Fifth Sunday in Lent - Judica

Genesis 22:1–14
St. John 8:42–59

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I know there’s a lot of stuff we’re missing right now. You’re probably missing family and friends, not able to see them that much if you’re mostly staying at home all the time. You might be missing your mom or grandma if they are locked in the nursing home and you can’t see them. Some people are missing their paychecks and that can be very difficult. Others are missing their co-workers, the people they got so used to seeing every day. And some are missing their hair appointments or eating out at a favorite restaurant.

I’m so glad to see those of you who were able to make it today, because I’ve definitely been missing that—seeing my flock, my people, every Sunday, and often during the week—hearing them all sing and pray, see them appreciating God’s gifts, and catching up on their lives. To be honest, I am someone who does appreciate time to myself, but really… Social distancing is the worst. It might all be necessary (I hope it is), but this is starting to feel like we’re losing some of our humanity. We need human contact and community.  I hope that during all this, you that still share a home together, are finding ways to really keep each other company. Be generous with each other in showing affection. If you live in a house with someone you’re already exposed to whatever they might have, so don’t be stingy with hugs and kisses. Be good to one another, to those you are able to be with, and give a call to those you can’t be with. I hope, if nothing else, this all teaches us how to value our relationships, because we often take them for granted, and don’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone.

There’s a lot of stuff we’re missing right now. And here at the end of Lent, we’re getting more things taken away from us. The crosses are veiled. The Gloria Patri ( the song, Glory be to the Father…) is also taken away. I’ve already been missing the Alleluias and the Gloria in Excelsis for a while. But those absences are self-imposed, or imposed by the Church. And we only take those things away for a little while in order to help us appreciate them even more; so that when Easter comes, we gaze at the cross with even more love and we sing our songs of praise with even more joy.

The real bitter truth behind missing all these things is that we don’t deserve any good things. We don’t deserve to have family or friends or community. We don’t deserve to sing praise to God. We don’t deserve to see the cross—we don’t even deserve that there should ever have been a cross, that Jesus should ever have died for us. We are of our father the devil, and our will is to do our father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

So, like the devil (the one we follow and make our father), we do not believe the truth. We don’t want to hear it, and we don’t want to speak it. We want to think and do whatever seems right in our own eyes. We don’t want anyone else telling us what’s true, not even God. And we don’t care if we murder a few people in our hearts by what we think and say, so long as we get what we want. If you think this seems to harsh, what other reason is there for our society to be so fractured? For homes to be ruined and split apart, children abandoned, no one taking responsibility for the good of others? Or for governments to be so ineffective, or false? What other reason is there that we can’t trust any news anymore? That two sides say two completely, contradictory different things and it’s almost impossible to say which one is wrong? Or what’s the reason for so much filth to be promoted on our TV and internet? It’s all because we’ve adopted the devil as our father.

And so, no, we do not deserve family or friends. We don’t deserve love. We don’t deserve Alleluias or crosses or good churches. We don’t deserve Jesus. And yet, He came—to a world that did not deserve Him, to a world that did not and does not want Him (and that includes you and me in our sinful hearts). He came—out of His great love for His true and good Father, and out of God’s great love for us unlovable, devilish brats. He came. He suffered, bled, and died, for us; so that we can have a new Father; so that we can have the love that we never could’ve imagined.

That’s what this time of year is all about. It might feel like it, but it’s NOT the season of Coronavirus. It’s still the season of Lent, and very soon Holy Week. As much as we care about what’s going on in our world and all the terrible consequences, we need to start changing the subject once in a while. Instead of constantly talking about sickness and government regulations, we need to be talking a little more about the One who heals all sickness and frees us from all the terrible consequences of life in this sinful, fallen world. Instead of constantly talking about what we don’t know, what we can’t be sure of, what we can’t control, we need to be talking more about what we DO know: that we can be SURE that Jesus suffered and died for us and rose again to give us the life that blows even the best stuff on earth out of the water.

This is why Lent is still important. The end of Lent and Holy Week is begging us to stop worrying about everything else, and start paying attention to the One who takes all worry and fear away. Jesus. Don’t let Jesus and His holy death and His glorious resurrection get swallowed up and drowned out by the news or the self-quarantine or the changes in your daily life. Think about Him, talk about Him, listen to Him, pray to Him, and to your Father and His Holy Spirit. 

