretation of or teaching about what happens at Jesus’ Baptism, “For our sake, [God] made [Jesus], who knew no sin, to be sin.” And I’d encourage you to personalize that verse: “For my sake, God made pure, perfect, sinless Jesus to be sin. God did that for me.” And the verse doesn’t stop there. It also tells you why God did this. He did it so that in Jesus, you “might become the righteousness of God.” Because of Jesus, believer, you are pure as God is pure (1 Jn. 3:3). Because of Jesus, dear saints, you are holy as God is holy (1 Pet. 1:16). Because of Jesus, Christian, you are righteous as God is righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).

Now, that brings us back to Jesus’ response to John’s objection. John doesn’t want to Baptize Jesus because John is the sinner who needs to be Baptized and have his sins washed away by Jesus. But Jesus replies, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt. 3:15). Notice that, Jesus doesn’t tell John that He needs to be Baptized so He can fulfill all righteousness by Himself. No. He tells John that John has a role to play in fulfilling all righteousness, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

John had a role and works to do with Jesus in Christ’s work fulfilling all righteousness. John’s role was to prepare the way of the Lord (Jn. 1:23), to proclaim a Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Lk. 3:3), to point people to Jesus (Jn. 1:29) and finally, to Baptize Jesus. That was God’s purpose for John. God put John into that specific office and vocation, and God did that long before John was born.

The Old Testament closes with the prophet Malachi, which was written about 430 years before Jesus was born saying that God would send Elijah before the “great and awesome day of the Lord comes” (Mal. 4:5). And Jesus says that John is the fulfillment of that prophecy (Mt. 11:13-14). All four Gospels say (Mt. 3:3; Mk. 1:2-3; Lk. 3:4; Jn. 1:23) that John the Baptizer was the fulfillment of what God said in Is. 40:3 about the voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord, which was promised about 750 years before John was born. For at least three-quarters of a millennia, God had planned that John would work with Jesus to fulfill all righteousness. John’s identity and purpose is completely bound up to Jesus’ identity and purpose as the Savior of the world.

Dear saints, the same is true for you. Jesus has also called you to work with Him to fulfill all righteousness. Christ calls you into particular offices and vocations to work with Him in fulfilling all righteousness. Sure, you weren’t called to do the things that John the Baptizer did, but you are called to work with Jesus – even from before the foundation of the world (Mt. 25:34). You’re familiar with Eph. 2:8-9 which says, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” And don’t forget what the next verse (Eph. 2:10) says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

God places you into different offices in which you work with Jesus to fulfill all righteousness. You kids here, from the moment you were conceived, God put you in the office of being a child so you can work with Jesus to fulfill all righteousness by honoring and obeying your parents. You who are married, at your wedding, God put you into the office of husband or wife to work with Jesus to fulfill all righteousness. As God blesses you with children, He places you into the office of parent where you fulfill all righteousness by raising your children, training them in the way they should go, and teaching them the faith. The same is true in your job, in your extended family, and with your friends. In each and every relationship you have, God is placing you into an office and giving you good works to do in order to fulfill all righteousness.

Whenever you do what God gives you to do in the different offices He places you in, you are serving God by loving your neighbor, and as you do that, you are working with Jesus to fulfill all righteousness. In every good work you do, God’s light shines through you, others see your good deeds, and they will glorify their Father in heaven (Mt. 5:16). Dear saints, you are God’s fellow workers (1 Cor. 3:9) and your deeds follow you (Rev. 14:13).

Now, to strengthen you in those tasks and to give you what you need, your heavenly Father invites you to His table where He will fill you with Jesus’ Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins. Through this meal, He fills you cup so it runs over with His righteousness (Ps. 23:5) and spills over to those around you. Amen.

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

Innocent Blood – Sermon on Matthew 26:1-27:66 for Palm Sunday

Apr2

Matthew 26:1-27:66

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew is the only one of the four Gospels that tells us what happened to Judas after Jesus was arrested and condemned (Mt. 27:3-10). Judas was overcome with regret and guilt because he knew that God had cursed anyone for taking a bribe to shed innocent blood (Dt. 27:25). Our translation says that Judas “changed his mind” (Mt. 27:3). In Greek, it’s one word (μεταμέλομαι) that is similar to the word for repentance (μετανοέω), but the change of mind Judas had was only one-sided. And here’s what the text conveys: Judas was very sorry. He wished that what he had done could be undone. He regretted his betrayal, but Judas did not repent the way Christians repent. Christian repentance has two parts. It includes the regret and change of mind Judas had. But saving repentance goes one step further. Christian repentance also trusts and believes in God’s grace and mercy given on account of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Mk. 1:15). Judas was lacking that faith and trust.

That lack of faith in God’s mercy is why Judas goes to the chief priests and elders. He doesn’t know where else to turn even though he had been taught better. Sadly, Judas brings his confession to the wrong place. Judas went to the Temple which had been the place of forgiveness (1 Kgs. 8:30), but the night before, Jesus had clearly told Judas and the rest of the disciples that He was instituting the New Covenant (Jer. 31:33-34) in His Blood for the forgiveness of sin (Mt. 26:26-29). The result was that Judas went to the very ones who had been seeking Jesus’ death (Mt. 26:14-15). Judas knew where he needed to go for forgiveness – he had been told just a few hours earlier. But instead of going to Jesus, he sought forgiveness where it could not be found.

Judas’ confession of sin and his action of returning the thirty pieces of silver were both right. He had betrayed innocent blood and returning the payment he received for his sin was what he should do. But his sorrow and penance could not undo what he had done; it could not remove the guilt of his sin. The chief priests and elders were supposed to be forgivers, absolvers, and ministers of atonement. Yet, after hearing Judas’ confession, they refuse to lift the burden of guilt from him. Instead, they bind Judas’ sin and betrayal on his head. “What is that to us? See to it yourself” (Mt. 27:4). What a chilling, horrific thing to say to someone who is crushed with guilt.

Throughout the Gospels, those religious leaders had tried to convict Jesus of sin. They would accuse Jesus and the disciples of eating with defiled hands (Mt. 15:1-20) and of eating and associating with tax collectors and sinners (Lk. 15:1-2). They were always trying to trap Jesus (Mt. 22:15-40). You would think that they would at least tell Judas something like, “Don’t worry, Jesus isn’t innocent. He’s a sinner. He’s dangerous. He’ll bring trouble to all of us with his teaching.” But they don’t. They don’t try to convince Judas that Jesus was guilty. They don’t even offer that little shred of comfort to Judas. It appears as though they also know that Jesus was innocent. Back in Mt. 23:2-4, Jesus rightly said of them, “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”

If the chief priests and elders had offered Judas forgiveness, it would have required them to admit their own guilt. Again, they were the ones who conspired with Judas to shed Jesus’ innocent blood. But instead of repenting, they insisted they were doing the right thing in condemning Jesus. So, they become absurdly hypocritical.

After Judas throws the pieces of silver in the Temple, they quickly work to get that money out of the Temple because it is blood money. They recognize they cannot put the bounty they had placed on Jesus’ head back in the holy treasury because it is unclean money (Dt. 23:18). But (here’s the hypocrisy) they were the ones who defiled that holy money. They were the ones who took it from the treasury. They were the ones who turned that silver into blood money using it to pay Judas for his betrayal (Mt. 26:15).

While it is tempting to despise the chief priests and Judas, in Christian humility we need to recognize that we do just as they did. Too often, we are filled with sinful desires and passions and make any excuse to attempt to justify them. Too often, we will do all sorts of horrific things and try to hide them under the guise of holiness while we ignore the carnage it wreaks on others. Too often, we are like Judas and don’t realize how destructive our behavior is until it’s too late. When we do, finally, realize the great harm we have done, it can lead us to despair. And despair is a dangerous place to walk. Judas despairs of all hope and kills himself. Judas is condemned, not because he kills himself, and not even because he betrayed Jesus. Jesus’ death covered even Judas’ sins of suicide and betrayal. Judas is condemned because he died outside of faith in Jesus’ grace and mercy. Jesus calls Judas the “son of destruction” (Jn. 17:12) and says that it would have been better for Judas if he had never been born (Mt. 26:24). Jesus never says anything like that about His sheep.

