Hands of Brutality.

 

Sermon for 5^th midweek Lent, March 17, 2021

The God of love and peace will be with you all.  Amen.

Matthew 27:27-31  ²⁷Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole cohort of soldiers around him.  ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.  ²⁹They twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head.  They put a staff in his right hand, knelt in front of him, and mocked him by saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  ³⁰They spit on him, took the staff, and hit him repeatedly on his head.  ³¹After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him.  Then they led him away to crucify him. (EHV)

Hands of Brutality.

Dear friends of the brutalized King,

            When I was young, my dad had a number of pithy sayings he liked to use, and one that came up quite regularly with three rough and tumble boys was, “After the laughing comes the crying.”  This was usually said either when he noticed our sport getting more than a little out of control, or more likely, after the damage was already done.  Sometimes, it was a bit of a reprieve for us, because instead of some additional punishment, he allowed the hurts we had caused ourselves to suffice.

Now, one wouldn’t quickly assume that the events of our text started with good natured boys getting out of control.  No, in fact, every event of Jesus’ passion was very much part of a controlled and coordinated plan.  Tonight, we look at the actions of the soldiers and their Hands of Brutality.

A cohort of soldiers was about 600 trained, fighting men.  Even if we would concede the unlikely possibility that only a fraction of those men were on duty that morning, it would still be a brutally powerful force.  Roman soldiers were trained to overwhelm their enemies and to make examples of any bad characters so that rebellion would be too terrifying for anyone else to consider.  Yet, let’s not forget the enormous other brutal actions Jesus had already endured that night and early morning.  The Jewish leaders had brutally mocked, beat, and spit on Jesus before they turned Him over to Pilate.  Pilate had already demonstrated his brutality by having his soldiers unmercifully scourge Jesus with their skin-slicing, multi-lash whips to show the Jews what he thought of their charge of Jesus claiming to be a king.  Herod’s troops had inflicted their mocking brutality as well.  Each party showing what Rome could do to anyone foolish enough to challenge its authority.

By the time of our sermon text, Jesus had to be a forlorn, bloody mess.  Some have argued that Pilate was showing pity on Jesus because he knew Jesus was innocent, and its true that Pilate recognized Jesus had committed no sin, especially no sin worthy of death, but in truth, Pilate didn’t really care about Jesus, or kindness, or justice.  Pilate mostly wanted not to be bothered, so when that didn’t work, the Roman governor allowed the unmerited brutality to proceed, as he again turned Jesus over to his soldiers, this time to let them have their sport. 

Imagine those soldiers, who were trained to be brutal and cruel to any opposition, being told to go ahead and treat Jesus as a conquered enemy king.  This mild, meek Man who had caused no trouble for anyone in authority and put up no fight at all in the hours of torment that had already taken place, who hadn’t cried out in anger even once as the vicious lashes repeatedly cut His skin to shreds.  It had been a long time since those brutes had this much fun.

Once more, that mob of soldiers stripped Jesus’ clothes off His back, and in place of those humble wraps, they hung over our Savior a scarlet robe, no doubt some discarded remnant of a ruler’s finery.  Yes, dress the Son of God in the tattered, worn out rags of royalty.  But what is a king without a crown?  So, they gathered up some thorn branches.  You’ve no doubt seen pictures of the long, sharp thorns so common in that area.  They twisted and wrapped those barbed-wire-like branches into a makeshift mocking crown.  They put an ordinary reed into Jesus’ hand.  What kind of a king wouldn’t wield a scepter, right?  Still, these things were just the preliminaries.

Now that they had Jesus attired for the role of conquered king, they had their fun.  I can almost imagine how mean my brothers and I might have been to each other if we had ever dreamed up such a cruel game.  Oh, the fun we could have had (if we had been that sadistically cruel).  Here, wave after wave of muscular soldiers came at Jesus, some spitting on His battered face, some using their staffs to pound those cruel thorns into His scalp and brow.  Oh, they bowed the knee before Jesus, while laughing and joking at His condition.  Did they play a for half hour, an hour?  How long before cruel men get bored of taunting One who doesn’t respond to their jests and cruelty?

It would be easy for us to condemn the Jews, Pilate, and certainly those soldier for their cruel treatment and mockery of our beloved Savior.  Yet, we shouldn’t be so hasty to point our fingers at others.  Remember what Jesus will say to those who stand before Him on Judgment Day: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40 NKJ)  The good we do out of faith in Jesus will be remembered.  However, the evil we have done to others is just as wicked and cruel as what those soldiers did to Jesus.  In fact, using Jesus’ own words, every action we wrongly took against a brother, a friend, or even an enemy, we did it to Jesus.

How many times as children did our actions get out of hand and a sibling was left sobbing?  How many times have we caused our wives to cry?  How often have we mocked someone for being different, or for a mistake they made, or just because we could?  If I am the one trial, I have no defense for the thousands upon thousands of times I am guilty of brutality against Jesus.  In one way or another, we all Hands of Brutality.

I think most of us, if we had been in Jesus’ place, would have eventually tried to put up some kind of fight.  No one likes to be mocked.  We will only put up with abuse for so long before snapping and trying to get back at those who hurt us.  In most people, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is assumed to mean we can seek revenge upon our abusers.  At the very least, we aren’t willing to be helpful and kind to those who abuse our trust, or our bodies.

