Honor

A Sermon on Luke 20:9-20 for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, Series C, 2022

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Last week, when we looked at the parable of the prodigal son, we talked about the sense of honor and shame that the people in Jesus’ day held. We could find some similarities with today. But we were also left with the idea that it was more important to them than to us. Today’s parable is really going to hit that point home. 

A man rented out his vineyard to tenants, and left town for a while. When he came back, he sent servants to collect what was due to him. The servants were mistreated, shamed, wounded, and thrown out. What happens next makes no sense to us. The vineyard owner sent his son. Why? What did you expect was going to happen? And that’s where the difference is between our cultures. 

To give you a modern example of what the people hearing the parable expected, we’re going to fast forward to a very similar culture in terms of honor and shame, only the year is 1980. I got this story from a book written by Ken Bailey, who studies other cultures in order to understand what the original hearers of Jesus’ parables heard. But in this story the king of Jordan, Hussein bin Talal, had been trying to make peace. This was not popular with the generals in his army. So word came to him that seventy five of them were meeting at one of the army barracks in order to hold a coup, and take over the country. Well, the king got into a helicopter, and had the pilot fly him over to the barracks. As he got out, he told the pilot that if he heard gunshots, to take off without him. He went down to where they were meeting, walked calmly in, and said something to the effect of, “If you carry out this coup, the country will be torn apart by civil war. Tens of thousands will die. There is no need. Here I am. Only one need die today.”

All seventy five of them were guilty. All seventy five had brought shame upon their office. Yet by this one action, the king appealed to their sense of honor, and gave them an honorable way out of this. Every single one of them took it. They all rushed up to him, pledged him their loyalty, and served him faithfully for the rest of their days. This was the outcome King Hussein bin Talal expected. That’s why he went. 

And that was the outcome the hearers of Jesus’ parables expected too. The tenants had acted shamefully. But the vineyard owner showed just how honorable he was by giving them the opportunity to have their shame taken away. Receive the son. And the transgressions against the vineyard owner through his servants are all forgiven. 

But that’s not what happened. “[W]hen the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” They knew the owner had been away for a while. They were probably not far from legally owning the vineyard for themselves with the way laws worked in those days. They couldn’t kill the son in the vineyard, lest the fruit of the vineyard be considered unclean, and thus unsellable. So they took the son out and killed him. Instead of letting their honor be restored, they added shame upon shame. And the hearers of Jesus’ parable were shocked.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?” Jesus asked. “He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” They were not surprised at the action of the vineyard owner next. That was a given. They were surprised that it would ever come to that. Yet that’s exactly what they were about to do to Jesus. Adding shame upon shame.

But Jesus tells them the purpose of the parable. Jesus tells them why the chief priests and scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour, but could not in front of the people. Jesus said to them, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” In their shameful acts they will kill Jesus. In our shameful sin, we will send Jesus to that cross. We have all rejected Jesus through our sins. But in that rejection, in the crucifixion, in that dying, He will be the foundation of our salvation. He will be the cornerstone that restores us to honor. 

Because our sin is not so little that it can be overcome with patience. Our sin is not so small that it can be overlooked. Even if we want to consider it small, it still turned God’s creative Word, given by command, into nothing. Our sin is a threat to existence itself. There is no such thing as a small amount of sin. It has already put the honorable Son to death for our own selfish desires. 

But by dying, Jesus takes the sin of the whole world, and lets it take its destruction out on Him instead of us. All the power of sin gets concentrated on that cross. And since it has, it can no longer destroy us. Not even death has power over us for long. And this is only possible because the Father said to the Son to go to His vineyard. Go to His creation, and be the honor that they cannot have themselves. Live a perfect life in their place. Give them that life as their own. Forgive all their sins. And Jesus has done all this for us already. His life, His death, His resurrection. They are all there for our sake. To bring us back from our sin, and place us in His honor.

Yes, it’s not a way that we’re used to looking at the death and resurrection of Jesus. We do not hold honor and shame in the same way that others around the world do. But that doesn’t mean that our Lord hasn’t done something truly noble for your sake. We get an amazing picture of His love for us in this parable. How He treats us, despite our sin against Him and our neighbors. He has shown us what good looks like. And has given His Son for our forgiveness. And that is a gift beyond price. Thanks be to God.

Trouble

A Lenten Midweek Sermon on Luke 23:1-25.

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Three and a half years they had to hear him. Three and half years of the Word of God going forth, and yet they would not listen. And now, on this day, he had finally gone to face them himself. And the result would be a trial. Who was right? The many, or the one? The man in charge of the many stood and accused the one of misleading the people, of being a troubler of Israel. And the case would be set forth and a decision reached.

Around 850 years before Jesus this scene played out. The many were King Ahab, Jezebel, and the Prophets of Baal. The one was Elijah. For three and a half years, the Lord withheld rain from Israel, speaking through Elijah. For three and a half years, Ahab and many of the people would not listen. And when Elijah returned to challenge the prophets of Baal, Ahab greeted him as the ‘troubler of Israel.’ And the trial between the many and the one commenced.

We don’t see it as clearly in our English translations, but that’s basically what the chief priests and the scribes called Jesus when they brought Him before Pilate. “We found this man misleading our nation….” ‘Misleading’ is too mild a word. ‘Causing trouble,’ is more accurate. Maybe that doesn’t seem like that big a deal to you. But our society is one of the only ones in the world that think making trouble is a positive attribute. No one else sees hurting others, even if in small ways, in order to get you own way as a good thing. We turn them into heroes. That’s probably not good. In fact, in the ancient world, it was a good enough reason to have you executed. 

With the charge established, the trials for Elijah and for Jesus have begun. And the prosecution makes a very loud case. From dawn until noon the prophets of Baal call out to their god. From dawn until noon, the chief priests and scribes shout to Pilate, then Herod, then Pilate again. The prophets of Baal cut themselves to try and make their appeal. The chief priests and scribes cut themselves off from their Lord. Saying, “May his blood be upon us and our children,” in Matthew’s Gospel. 