Please allow me a brief aside here: Suicide, self-murder, is not the unforgivable sin. Can people commit suicide and still be a Christian? Yes. To those of you who have lost someone to suicide, you can have comfort in the promises of Scripture. Christ Himself is the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Is. 53:3). When someone is walking in grief, depression, and even in the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus is with them (Ps. 23:4) and desires to save them (1 Tim. 2:4). In that deathly vale, Jesus calls to them, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28). All that being said, suicide is an evil death and is never the answer to despair.

The answer to all sin and despair is in the innocent Blood of Jesus which has been shed for you. His innocent Blood was shed to cleanse you of your guilty blood. Whenever you recognize your guilt and sin against God, bring those sins to Christ. Let Him deal with them because He has dealt with them in His death and resurrection. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).

The answer to sin is the innocent Blood of Jesus that He freely gives to you in Holy Communion. And now, Jesus invites you to His table to receive that Blood which He will put in your mouth. Here, Jesus’ innocent Blood becomes your blood. Dear saints, come, take, eat, and drink the perfect, innocent Blood of your Savior which He has shed for the forgiveness of all your sins. Amen.

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

Who, Then, Receives This Sacrament Worthily? – Sermon for Midweek Lent 5

Mar30

IV. Who, Then, Receives This Sacrament Worthily?

Fasting and bodily preparation are indeed a good outward discipline, but that person is truly worthy and well prepared who believes these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” But anyone who does not believe these words or who doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words “for you” require truly believing hearts.
Luther’s Small Catechism

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

It’s a gift. The Lord’s Supper is a gift. The Body of Christ broken for you is a gift. The Blood of Christ shed for the forgiveness of your sins is a gift. Everything about the Lord’s Supper is a gift. When we consider our worthiness or unworthiness of receiving the Holy Communion, we must start with the understanding that it is a gift.

Jesus doesn’t give us Himself in the Sacrament because we have earned or deserved Him. Birthday and Christmas presents aren’t earned. If something is earned, it is no longer a gift. When you give a gift, you give out of love. Jesus is not Santa Claus who makes his list and checks it twice to see who has been naughty or nice and give based on that. And remember what the gift gives – the forgiveness of sins. If you imagine, somehow, that you don’t have any sins that need forgiving, then you don’t need or have any desire for the gift. Only the sick need a doctor, and only sinners need the Sacrament.

In our epistle reading tonight (1 Cor. 11:27-34), Paul does give a warning about Holy Communion. You can receive the gift Jesus gives in an unworthy manner, and there are serious consequences of receiving the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. But before we get to that, let’s first consider what it is to be worthy of receiving the Sacrament. The two ‘qualifications’ – or, maybe better, ‘qualities’ or ‘attributes’ – of being a worthy recipient of the Lord’s Supper are found in v. 28-29 and v. 31.

To be worthy of Communion, a person is to ‘examine’ and ‘judge’ himself ‘truly’ (1 Cor. 11:28, 31). Here’s what that means: When you consider who you are in light of God’s Commandments, you find nothing but sin and failure. You find that you have not done what God demands and that you have done what God forbids. When you examine your thoughts, words, and deeds, you see clearly that you are not worthy to be in God’s presence let alone have a seat at His Table. God be praised that the recognition of your sin and unworthiness is precisely what makes you worthy to receive what Jesus gives in Holy Communion because what He gives is His very Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins.

The other ‘quality’ of receiving the Lord’s Supper worthily comes in 1 Cor. 11:29 and is to “discern the Body.” In other words, it is to recognize that Jesus is truly present in His Supper as He gives you the New Covenant of His Blood in the elements of Communion.

When you know and recognize those two things, God invites you and desires that you, “eat of the Bread and Drink of the Cup” (1 Cor. 11:28).

If someone does not recognize that they are a sinner who needs forgiveness or does not believe that Jesus gives His Body and Blood in the Sacrament, that person eats and drinks the Sacrament in an unworthy manner, and that does have consequences.

The first consequence Scripture mentions is to be guilty concerning the Body and Blood of the Lord. In other words, an unworthy reception of the Lord’s Supper puts that person alongside the soldiers, Pilate, Judas, and the Jewish leaders as being guilty of Jesus’ wounds and crucifixion.

A person can be guilty of the Body and Blood of Jesus in various ways. Judas was guilty because he betrayed Jesus (Mt. 27:3-4). The priests and Pharisees were guilty because they falsely accused Jesus (Mt. 26:59). The soldiers were guilty because they beat, whipped, and spat upon Jesus (Mt. 27:27-31). Pilate was guilty because he condemned Jesus (Mt. 27:24-26). All of them were individually guilty of the bodily harm done to Jesus in different ways, but the guilt remains the same. Here, Paul says that to receive Communion in an unworthy manner is just as great a crime as those who carried out the betrayal, beating, and crucifixion of our Lord (1 Cor. 11:27).

The consequence of this guilt concerning Christ’s Body and Blood brings God’s judgment. Paul says that the reason some of the Corinthian Christians are weak, sick, and have died is that they were receiving Communion in an unworthy manner. Paul isn’t speaking figuratively here; this is serious stuff.

Now, I want to be clear, the judgment Paul talks about here does not mean that the Christians who receive the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner are condemned. The text is clear. The judgment from the Lord that they receive is used by God to discipline them so that they are not condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:29, 32). But that discipline and judgment is real, and because that discipline is real, this should guide what we do.

As your pastor who loves and cares for you and your well-being as well as the well-being of other Christians, I need to say this: When you are traveling or visiting a church with family or friends, there are times and instances where you should not take Communion. If you are at a church that says the Lord’s Supper is only symbolic, or, if you are at a Roman Catholic church that teaches that receiving the Lord’s Supper is earning some sort of spiritual merit, do not commune there. I say that because, by receiving the Sacrament there, you are encouraging your Christian brothers and sisters in their wrong belief and unworthy reception of the Lord’s Supper. And by not taking Communion there, God may open a door for you to teach them about the great blessing that Jesus gives in His Supper. Pray that that would be the case.

Yes, Scripture gives us warnings about receiving the Sacrament in an unworthy manner, but it is done in a way to encourage us to receive it regularly and rightly. Listen carefully to what comes after the warning of receiving in an unworthy manner and being guilty concerning the Body and Blood of our Lord, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the Bread and drink of the Cup” (1 Cor. 11:28). In the Large Catechism, Luther picks up on this and rightly says this is warning, but it is an encouragement to receive the gift of the Lord’s Supper which Jesus gives to us as often as we eat and drink.

Luther says, “If… you are heavy-laden and feel your weakness, then go joyfully to this Sacrament and receive refreshment, comfort, and strength.” But what if you don’t feel your weakness? Luther suggests that you put your hand to your chest and to check if you still have flesh and blood because Ro. 7:18 says, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” Then, look around and see if you are still in the world. If you are in the world, believe what the Bible teaches about it – that it is full of danger and difficulties (Jn. 15:18-21, 16:33). Finally, remember that the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8) and has all sorts of flaming darts pointed at us (Eph. 6:16). Your sinfulness, the danger of living in a sinful world, and the promise of Jesus are all constant reminders of how greatly you need the gift Jesus gives in the Sacrament.

I want to close this series on the Lord’s Supper with one final thought about receiving God’s gifts. When it comes to earthly things, desire and satisfaction are opposites. If you are hungry, it is because you don’t have food. Once you have eat and are full, you no longer desire food.

Spiritual things work differently, and I think we have all seen or experienced this. When you have God’s Word, you want more of it, and, sadly, the opposite is also true. The less you have God’s Word, the less you desire it. When it comes to the gifts Gospel, the more we receive them, the more we long for them. When we taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8), our hunger for His goodness and mercy grows.

May our love and desire for God’s Word continue to grow as we receive more and more of the free gift of His grace and mercy which He freely gives through His Word and Sacraments. Amen.The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

How Can the Bodily Eating and Drinking Produce Such Great Benefits? – Sermon for Midweek Lent 4

Mar23

III. How Can the Bodily Eating and Drinking Produce Such Great Benefits?

The eating and drinking, indeed, do not produce them, but the words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” For besides the bodily eating and drinking, these words are the chief thing in the Sacrament; and anyone who believes them has what they say and declare, namely, the forgiveness of sins.
Luther’s Small Catechism

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Again, to recap: the Lord’s Supper is the true Body and Blood of Jesus in and with the bread and wine which Christ gives to us to eat and to drink. This means that Jesus is truly present in the Lord’s Supper to give you forgiveness, life, and salvation. When you receive Communion, you never have to wonder why Jesus is with you. He is there to deliver all the benefits of His death and resurrection which He won for you on the cross. You simply taste and see that He is good (Ps. 34:8).