On the other hand, there was Jesus—abused, mocked, spit upon by hundreds of soldiers.  He was slandered, wrongly accused, and hand after hand was raised in brutality: first, voting to convict that innocent Jesus, and then raining abuse on His body in the most shameful fashion.  Yet, the Lamb of God never once cried out against any of them, or any of us either.

Jesus was there silently suffering that awful abuse because of the sins of the world, yours and mine included.  Because of His love for us, because of His dedication to carrying out His Father’s will to pay the price for all of us sinners who have so terribly mistreated someone along the way, because “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life,” (John 3:16) Jesus never once considered retaliating against any of His abusers.  Jesus never even once complained about their unjust treatment of an innocent man.  All of this is because “We all have gone astray like sheep.  Each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has charged all our guilt to him.” (Isaiah 53:6)

My dad’s saying might come into play here—“After the laughing comes the crying.”  It was all fun and games for the sadistic soldiers that day—for a while.  The mocking and cruelty continued all the way to the cross and even after Jesus hung there nailed to the tree, suffering the worst part of what we all deserved.  For many of those mockers, the crying came only when they eventually had to stand before Jesus at His throne, but for a few, the crying started right there when Jesus died.  “When the centurion and those who were guarding Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27:54)  In that moment, they understood that there would be hell to pay for their actions against God’s Son, Jesus, or would there be?

Many throughout history have assumed that Jesus is just storing up His righteous anger for the brutality of the human race, so that He can treat us cruelly on Judgment Day.  How ironic that people still mock the Savior who loved them enough to die for them and for us all.  Because assuming Jesus will punish all of us on Judgment Day is denying God’s love for us and denying His promises as well.  Isaiah wrote, “He himself carried the sin of many, and he intercedes for the rebels.” (Isaiah 53:12)  St. Peter later wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Christ also suffered once for sins in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)  And Paul under the same power tells us, “For just as through the disobedience of one man the many became sinners, so also through the obedience of one man the many will become righteous.” (Romans 5:19)

God does indeed seek retribution and just punishment for all sins, but He gave His Son to take the penalty in our place.  Therefore, all our sins have been removed and our debt of guilt is paid.  Jesus gave His all to reconcile us with His Father, now our Father as well.  Through the gift of faith in Christ Jesus, we are granted a new and certain hope, not of righteous anger for our brutality and shame, but rather, the sure and certain confidence of being welcomed into heaven by the Savior who gave His life so that He could count us innocent, because “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For in Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  Indeed, what the law was unable to do, because it was weakened by the flesh, God did, when he sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to deal with sin.” (Romans 8:1-3)

Dear friends, be rejoicing for what Jesus has done for you.  No matter how cruel you may have been, or what thoughts of revenge you might have entertained, Jesus has set you free of all guilt.  Indeed, because of Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice in our place, the Lord Himself has declared, “I will be merciful in regard to their unrighteousness, and I will not remember their sins any longer.” (Hebrews 8:12)  By the gift of faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit has made you children of God and kings and priests in the kingdom of heaven.  That is our home, because Jesus endured Hands of Brutality for you and me.  Amen.

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

Jesus gives more than enough.

 

Sermon for Lent 4, Laetare, March 14, 2021

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His own blood and made us a kingdom and priests to God His Father—to Him be the glory and the power forever.  Amen.

John 6:1-15  After this, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Sea of Tiberias).  ²A large crowd followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he was performing on those who were sick.  ³Jesus went up on the hillside and sat down there with his disciples.  ⁴The Jewish Passover festival was near.  ⁵When Jesus looked up and saw a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?”  ⁶But Jesus was saying this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.  ⁷Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to have just a little.”  ⁸One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ⁹“There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what is that for so many people?”  ¹⁰Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”  There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down.  There were about five thousand men.  ¹¹Then Jesus took the loaves and, after giving thanks, he distributed pieces to those who were seated.  He also did the same with the fish—as much as they wanted.  ¹²When the people were full, he told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over so that nothing is wasted.”  ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.  ¹⁴When the people saw the miraculous sign Jesus did, they said, “This really is the Prophet who is coming into the world.”  ¹⁵When Jesus realized that they intended to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (EHV)

Jesus gives more than enough.

Dear brothers and sisters of the Savior,

            Sometime early in the history of the Christian Church, people got the impression that it was a good idea to hide from the world.  In some cases, this was a temporary, necessary precaution to preserve life in the face of bitter persecution.  Yet, many of those hide-away-hermits developed the false idea that avoiding other people was somehow meritorious before God.  Many imagined that if they just avoided people, they could avoid sin, and thus please God.  Yet, nowhere does Jesus tell us to hide from the world.  Rather, He clearly tells His followers, “You are the light of the world. . . People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket.  No, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  In the same way let your light shine in people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

This past year, lockdowns and restrictions on gathering were put in place by secular governments that hoped to preserve health and life with their commands.  Now, these man-made restrictions have led some people to assume that isolating themselves to avoid any possible interaction is morally more righteous than to gather around even God’s Word.  Therefore, while we have legitimately avoided exposing neighbors to a virus, many are also beginning to think themselves better than others because they stay away from their fellow believers, while at the same time, some people have become so afraid of gathering, it is as if they no longer believe that the Lord can help us. 

Thus, while this introduction’s connection to our sermon text might not be immediately obvious, I hope that, today, you will leave the worship service trusting that Jesus gives more than enough.