The only reply was silence. Baal could not answer, for he was a carved image of stone. Jesus did not answer, letting them accuse Him without rebuttal. But when the time came to render a verdict, the prophets and priests has all fallen short. They never made their case. Elijah was judged innocent. Jesus was judged innocent. They both had won. But not really.

Elijah indeed placed his sacrifice on the wood, and covered his sacrifice in water. And the sacrifice was accepted. Burned up completely before everyone’s eyes. The drought ended. Elijah had won. But being a troubler of Israel meant there was a price to pay. And that price was death. Ahab and Jezebel had chased Elijah down. He ran, falling exhausted under a tree, and told God that it was now time for him to die.

Jesus too, even though Pilate had declared him innocent, was sentenced to die. Being a troubler of Israel meant there was a price to pay. The threats of the crowd overrode the sentence, and Jesus was sent to the cross. Jesus isn’t Elijah here. He’s Elijah’s sacrifice. Placed upon the wood. Out of His side came blood and water. And He was set on fire by the wrath of God over all sin. Jesus too fell exhausted under this tree. And knowing that all was finished, said that it was His time to die too. And die Jesus did.

That cross which Jesus got sent to tonight is everything for us Christians. It’s why we have one hanging up above the altar. It’s why we have them on our paraments, and lectern, and one up over there for Lent. It’s why we have them engraved on the end of each pew in the sanctuary, and on every hymnal in those pews. Because even though that looks like it might be the place where victory was snatched away from our Lord, the exact opposite is true. The cross is the real victory.

Because it’s there where Jesus fought Satan for the last time and won. It’s there where all our sin is paid for at the price of His blood. It’s there where death itself bit down on the one man it could not consume, and lost everyone it had eaten, or will ever eat. The cross of Christ is where the center of everything we believe rests. The Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, gave Himself up for you and me. And in doing so, saved us completely. From our sin, from our shame, from ourselves.

As Elijah lay waiting to die under that broom tree, an angel arrived. And the angel came bearing a gift of bread and water. By them, Elijah was restored to life from under the broom tree. So also, an angel will descend on Easter morning, rolling away the stone sealing Jesus’ tomb. And Jesus will arise from death in His strength. The resurrection is the seal that lets us know just how much his death has done. And it’s also a promise that resurrection will be ours on the last day. 

There is also bread and water here, just as when Elijah was given life. Only the bread and water are for us. The bread Jesus feeds us is His Supper. The water Jesus gives us is our baptism. And we find Jesus there for us in these gifts. 

This lenten season is a season of repentance. We reflect on our need to be saved. Our need to have our sins forgiven. Our need to have our shame washed away. But we always do so in sight of the cross. It has all been done for us. Jesus died for you and me. And the cross stands always before us to tell us just that. The cross will always be a troubler of the world. But in that trouble we find our hope. Because for us, the cross of Christ everything, for on it we find our Lord. Thanks be to God.

Shameless

A Sermon on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Series C, 2022

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of Jesus’ more famous parables. We see how loving this dad is when he welcomes back his wayward son. And we start to get a picture of how our Lord loves us. But because we don’t live in that time and aren’t familiar with their culture, we don’t quite understand the depth of what Jesus does here. Because our society does not revolve around concepts like ‘honor’ and ‘shame.’ 

To us, those things seem like something out of Star Trek. They’re alien. Almost comedically so. But that’s only because we know these biblical concepts under a different name. Or perhaps, not under any name at all, thinking them to be just good social graces. If we do not behave as we ought, and people bring attention to it, we’re embarrassed. If someone else behaves badly, we view them through a more suspicious lens. It does still exist. And our sinful world had learned how to take advantage of that. 

The world is what we might call ‘shameless.’ They are not bothered if you think they’re acting badly. However, they know that you care. So they will call you every name in the book. Racist. Mysogynist. Every -phobic you could ever dream of. And either you will be shamed, apologize, and be under their control. Or you will not be shamed, instead being a hypocrite, and canceled from having anything whatsoever. It’s a nice little trap. And it’s one we can’t get out of by ourselves. But that’s what makes today’s parable so helpful for us today. Because honor and shame are still very real. Even if the forms are different than they were then. 

So let’s first understand a little bit about the culture Jesus is in as He tells this parable by looking at the younger son. There are things that are expected from fathers and sons. Sons are to honor their fathers, as the Fourth Commandment teaches. And fathers are to correct their sons, teaching them what is honorable, and what is shameful. Painfully, if necessary. Because the lesson isn’t just for the child, it’s a message to the whole community about what is acceptable and what isn’t. If one father lets his child get away with anything, it affects the relationship between all fathers and sons. A lesson we should have probably learned by now, but we haven’t in centuries.

Well, this son in this parable is not treating his father with honor. He’s demanding that he receive his share of the inheritance now. It would be taken as the son wanting His father to die. And in fact, the son can’t even wait that long. Such a hate filled attitude should be disciplined at once. The son should be put out of the house in shame, and live with that shame until he returns, begging his father for forgiveness. At least that’s how it would have worked in those days. 

But the father of this parable will not let his son be shamed. He allows himself to be shamed instead. He actually divides the property and gives the younger son what would be due him upon his father’s death. This would have raised a lot of eyebrows in the community. They were all ready to shame the son for the sake of the father, but now that was taken away from them. They could not do anything to the son who wanted his father dead, because they didn’t dare overstep the fathers’ authority, lest their own authority as fathers would be undermined. But that doesn’t mean they would not remember this.

Another opportunity soon presented itself. The younger son was selling his inheritance. To sell property in those days took months. Both sides would start with ridiculous offers, slowly working their way to something much more reasonable. The time was a necessary component, because both sides wanted to make sure they got the best deal possible. However, the younger son sold quickly. And to sell quickly is to sell cheap. Pennies on the dollar cheap. And he took that money to leave town.