This question from the Small Catechism addresses a common misunderstanding many Christians today have about the Lord’s Supper. The misunderstanding will take different shapes, so tonight’s sermon is largely going to be responding to the errors about Communion.

I don’t know of any Christians who say that Jesus doesn’t really care if we have Communion or not. But some Christians will say that Jesus doesn’t actually give us His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament. Instead, they believe the Lord’s Supper is a meal which helps us remember what Christ has done for us. They will say that when Jesus said, “This is My Body and Blood,” what He really meant was, “This represents My Body. This represents My Blood.” I think one of the biggest reasons they think that is what this question from the Small Catechism addresses. If we modernized this question a bit it would be, “How can having a physical bite a bread and a physical sip of wine do anything that benefits a person spiritually?”

This is a logical question. You don’t eat a hotdog and drink a soda to be forgiven. You aren’t saved by having a bowl of soup and a glass of water. So, why would eating and drinking the elements of Communion be any different? Even though it is a logical question, that doesn’t mean we can respond with mere logic. Our logic, thinking, and reasoning is a good gift from God. But our logic is fallen and cannot comprehend everything God teaches and promises in His Word. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts (Is. 55:8-9).

So, it all comes down to the words and promises of Jesus. Once Jesus says, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” that settles any disagreement of what Communion is for. The Lord’s Supper delivers the forgiveness of sins.

Think back to Naaman, the commander of the army of Syria (1 Kgs. 5:1-14). He had leprosy and was given the suggestion to go to God’s prophet, Elisha. Elisha told Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River, and he would be cleansed of his leprosy. But when Naaman considered the water of the Jordan, he balked at the idea. There were cleaner rivers back in Syria which he thought could do a better job of washing his festering, diseased skin. So, he wasn’t going to lower himself into those dirty, mucky waters until one of his servants basically said, “Why not give it a try? We’ve come all this way, and the prophet said to wash and be cleansed of your leprosy. If it doesn’t work, we can get the mud washed off of you later.” Naaman washes and finds out that God had given him a promise through Elisha. The waters of the Jordan River became a leprosy-healing stream – not because those waters were special by themselves. Instead, it was because God had attached a promise for Naaman to those waters.

Some might object to that and say, “Well, that was to heal the physical ailment of leprosy. God doesn’t use physical things to bring about spiritual benefits.” Not so fast. What about the burning coal that touched Isaiah’s lips? The seraph promised him, “Behold, this has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (Is. 6:7). The same is true for Holy Communion. Jesus, the Son of God Himself, puts His Supper into your mouth and says to you who receive it, “This has touched your lips. You have eaten and drunk. Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

And on top of that, if it were true that physical things do not and cannot bring about forgiveness and spiritual benefits, what is Jesus doing on the cross? Throughout Scripture, God can and does regularly bring about spiritual benefits through physical things and physical actions.

Another objection Christians have about the elements of the Lord’s Supper being Jesus’ Body and Blood is, as I already mentioned, that Jesus is speaking figuratively. They will say, “Sure Jesus said, ‘This is My body; this is My blood,’ but what He meant is, ‘This represents My body; this represents My blood.’” They will point to passages where Jesus says that He is the door (Jn. 10:7, 9). Obviously, Jesus isn’t a literal door. They will say we should understand what Jesus says when institutes Communion exactly the same way.

The problem with that argument is the context of what Jesus is saying and what He is doing when He says it. When Jesus talks about being the door, it is in the context of Him drawing from all sorts of shepherd/sheep imagery from the Old Testament. When you read those verses in context, it is clear that He is using figurative language.

But when Jesus institutes Holy Communion everything is different. Jesus blessed the physical Bread and physical Cup and handed them to the disciples saying, “This is My Body. This is My Blood.” Jesus could have used language that is figurative. He does that all the time to introduce the parables. “The kingdom of heaven is like…” (Mt. 13; 20:1; 25:1; Lk. 13:18; etc.) But Jesus doesn’t do that in His Supper. He gives them Bread and Wine saying, “This is My Body; this is My Blood.” When God speaks, the impossible happens – the lame walk, the blind see, the dead are raised, and Bread and Wine become more than mere bread and wine.

Another objection that Christians today will have about Communion is that created things – especially small things like bread and wine – cannot hold something as big as God. The phrase that gets used is, “The finite cannot hold the infinite.” If that statement is true (and it’s not), that is big problem. If the finite cannot hold the infinite, that would mean that Jesus wasn’t God in the flesh, that would be impossible. But that is not the case. The finite can and does hold the infinite. Scripture clearly teaches that in Jesus, “the whole fullness of God dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). And if Jesus wants to put Himself in Bread and Wine, He can do that too.

The final objection we will address tonight is when some Christians will say something like, “Well, Jesus’ death on the cross is what saves – not what we receive in Communion.”

The response to that is, “Yes. It is only through Jesus’ finished work on the cross that we are saved.” But how does God give and deliver what Jesus did on the cross to you? You weren’t there.

As much as I enjoy the hymn Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? (especially hearing Johnny Cash’s version), that hymn is asking questions to which we would have to answer with a resounding, “No.” In fact, only a small minority of the people who existed were there. You weren’t there when they crucified Jesus. You weren’t there when they nailed Him to the tree. You weren’t there when they laid Him in the tomb. You weren’t there when He rose up from the grave. All those things are good and important to remember, but you weren’t there – halfway across the world, outside of Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago.

But Jesus can, and promises to, deliver all the benefits of the cross to you in Holy Communion – His body broken, His Blood shed – directly delivered to your mouth. If the eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil can cause the devastating damage of sin entering the whole world, how beautiful is it that eating and drinking Jesus’ Body and Blood, which were given on the tree of the cross, brings forgiveness, life, and salvation?

We probably want to know more about how the eating and drinking of the Lord’s Supper makes logical sense, God hasn’t given us all the details. That’s ok. We have His sure and certain promise, so hold fast to that.

Even though what you receive in the Sacrament doesn’t look like much, and by itself it isn’t much, but when Jesus attaches His promises to it, it is everything. It is the medicine of immortality. Amen.

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

The Non-Avengers – Sermon on Romans 12:16-21 for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

Jan22

Romans 12:16-21

¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

We’re going to be spending a lot of time in this sermon thinking about vengeance, but to do that we have to establish something very basic first. Sin is bad, and the affects of sin are bad. I don’t think anyone here would disagree with that. Sin is awful, and the results of sin can be hideous. When you sin against others and know the hurt and pain you have caused, you feel terrible, and you should repent and reconcile with the person you have sinned against. And when someone sins against you, you know the injustice and pain that accompanies that too. Of course, depending on the nature and circumstances surrounding sins committed against you, that injustice will bring various levels of anger and pain that you have in response to that sin.

For example, imagine you are in the grocery store and have a shopping cart full of items and a pile of coupons. You are just a few steps away from the checkout line when someone who has an item or two quickly darts in line in front of you. That person has sinned against you. But you are only slightly perturbed and can let something like that roll off your back. You console yourself thinking how you were going to offer to let them go first anyway. Sure, you’re annoyed, but you can let it go fairly easily.

Ok now, flip the script. You are the one with only a couple items and the person who barges in front of you has the full cart and a ream of coupons. Now, you are going to be angry. And if you’ve already had a bad day and your patience has been spread very thin, you might be really angry. Maybe you will make loud sighs when their coupon doesn’t ring up the way they think it should or even say something rude to them. You might let that moment stew in your mind for the rest of the evening and next day, thinking of all sorts of ways you could have responded that would have made them feel bad.

Those responses to sin – whether you are only slightly annoyed or are angry and stewing – those responses reveal something about the nature of sin. Sin ruins things. It throws things off in the world makes the entire universe off-kilter. This is clear because it only took the one sin in the Garden to bring pain, strife, and death to all creation. Now, we’ve only known what it is to live in a world that is filled with the chaos of sin. But it is important for us to remember that when we sin and when we are sinned against, it is an injustice that brings further chaos and disorder to creation. Someone cutting in line in front of you might only affect your small corner of creation, but when you sin in response to your sphere of creation being thrown off, those effects continue to spread.