The miracle of feeding the five thousand is the only miracle recorded in all four gospel accounts.  The Lord wants us to see His work in it.  The first thing we notice is that Jesus used this opportunity to test His disciples.  His goal, as always, was to strengthen their trust in Him.  Seeing the large crowd approaching, Jesus “asked Philip, ‘Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?’”  We also notice, right away, that the disciples were looking in all the wrong places for the solution.  Philip couldn’t imagine how they could afford to feed thousands of people, and Andrew, along with the other disciples, searched the crowds seeking resources, but they came up with only a young boy’s lunch.  It appears that the disciples were trusting only what can be seen.

Trusting only what can be seen comes naturally to us.  Apart from what we learn in the Bible, this makes perfect sense.  Yet, our God created all things seen and unseen, and more importantly still, the Triune God, who has always existed, has always been the power and source of life.  He created this world and everything in it, and still preserves it.  No matter how much atheistic science tries to prove God out of existence, our Lord is still in charge of both material and spiritual things.

Here, Jesus instructed the disciples to have the people sit down on the abundant grass, He took up those five small loaves of barley bread, the food of the poor people, and the two, small fish, blessed that little meal with thanksgiving to His Father in heaven, and distributed it with the disciples serving to carry it out to the crowds.  From an earthly perspective, it seems nonsensical.  Who would ever expect this to work?  How could it work?  It boggles the mind just thinking about how incredible it must have been to watch those broken pieces of bread pour in an unending stream from Jesus’ hands.  Maybe that is what causes so many people to stumble when it comes to believing the accounts of the miracles Jesus performed.  They go so far beyond what our minds can understand.  Yet, that is God doing what God does.  He does far beyond what our frail minds can imagine. 

Jesus took the loaves and, after giving thanks, he distributed pieces to those who were seated.  He also did the same with the fish—as much as they wanted.  When the people were full, he told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over so that nothing is wasted.”  So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

We don’t know exactly how large that crowd was, but we know for sure that there were about five thousand men in attendance.  How many women and children were also in the crowd around Jesus is anyone’s guess, but Jesus fed them all—men, women, and children alike—as much as they wanted.  No one went home hungry.  No one had to beg.  No one had to go looking for a meal.  Jesus gave more than enough—far more—than what all those people together needed.

Now, I am not here to tell you that if you go sit on the grass in the wilderness, Jesus will feed you until you are full.  However, how often do we look for help somewhere other than the Lord Jesus?  The disciples had seen numerous miracles by this time, and yet, they still didn’t think to ask Jesus for help.  We dare not imagine ourselves any better.  It is a condition of our sinful nature, that we usually just expect things to work, or that the government should take care of us, or that we have the sole responsibility to satisfy our every need.  But, how often do we trust one hundred percent that Jesus already knows what we need and what He will do to help us?  Not trusting one hundred percent is sin, isn’t it?  Trusting in ourselves, or anyone else, above what God promises is also sin.  It is especially sinful, if we trust in something other than Jesus for life everlasting.

The people who experienced this miracle also got the wrong impression.  They were glad for the miracles of healing and feeding Jesus performed that day, but instead of recognizing Jesus as the Redeemer He is, they wanted to make Him king of Judea so that He could make their earthly lives pleasant and easy.  This is a trap we can find easy to fall into, as well.  Many have rejected Jesus simply because life on earth is hard or sad or troublesome.  But Jesus didn’t promise, nor did He enter our world to give, a paradise on earth for His people.  In fact, He plainly said, “In this world you are going to have trouble.  But be courageous!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

We will have trouble because sin brought the curse of death on every part of the world.  We will have trouble because the devil and the world continually fight against those who walk with Jesus.  We have trouble in this world because we are mortal.  We all will die, maybe not today or tomorrow, but the mortality rate never changes no matter what is happening in the world around us, no matter what any governor orders.  We can do things to prevent unnecessarily early deaths, but we all die.

The people had one thing right; “When the people saw the miraculous sign Jesus did, they said, ‘This really is the Prophet who is coming into the world.’”  Jesus fed that vast crowd because He has compassion on all people.  Really, that is why Jesus came down from heaven to live among us, because of His compassion for us.  The psalmist wrote, “The Lord looked down from his high, holy place.  From heaven he viewed the earth to hear the groans of the prisoner to release those condemned to death.” (Psalms 102:19-20)

Dear friends, we all have a multitude of sins for which we deserved to die.  Sometimes, we are afraid.  Sometimes, we don’t care enough about our neighbors.  Sometimes, our actions don’t align with what we say we believe.  Sometimes, instead of turning to the Lord for help and safety, we look to the powers of government, or our own actions, to save us from evil and death.  Simply put, we are sinful by nature, and we needed someone to intercede on our behalf with our Almighty Creator and Judge.  Thanks be to God, He gave His Son into death for us, so that “the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)  And Jesus gave more than enough. 