Turns out, their culture actually had something official for when things like this happened. If you left town, wasted all your family’s property, and returned at a loss, the community had a ceremony with which to ever hold you in shame. It’s name was ‘Kezazah.’ It was a large clay pot that they made when you left town. And if you returned in shame, they would break the pot in front of the whole town, and say, “You are cut off from your people.” And no one would have anything to do with you. It wasn’t hard to see that they would get their chance to show this shameless boy what his dishonor truly was.

To the surprise of no one, the property turned into cash quickly vanished. But that was not enough for him to consider going home. A famine began in the land he was staying in. Still not enough. The shame of the Kezazah was real, and would have been as bad for him as where he was, so why endure it? So he took on a job feeding pigs inedible husks. Something no Jew would have found honorable in the least.  Yet it alone still wasn’t enough. It was only when he began to long for eating even the husks the pigs ate that he realized that he needed to do something. And as he sat in that pen, he plotted how to get around the Kezazah. 

Our English translation calls them hired servants. But a wage worker in those days was a lower position than even slave. Because the slave knew where his next meal came from, where he would sleep at night. But wage workers could also be apprentices. The village would not be able to perform the Kezazah if he came home with they same amount of money he left with. And if he apprenticed, and became a master at a craft, he would be able to return with his head held high. He had a plan to avoid shame. The only problem is that he needed a good word from somebody in order to become an apprentice. And the only one who might possibly put in a good word for him was his father. 

Therefore, he needed to butter up his father. He came up with a plan. A brilliant set of words that would get him what he wanted. “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” As an aspiring apprentice, his father could give a letter of recommendation so he wouldn’t even have to set foot in town. Only there was one problem. His father was in town. 

As the son stood on the outside of the town, he was trying to figure out what to do next. He knew they could see him. He knew they had already got out the clay pot to break in front of him. But he did not know how to reach his father without losing the very thing he came to save. Surely his father would be sitting in his house, receiving news of his arrival, and waiting for him to make the walk of shame. That’s what any other father would have done in those days. That was the way for the father to keep his respect in the community. But that’s not what happened.

As the son is standing just outside of town, trying to figure out how to get his father’s attention, his father throws all his honor aside and goes to his son. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to run in the robes, but you ladies who have ever worn long tight-fitting dresses may know. You just can’t do it. There’s not enough room for your legs to get a stride. There’s really only one way, and that is to pull the bottom of it up over your waist. Now if you’ve ever heard the term, ‘gird your loins,’ this is what you did, tying off the loose ends between your legs. But that’s not what Jesus says happened here. This father goes running to meet his son, leaving everything hanging out. I’m not sure even a Kezazah ceremony could bring as much shame as this. 

The father meets his son, falls upon his neck, and doesn’t let him get out his whole plan to avoid shame. Instead, this father restores him to himself by bringing the best robe. His father restores him to the house by putting a ring on his finger. And his father restores him to the community by slaughtering the fatted calf and holding a feast. They can’t possibly break that jar now. Because after this son has been so restored, you can’t say that he lost anything at all. 

We Christians do a pretty good job talking about how the cross of Christ is the sacrifice that pays for all of our sin. We talk much less about how the cross of Christ cleanses us from our shame. But there is a lot of shame to be had in this world of ours. Things that we don’t talk about, lest that shame gets out in the open. And yes, that shame can be tied to this sin or that. But there is a shame that we bear when we are sinned against. When we endure what someone else did wrong to us. Jesus dies to take that away too. 

To be sinned against makes us feel dirty. It makes us seem less than human. It is a constant reminder that we were apparently not worth it. At least not in the eyes of anyone else. But Jesus takes this shame from us, and He bears it Himself. Because Jesus is certainly sinned against in our place. Jesus endured the shame of betrayal. Jesus endured the shame of false accusations. Jesus endured the shame of being sentenced to the death of a criminal. Jesus endured the shame of hanging naked on a cross. And Jesus endured the shame of facing the wrath of God over all sins on our behalf. 

There is shame in the creator being killed by His creation. There is shame is the Lord of life being dead. There is shame in the King of the Jews to be coronated in a ceremony as bloody as this. Jesus has taken every shame inflicted upon you, and has made it His. It is not longer yours. Our Lord gives you all that He has, and comes running to restore you when you fall. So now when the sinful world out there tries to shame you, you have an answer. When they call you all those names, you know that the reality is even worse than that. However, we have had all our shame washed away by Christ.

That is why our Lord gave us our baptism. Sin is one thing, but shame is a dirt that stains us beyond what we can wash. But Jesus bathes us in a baptism that cleanses all our shame away with our sin. That water with His Word, carries off our shame into His grave, where it will lie dead forever. This is the baptism that Ezra received today. And it’s the baptism that you too can hold onto for all your days. 

Our Lord has made a promise to you. He has restored you to Himself. He has restored you to your loved ones. And He has restored you to the community of His Church. Your shame is just not a factor in how the Lord sees you. Because when He sees you, all he sees is an heir of eternal life, washed in the blood of Jesus. Thanks be to God.

Messiah

A Midweek Lenten Sermon on Luke 22:63-71

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here….” “If you are the Christ, tell us.” The Pharisees continue Satan’s line of questioning against Jesus. I’m sure that’s not at all what they intended. They hate Satan as much as anyone. They want nothing to him. In fact, the whole reason they’re holding this trial is because they think they’re fighting against him. 

After all, in their minds, they don’t need another fake messiah showing up. In the last thirty years, they’ve had a number of them try. Simon of Paraea was a former slave of Herod the Great, the Herod who had all the children of Bethlehem killed. When Herod died, Simon took advantage of the power vacuum, put a crown on his head, and declared himself king of Israel. He burned down the royal palace in Jericho, and destroyed anywhere that Herod had claimed. Right up until the point when the Roman soldiers marched in and killed anyone who stood with him. Some messiah he turned out to be.

Judas of Galilee took issue with the second census that Rome demanded. He told the people not to go register, so that Rome wouldn’t be able to tax them as heavily. Though that Judas and his followers got rough with people who didn’t listen. Burning down farms and houses of people that disagreed with him. We actually have his name recorded with another would be messiah, Theudas, in the book of Acts, as Gamaliel remembers those who failed before and came to nothing. The Romans killed them. 