One more piece in all of this: When we see sin, injustice, and the hurt that accompanies all of that, we want to fix it. Since we are made in the image of God, we are like God and want to restore the order and justice which has been disturbed because of sin. That is what vengeance is. Vengeance isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We’ve gotten so used to the word ‘vengeance’ being used in a negative way that we think vengeance is always evil. Yes, vengeance can be evil, but look, God Himself here says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” Paul there is quoting Dt. 32:35. The same verse gets quoted again in Heb. 10:30. Throughout the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testament, we hear that God will execute vengeance on the wicked and restore justice. In Ps. 94 and many other places in the Bible, this idea is repeated. God is just and will punish sin and make creation right again.

With all of that in our minds now, we can consider this text. Here in v. 19, Paul says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.” Christian, that is what you are to do. When you are wronged and sinned against, it might seem like everything in creation is against you – depending on the nature, gravity, and seriousness of the sin. But you are instructed here to not avenge yourself because executing vengeance is, typically, not your job. Instead, you are commanded to leave it to the wrath of God. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God,” and then Paul uses a very important word – ‘for.’ In other words, here is why you are not to avenge yourself, “for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” Bringing order and justice back to a broken creation is not your responsibility. Vengeance belongs to God.

You already know this, but I’ll give you an example. Since, I had you imagining yourself in a grocery store earlier, let’s stick with that setting. When you are in the store and a mom is there with her little boy who is whining, kicking, and screaming because she said, “No,” to the treat he wanted, you aren’t going to go over to that boy and punish him. It isn’t your job. You can’t go over to that boy and tell him, “Because you are acting like this, you don’t get desert tonight and will be going to bed early.” You can’t enforce that punishment. And you will be arrested if you spank the boy – as you should be. It isn’t your office to bring vengeance, justice, and punishment in that situation.

Now, of course, if it is your boy doing the exact same thing, you can and should punish him. God has placed you in a position of authority over your children to train, guide, and direct their behavior and character. Exactly how you do that is up to you since you are placed in that authority by God. An important thing here is that right after our text comes Ro. 13, and I would highly encourage you to read this text along with Ro. 13 together. In Ro. 13, Paul will say that every authority that exists is placed in that position by God, and God puts people in positions of authority to bear God’s sword of vengeance – i.e. to be the hand of God that punishes people who sin and do wrong.

Now, this is a brief but important aside: There are times when the authorities that God has put in positions to punish sin do not use that authority as they should. Sometimes, they let the guilty off with minimal or no punishment, and other times they overstep their bounds and punish the innocent. That happens. But navigating those situations falls outside the scope of this sermon. I will say that is an important thing to think through. Just know that the authorities God puts in place are responsible to God for how they use that authority, and God will judge His servants and hold them accountable for any misuse of that authority (Ro. 13:4a; Mt. 24:45-51).

One more brief thing on this before we all get hammered by the Law: Depending on the nature of the sin against you, you can and should take legal action against others. But have your day in court. You can even ask that the court throw the book at them and punish them to the fullest extent of the law. If they do, God is working through them to execute His vengeance. Just remember that it is not for you to execute vengeance. You, Christian, are to forgive in your heart. And, yes, you can forgive and ask that the authorities punish the wrong done to you (Ro. 13:3-4).

Christian, you are not to avenge yourself. Avenging ends up being idolatry of yourself. You put yourself in the place of God and try to usurp Christ from His throne. Yes, you have enemies who sin against you, but you are not to repay their evil with your own evil. By returning evil for evil, you become as evil as the person who sinned against you. Repent.

Instead, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with everyone. If you really want to hurt the person who hurt you, love and care for them. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink,” doing that will be like heaping burning coals on his head (Ro. 12:20). Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. In other words, Christian, be the non-avengers and leave room for God’s vengeance.

We often think that the reason we should be merciful and forgiving because God is merciful and forgiving. Scripture does teach that (e.g. Mt. 5:43-48), but not here. Here, Scripture gives a different motive for being merciful and kind to our enemies. The motivation is that God Himself will repay, and God’s punishment will far exceed any retribution and vengeance that you could ever dole out. Jesus described that punishment in our Gospel lesson (Mt. 8:1-13). Those who have done evil will be thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt. 8:12).

I know this is a difficult passage and teaching. It isn’t comfortable. I know that because it convicts me of my idolatry and desire to execute vengeance, and I hope and pray it convicts you as well. Texts like this make us squirm because of the pain we feel when someone sins against us. We want to hold grudges and be the avengers. And when Scripture forbids that, we recognize that we have sinned against our enemies by not being kind to them and that means we have sinned against God.

Well, take that sin of yours. Take that guilt of carrying out your vengeance and bring it to the cross. Because on the cross, God poured out His justice upon all sin – not upon you, but upon Jesus, your Savior. There on the cross, Christ drank the cup of God’s wrath against you. Every ounce of God’s righteous anger against you was placed upon Jesus so you can receive His mercy. Know that when you confess your sins God mercifully forgives you because of what Christ has done. God’s mercy does not negate or cancel His justice. When you confess your sins, God is faithful, and God is just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all your unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9). For that, God be praised. Amen.

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

Living Forgiveness – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 for the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity

Nov13

Matthew 18:21-35

²¹ Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³ “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus said to Peter, “No, forgiving seven times isn’t enough. Instead, seventy-seven (or it could also be translated ‘seventy multiplied by seven’) times.” Now, Jesus doesn’t mean that you forgive and forgive and forgive, but when you get either to 76 or 489 forgivings (sic) you warn the other person, “Listen buster, you’ve only got one left.” Nope, let the forgiveness flow freely.

Before we consider the parable, we have to do some conversions. Two different servants have two different debts. Servant 1 owes the king 10,000 talents. A talent was originally a unit of weight that later became a unit of coinage, and the value of that coinage would change a lot. Most resources say that one talent is equal to twenty years of pay for the average worker. So, imagine your annual income, double it, and slap five zeros on the end of it. That’s what the first servant owed the king. Even if he lived and worked every day for 2,000 years giving every penny to the king, it would only shave off a 1% sliver off his debt.

Servant 2 owed a debt to servant 1 to the tune of 100 denarii. Now, this is still a significant amount of money. The average worker earned one denarius per day. So, we’re talking about a little over 3 months’ worth of pay. Significant yes, but a manageable amount. It is totally conceivable and reasonable that someone can pay off a debt of 100 denarii.

Now, the three main characters in the parable are obvious: the king, servant 1, and servant 2. But as we consider the parable today, I want you to imagine yourself in the roll of one of the minor characters. Imagine you are one of the other servants.

The king has called you and all the servants who owe him money to the castle. You are standing in line outside the king’s office. You compare debts with the other servants. You are a little nervous because you don’t know what the king is going to do about your debt. Now, imagine you are standing in line behind servant 1 who owed the 10,000 talents, and you know how large his debt is. He goes into the king’s office, but you don’t know what is happening behind that door. You want to catch a glimpse of servant 1 as he comes out because his demeanor will give you an indication of how it is going to go for you. If he’s smiling or skipping, you’d have a sense of relief because you’d know that the king is in a good mood and your meeting with the king might not be so bad.

Finally, the door opens. Servant 1 comes out of the king’s office, he immediately runs over to servant 2, wrings his neck, and demands that the guy pay him everything. What are you going to conclude about how his meeting with the king went? He didn’t come out in shackles to be led to the prison, but he wasn’t happy. Seeing his treatment of servant 2, you would probably assume that the king had not forgiven his debt and demanded full payment. You would probably deduce that the king gave him some time – maybe a couple of weeks or months – to pay off the debt.

Dear saints, that’s the problem of refusing to forgive.

If people don’t know what happens here in this sanctuary, the only clues they have would be to watch how you act when you aren’t here. So, as others watch you, what will they conclude about what has happened here? What would they think about your king? Would they figure that He demanded that you pay? Would they think He is gracious and merciful, or would they assume that He is a King who demands that all debts get paid?

Dear saints, God wants to be known for His goodness. God wants to be known by His mercy. God wants to be known for His willingness to freely forgive. And if you refuse to forgive those who have sinned against you, what does that say about your God and King?

All this is to say, dear saints, that you, as forgiven servants of the King, are called to live out the forgiveness you have in Christ. This can be a difficult thing because it goes against our nature to forgive. But the cure of our unforgiveness doesn’t come from being beaten down by calls to forgive. The cure for our unforgiveness is to have a right understanding the massive debt that each of us owe to God. When we wrongly think that have only a little debt of sin, we can only have a little Savior. Jesus didn’t go to the cross because you were a few bucks short of your heavenly entrance fee. He went to the cross because your sin was so great that you are too dead to even see the gates.