To deal with the penalty for our sins, Jesus devoted His whole life to living perfectly according to His Father’s will.  He devoted Himself to compassion for the people.  Then, having accomplished every perfect obedience and work His Father in heaven required of us, Jesus gave Himself into punishment and death for the sins of the whole world, even the death of the cross, so that we might be given life that never ends.  Peter later wrote, “Indeed . . . Christ also suffered once for sins in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:17-18) 

The holy, righteous Son of God gave everything He is so that we don’t have to wonder about our eternal destination.  Through Christ, God has removed all our sins forever.  Through Christ, we have a sure and certain hope of life in heaven.  Through Christ, we have everlasting peace.  “I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them. “The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

As we face the trials of this pandemic, and a world that will use anything it can to destroy faith in Christ Jesus, all our actions reflect the heart inside us.  Do we isolate ourselves because honest evaluation of the circumstances tells us this is the best way to preserve our own and our neighbor’s lives, or are we hiding because we are terrified of dying, or because we have grown comfortable staying at home? 

On the other hand, do we go out without following the governor’s orders out of defiance, or with an uncaring attitude, or do we make reasoned decisions trusting that Jesus has our futures and our eternal safety firmly in hand?  There can be, and there are, sins on either side of every such question.  The answer is always Jesus, for Jesus gives more than enough. 

For our forgiveness and salvation, and for our everyday lives, the Lord has given His Word in the Bible so that we may know with absolute confidence the life and forgiveness He offers for the sake of His shed blood and innocent suffering and death.  To every sinner who repents, Jesus gives unconditional grace and forgiveness.  And for every repentant sinner, Jesus opens His arms inviting us into a loving embrace.  In the bread of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus holds out to you His very flesh that hung on the cross as a sacrifice for your sins and the sins of the world.  In the cup of blessing Jesus blesses, He pours into the wine the same blood He shed for you at Calvary.  He says “Take and eat…take and drink” to comfort your heart again and again, to restore your forgiveness for each time you stumble, and to build up your faith in Him as your Savior and Redeemer.  For you and for all, for today and for forever, for your forgiveness, life, and salvation, Jesus gives more than enough.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.

Hands of Hypocrisy.

 

Sermon for 4^th midweek Lent, March 10, 2021

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

Mark 14:55-65  ⁵⁵The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they did not find any.  ⁵⁶Many testified falsely against him, but their testimonies did not agree.  ⁵⁷Some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: ⁵⁸“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’”  ⁵⁹Yet even on this point, their testimony did not agree.  ⁶⁰The high priest stepped forward and questioned Jesus, “Have you no answer?  What is this they are testifying against you?”  ⁶¹But Jesus was silent and did not answer anything.  Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”  ⁶²“I am,” Jesus said.  “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”  ⁶³The high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we need any more witnesses?  ⁶⁴You have heard the blasphemy!  What do you think?”  They all condemned him as being worthy of death.  ⁶⁵Then some began to spit on him.  They covered his face and struck him with their fists, saying, “Prophesy!”  The guards also took him and beat him. (EHV)

Hands of Hypocrisy.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            Oh, what a show the devil puts on.  It’s like actors in a play—when they are really good at their part, you see those actors and actresses not as they are in real life, but as if they inhabit the character they play.  The devil was a really good actor in the Garden of Eden.  He convinced Eve and Adam that God was the bad guy, that the Lord was withholding something good from His people, and that the devil just wanted to help them.  In our text this evening, we meet some more great actors, who wore the masks of God-fearing, righteous men, but oh their Hands of Hypocrisy.

People have wondered what motivated the members of the Sanhedrin as they put Jesus on trial.  Some say they were politically motivated in their desire to destroy Jesus.  The men of the Sanhedrin ruled their area of Palestine with much authority granted to them by their Roman overlords.  The members of that Jewish ruling council didn’t want to lose their lucrative and powerful positions.  In fact, in planning this arrest, the high priest, Caiaphas, had berated his colleagues, “You know nothing at all.  You do not even consider that it is better for us that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:49-50)  Rather than risk Rome putting down any perceived rebellion, which might put their positions at risk, those priests and leaders thought to eliminate that danger by eliminating Jesus.

A second possible motivation was religious.  The Pharisees, especially, prided themselves on obeying the laws as they saw them.  Some of that was the Mosaic law, but they went further.  In their work-righteous assumptions, they imagined that they did much more than regular folk to serve the God of their forefathers.  The truth, however, is that the bulk of their obedience was only a show.  It looked good on the outside, but inwardly, they were as hateful, scheming, and deceitful as the worst heathen. 

What really got their goat, however, is that Jesus publicly branded them as hypocrites, such as when He warned them, “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You travel the sea and the land to make one convert, and then when he is converted, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15)  More infuriating for those works-righteous pretenders, Jesus, this carpenter from Nazareth, had the audacity to tell them that to be saved they must believe in Him.  He told them, “You are of this world.  I am not of this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.  For if you do not believe that I am the one, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:23-24)  For every time Jesus indicated that He is the Son of God, they jealously plotted His end.

A good case can be made for each of these motivations, but perhaps the greatest motivation was a personal, family hatred of the Lord.  Jesus understood what was driving those men.  He knew they were not members of His kingdom and though they pretended to be children of Abraham, Jesus had explained why they rejected Him when He told them, “You belong to your father, the Devil, and you want to do your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning and did not remain standing in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” (John 8:44)

Because Jesus’ enemies didn’t believe in Him, they remained under the devil’s deceptive control.  As Paul would later write, “No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)  Apart from faith worked by the word of our Savior, no one can believe in Him.  All of this should serve as a warning for us.  How often don’t we face the danger of these three motivations to reject Jesus?  As a political motivation, it could be the opposition of our neighbors who refuse the Bible’s teachings and enjoy mocking those of us who do believe.  That peer pressure might get us to question reality and turn us against the Savior who loves us enough to die for us.