So when Jesus shows up, they ask him point blank, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But Jesus rightly replies, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer.” Because if Jesus tells them that He is the Christ, they will now justify in their minds that they are putting to death a liar, because they do not believe Jesus is the Christ. He can’t be, since he has been against them all this time. But Jesus doesn’t stop there answering their “If you are” question. Jesus answers Satan’s “If you are” question. If you are the Son of God. Jesus tells them, “But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 

The Christ, in their minds, was the leader that would give them their promised land back. Not realizing that that little parcel of land was foreshadowing the kingdom of God. But what Jesus just said was that a human being was going to stand in place of the Lord. To be at the right hand of power is to be God Almighty Himself. This was not lost on the Sanhedrin. So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.” 

And so in an effort to protect God from what they thought was blasphemy, they actually fell right along Satan’s plans. In their efforts to do good, they actually conspired against God in the flesh, right before their eyes. Because they could not imagine themselves ever being wrong. And that’s something we should be on the watch for ourselves. Because we don’t want to play into Satan’s hands any more than they. We also strive really hard to not be wrong when it comes to what our Lord has to say. And yet sometimes the most godly sounding things are the ones we need to be the most aware of.

For example, we might say that the ten commandments should be taught in schools. Well and good, but when they were, families assumed that they no longer had to. Or perhaps we wish our country would respect God. A fabulous idea, but the god of the civil religion we remember is not necessarily the same God of the Bible. One story that has been passed around a lot tells of Satan’s favorite town. A place where everyone is kind. The community is together. The churches are full. But Jesus is not proclaimed in them. It’s easy to get swept up so much in doing the right thing, that we miss the most important one of all.

So one take away might be to be more vigilant. But let’s be honest, if we were any good at that, things probably wouldn’t be what they are now. Here’s where tonight’s lesson really shines. Even though the Sanhedrin made all the wrong decisions, even though they used all the wrong reasons. Even though what they did ended up being possibly the worst thing one could ever do. Our Lord still used it to save the world. It still won forgiveness for every sin ever committed, including the ones they pulled that night. Satan was still defeated by the results of those actions that he tempted those on the Sanhedrin into. Death has still been utterly conquered. So much so that it is no longer the ultimate separation from God, but is now the doorway through which we enter into heaven. 

Jesus, by His death and resurrection, answered every ‘if’ question ever asked of Him. Not by standing up and showing how strong He was. But by letting Satan, and those who fall into his traps, do their worst to Him, and still making it Christ’s greatest work in all existence. Anyone can impress at the height of their strength. Our Lord achieved the universe’s highest glory in the hour when He was the weakest. 

And now His weakness is delivered to you. A weakness stronger than your greatest strength. His death is yours by baptism. His life is yours by His body. His forgiveness is yours by His blood. He truly is the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of all. He is the Son of God. Proven by His resurrection. Jesus did more than tell us that He is the Christ, He has shown us. So we hold on to His promises with joy and hope. Thanks be to God.

News

A Sermon on Luke 13:1-9 for the Third Sunday in Lent, Series C, 2022

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There were some present at that very time who told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. To tell you what a big deal this is, fast forward from the life of Jesus forward about thirty five years to 68 AD. Not much has changed in the relationship between the Romans and the Jews.  The Jews still hate the Romans for their overbearing demands and false gods. And the Romans still think the Jews are a backwater people who know nothing of being civilized. 

One day, a group of soldiers gets bored and walks in on a synagogue in the middle of service. The Jews there are aghast at the blasphemy they commit, and tell them to leave. The Roman soldiers aren’t ones to back down from a challenge. And things escalate until they’re killing people in the synagogue. The village sees this as a declaration of war. And somehow, in the midst of their anger and sadness, overcome the small garrison of soldiers stationed there, putting them to death for their crimes.

News gets back to Rome that an uprising has begun in Judea… again. Rome has had enough of this nonsense, and decide that they’re putting a stop to it, once and for all. The Jews, surprised at their early victory, began planning how to turn this into a revolution, already forming their own provisional government. This worked right up until the point three legions arrived from Rome outside Jerusalem, itching for battle. First the outer wall of the city fell, then the inner wall. All that was left was the temple that they could defend. As the Jews retreated inside, they tried to set fire to the things in the Romans’ path, to slow them down. What they did not realize was that the Romans were also using fire on the temple itself. So they found themselves trapped in an inferno so hot, that they would not survive. 

Were Pilate’s actions in our Gospel lesson similar to what happened a generation later? Perhaps. Both were surprising. Both were terrible. That news like this spread so fast is no surprise. Yet there would be no revolution this time. Only the shock and horror that someone could be capable of such things as this. 

The only thing that’s changed today is that news travels faster than ever. We still gather around and ask each other things like, “Did you see that terrible accident in the news?” “Did you see what this or that politician did to make things worse?” “Did you see what the Russians did in the Ukraine?” We trade similar such stories back and forth all the time. We do so because we have found something wrong in our world. A tragedy, an injustice, a sin. And we want someone to make it right. I don’t think the people who brought Jesus the news of Pilate’s abominable acts were actually wondering about the sins of the Galileans that were killed. I think they were blaming Pilate for this despicable murder. But Jesus doesn’t let them. And He doesn’t let us.

“Do you think that these Galileans whose blood had mingled with their sacrifices were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?” “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them:do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” When we want to change the focus to the sins of others, there is Jesus to remind us of who we are. Whose neglect? Whose failure? Whose sin? Not mine. It’s all their fault. We always know who to blame. And even when there’s no one to blame, we will do what Jesus says of us and blame those who were harmed, lest anyone think the fault lies within us.