Sin – all sin – is against God (Ps. 51:4; 1 Cor. 8:12). Every day, you and I rack up an unimaginable, incalculable debt of sin. And when God calls you in to settle accounts what does He do? Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, God simply wipes it out. Because of Jesus, as far as God is concerned, your debt of sin never existed.

Jesus completely erased your debt by the shedding of His blood. He went to Calvary, not so you would have enough time to get your act together and become a better person. He went to raise you from your deadness in sin. When you were lost, powerless, and dead, Jesus made all – not just a portion – all of your debt His own. And on the cross, He killed and cancelled that debt. Jesus who knew no sin became sin for you (2 Cor. 5:21) and He bore all your sins in His body upon the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). And now the grave is empty. Your debt of sin has been erased in the death and resurrection of your Savior.

You are forgiven. Jesus didn’t die just to get you to a zero balance; He came to erase your debt and fill your account with His righteousness. His mercy is complete. He has paid and absorbed all your debt, and you owe Him nothing. There is absolutely nothing left for you to pay, and there is nothing you could do to even begin to pay Him back. Even the thought of paying Him back is offensive because what He has done is so complete, so wonderful, and so merciful.

Now, when your neighbor sins against you and you feel the hurt and pain of those transgressions against you, don’t reach out your hands to grab your neighbor by the throat. Instead, let the nail-scarred hands of Jesus remove your hands from around your neighbor’s throat and make you right and at peace with Him and your neighbor.

There is no denying the fact that forgiving others is a difficult thing to do. Sin is a debt, and that debt must be paid. Forgiving others is absorbing the debt that is owed to you. The pain that comes from the sins of others is real and often terrible. It is always tempting to our old nature to hold a grudge, to make them pay, to construct a prison in our minds, and to put the offender into it. But the only thing that prison will ever hold is you. Unforgiveness imprisons you in a space where there is only judgment. Dear saints, unforgiveness is hell.

To forgive means ‘to send away.’ The only way to be freed from the pain and hurt of sin that others commit against you is to forgive it, release it, and send it away.

Forgiving others does not mean you approve what they have done. Forgiveness means that the offense has hurt you, but you won’t return the pain upon them with judgment. And forgiveness isn’t a license for the other person to continue sinning. The biggest lie the devil will ever tell you is that forgiving someone will just encourage them keep sinning against you, taking advantage of you, and making you a doormat. That satanic lie is a sneaky attack on God’s forgiveness. Is God worried about His forgiveness encouraging you to sin? Nope! Absolutely not. He forgives you fully and freely.

Dear saints, God’s forgiveness of you is a living, life-giving thing. No matter how much and how often you come under His debt with your sin, God gives you His mercy and forgiveness. God remembers your sins no more (Jer. 31:34). Because of Jesus, your sins are released from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). God has shown you, what is good and what He requires of you. Do justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God (Mic. 6:8). Let that full, free forgiveness that God has given you in Christ be the key that opens the gates of your forgiveness toward others. Amen.

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

Diagnosed – Sermon on Matthew 9:1-8 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Oct23

Matthew 9:1-8

¹ And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. ² And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” ³ And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” ⁴But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he then said to the paralytic – “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ⁷ And he rose and went home. ⁸ When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When you go to the doctor, you have certain expectations of what is going to happen. You know that you will fill out forms and provide information about your health history and habits. You expect to have your weight, heart, lungs, blood pressure, and reflexes checked. Depending on the reason for your visit, you also anticipate other tests – bloodwork or other lab work; an x-ray, ultrasound, or MRI; maybe a stress test or sleep study. Depending on the results of all of that, you expect more tests might get ordered. Only after all those results are studied and considered will the doctor call you in to present a diagnosis and offer a treatment plan.

Well, in our Gospel text today, this paralytic is brought to Jesus, and by all appearances, Jesus skips right over the testing and diagnosis process and goes straight to the treatment saying, “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.”

For a moment, use your sanctified imagination to consider this from the perspective of the paralytic’s friends. Matthew has condensed the story in his Gospel. Here in v. 2, he tells us that ‘some people’ brought this paralytic to Jesus. But Mark and Luke give a fuller picture of this event, filling in some of the details (Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26). They let us know that it was four men (Mk. 2:3) who carried this paralytic to Jesus, and they had a difficult time getting their friend there. People from the whole region had heard that Jesus was in town, and so many people had gathered to hear Him preach (Lk. 5:17) that there was no room to even get in the door (Mk. 2:2). So, these four friends lug their paralyzed buddy on top of the house, punch a hole in the roof, and lower him down to get him in front of Jesus (Mk. 2:4).

Now, this is just an aside. As a preacher, I have, what I hope is, a godly and pious curiosity about this. At what point does Jesus stop preaching? Is it when He hears the scuffle of eight feet on the roof above Him? I think that would distract me enough that I’d stop preaching, but, please, don’t test that hypothesis. Is it when the pounding starts or until bits of dirt and debris start falling from the ceiling? Maybe, Jesus preached straight through all of that until the paralytic was being lowered through the new skylight above Him. I guess I’ll just have to go rent the video at heaven’s Blockbuster. Maybe all of heaven’s Blockbusters have closed and everything is available through streaming services. Anyway…

These four friends go through all that work and effort knowing that they would have more work later to fix the hole they made. They had brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus to be healed (Lk. 5:17-18). But, to their perspective, Jesus skips right over the diagnosis and says, “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.”The worst thing is that it looks like the wrong treatment! Imagine you had a friend with a badly sprained ankle, so you bring him to a new doctor in town. The doctor watches your friend limp in, but before your friend even says why he is there, and before asking any questions or doing any tests, the doctor says to your friend, “Here is a prescription for Lipitor for your high cholesterol.” You’d probably report the doctor to have his license revoked. Well, that is essentially what Jesus does.

We might think that the healing of this paralytic is a lesson that the most important thing we need is the forgiveness of sins. Above money, security, food, house, or health we need forgiveness. Once Jesus forgives this paralytic of his sins, he has everything he needs. If the text had stopped there and Jesus hadn’t miraculously given this man the ability to walk, it wouldn’t be too bad. He could have lived the rest of his life paralyzed because he had everything he needed for eternal life. In fact, the physical healing seems to take the back seat in this text. Jesus only heals him after the grumbling of the scribes. You could even conclude that Jesus never intended to heal the guy and only does so as an afterthought.

Now, to be sure, the most important thing that everyone needs is the forgiveness of sins. But if the main thing you take away from this text is that physical healing isn’t important, you’re wrong. This isn’t Jesus’ first miracle. There were many others that He healed before and after this. Just before this, Jesus healed a leper (Mt. 8:1-4), but Jesus didn’t forgive him before He healed him. Right after that, a centurion asks Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant (Mt. 8:5-13), but no absolution. Then, Matthew records that Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law who had a fever, Christ heals a whole slew of other people and casts out demons (Mt. 8:14-17), but no mention of Jesus proclaiming forgiveness there either. All over the Gospels, Jesus will heal people, but there is no mention of absolution. In fact, most of the time when Jesus mentions forgiveness and salvation, it’s only after He heals. We don’t take those instances to mean that Jesus cares more about physical healing more than forgiveness.

Now, where am I going with all of this? Jesus is a Pastor – in fact Jesus is the Pastor. The word ‘pastor’ simply means ‘shepherd.’ Jesus is the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:11), the Good Pastor. Christ knows when His sheep need to be fed by green pastures or led beside still waters, and He knows when His sheep need to have their soul restored with forgiveness and mercy (Ps. 23:1-3). Jesus doesn’t need to run a bunch of diagnostic tests to figure out what His sheep need. He always knows and gives the right treatment, and He always perfectly gives what His sheep need. Jesus, the Good Pastor, so intimately knows you and all your actions, thoughts, and ways that you are always diagnosed and receive the care you need.

The reason Jesus forgives this paralytic before healing his paralysis is that is what the man needed. The man’s friends – maybe even the man himself – figured what he needed most was to be able to use his limbs again. But Jesus, the Good Shepherd and Pastor, knows best. So, Christ forgives the man. “Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.” And those words deliver to the paralytic exactly what he needed.