If you’re stuck at home more often, this is the perfect time to get into the habit of spending life with your God. It’s almost like He did it on purpose—He’s finally getting some of us to stay home as a family and have plenty of time to read His Word and pray once in a while as a family. So, whether you can gather at church or you have to watch on YouTube or listen to the radio, whatever you need to do, what needs to be at the front of your hearts and minds is Jesus—His suffering, bleeding, dying, and rising all for you. Only by faith in Jesus can we live, now and forever. Only by hearing His Word and eating His body and drinking His blood can we really live.

Abraham had that in his own way. He saw Jesus and trusted Him. That was Jesus—the angel of the Lord who called to Abraham from heaven, stopped the knife, and accepted his worship. Jesus is why Abraham said of that place: “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Abraham saw the Savior in that ram that was provided in Isaac’s place. And then, many years later, on that same mount of the Lord it was finally and fully provided. On Mount Calvary, Golgotha, the Lord provided—not a ram caught by his horns in a thicket, but a sacrificial Lamb, who was not caught, but went to His death willingly, like a king. He was crowned with thorns, and He Himself carried the wood for His sacrifice up the hill. And there He freely, lovingly offered Himself.

He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption—for Isaac, for Abraham, for the Jews, for the world, for you. All so that you can have what you don’t deserve, but what He so dearly wants to give. He gives His all, so that you don’t have to miss life with Him, or miss all the rest of the good stuff He gives with it.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.


Preached at Immanuel, Charlotte, IA & Trinity, Clinton Radio Broadcast

Fifth Sunday in Lent - Judica

St. John 8:42–59

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I think John, chapter 8, is where Jesus gets most exasperated with the stubborn Jews and their refusal to believe Him. He gets in their face and challenges them. He asks them flat out, “Why do you not understand what I say?” They have no reason to reject Him, no legitimate reason to even be suspicious of Him. In His life He is innocent, so He asks them, “Which one of you convicts me of sin?” In His doctrine or teaching He is blameless, so He asks them, “If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” But the Jews have no good answer to these questions. They simply don’t believe, which means they are not God’s children. They slander His life by saying, “You are a Samaritan!” They deny His doctrine by saying, “You have a demon!” Since they don’t receive Christ’s teaching and believe, they must reject Him and destroy Him.

Every preacher and every person who holds an office in the Church should follow the example of Christ here, because at some point we will encounter hostility and stubbornness from the world, so we should not make matters worse. Every preacher or officeholder should strive to demonstrate an innocent life and irreproachable doctrine. Of course, the difference between us and Christ is that we are never without sin before God. So we should try to maintain a holy life in the eyes of our fellow men, while trusting only in the righteousness of Christ for salvation. But doctrine is different, because it is not a matter of conduct, a matter of trying, it is a matter of truth or falsehood. Doctrine is either from God, the Father of Truth, or it’s from the Devil, the father of lies. So, our doctrine must be good and pure so that it stands not only before men but also before God.

As I said, at some point we all encounter hostility and stubbornness from the world, so what should we do? Again, let us look at the example of Christ: He lets the attacks and slanders at His life go and He endures the shame. He tolerates it when they call Him a Samaritan and He doesn’t bother to contradict the ridiculous accusation. But He defends the doctrine, the teaching. He says, “I do not have a demon.” He does not teach the Devil’s lies. He says, “I honor My Father.” He preaches the grace of God because that is how God is truly honored.

When we are attacked we should forget about our lives. Let them slander us. But we cannot let it go when the doctrine is attacked. The doctrine is not ours but God’s, and He does not tolerate lies. We should risk all we have for the purity and honor of God’s Word. If I perish, if I even lose my life, no great harm is done. But if I let God’s Word perish and I remain silent, then not only do I harm God’s honor but I also harm the world, because it is only through the Word of God that the world is saved. If I make people angry at me by speaking God’s Word, then not much has been lost. But if I do not speak the Truth, then I dishonor God and I condemn the people by not giving them the Word that they need to hear. And if people mock me or whisper lies about me, oh well. God will handle that. He is the judge and He will not let them go unpunished.