But Jesus doesn’t let us use what others endure as a reason to justify ourselves. We don’t get to point out there at all the wrong, and judge ourselves good by comparison. Instead, Jesus makes us look at our own sin. We must come face to face with what we ourselves have done wrong. Not only when our consciences accuse us. But also when we see sin out there in the world. When we do, it’s there to remind us that we too are capable of such things, and have done them. Maybe not on the same scale, but with one hundred percent of the same intent. When we see these tragedies unfold in our world, we must return to the foot of the cross. We turn in repentance. We confess our sins and let Jesus Christ bear them in our place. 

This is why Jesus tells the parable of the vinedresser digging around the roots of the fig tree and applying manure. Granted, when we endure suffering in the world, our Lord is using it to our benefit, whether it feels that way or not. But what if you’re not the fig tree, but the grapevines of the vineyard? Remember, in Jesus’ parable, the fig tree isn’t planted in an orchard. It’s planted in a vineyard. The aeration from the shovel, and the nutrients from the manure don’t just benefit the one tree, but is good for the whole field. What others endure is also there for your sake. And, in turn, our Lord may honor you by letting your suffering be a chance for another to repent and hold fast to Christ our Lord. All things working together for good is not for your own idea of good alone.

Even today, the suffering of those Galileans who Pilate killed are turning us from our sin in order that we would repent. And the sin of which we repent of today has been covered by the blood of Christ. In the same way, what you endure today for the sake of the Gospel will be to the benefit of those who come after. And the one who shows us this the clearest is Jesus Himself.

Because even though our Lord had no sin of His own for which to turn and repent, He still endured betrayal, false charges, the scourging whip, the crown of thorns. He still underwent the nails in his hands and feet as He was lifted up upon the cross. He still suffered the entire wrath of God over our sins, which He took away from us, so that He might pay their price with His own perfect life in place of ours. And His great sacrifice indeed granted us the forgiveness of all our sins. 

And news of such a work as His goes forth quickly into the world. Have you heard of the Creator who became one of His creations for our sake? Did you see that He lived a perfect life without sin on our behalf? Did you know that His death on that cross paid the price for all our sin? You know, He forgave us completely. He joins us in our suffering. He’s there in the midst of the world’s worst issues to bring peace and hope. News goes around the world in a moment. We have good news to hear. News so good, that it is resurrection and life to hear it. That’s the news that Jesus brings. And He has brought it to you, and to the world. Thanks be to God.

Fire

A Lenten Midweek Sermon on Luke 22:54-62

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” In that darkness everyone was happy, everyone was content. The darkness covered up every sin, so no one knew it was there. No one could see how ugly it was. No one could avoid bumping into it. It was just part of life in the darkness. And so long as it couldn’t be seen, it didn’t exist. 

Then one day Peter saw a small light up in the distance. In darkness, no one ever saw anything. But ahead of him was something new. A small spark that glowed. And Peter followed it. He followed it for three years, as people were forgiven, and healed, and had their demons driven away. Peter felt very confident about that light. And that such light would grow bright enough to give everyone the joy he had from it. But he had never been close enough to be seen. Never close enough to have that light shine on him.

But one day, that light settled into a small fire in the middle of a courtyard. It seemed to be growing dim, so Peter finally got close enough to warm himself in the light. But then the light did something Peter had not expected. The light revealed who he was. For when He approached the light, he heard the others condemning the light. cursing the light. Demanding that the light die. “The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” 

And when Peter approached, the light shone on him. And His sin, his ugliness, his fear was all revealed. And those around him accused him of being in the light. “This man was also with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.”

The more Peter denied the light, the more the fading light of the fire revealed his sin to the world. Peter was too close not to be seen. And those who hate the light, hate all that come into the light. But Jesus had told Peter that this was going to happen. Peter had said so boldly before approaching that fire that night, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” And that is exactly what Peter did. Right as he was speaking his third denial, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

We too approach the fire. We too are revealed in ways we would rather not. We too are accused. Either of our own sin, or of standing with Christ. Both of which have consequences we do not want to, or cannot face alone. But our denials do not change what people see. Even in the darkness, the light of Christ shines, revealing what was once hidden away to save ourselves. Our own justification melts away in the light. And we are shown to be the sinners we are as the rooster crows.

But the rooster crows. The dying embers of the fire give way to the piercing light of dawn. The dim glow we followed in the darkness now washes over our whole world. It was evening and it was morning. The sun rises because the Son of God rose. The light matters especially on this Good Friday, as the whole world sees the light who floods the darkness away. The bright radiance who not only reveals all of our sin, but washes it away. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

Peter’s sin is paid for in full in the light of this day. Peter’s guilt has been lifted off of His shoulders and placed on Christ’s. Peter’s shame is taken away, as Jesus stands in his place. And likewise, our sins, our denials, our hidden faults are all claimed by our Lord for Himself. You have been forgiven all of your sin. For the darkness cannot hide them any longer for you. The light of Christ shines for your sake. And it shines from within you. Thanks be to God.

Lament

A Sermon on Luke 13:31-35 and Psalm 4 for the Second Sunday in Lent, Series C, 2022

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Pharisees and Jesus never really get along all that well in any of the Gospels. But Luke’s Gospel shows just how tense things are between them. When the paralyzed man is lowered through the roof and Jesus forgives his sin, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of blasphemy, putting Himself in the place of God. Though having the paralytic get up and walk afterwards shuts them up for a bit. 

When Jesus then call Matthew, also known as Levi, who was a traitorous tax collector, the Pharisees publicly grumbled again. Wondering why Jesus would eat and drink with obviously sinful people. Jesu tells them that it’s not the well who need the physician, but the sick.

When His disciples are traveling on the Sabbath, in their hunger they picked some grain from along side a field. This wasn’t the problem, as God had set aside the sides of fields for the poor to eat. But the problem the Pharisees had that they harvested on the Sabbath, which was obviously work. Jesus reminds them that when in need, even David put the law of love over the law of ceremony. Jesus will hit this point home again, healing the withered hand of a man on that same Sabbath day. And from there, the Pharisees were filled with anger, and started to plot against Jesus. 

Jesus doesn’t exactly help matters when a Pharisee invites Jesus to eat with him, and Jesus begins while there to preach “Woe to you Pharisees!” And then listing off the things they did that made them such hypocrites. And when the scribes tried to step up and defend the Pharisees, Jesus laid into the scribes as well. 