I’m going to change gears here for just a minute. It’s October, and I’m aware that October, among other things, is Pastor Appreciation month. First of all, I want to thank you all for how good you’ve been to me, your pastor, for the past twelve years and ten plus months. I can’t imagine being called by God to shepherd a better flock. Last week, I preached about stewardship and tithing and mentioned how I don’t particularly like to preach about that. Well, preaching about the duties of a pastor is low on my preference list as well. But Scripture teaches about the duties of pastors, so preaching the full council of God requires me to preach about what I’m supposed to do as a pastor. So, here we go.

Every pastor is an under-shepherd of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. And I confess to you that I am a very flawed shepherd. Jesus shepherded this paralytic man exactly as he needed. But I know that there are times where I have not shepherded rightly. I don’t always know what is needed in any given situation.

God has given pastors one tool to use and apply to the flocks entrusted to their care – His Word of Law and Gospel. There have been times where I have given Law when you needed comfort and forgiveness, which results in you being further discouraged and dismayed. And there are times when I gave the Gospel of comfort and forgiveness when the Law should have been proclaimed, and that can lead to a boldness to continue in sin. This is a long way around for me to say, “I’m not as good of a pastor as Jesus is.”

First of all, please forgive me for my shortcomings as your pastor. And second, please pray for me that God would give me the wisdom and words that are needed in each interaction I have as your pastor. But I take great comfort in God’s promise that whenever His Word goes forth it always accomplishes the purpose for which God sends it (Is. 55:10-11). I am also comforted by the fact that God can always shut my mouth if I am doing more harm than good. But again, please pray for me.

I want to close by pointing you back to Jesus, my Boss, and your perfect Shepherd. Notice how Christ is always perfectly in tune with His sheep. Jesus sees the faith of the people who brought the paralytic to Him, so He immediately applies the Gospel of forgiveness. He knows the grumbling of the scribes after He absolves the paralytic and applies the Law to them. And notice how Jesus’ perfect diagnosing and shepherding results in the crowds glorifying God.

Those crowds glorify God because God had given authority to forgive sins to men (Mt. 9:8). That line struck me this week. Notice, it’s plural – to men, not to ‘a man,’ not just to Jesus, but to men. Dear saints, as those who have been redeemed, restored, and forgiven by Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus has given you the authority to forgive the sins of others. Jesus says in John 20:23, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.”

My fellow Christians, Jesus invites you to join with Him in proclaiming to a broken creation the forgiveness and eternal life He has won by His death and resurrection. May we carry that treatment and soul-saving medicine to a hurting world. Amen.

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

Mercy, Judgment, & Logs – Sermon on Luke 6:36-42 for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Jul10

Sorry for the poor audio quality this week. It is a known issue that should be resolved next week.

Luke 6:36-42

³⁶ “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

³⁷ “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; ³⁸ give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

³⁹ He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Some passages of Scripture are difficult. They are not difficult because they are unclear. Typically, they’re difficult because they are clear, but we just don’t want to hear them. We would rather that God didn’t say it. Today, we have a passage that is difficult because it has to do with us being merciful and forgiving to those who sin against us, and forgiving others can be very, very hard. But this passage is also difficult because of how it is wrongfully used and interpreted. Before us today is the most misquoted, misused, and abused verse in all of holy Scripture. Jesus says, “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” This is the John 3:16 of heathens. Unbelievers love these words of our Savior, but they are totally, completely wrong if they think that these words save them from having to deal with their sin.

These days, you might find yourself in a conversation about any one of the flagrant sins in our culture. If you simply state that the Bible calls that sin a sin, you’re likely to have, “Judge not, lest you be judged,” thrown in your face. People will say this and expect you to stop talking. When Jesus says, “Judge not, and you will not be judged,” does He mean that we are to never speak about what is right and wrong? Should we never mention that there is truth and error, good and bad because doing that is making a judgment? Is that what Jesus means? The answer is simply – no. If Jesus were condemning all judging here, He would be contradicting Himself and loads of other Scripture passages.

For a minute here, imagine a world where judgment is never passed. You teachers, imagine if a student completely bombed a test and scored a 30%. If that student came up to you and said, “Jesus says, ‘Judge not,’” are you obligated to give them a perfect score, or maybe should you give them a 0%? Those of you who own businesses, if an employee never came in to work or always did crummy work and messed up everything he touched, do you have to keep him on staff as an employee and pay him because Jesus says, “Judge not”? If you get pulled over for going 100 mph on a residential street, should you just tell the officer, “Judge not,” and then drive away scot free? Is that what we should take Jesus to mean here?

Absolutely, positively not. If people in positions of authority always extended pure mercy and never judged, the world would fall apart in a few days, and no one would be safe. God in His mercy has given everyone different callings and vocations where they should and must make judgments. Just a few examples:

When it comes to doctrine, everyone is to make judgments. In Matthew 7 (which is parallel to this text), Jesus warns us, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits” (Mt. 7:15-16). You can’t beware of false prophets without judging their fruit – in other words, what they teach. Romans 16:17 says, “Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have been taught, avoid them” (see also 1 Tim. 6:3-5 and 2 Jn. 10). Jesus wants all people to be judges and make judgments when it comes to doctrine. So, dear saints, know what is and what isn’t sound doctrine.

Scripture teaches that parents have the right and duty to judge, punish, correct, and praise their child’s behavior (Eph. 6:4). On a larger scale, God has given us the gift of government and civil authorities. You can think of government officials as the parents of cities, states, and countries who are put there by God to make laws and judge and punish those who break the laws (Ro. 13:1-6).

When civil rulers punish lawbreakers, they are acting as God’s servants (Ro. 13:4). Imagine if mass-murderers were freed from punishment simply because they quoted Jesus’ words, “Judge not,” when they were in the courtroom. Laws, rules, and punishments exist in societies and countries to protect the weak. Now, in our country, God has given us the gift of being able to have a voice in who those authorities are through our ability to vote. So, Christian, you can and should judge and evaluate candidates for office before you vote for them. If a candidate’s views are inconsistent with what Scripture says is right and wrong, you should not vote for that person. But once a person is elected, they are the authority God has placed over you. And because God has placed them in authority over you, you must honor, serve, obey, love, and respect them because of their office – even if they are godless scoundrels.

I know there are a whole lot of ‘what if’s’ that could be addressed here, but I’m not going to go into all of them. Talk to me after the service. I’ll just say this: If you have an evil, tyrannical, ungodly, unjust person in a position of authority over you, Scripture says that you owe them the respect and honor that is due to them because of their office. And at that same time, you should also speak against evil things they are doing. Then, go ahead; vote them out in the next election, but in that office, recognize them as God’s gift to you.

I know this example is upside down from an evil person in a position of authority doing evil things, but our Old Testament lesson (Gen 50:15-21) helps guide us on how to balance mercy and judgment when it comes to our leaders. Joseph’s brothers figure he’s going to get them back for all the evil things they did to him, and Joseph is in a perfect position to do so. He’s the second in command in Egypt, and Jacob, Joseph’s father, has died. In other words, Joseph has no governmental or parental authority over him who will say he needs to be kind to his brothers. Because of this, Joseph’s brothers are scared, terrified. But look at Joseph’s response to their lie about what their dad said before he died. Joseph says, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me.” Notice that Joseph doesn’t say that their plot to kill him, their throwing him in a pit, and selling him into slavery is just fine and ok. No. Joseph calls all of that what it is – evil. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” Joseph is right to not mince words by saying what they did to him was good. But then Joseph recognizes and confesses that God was at work even behind their evil, sinful acts to bring about good and to save them all.

So Jesus isn’t condemning all judging here, but what is Jesus teaching us when He says, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you will not be condemned”? It all hangs and hinges on what Jesus says both before and after. “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Notice first of all that to be merciful and forgiving, there has to be a judgment – that sin is sin. But that judgment isn’t your judgment, it’s God’s judgment. You are simply confessing and saying the same thing as God says about sin. And then, Jesus calls you to extend forgiveness and mercy when it comes to that sin.

Confession consists of two parts. The first part of confessing our sins is that we bring those sins before God and say what God says about those sins: That they are sins. That they have harmed our relationship with God. That they have hurt others and ourselves. That is the first part of confession. The second part, which ends up being the most important part of confession, is that we confess that those sins are atoned for by Jesus. That Jesus, by His death and resurrection, has covered those sins, removed them from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12), tread those sins under His foot, and cast those sins into the depths of the sea (Mic. 7:19).