God promotes and upholds our honor. He did it for Christ. After all the mockery and lies He endured, God raised Him up again. The resurrection is the vindication of Christ. And He will do it for us too. All who believe and wait on God’s judgment will be proven right in the end. That is why we pray with Christ: Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! For you are the God in whom I take refuge.

Now, Jesus not only defends His doctrine against the Jews’ lies, but He also declares that His doctrine has power over sin, death, and the devil. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. He’s not speaking about the word of the Law here, but the word of the Gospel. The Word of the Gospel talks about Christ who died for our sins. The Word of the Gospel presents Christ and His righteousness to us. It gives Him to us as the One who has overcome sin, death, and the devil. So, whoever grasps and holds onto this Word, grasps and holds onto Christ. And so, through this Word you are set free from eternal death.

This also explains what Jesus means by “keeping” His Word. He’s not talking about the kind of keeping we do when we keep the Law by doing its works. The Word of the Gospel must be kept in the heart by faith. That is the way we go through death but never see it.

We must all go into death, but a Christian does not see death, he is not terrified by it, he does not lose faith because of it. A Christian that keeps Christ’s Word by faith does not see death but only sees his Savior and eternal life. Jesus made a similar point in John, chapter 11: Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. A Christian that keeps Christ’s Word has already been redeemed from eternal death. For a Christian, death is only sleep, and he goes through death and into life. That is the kind of power Christ and His Word have. And that is why the Jews are wrong when they claim that Abraham and the prophets are dead. Abraham is not dead. The prophets are not dead. In the midst of death they are still alive because they believed and kept the Word of the Gospel which forgives sins and gives eternal life.

Jesus kept pushing back against the Jews’ arguments. He won’t let things slide. He continues to defend His doctrine. Jesus made His second-most offensive statement to the Jews when He declared, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” Of course, this doesn’t mean that Abraham saw Jesus with the eyeballs in his head, but he saw Jesus by faith. He saw Jesus when he believed the Word spoken to him: In your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Genesis 22:18). In that Word, Abraham saw that his descendant would be born of a virgin, live a truly innocent life, suffer for sins of the world, rise again, and cause this message to be preached and cover the world with blessing. In hearing and keeping that Word, Abraham saw the day of Christ, the time of the Gospel. And now you, today, some 4000 years after Abraham, some 2000 years after Christ’s death and resurrection, this same Word is given to you. And this is the Day of Christ. This is the time of the Gospel. And if anyone keeps this Word he will never see death.

And yet after all this, the Jews still resist, still deny, still refuse to believe. So, Jesus kicks it up a notch and makes His most offensive statement yet: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” In other words, you want to know how I can say all this? You want me to answer your silly objections and explain Myself? Okay. I existed before Abraham. I am the One who was and is and is to come, with no beginning and no end. I am who I am (Exodus 3:14). I am the one true eternal God.

And here’s why it was necessary for the Christ to be true God: If the person who sacrificed Himself for us were only human and not God, it would not help, because even if He were perfectly sinless, His life would only count as a sacrifice for one other human life. But when Jesus hangs on the cross, God Himself hangs in the balance. Only the eternal God who is also a Man can be the sacrifice for all men. What brings the eternal blessing and victory over all sin and death is that the Seed of Abraham, the Son of the Virgin, is also the true God who gives Himself for us. How can we possibly praise Him enough? How can we possibly wrap our puny minds around this great mystery? By faith we keep it and gratefully bow before it.

But the Jews, along with many others, refuse to do that. Sinful humans will never stop taking offense at Jesus’ Words, never stop throwing stones at Him or slandering Him. And Christ hides Himself from them and leaves their temple. He will only be found by those who receive His Word.

So, let us take care that we never resist Christ’s instruction and force Him to hide His loving face from us. Let us never anger or frustrate Christ with lies or with apathy. Let us always approach our Teacher and Savior with humility, with a desire to learn and understand, with a hunger to receive Christ and His righteousness alone in His Holy Word and in His Blessed Sacrament. In the next two weeks, let us humbly follow Christ our Lord, and by faith see the salvation He won for us on the cross and in the empty tomb. Send out Your light and Your truth, O Lord;  let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Martin Luther’s Sermon: Luther’s Works, Vol. 76, pp.409–414.