Perhaps an even greater danger for us is the religious motivation.  Our old sinful nature loves to imagine how well we obey God.  It takes a perverse pleasure in comparing ourselves to our neighbors.  It is always easy to find some heretic, or criminal, or just a poor soul that stumbles who makes us look pretty good in our own eyes, especially if we fail to hold our own sins and weaknesses up to the mirror of God’s law. 

However, as it was for those men, the devil’s influence is obviously the most dangerous threat for us.  Satan still tells the same lies he has always told, and people still listen.  It can be subtle lies.  Suggestions like: God isn’t being fair to you; it doesn’t matter if you come to church; God doesn’t need your praise; or He just wants to use your money to build fancy buildings or make the preachers fat.  More insidious, though, is when the old evil foe convinces us that we are good enough and strong enough to get by without God’s help.  Why worry about what God says when we seem to be doing fine on our own?  Oh yes, if we are honest, we can identify our own hypocrisies. 

Those seventy-one men that ruled on Jesus’ life, and all the servants and attendants that assisted them, were playing the parts their demonic master had assigned them.  Some tried to come up with accusations that could be used against Jesus.  Many lies were told that night, but no two could agree on anything, so there was nothing that could be used in court. 

Finally, an exasperated Caiaphas took the matter into his own hands.  Remember, this man made his living and staked his reputation on pretending to be a faithful believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Like an actor on a stage, the high priest pretended only a desire to protect his people, yet with Jesus’ cooperation and in accord with the Father’s will, Caiaphas asked the question that would set Jesus up to die.

“The high priest stepped forward and questioned Jesus, ‘Have you no answer?  What is this they are testifying against you?’  But Jesus was silent and did not answer anything.  Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’  ‘I am,’ Jesus said.  ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” 

Caiaphas had already understood that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and the promised Messiah.  He just wouldn’t believe it.  Caiaphas was the leading religious teacher of Israel’s people, a man who knew the Scriptures, who portrayed himself as a faithful God-fearing leader.  Yet, he despised the very Savior God had promised to send into the world for his sins.  In doing so, Caiaphas rejected the prophecies, the miracles, and Jesus’ own words.  So, imagine the high priest’s glee at getting the response he desired for the wrong reason.  To be sure, Caiaphas kept up his sham of piety as he expressed shock at Jesus’ truthful answer.  “The high priest tore his robes and said, ‘Why do we need any more witnesses?  You have heard the blasphemy!  What do you think?’  They all condemned him as being worthy of death.”

Hands of Hypocrisy voted to kill the Son of God.  The same hands that had often been lifted up in prayer to the Holy One of Israel were now raised against Him.  “Then some began to spit on him.  They covered his face and struck him with their fists, saying, ‘Prophesy!’  The guards also took him and beat him.”  If we now allow self-righteousness into our hearts, we might be tempted to think that we would never be so hypocritical, but don’t be so sure of yourself.  St. John later wrote, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)  Every time we sin against God, every time we don’t trust Him completely, we too vote against His love.

Yet, we have a Savior in whom there was never anything false.  Jesus was always exactly who He claims to be, and He always lived exactly as His Father desires.  The Man, Jesus Christ, was in that place and position of weakness, because it was God’s will that His Son, Jesus, should suffer and die on our behalf.  Through Isaiah, God had prophesied, “He was taken away without a fair trial and without justice, and of his generation, who even cared?  So, he was cut off from the land of the living.  He was struck because of the rebellion of my people.” (Isaiah 53:8)

Our heavenly Father used the hypocrisy and wickedness of those men, and others like them, so that Jesus could carry out our redemption and the reconciliation between us and God.  Jesus willingly endured the wicked treatment He didn’t deserve, so that you and I will never have to pay the price for our sins.  The men with Hands of Hypocrisy thought they were saving themselves, yet God used their foolishness to bring salvation to the world. 

St John wrote in his letter, “If we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)  When those hypocritical actors carried out their devious schemes, they were doing only what God had known all along they would do, so God used them to move His Son to the cross, so that Jesus’ blood and righteousness would cover you and me.  Amen.

May God be gracious to us and bless us.  May his face shine upon us and keep us in His mercy.  Amen.

Love the Lord for victory and life.

 

Sermon for Lent 3, Oculi, March 3, 2021

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Revelation 2:1-7  To the messenger of the church in Ephesus write: The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven gold lampstands, says this:  ²I know your works, your labor, and your patient endurance, and that you are not able to tolerate evil people.  You have tested those who say they are apostles, but are not, and have found them to be liars.  ³Indeed, you do have patient endurance.  You have endured hardships on account of my name and have not become weary.  ⁴But I have this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  ⁵Remember, therefore, the state from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the works you did at first.  Otherwise I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, if you do not repent.  ⁶But you do have this: You hate the actions of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.  ⁷Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To the one who is victorious I will give the privilege to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (EHV)

Love the Lord for victory and life.

Dear blood-bought friends,

            What do you suppose Jesus would say if He dictated a letter to you?  In the book of the Revelation, Jesus commands St. John to write seven letters to churches in the Roman province of Asia which is in present day Turkey.  These seven letters follow a definite pattern in which the Savior expresses some point of commendation for most of the churches, but He also lists some serious faults that endanger the spiritual lives of those people involved.  He adds admonition to do right, calls the reader to hear, and makes a promise to those who are faithful.  So what would Jesus say to you?