As He went away from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to press Him hard and to provoke Him to speak about many things, lying in wait for Him, to catch Him in something He might say. So in response, Jesus taught the crowds all the more, saying “Beware the leaven on the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” 

So paint me a little suspicious when later the Pharisees come to where Jesus was teaching next and say to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” Maybe it’s completely true. But Luke tells us later after Jesus has been arrested that Herod had actually been looking forward to meet Jesus for some time, hoping to see him perform some sign for him. However, Herod is known for not exactly being the most stable person in the world. The warning for Jesus from the Pharisees might be real, and it might not be.

But Jesus has a job to do. “Go and tell that fox,” He says, “‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” 

The Pharisees were not going to stop Jesus. And neither would Herod. Jesus laments the fact that the people who should have been the most on board with what Jesus was doing were against Him this whole time. And that’s been true ever since Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus will save them from their sin. But they won’t let Him.

Do you think Jesus laments over us like He did them? We’re not used used to this weird thing called lamenting. I think we’ve been told that it’s whining. That it’s complaining. It’s grumbling. And we see what happens when people grumble against God. There’s a whole wilderness outside the Exodus filled to this day with the bones of those who grumbled against the Lord. 

But what did they grumble about? They loathed the bread God rained down on them from heaven. They couldn’t stand following the Lord everywhere He went as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They hated being set free from their slavery, wanting to go back and be oppressed once again. It was God’s own gifts that they had a problem with. 

Compare that with our Psalm today, Psalm 4. Why is this Psalm prayed? Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! Or, How long shall my honor be turned to shame? Or again, Who will show us some good? When David writes these, he is calling God’s attention to what is wrong. He’s not telling God that the gifts given are bad. But rather that he’s still waiting on God to receive what our Lord has promised. He’s waiting for God to answer, waiting for God to honor, waiting for God to do good, just as God has promised to do. And those are prayers that our Lord looks forward to hearing.

Paul in our Epistle lesson also laments instead of grumbles. He mourns those who don’t follow Christ. “For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

Paul laments because God has promised to reach out to the world with the Gospel. And even though the Gospel has reached them, those he worries about will not receive it. This is not grumbling. This is not complaining. This is lamenting. Telling what the Lord should do according to His promises, which we have not yet seen fulfilled. Not in order that we should set ourselves up as judge over God, but rather that we call in the full expectation that He will do as He has promised. He expects this of us, and is glad to hear such trust in His Word. 

Because our Lord does keep His promises. The promises that He has made to you through His Word, the promises made through His baptism, and the promises He gives in His supper will all be kept in full. Our problem is that we live only in now, and are not willing to wait. But David and Paul are willing to look past now. Jesus acknowledges that now is not as great as we would like. But that does not mean that our Lord has failed. In fact, it means that our Lord is still being patient in order that His promises may be kept in full.

Jesus laments that he wanted to gather the children of Jerusalem as a hen gathers her brood, but they would not. Those Pharisees really had it out for Him. And yet our Lord does not give up on them. Not even when they arrest Him, false accuse Him, and chant “Crucify Him!” before Pilate so loudly that Pilate just wants to quiet the mob. He still keeps His promises by going to that cross and paying for all their sins. Jesus pays for our sins too. The sins of grumbling against His gifts rather than calling on His promises. The sins of mistaking patience for abandonment. The sins of insisting that now is the only time we will accept from Him. Jesus willingly bears all through nails and spear and cross. He already has done something for us. And there is still more coming.

We have been forgiven. We are forgiven. And we will be forgiven. All the trials we face. All the suffering we’ve endured. All the promises we stand waiting for. The answer to all of these is found in Jesus. Whether it’s Jesus at the cross. Or Jesus risen on Easter morning. Or Jesus on the Last day. Or Jesus right here in our time. Whenever that moment will be, Jesus does answer our prayers. He does hear our laments. And He does something about them. 

After the resurrection, there were still many who did not believe the resurrection actually happened. But there were also many who did. There were Pharisees who came to faith. And every day since that first Pentecost when three thousand believed at once, the faith has been delivered to more and more people throughout the world. Reaching all the way to the other side where we are. Did it happen immediately? No. But at the right time, God kept His promises to humanity. And gave us the faith to call on Him in our times of need. Trusting that no matter what we saw in the moment, our Lord has our best interests at heart. 

Therefore we can lament the wrongs of our world with a full faith. We can cry out to the Lord in our needs. We can tell God that He has not yet kept His promise, because we fully believe that He will. That is not the same as grumbling over God’s gifts as though they were not worth having. Instead, we trust that God’s gifts are so worth having, that we want them now. Now, and always. And since we have seen the promises that our Lord Jesus Christ has kept at the cross already, we can lament in hope. A sure and certain hope that His answer is yes, at the right time. Thanks be to God.

Kiss

A Lenten Midweek Sermon on Luke 22:46-53

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Psalm 2 tonight tells us all about the plots and schemes of the world against our Lord, and how ridiculous it is for the world to make such plans. This Psalm serves as a warning to turn from their evil and return to the Lord. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in the way. And yet tonight, the Son of God is betrayed by a kiss. 

A kiss in Scripture is probably a lot closer to what we would see in an Italian mobster movie than what our society understands today. It is something to show the affection for one’s family and friends. Laban is angry when Jacob up and leaves without giving him the chance to kiss his daughters and grandchildren goodbye. When Elijah calls Elisha, Elisha tells him that he needs to go back and kiss his parents. Our Psalm warns those who would be against the Son of God that it is far better to be His friend. But perhaps the most interesting parallel in the Old Testament is when Isaac believes that his son Esau is preparing him a meal in order to receive his final blessing. But it is Jacob the deceiver who goes up and gives his blind father a kiss instead.