Basically today, Jesus is teaching us the second great commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:19, Mt. 22:39). Every one of us has sinned, and we desperately desire that our sin would be covered up by mercy. So, if you desire mercy from someone when you sin against them, you should also extend that same mercy to them when they sin against you.

You disciples of Jesus, you Christian, are not above your Teacher, but you are to be like your Teacher. Don’t try to remove God from His seat when it comes to judging and punishing the sin of others because God Himself didn’t stay in the seat of judgment when it came to your sin. Remember, God showed His love for you in that while you and I were still sinners, Christ came down from heaven and died for us (Ro. 5:8). And please know that God’s forgiveness of you isn’t based upon your forgiveness of others. There is forgiveness even for your sins of un-forgiveness.

So, how do we go about our lives in a world that is filled with sin – both our own sin and the sin of people who hurt us? Galatians 6:1 says, “If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him,” and you can’t restore a transgressor without calling their sin out. But please also know that verse goes on to say, “[you] should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Dear saints, remember that you have had plenty of logs in your eye. Repent. Confess your sins and receive the forgiveness and mercy of God. And as God has been merciful to you, extend that same mercy to others as well. When you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, make sure you tell them about the Savior who removed the log from your eye. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, Jesus wants eyes that are free from both logs and specks.

That is why He left His throne. To remove the log in your eye, Jesus came down to be placed on the log of the cross. And on that splintered timber, Jesus shed His holy and precious blood that covers your sin and the sin of others. Go, be merciful knowing that God’s mercy is sufficient for you. Amen.

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

Triune Forgiveness – Sermon on Isaiah 6:1-7 for Holy Trinity Sunday

Jun12

Isaiah 6:1-7

¹ In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, I have five observations to consider from this text.

1. What Isaiah sees is remarkable but not unique. Isaiah had this vision of God when he was in the Temple. But it’s important to note that Isaiah was not the high priest, so this vision didn’t take place while Isaiah was in the Most Holy Place. Isaiah wasn’t even a priest, so this vision couldn’t have been when Isaiah was in the Holy Place either. Isaiah was a prophet called by God, but he was normal guy. In other words, Isaiah would have been in the courtyard of the Temple with all the other regular worshippers. You can basically think of this vision as what Isaiah sees when he goes to Church. He’s normal guy in a normal place at a normal time, but what he sees is extraordinary.

Dear saints, there are things going on around us right now that we cannot see or hear. But just because our senses don’t pick them up doesn’t mean they are any less real than the things we can perceive with our senses. The Bible teaches that there are angels all around us all the time protecting us and ministering to us. Jesus Himself teaches us that He is present with us and seated on His throne with all authority in heaven and earth (Mt. 28:18, 20; 18:20). And that is always true whether you are at church or not.

But when you are in church, the same things Isaiah saw in this vision are here and present with you. Hebrews 12:22-24 says, “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.” In other words, here in this sanctuary you are in God’s domain. The angels and archangels, the seraphim and cherubim are all here. Surrounding you are all God’s people, Christians from every time and age, present here worshipping, glorifying, and praising God with you. You can’t see them, but that doesn’t make their presence any less real.

What Isaiah sees here is always true when God’s people gather together. In other words, it isn’t as though God was normally far, far away, but then, one time, He came close enough for Isaiah to see Him. No Isaiah simply is allowed to see the reality of God’s presence which was and is normally invisible. Dear saints, when you come into this place, see with your ears. The triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – along with all the angels and all the saints of all time are present right here with us.

2. Notice this reality that Isaiah sees. Isaiah sees the Lord sitting upon a throne. And Scripture leaves us no doubt. Isaiah sees Jesus. The Gospel of John spells it out. Isaiah sees Jesus, the eternal Son of God and the second Person of the Trinity (Jn. 12:36-41). Above Jesus, Isaiah sees the seraphim. These are one of the types of angels that Scripture tells us about. Their name means ‘burning ones.’ These angels have six wings. Two of the wings are used to cover the seraph’s face; two cover the seraph’s feet; and two are used to fly. Now, the interesting thing is that these seraphim are already holy. The don’t have any sin, but even they need to cover their creatureliness before the awesome holiness of God.

That brings us to their song. The seraphs sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of armies; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Their song is repetitive, three holy’s. It is true that the Hebrew language will use repetition for emphasis. God is holy, holy, holy. But those three holies could also be translated as, “Holy One, Holy One, Holy One.” Three holy Ones – again, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The angels are praising one God, but three distinct holy Ones. Now, Isaiah can only see the Son, but he hears the praise of each Person of the Trinity. And we know that all three persons of the Trinity are there because just after our text, the triune God asks, “Whom shall I [sg.] send, and who will go for Us [pl.]?”

3. Look at Isaiah’s response. Standing in the presence of the holy Trinity, Isaiah is terrified. Isaiah says, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” We need to dissect this a little bit. Notice that Isaiah starts with a conclusion before moving to his confession. Isaiah’s conclusion is, “Woe is me! For I am lost.” That’s his understanding of the situation and what he thinks is going to happen to him. But his conclusion is wrong. It’s wrong not only because that isn’t what happens, but it’s also wrong because it is a denial of who God is.

When Isaiah says, “I am lost,” thinks he is about to be cut off and damned. He figures God has finally come to judge him and condemn him to hell. This is wrong and, frankly, disappointing. Remember Isaiah was in the Temple. The Scriptures clearly teach that the whole purpose of the Temple, the reason it was there, was so God could dwell among His people and forgive their sins (2 Chr. 6:21, 27). God had defined Himself as the God who is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness… forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin (Ex. 34:6-7).

Imagine coming to church. You hear the absolution. In the sermon, you are pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away your sin. You receive the Body and Blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Then, you have a vision like Isaiah’s and your response is, “Well, I’m going to hell.” That’s ludicrous, but that’s Isaiah’s conclusion here! Dear saints, the whole point of everything we do here at church is to remove any doubt and increase your faith that God has forgiven all of your sins – every last one of them – for the sake of Jesus’ death and resurrection. As disappointing as Isaiah’s conclusion is, we would probably do the same. Repent. God isn’t lying to you when He delivers His grace and mercy to you here in this place. You are forgiven, made holy, continually given the perfect righteousness of Christ. Amen?

Now, Isaiah’s confession and recognition is right. He is a sinner. He does have unclean lips, and the people around him have unclean lips. This means he deserves God’s wrath and judgment, but His conclusion is still false.

4. Isaiah’s guilt has a location. Sin isn’t just floating around as some nebulous, philosophical idea. No. Isaiah recognizes his sinful lips. But didn’t Isaiah have sinful feet? What about corrupt eyes? A lustful groin? An idolatrous heart? So, why does Isaiah focus on his lips?

The best guess is that the devil somehow knew God was about to call Isaiah to be a prophet. To be a prophet requires the use of your lips and mouth to speak the Word of God. So, Satan probably made extra effort that day to point Isaiah to how he sinfully used his lips to make Isaiah feel guilt and shame with the very instrument God would use Isaiah to minister.

The devil does this all the time. He will point out the sin and iniquity of the very gifts God wants us to use in fulfilling our callings and vocations in service to Him and our neighbor. This is true for all Christians, but today I want to address you fathers since I won’t be here next week.

Fathers, first of all, happy Fathers’ Day a week early. You fathers, the devil will do this to you. Satan will try to point you to your failures as a husband and father. And it will be easy for him to do this because you do fail. Sometimes, you are too harsh; other times you have been too lax in disciplining your children. You don’t show the kindness and love you should, and you have not been the father God intends you to be. But those sins do not disqualify you from being a father to your children. One of the most important things fathers can teach their children is confessing when you sin and asking for forgiveness. Again, your failures do notdisqualify you from being a father. Fathers, if you are still alive and still have children, God calls you to be a father. And God will equip and enable you to be exactly the father that your children need. Which brings us to the fifth and final observation.

5. The glory of the triune God is His forgiveness and mercy. Because there is one God and three Persons – because God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – God is both just and merciful, both just and loving. If God were only one, this couldn’t be the case. But because God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God the Son can satisfy God’s just demands, and He has. Jesus has done for you what you could not do for God. Jesus renders His perfect obedience to the Father, and the Holy Spirit delivers to you the peace of forgiveness in Christ as He works on you through the Scriptures. Just don’t think that the Father is the only member of the Trinity who is just, that the Son is the only member who is loving and merciful, and that the Holy Spirit is the only member who works out your salvation. That isn’t the case either.