I won’t pretend that I can answer that question for you individually, but this letter to the Ephesian congregation certainly bears important reminders about which Christian believers in our times should also be concerned, for we too suffer some of the same faults and weaknesses.  It seems best to break down this letter by passage, so we learn to Love the Lord for victory and life.

The identity of the speaker is found in the preceding chapter, and this is obviously the Lord Jesus.  To John He says, “To the messenger of the church in Ephesus write: The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven gold lampstands, says this:”  The preceding passages tell us the seven stars are the angels, or messengers, God provides to the churches.  These represent the pastors assigned to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord in those congregations.  The golden lampstands represent the Word of the Lord being proclaimed in those places.  Taken together, this is the church in the world. 

The Lord holds those preachers in His hand.  This might indicate His protection of those men, yet perhaps the best interpretation is that the Lord pictures pastors as the tools He uses to bring the light of His Word to the world.  Remember, Jesus told His disciples, “I am the Light of the World.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)  And to the believers, He says, “You are the light of the world.  A city located on a hill cannot be hidden.  People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket.  No, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15)  Thus, we should remember that the local congregations are not alone in the Christian faith.  The Lord Jesus is with us as we gather around the Word.  He is leading, guiding, empowering, and protecting us as we shine His light while we journey through this perilous life with the promise of forgiveness and salvation in our midst.

So, we know the who—now for the what: Jesus said, “I know your works, your labor, and your patient endurance, and that you are not able to tolerate evil people.  You have tested those who say they are apostles, but are not, and have found them to be liars.”  Here, the Lord also speaks to us.  We can and should remain faithful to God’s word, and we should test those who proclaim a message saying, “God said.”  Like the Ephesian believers, we are right to be discerning in what we teach.  We are to proclaim God’s Word without alteration, mixing, or deception, offering forgiveness and salvation through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone.  Thus, our practice of disciplining fellow believers when they fall, and of keeping ourselves separate from false teachers, and those who mix truth with falsehood, is to be commended.

Jesus also commended the congregation when He said, “Indeed, you do have patient endurance.  You have endured hardships on account of my name and have not become weary.”  By the time these letters were written, Christians in the Roman empire had endured several rounds of horrible, intense persecutions in which many Christians were tortured or killed.  In the provinces, especially, worship of idols and emperors led to Christians being hated, mocked, and abused as traitors to the empire.  If that doesn’t sound like what is happening in our times, the only thing lacking is being thrown to the lions or sword simply for our faith.  Yet, those Christian believers endured despite everything thrown against them. We, likewise, should patiently endure the troubles and opposition of this world with confidence in all Jesus has done to give us life that never ends in the glory of heaven. 

Later in the letter, Jesus also commended the congregation saying, “But you do have this: You hate the actions of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”  We don’t know a lot about the Nicolaitans, but they appear to have followed the teaching that since Jesus died for all sins, and by grace we are freed from sin, we are completely free to do anything we desire, so they become notorious for their extreme immorality and passioned indulgence of intoxicants and wicked acts. 

We would like to think that we hate such things too.  However, as the society we live in becomes ever more polluted with various immoralities: lust, greed, polygamy, polyamory, gambling, drunkenness, sexual ambiguity, self-indulgence, open hostility to authority, and vices too numerous to mention, do we even notice wickedness, anymore?

This all sounded like so much faithfulness in the congregation, but then comes the damning rebuke: “But I have this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”  How sad and terrifying this is to hear.  A congregation that was doing so much that is good had forgotten its first love.  And what would be the first love of the Church but the Bridegroom Himself?  The church at Ephesus was so busy doing all that they should that they forgot why they were doing it.  No longer was the love of Christ, their Savior, the motivating power.  No longer was their love for God driving their behaviors, so no longer loving Christ, they could not love their neighbors either.  Now, they were just following the rules or traditions.

The First and chief Commandment is this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)  This love was no longer there, but without Christ at the center of everything we do, there is no longer saving faith, and without faith we are still in our sins, which is why the Lord says He will remove the light of His Word and salvation from their midst if repentance doesn’t take them back to believing and trusting and loving the Lord Jesus.  As Jesus taught while encouraging persistent prayer, “Will not God give justice to his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night?  Will he put off helping them?  I tell you that he will give them justice quickly.  However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)  Will Jesus find faith among us when He returns?  That is the question, isn’t it?

Jesus said, “Remember, therefore, the state from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the works you did at first.  Otherwise I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, if you do not repent.”  Like with the Ephesians, Jesus calls for us to repent and do the works we once did.  Repentance means turning away from anything that doesn’t trust in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation.  That includes pleading for forgiveness of all our sins, but also means trusting that we are forgiven for Jesus’ sake.  It means forgetting about earning any part of our salvation but firmly holding to the truth that Jesus has accomplished everything needed to reconcile us with His Father.  It means that we no longer seek after the things of this world but find our treasure in the things above, especially in the love and forgiveness of our God.

Jesus closes this brief letter with the encouragement, “Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To the one who is victorious I will give the privilege to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”  The Lord who lived, died, and rose again for you and me wants all people to be saved.  He wants us to listen to every word of saving truth He has provided in the Bible.  He wants us to trust that He has paid for all our sins, every weakness, and every shortcoming found in us.  Jesus wants us to know, to remember, and to cherish that we have life everlasting through faith in Him, because God the Father loves you and intentionally gave His beloved Son into death so that your sins are removed from you forever.  The Light of our Savior reveals the one way to heaven which is Jesus Himself, because He has already lived a perfect life in your place.  Jesus has already suffered the full punishment for your guilt.  Jesus has conquered the old evil foe on your behalf, and the Father has counted all of Jesus’ perfect, successful work as yours, so there is nothing to keep you from His Father’s mansion above.

As we all confess, there is much in each of our hearts that would have condemned us before God.  Our thoughts, actions, and desires are never pure.  Our faith is often far too weak.  Yet, for you and me, Jesus was never short of the perfect holiness we need.  Indeed, through faith, for Jesus’ sake, His Father has counted all of us as righteous, perfectly faithful, and completely pure and holy.  St. Paul wrote to the Roman congregation, “What will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)

Dear friends, return to your first love every moment of every day.  Love the Lord who lived for you, died for you, and rose again so that He could reign for you forever.  Love the one Man who could never betray or hurt you, the Son of God and Man who has opened the riches of heaven for you and for all.  Love the Lord for victory and life.  Amen.

May the LORD our God be with us, just as he was with our fathers.  May he never leave us or abandon us.  May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways.  Amen.

Hands of misguided zeal.

 

Sermon for 3^rd midweek Lent, March 3, 2021

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

John 18:4-11  ⁴Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who are you looking for?”  ⁵“Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.  “I am he,” Jesus told them.  Judas, the betrayer, was standing with them.  ⁶When Jesus told them, “I am he,” they backed away and fell to the ground.  ⁷Then Jesus asked them again, “Who are you looking for?”  “Jesus the Nazarene,” they said.  ⁸“I told you that I am he,” Jesus replied.  “So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”  ⁹This was to fulfill the statement he had spoken: “I did not lose any of those you have given me.”  ¹⁰Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear.  The servant’s name was Malchus.  ¹¹So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath.  Shall I not drink the cup my Father has given me?” (EHV)

Hands of misguided zeal.

Dear friends in Christ,

            Zeal!  We think of it as a good thing, and in the right hands at the right place and time, it certainly is.  We want our employees to have zeal for doing a good job.  Politicians and coaches make a living promoting zeal in their supporters and team members.  Without that strong enthusiasm among those who are aiming for a goal, there is little likelihood of success.

Yet, what happens when zeal goes too far, or becomes misguided?  What happens when zeal goes beyond healthy enthusiasm?  I think we all realize that bad things can happen.  Overly zealous people caused a dangerous riot in our nation’s capital just about two months ago.  Last summer, zealous anger led to rioting and looting in the streets of many of our cities.  Overly zealous believers of a variety of religions, and/or political causes, have caused the deaths of millions of people just in the last century or so, not to mention the many killed in the more distant past.

Not surprisingly, when we speak of zeal for the Lord, Peter’s name is usually the first one mentioned.  Peter was one of the first men Jesus called as a disciple, and Peter was often bold and impetuous, a man of action, always ready to defend Jesus, but not always understanding the kind of trouble his misguided zeal could cause.  So tonight, we consider Hands of misguided zeal.

As this event takes place, Judas had just led a mass of soldiers, servants, and guards to Gethsemane to arrest Jesus.  Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who are you looking for?”  “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.  “I am he,” Jesus told them.  The first thing we notice is that Jesus knew well in advance exactly how this night would play out.  The leaders of Israel sought to do away with Jesus in secret without raising the suspicions of the common folk who might support Jesus.  Judas was hoping to gain his small reward without anyone perceiving his terrible guilt.  But Jesus knew!  Jesus knew it all, and every detail happened only through Jesus’ willingness to endure it.  Furthermore, Jesus controlled everything.

Jesus asked the mob who they were looking for, and when they answered, “Jesus the Nazarene,” He replied in a very powerful way.  In English we read, “I am he,” but the Greek is two little words, Ἐγώ εἰμι—“I am.”  Those are the same two words that had incited Jesus’ enemies to try to kill Him on several occasions because they understood He was claiming to be God.  Naturally, if that were not the reality, they would have had a case against Jesus.  But those two words that night came with power.  This is the same Lord who met Moses at the burning bush.  The same Lord who led the Children of Israel out of Egypt.  The Lord who has power over life and death.

John reports, When Jesus told them, “I am he,” they backed away and fell to the ground.  Many have speculated on what could cause those tough soldiers to fall to the ground at those two words, but imagine meeting your Creator face to face even if you don’t realize it.  Did all their sins flash before their eyes?  Did the obscene nature of their rebellion against God enter their minds?  Who can know?  Regardless, Jesus was in charge of this arrest.  He had it all under control.

Jesus asked them again, “Who are you looking for?”  “Jesus the Nazarene,” they said.  “I told you that I am he,” Jesus replied.  “So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”  This was to fulfill the statement he had spoken: “I did not lose any of those you have given me.”  Just as He had spoken to His heavenly Father moments before Judas led that gang into the Garden, Jesus made sure to protect those He had called to serve.  Most assuredly, in any other arrest carried out under the pretense of stopping a rebellion, not only the leader but all those who supported and followed him would have been rounded up for trial or worse.  But this night, not one hair would be disturbed among those who followed Jesus.  No one would lay a hand on any of Jesus’ disciples because His hands protected them as they do us.

That is when Peter’s misguided zeal came into play.  Not long before, Peter had made such a wonderful confession about who Jesus is, but the disciple followed that by rebuking Jesus for saying He was going up to Jerusalem to suffer and die.  Peter was misguided that time too, just as he was when Jesus confronted the mob sent to arrest Him.  Peter grabbed his sword, unsheathed it, and swung wildly.  To say Peter was not a trained swordsman is putting it mildly.  He did manage to cut off a servant’s right ear.  However, if Jesus had not been in control, this would have ended in a massacre.  In any other similar situation, those elite Roman soldiers would have dispatched with those eleven disciples in seconds.  Worse yet, if Peter had succeeded in stopping Jesus’ mission, there would salvation for no one.

But Jesus was in control.  What really made Peter’s zeal misguided is that Jesus entered that garden knowing exactly what would happen and why.  Furthermore, Jesus did not need anyone’s help.  Jesus was in that place and position only because God the Father had assigned Jesus to carry the sins of the world to the cross.  Jesus was in that garden because He was fulfilling His Father’s will to save people like Peter and you and me.

The poor servant, Malchus, bore the brunt of Peter’s enthusiasm.  We can imagine his pain and shock.  However, Jesus immediately took the time to help even His enemy.  Luke tells us that Jesus responded, “Stop!  No more of this!”  Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him. (Luke 22:51)  Peter was so concerned about protecting his Lord, yet Jesus lovingly took a moment to do His last miracle before He went to the cross.  Again, Jesus was in complete control of everything.

There is often a temptation among Christians to assume we have to protect Jesus or defend His Word.  We see that type of response among some other religions, as well, where they will willingly shed blood to make converts or to defend their idol.  However, we have a Savior who doesn’t need our protection.  We have a Savior who entered our world on a mission of salvation.  “He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) 

Some Christians in our times like to think that our job as Christians is to change the world politically, materially, and ethically, and though we are to be shining lights and willing servants in the world, our primary zeal should be seen in trusting solely in Jesus and telling the world about what Christ has accomplished to save all people.

Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath.  Shall I not drink the cup my Father has given me?”  Here we get to the crux of the matter.  Peter and the other disciples were still dreaming about an earthly kingdom for Jesus to rule, but Jesus didn’t come to reign over a kingdom on earth.  Jesus came to rescue us from the troubles and trials of life in this broken world.  Jesus came to reconcile us with Almighty God, and only Jesus could do it. 

Previously that night, Jesus had prayed to His Father that if there were another way, let it be done, but Jesus knew there was no other way, so He willingly, gladly submitted to the humiliation of being arrested and falsely accused so that our innocent Savior could take all our sins and the sins of the world on Himself.  “No one comes to the Father, except through me,” (John 14:6) Jesus had told His disciples.  That night Jesus was completing the pathway.  Jesus would drink the cup of bitter suffering and death.  He would drink down the poisonous accusations, the bitter rebellions against the God of love, and all our toxic wickedness so that He could be sin for us.  By because He had become sin for us, God demanded Jesus’ life in our place.

The psalmist wrote, “You crown Him with glory and honor.  You make Him the ruler over the works of Your hands.  You put everything under His feet.” (Psalms 8:5-6)  This is the King who suffered and died for you.  God’s Son, Jesus truly died for your sins, but He also rose triumphant over sin, death, and the devil.  Accordingly, having conquered all things, Jesus now reigns over heaven and earth, and He is ruling all things so that those who believe in Him, who are called according to his purpose, will be saved.  We also have His promise that He is returning to judge the world.  Trusting in Jesus for forgiveness and life, He shows us that we don’t need to be afraid, because when He returns, Jesus will receive His people into glory, while the rebels and the wicked who reject Him will be cast out forever into the darkness.

There are Hands of misguided zeal among us too at times, I suppose.  It is easy for us to imagine that we have to do something to help Jesus save us, or that our weak efforts to obey the law may somehow make us more worthy of saving.  Many teach that we have to do our share.  But, Jesus has it all under His control.  Nothing we could do will ever add to what Jesus has done.  He lived the perfect life we could never match.  Jesus obeyed His Father in heaven in every thought, word, desire, and action, and though Jesus was completely holy, humble, and obedient in everything, He took our sins to the cross, bore our shame, our guilt, and our death, so that we might be counted holy in His Father’s eyes, so that we will be welcomed into the mansions of God’s glory through faith in Christ Jesus.  Furthermore, Jesus sends to Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament to give us faith in Him and to guide us in living God-pleasing lives here on earth.

Dear friends, let us close by remembering how Peter lived after Jesus rose from the grave.  No longer was Peter consumed with a desire to protect Jesus.  Instead, Peter, and all the apostles, became zealous to tell the world about all that Jesus has done, and still does, to give us forgiveness and everlasting life.  May we, likewise, always use our hands not to strike but to pray, our time not for anything but to serve, our lives not to strike out against the enemies of our Savior, but to show them His hands of love, especially how Jesus stretched them out on the cross of death so that we all might live.  Amen.

Glory be to Jesus Who in bitter pains poured for you the lifeblood from His sacred veins.  Amen.