We are told of when the brothers were younger of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew. But Esau had also been getting into trouble of his own. He took two wives from the Hittites, making life difficult for both Isaac and Rebekah. So when Isaac grew old, and it was time to bless Esau with the blessing of the firstborn, Rebekah took charge, and made sure that the son whom she liked the best received it instead. Rebekah made the stew, took Esau’s clothes, applied the goat hair to the backs of Jacob’s hands, and offered to bear any curse Isaac might utter if they were caught. 

It is there that Isaac says to Jacob, thinking he was Esau, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled his garments and blessed him. When Esau later came, and found that the blessing had already been given, he was furious, and was ready to kill Jacob. But Rebekah send Jacob away to save his life. Isaac was betrayed by a kiss from one of the people closest to him. So it doesn’t surprise us that it happens all over again with Jesus.

Judas likewise had a great deal of help when it came to betraying Jesus. From authority figures no less. The high priests and the Sanhedrin set everything up. They had the soldiers. They had the money to pay Judas. They had all the reasons in the world. And Judas was a willing participant. The sign of the betrayal was going to be a kiss, so that in the dark, the soldiers would be able to tell who their target was. Only unlike Isaac, Jesus was not fooled. “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 

The sin we have doesn’t work any differently. We might not go around kissing people, because that’s just not what we do. But we are willing to deceive others in order to get what we want. We are just as capable of lies that look good to those around us. We tell ourselves that it’s okay to cheat or swindle others, as long as we do it for the right reasons. Or if the right people tell us it’s okay. Or if we get what we really want out of it. Maybe ours isn’t as big as Jacob’s or Judas’. Or maybe we’ve even done worse. It’s all still the same sin that festers in us all. You are the same. I am the same. And those thirty pieces of silver do not cover it up or make it go away. Judas would realize this as Jesus went to the cross. Only he fell into despair before he saw how it finally turned out. 

You and I should not despair though. It is true, we have sinned. Our sin is great. More than we can bear ourselves. But our Lord has a knack for reversing things around. The betrayal of Isaac was turned into fortune for Jacob. The betrayal of Jesus is turned into fortune for all humanity. Because all our sin, all the lies, and the betrayals, and everything else we have done or failed to do. All of these have been taken up by Jesus, and He carried them all to His cross. Even Judas’ sin was paid for by the blood of Christ. Though I can not read his heart to know if Judas threw such a gift away or not. Just because it doesn’t look good from here doesn’t mean our Lord gave up on him easily. 

Jesus carried all that sin up calvary’s hill. Jesus bore all that sin as the nails went into his hands and feet. Jesus shouldered all that sin as He was lifted up on that tree. And because He has, we stand before God forgiven. None of those sins are ours anymore. There is no accusation. No condemnation. No wrath to be yet received. It is all gone thanks to Jesus Christ and His death upon the cross. And you are free from it completely. 

Jesus became our brother in order to do this for us. He took on our human flesh. And brought our humanity into the Trinitarian nature of God. He has made us friends. He has made us family. Now, we might not make like the movie mobsters and kiss each other on the cheek. But who we are before Christ remains. He has given all to save us. And we matter more to Him than anything else in all creation. Thanks be to God.

Delivered

A Sermon on Luke 4:1-13 and Psalm 91

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Satan had though the first two temptations he gave to Jesus were pretty good. Trying to get Jesus to deny what He had first called into existence was particularly tricky. In the beginning, it was the Word that made all things, including the stone in that wilderness. To deny that Word and to do so for only Himself would have been huge. And Satan had made it seem so reasonable. You’re hungry? Make bread. Yet Jesus said no. And by reason of the Word of God.

The second temptation was also pretty sneaky. It was Satan’s job as accuser to charge humanity with sin. Which until he went and drummed some up in the garden was a really boring job. But now he had all people under his prosecutorial jurisdiction. Jesus wanted to save them? Forget the cross. Just do one little act of worship, and he’d drop all the charges. Yet Jesus said no. And by reason of the Word of God.

But this third temptation, this one was a doozy. Because Satan knew the Word as well as anyone. And he was going to trap Jesus in Jesus’ own words. Pharisees would later try this, but they would be far less experienced than the devil himself. Others tried simple traps, and Jesus had no problem. But Satan knew that not even Jesus could deny Scripture. And the Scripture Satan quotes is Psalm 91. 

That’s our Psalm this morning. We just read it responsively, whole verse by whole verse. We also just sang it before the sermon started this morning. Now, the refrain isn’t part of the Psalm, but the verses are almost straight up quotes. Adjusted just enough to fit the rhythm of the tune.

It is a promise of deliverance. A promise that the Lord will care for you, no matter what you see around you. A promise that the devil and the world will not have their victory over you. You are protected by the Lord God Almighty Himself. And that’s what makes it so hard for us to trust the words of this Psalm. It’s not that we don’t love these words. It’s not that we don’t want these words to be true in our lives. But we look around at our world and see fowlers’ snares, deadly pestilence, terror in the night, and arrows flying by day. They strike our fellow Christians, and sometimes us too. And we wonder why. If God’s promises are true, why don’t we see them carried out when we need them most?

But I would like to call us out on this. Our society is one of the most prosperous, most well fed, most educated, and has the most health care the world has ever seen. And we are the least happy, least contented, least resilient, least grateful people in history. Even the secular world can deduce this much. But such an attitude affects Christians and non-Christians alike. Because it is our sinful hearts that take living the closest to the fulfillment of these words, and turn it into the reason to throw those words away. 

But are we supposed to just pull up our bootstraps and get on with things? Just power through the tough stuff ourselves? Pretend that everything’s fine, even when it’s not? We have a lot of worldly training in that regard too, And it doesn’t work either. So what do we do? There’s a reason Satan picked this Psalm to tempt Jesus with. Because Satan can trap us with this Psalm real easy. And we don’t know what to do. It should be even easier to get Jesus, because He’s already turned down two temptations already, and is on the road to the cross.

If anyone can be said to dwell in the shadow of the Most High, it’s got to be the Son of God, right? If anyone will be protected and delivered, it’s Jesus, right? If this Psalm is about anyone, it has to be Him. And that’s the heart of this temptation. Not just, Hey Jesus, do a cool trick by throwing Yourself off the top of the temple. Rather it’s to say that if You’re so sure You’re going to the cross, then why is this written about You? Don’t you want to find out which one of these it is? Are you protected and delivered? Or are you going to die? 

Now, Jesus answered with another Word from Scripture about not putting God to the test. And that certainly applies. But Psalm 91 is completely about Jesus and His cross. The fowler’s snare is the devil’s lies. The deadly pestilence is the infection of sin. The terror of the night, and the arrow of the day is death that comes for us all. And the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross saves us from all of these. We complain about not being saved from inconveniences. But Jesus conquers sin, death, and hell for our sake. We will not abide discomfort, but are very willing to accept the much larger issues, of mortality and condemnation as though they were inevitable. We will not see God’s love for us, unless our desires are fulfilled, when God loved the world in this way, that He sent His only Son to be lifted up on a cross for our sakes. 

And even though Satan tempted Jesus with the verse about the angels guarding Him in all his ways, and lifting Him up so that we would not strike his foot against a stone, the very next verse is the one Satan left out. “You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.” Pulled from the promise given in the garden. The seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head, and the serpent will strike his heel.

By His death on the cross, Jesus crushed Satan. Jesus conquered sin. He won for us forgiveness. Forgiveness even for the sins of failing to trust His Word as we ought. Forgiveness for doubting that He cares for us. Because even though this world still has plenty of pain and suffering. His promises make in this Psalm are fulfilled in Christ. 

The Lord is our refuge and our fortress in this world. His faithfulness when our faith failed is the shield that protects us. Even though all fall around us, we know that Christ is raised from the dead, and we too will find our own graves empty on the last day. His angels have been commanded concerning you. So that when you fall, you will still be lifted up. When you sin, you will be forgiven. And because you bear the name of Christ, you too will trample Satan under your feet. Not because you’re all that. But because Jesus is with you now and always. 

Psalm 91 is only possible because of the death and resurrection of Christ. And the scale that it happens on is so great, that maybe we don’t always realize how big it is. We can get so wrapped up in ourselves, and our own problems, that we don’t look outside of the moment. But all moments pass. The promises of Christ are forever. And that’s what He gives to you. Thanks be to God.

Gethsemane

A Midweek Lenten Sermon on Luke 22:39-46

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On the night when He was betrayed, Jesus brought his disciples up to the mount of Olives. Peter, James, and John go with him up a little further, to the garden planted at the top. This is the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus went alone to pray. The cross was coming this day. And it weighed heavily upon our Lord. 

This night was also the opportune time that Satan had been waiting for since the forty days in the wilderness. The night to tempt Jesus with the most attractive tempation he had. Because if Jesus wanted, the cross could just go away. And Jesus did indeed pray, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” After this, Jesus returned from prayer to find His three closest friends asleep. It was no surprise, because this has all been done before.

Because, you see, there was another garden. One that the Son of God walked in regularly. One where He spent time with his dear friends. One where his friends would fall asleep. The Garden of Eden. The cool of the day was was the perfect time to walk in that garden. And both Adam and Eve regularly joined Him. Until one day, they didn’t. They didn’t because they were hiding. And the Son of God knew why. They had done the one thing He had told them not to do. Just as He had created by His Word, so also that creative power was behind His one command. 

Sin is powerful. Sin can destroy creation. But sin has consequences. The wages of sin is death. And as a result of Adam’s sin, sin enslaved humanity for every generation to come. In that garden on that day, Jesus had to tell them the repercussions of that sin. And in those words are the words we have already heard tonight. Remember, “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Satan had overcome them with temptation. Yet they took sin by their own hands. They saw themselves as capable of exceeding God. And instead brought about their own deaths. They fell asleep for sorrow while our Lord agonized on their behalf. 

But there was a promise made on that day in the Garden of Eden. A promise that the Seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head, at the cost being struck in His heel. And on mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane, that Seed, born of a virgin, stood nose to nose with that ancient serpent Satan. And endured the greatest temptation anyone could ever know. Either suffer the most painful death imaginable, bearing the sin of the whole world before the Father’s wrath, or forget humanity to return to the comfort and peace of heaven. 

If it were not for His love for us, it’s not a difficult decision. If it were not for His love for us, He could have started it all over exactly as before with just six days. If it were not for His great love for us, He could have forgotten all about us, and done something else entirely. 

But Jesus had been planning this day in this garden even before that day in the first garden. The work of His death is why He took six days to create the world in the first place. His day of rest on the seventh would pair up perfectly with His day of rest in the tomb. Since time began it has always been evening, then morning. Winter, then spring. Death, then resurrection. This is the day Jesus has been waiting for. And now it was here. With all its pain, and grief, and sacrifice. Yet with a purpose. Because this was the day that would save Adam and Eve, and Peter, James, John, and us all.

Jesus did for us what we have failed to to do since the beginning. Jesus withstood Satan’s temptation that day in our place. He was going to that cross. And there was no temptation that was greater than how much He cares for us. So Jesus walked out of Gethsemane garden knowing what was coming up. And because He knew, He could already give Peter, James, and John a glimpse of what was to come. Because Jesus had been waiting, and still waits for that last day when He can say to his friends Adam and Eve, who have been asleep in the dust, “Rise.” Rise from your sleep. Rise from the ashes. Rise from the dust. Because your sin has been paid for in full by your dear friend and brother Jesus Christ. 

We only get a small glimpse today of that coming joy. But it has been promised. That day will come. The work for it has already been done. It is finished. Jesus has told Satan no, and has gone to the cross to die. By His death, sin has been paid for in full. By His resurrection, Death itself has been conquered. By His victory, Satan has no authority over you any more. And there is no grave on earth that will not be empty when that final trumpet sounds. On that last day, Jesus will bring us all into the garden of the new heavens and the new earth. And we will walk with him, and Adam, and Eve, and the disciples, and all the faithful in the cool of the day, forever. Thanks be to God.