Dear saints, what God did for Isaiah, He does for you as well. It wasn’t the coal that removed Isaiah’s sin. It was God’s promise. Yes, God attached that promise to the coal which made it the instrument that delivered that promise to Isaiah. But God’s promise is attached to more things than that one coal that burned up millennia ago. God has attached His promise of mercy and forgiveness to the water of your Baptism. When those waters touched your body, your guilt was taken away, and your sin atoned for. When you heard the absolution earlier, those words entered your ear, and your guilt was taken away, and your sin atoned for. When you eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is here today to bring you His mercy and grace freely given because of Christ. You are clean, and God sends you from here back out into the world with a free, spotless conscience (Heb. 10:19-25). Amen.

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

Forgiven & Blessed – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter

Apr24

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.” ²²And 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.

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

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The evening of the Resurrection, Jesus seeks out the disciples just like He sought Adam and Eve when they hid themselves behind some fig leaves in the Garden. Fear had reduced those ten disciples to a bunch of dead bones (Ezk. 37:1-14). It was only ten of them because Judas had betrayed Jesus, and Thomas wasn’t there. Where was Thomas? The text doesn’t specifically say, but we do have some clues from Scripture. So, put on your Sherlock Holmes hats, and let’s do some deductive reasoning together.

Early that morning, Peter and John saw the empty tomb and the neatly folded burial cloths (Jn. 20:1-10). And throughout the day, Jesus had been appearing to all sorts of people. First, to Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:11-18), and shortly after that, to the other women who had gone to the tomb (Mt. 28:9-10). At some point, Jesus appears to Peter privately (Lk. 24:34) and to two other disciples, who were not part of the twelve, on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:13-35). So, Jesus is popping up all over the place, but the disciples have locked and imprisoned themselves in that upper room afraid for their lives.

They knew that the Pharisees had Pilate set a guard at the tomb to keep the disciples from trying to fake a resurrection (Mt. 27:62-66). These ten disciples are afraid that a bunch of soldiers are out looking for them to kill them just like they had killed Jesus. So, again, why isn’t Thomas there? The Gospel of John seems to suggest that Thomas wasn’t afraid. Thomas has been given the unfortunate nickname ‘doubting Thomas,’ but he may have been bolder and more fearless than the other disciples. Back in John 11, which was probably just a few weeks before the crucifixion, Thomas was ready to die with Christ. In John 11, Jesus suggests that they all go to Judea where He will raise Lazarus. Eleven of the disciples aren’t too keen on the idea because Jesus was almost stoned there twice (Jn. 8:59, 10:31), but Thomas speaks up, “Let’s go with Him that we may die with Him” (Jn. 11:16).

So, back to the day of Jesus’ resurrection: Peter and John tell the other disciples that they had found the tomb empty. Mary Magdalene reports that she has seen and talked with Jesus (Jn. 20:18). The other women tell the disciples that they have seen and talked with angels and with Jesus (Lk. 24:10-11). The two disciples who were on the road to Emmaus and Peter all say that they have seen Jesus (Lk. 24:33-35). All these reports of Jesus’ resurrection are coming in, which might have made Thomas curious. Now, Scripture doesn’t say explicitly, but it isn’t a stretch to imagine that Thomas isn’t behind those locked doors because he is out trying to find Jesus. If he gets caught by the soldiers and killed, so what? He is ready to die with Jesus.

But while Thomas is away, Jesus appears to the ten, speaks peace to them, shows them His wounds, breathes the Holy Spirit on them, and sends them out to with the authority to forgive sins. Then, Jesus leaves. At some point, Thomas comes back and the ten say, “Jesus was here, and you just missed Him.” Thomas is frustrated, and he doesn’t respond well at all. He defiantly says, “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.”

It ends up, all eleven disciples had locked themselves up, just in different ways. Ten had locked themselves in the prison of the fear of death, but Thomas has locked himself in the prison of unbelief because he hasn’t seen what the others have seen. Well, those prison bars and doors aren’t a problem for Jesus. Christ appears through the locked doors of fear to forgive the sin of the ten. And Jesus gives the disciples the authority to forgive sins saying, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Then, one week later, Jesus will appear to Thomas and unlock the doors of unbelief. But let’s consider for just a minute how Jesus gives the ten the authority to forgive sins.

Think back to when Jesus healed the paralytic who was lowered through the roof (Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26). Instead of healing the guy right away, Jesus says to him, “Your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees grumbled at this saying that only God could forgive sins. So, Jesus heals the paralytic proving that He has the authority to forgive sin. Now, on Easter evening, Jesus passes that authority on to the disciples and, ultimately, all Christians.

Sin has put all humanity behind bars in the prison of death. But Jesus has come to give release to everyone who is in captivity to sin (Lk. 4:18; Is. 61:1). Because God has called me to be the pastor here, I am called to give that same release of sin. It is why, after we have confessed our sins and receive the absolution, I say, “As a called and ordained servant of Christ and by His command and authority, I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins.” Because Jesus has the authority to forgive and passed this authority to all Christians, it is as though Jesus is doing it Himself. Think of it this way.

Imagine you are guilty of a crime and in jail. As you sit there in prison, a judge across town rules that you are innocent. That ruling doesn’t do you any good until that judge sends an order to the guard of your prison to set you free. Then, the guard comes with the keys, unlocks your cell, and releases you back into society. Now, in that scenario, 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 your cell and open the door, you are still behind bars. On the other hand, if the guard lets you out without any order or declaration from the judge, you are free, but you will live the rest of your life waiting to be arrested because you haven’t been justly declared innocent.

Now, non-Christians live as though the guard has let them out, but the judge hasn’t issued the ruling that they are set free. They are like Thomas on the evening of the resurrection. Jesus has taken the punishment they deserve and forgiven them of all their sins, but that freedom doesn’t do them any good because they don’t believe that they are really, truly free.

Christian, that is where you come in. You can announce this forgiveness to others. If someone comes to you and tells you about their sin and guilt and shame, you can tell them of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tell them that Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and His resurrection shows that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice. And tell them, “I forgive you of your sins because of what Jesus has done.”

There is another side to this. Some Christians are like the ten disciples. They live as though the judge has issued the ruling, but they stay in their cell as though the guard hasn’t let them out. So, they remain in prison fearing that that freedom will get them in trouble. Dear saints, when you hear the absolution, it is nothing more than the guard letting you out of the prison of sin and death by Jesus’ ruling that you are forgiven. You really are free, and your sins are removed from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12).

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.

I want to close with Jesus’ response to Thomas’ confession, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus replies, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus is speaking about you there. The risen Jesus had you in mind when He spoke those words. You have not seen Your resurrected Savior in the flesh. You don’t see the marks in Jesus’ hands and side. Instead, you see crosses that remind you of the death that Christ died for you. You see the Font where Jesus delivers to you His mercy and forgiveness and washes away your sins. You see an altar on which nothing has ever been sacrificed but which Jesus uses as His table to feed you bread and wine which Jesus says is His risen Body and Blood.

You do not see, but you hear the same proclamation of Jesus, “Peace to you.” That peace is yours because Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity is crucified, died, and was buried. He is risen again to give you His peace and the forgiveness of all your sins now and for all eternity. Dear saints, you are forgiven and blessed by your crucified and risen Lord and Savior.

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.

Pastorsamwise

"Don't the great tales never end?"

Tag Archives: Forgiveness

Working with Jesus – Sermon on Matthew 3:13-17 for the Baptism of Our Lord

Innocent Blood – Sermon on Matthew 26:1-27:66 for Palm Sunday

Who, Then, Receives This Sacrament Worthily? – Sermon for Midweek Lent 5

How Can the Bodily Eating and Drinking Produce Such Great Benefits? – Sermon for Midweek Lent 4

The Non-Avengers – Sermon on Romans 12:16-21 for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

Living Forgiveness – Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35 for the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity

Diagnosed – Sermon on Matthew 9:1-8 for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Mercy, Judgment, & Logs – Sermon on Luke 6:36-42 for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Triune Forgiveness – Sermon on Isaiah 6:1-7 for Holy Trinity Sunday

Forgiven & Blessed – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter