The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Luke 17:11-19
In Christ Jesus, who heals the sick and rescues the dying, so they might be His own and live under Him in His kingdom, dear fellow redeemed:
It started with little sores that stuck around, reddish spots, and some skin numbness. He wished it would go away, he wanted to ignore it, but he couldn’t. He went to the priest to have it examined, and the priest confirmed his greatest fear—it was leprosy. He had to leave his job, leave his home, leave his family. The Book of Leviticus describes the protocol for lepers: “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp” (13:45-46).
It was a hard reality, but there was no known cure. A person with leprosy had to stay away for the good of others. But he wasn’t completely alone. Lepers often formed their own communities. We see that in today’s reading, when ten lepers called to Jesus outside a village between Samaria and Galilee. We learn something else about this group of men. It was a mixture of both Jews and Samaritans. That probably wouldn’t have happened if this terrible disease hadn’t drawn them together.
In general, the Jews and the Samaritans interacted with each other as little as possible. They had long lists of reasons why the other group was inferior and not worth their time and attention. But “misery loves company,” and these men were miserable. They set aside the animosity they may have felt toward one another and stuck together. But they were still of course on the outside. They were not where they wanted to be. They were part of a community of death, a community of the dying.
And that’s exactly what the world is apart from Christ. It is full of people afflicted by the disease of sin, surrounded by death and facing death themselves. Leprosy is a helpful picture for thinking about how sin works in us. In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther quotes Romans 7:18, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh.” Then he says, “If St. Paul may speak this way about his flesh, we cannot assume to be better or more holy than him. But the fact that we do not feel our weakness just makes things worse. It is a sign that there is a leprous flesh in us that can’t feel anything. And yet, the leprosy rages and keeps spreading” (Part V, paras. 76-77).
Because of nerve damage, a leprous person does not always notice when he cuts himself or gets burned or injured. And we do not always notice when we are getting injured or burned by sin. The more we participate in what is unclean, the less we perceive the damage that is being done to us. We think that we can stay in control of the sin. We won’t let it overcome us. But when we can’t stop consuming what is destroying us, can’t stop doing what we should not do, we are not in control of sin; sin is in control of us.
If one of the lepers in today’s reading denied that he had leprosy, it wouldn’t have changed the fact. And “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1Jo. 1:8). It is important that we see ourselves among those lepers. By nature, we are sinful and unclean (ELH, pp. 41, 61). We are the outsiders. We are the ones standing at a distance, away from all that is good. We cannot change our situation; we cannot save ourselves.
But One has drawn near to our community of death, even coming to live among us, One who has the power to heal us of our sin and save us from death. This One is very different; His reputation precedes Him. He has not been overcome by sin, and when death tried to take Him down, He took down death! “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” we cry.
And why should He have mercy? He isn’t the reason for our troubles. He is not responsible for the state we are in, for the messes we have made in our sin. But He does have mercy. He had mercy upon Naaman, an Old Testament Gentile who was afflicted by leprosy, by having him wash seven times in the waters of the Jordan River until he was clean (2Ki. 5). And our Lord had mercy upon us by bringing us to the cleansing waters of Baptism, where He applied the healing medicine of His holy blood to each one of us.
St. Paul explains this beautifully in Ephesians 2. He writes, “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh… remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (vv. 11,12). We were on the outside, and we couldn’t get in. We were stuck in our sin and death. Paul continues, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (v. 13). We were far off from salvation, but Jesus has brought us close to Him.
He accomplished this by perfectly keeping the Law of God, not just for the Israelite people but for all people. And then He went to the cross carrying the whole world’s sin and shed His holy blood to wash it all away. He poured His perfect righteousness and His cleansing blood over you through the waters of Baptism. That is how He transferred you from the community of death in the world to His holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints. That is how He healed and cleansed you from the disease of sin that was killing you.
But many of the people He has done this for, whom He has joined to Himself in the waters of Baptism, continue on their way and forget what He has done. Like the nine lepers who were healed, they get caught up in “the cares and riches and pleasures of life” (Luk. 8:14). They don’t continue to listen to His healing Word. They don’t remember to give Him thanks. So even though Jesus freed them from the community of death, they have returned to it again. They might feel like they are alive. They might think they are doing important things. But none of it can save them, and none of it will last apart from Christ.
This is what the devil tempts all of us to do. He wants us to walk away from the life we have in Jesus, to give all of that up so we can fit in with the world. We might even feel ashamed sometimes of our membership in the Christian Church. We don’t tell anyone about it. We carefully keep it hidden, so we can fit in with the people who seem to matter. We don’t want them to think we are strange. We don’t want to be left on the outside. We don’t want to be singled out and left all by ourselves.
These are natural thoughts to have. It is difficult to be a follower of Jesus in a hostile world. But even though you may feel like you have to face these difficulties alone, you are not alone. The Samaritan went against the majority and turned back to give thanks to Jesus. He didn’t have the company of his former friends anymore, but He wasn’t alone. Jesus was with him, and Jesus blessed him. “Rise and go your way,” He said; “your faith has made you well.” Or as the Greek word literally reads, “your faith has saved you.”
You are saved by faith in Jesus who conquered your sin and death, and shares with you His life. And you are not the only one who has received this life. Going back to Ephesians 2: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (vv. 19-21).
Look at how large your community is! You are a fellow citizen with all the saints, all the believers who have gone before you. You are a member of the household of God. You stand on the foundation built by the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus Himself is the cornerstone. You are part of an immense structure, a beautiful building, a holy temple in the Lord. You are most certainly not alone.
You are a member of the body of Christ. It is with Him that you belong. You will always find friendship, acceptance, and purpose in Him. He will not leave you by yourself. He visits you with His mercy in good times and bad, whether you are happy or sad, restful or anxious. He comes right to you through His Word and His Sacraments to cleanse you again with His holy blood and bless you with His promises.
Each time you receive these blessings, you praise Him and give thanks to Him, bowing down at His feet. And He looks upon you with love, and He says, “Rise and go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from “The Healing of Ten Lepers” by James Tissot, 1836-1902)
Good Friday – Pr. Faugstad homily
Text: Hebrews 10:26-31
When we see Jesus hanging on the cross, suffering in anguish, how could we ever doubt these words? “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” When we hear Him cry out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me,” we know how horrifying the wrath of God is.
God hates sin. He put His imprint of perfection on the world and everything in it. He made man in His own holy image. His creation was never meant to know sin, pain, and death. When His work was complete, He declared all of it to be “very good.”
And then one of His chief angels rebelled against Him and enticed the first man and woman to do the same. “[S]in came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Fallen mankind deserved to die. We had perfection, and we threw it away. The holy God was perfectly justified to damn us all to hell.
But that is not what He did. He looked down on this fallen world and had compassion. And this is how He showed His love: He sent His only-begotten Son (Joh. 3:16). The Son of God took on flesh, so that He could give up His holy life as a sacrifice for all sin. It was no mistake that He was hanging on the cross. He was exactly where His heavenly Father wanted Him to be.
Jesus was being punished by God the Father for all sin. He felt the vengeance of God for every big and little sin, for every intentional and unintentional sin, for every setting aside of the law of Moses for whatever reason. You and I do not grasp how serious our sins are and how very far away we are from the holiness of God. But Jesus knew. He felt God’s wrath for each and every sin until the total price had been paid.
Does this not touch your heart? Can you sit there unmoved? Jesus suffered and died for the sins of every person in human history. He suffered and died for you. Many in the world do not care. They have heard about the death of Jesus, but it does not affect them. “Maybe He deserved it,” they think. Or they joke that only the really bad people needed Jesus to do this for them. But they are doing just fine without Him.
Our text says, “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” When you see what Jesus did for you on this day, you cannot remain comfortable with sin. Sin and the death it brings leave dark, ugly stains on everything. Look at all the pain it caused the perfect Jesus.
We cannot hold onto Jesus and our sin. We cannot be faithful to the Word and the world. “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” If we embrace our sin, we reject Jesus’ sacrifice. If we continue in our sin and spurn the Son of God, then we will fall into the wrathful hands of the living God. And that is a fearful thing.
But “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jo. 1:9). God the Father forgives our sins because Jesus poured out His blood to wash them all away. He presented His face for beating, His back for flogging, His head for thorns, and His feet and hands for the nails.
Those gracious hands—hands that created; hands that fed; hands that healed; hands that blessed. He opened those hands to receive the cold spikes. He opened those hands to take all that is wrong in the world and bring us back together with God.
Those hands still open, but no longer to receive suffering. They open to distribute blessings, the blessings won by the death of our merciful Lord. He poured those blessings over you at the font. He covers you with them through His Word. He feeds you with them at the Communion rail.
To all who repent of their sins and put their trust in Him—to you and me—, Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (Joh. 10:28). You do not have to fear the wrath of the living God. Because of what your crucified Savior did for you, “the hands of the living God” now guard you, comfort you, and lead you on the way to His heavenly kingdom.
We pray: O Lord Jesus Christ,
Wide open are Thy hands,
Paying with more than gold
The awful debt of guilty men,
Forever and of old.
Ah, let me grasp those hands,
That we may never part,
And let the power of their blood
Sustain my fainting heart. Amen.
(Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #265, vv. 1-2)
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(picture from Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald, c. 1510)
Midweek Lent – Pr. Abraham Faugstad homily
Text: St. Matthew 27:24-26
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
In our lesson, we see Pontius Pilate standing before the crowd washing his hands in an attempt to free himself from the guilt of Jesus’ innocent blood. In the verses preceding this, we learn of Pilate’s intense internal struggle regarding Jesus. The chief priests and the elders hurled accusation after accusation against Jesus. While the accusations were false, Jesus remained silent. Pilate marveled at this. What kind of defendant doesn’t defend himself? Especially, someone who is so clearly innocent. Jesus remained silent, fulfilling the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” The few words Jesus spoke were in reply to Pilate’s question, “Are You the King of the Jews,” to which Jesus simply answered, “It is as you say.”
Pilate looked for the opportunity to release Jesus. While Pilate was sitting in the judgement seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him” (Matthew 27:19). At the Passover feast the governor was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to the multitude. Pilate knew of Jesus’ popularity among the people and so he saw this as an opportunity to go around the religious leaders. What he didn’t know was that the people in the crowds had largely been brought in by Jesus’ enemies. And so, when he gave the options between releasing Jesus or Barabbas—a known criminal, the crowds yelled, “Barabbas!” But to Jesus they yelled, “Let him be crucified!” Pilate even asks, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they only cried out louder, “Crucify Him!” Pilate knew the Jews could bring down on him Caesar’s harsh disfavor. When he finally saw that he could not prevail, he gave in to the crowds. He would defend this just man no more.
I. The Curse
Pilate now stands before the crowd washing his hands and says to the crowd, “You see to it.” He put the guilt on them. And the crowd in their frenzied and mad state gladly accepted it: “His blood be on us and on our children.” As if saying, “If we are guilty, then let God punish us and our children.” But just as Pilate did not have the power to remove his guilt by his words and actions, neither did the crowds have power to accept or reject their guilt. However, they did echo Jesus’ own words against their wicked generation who rejected him. A punishment they would face within one generation, when Jerusalem was attacked by the Romans and the Temple destroyed, leaving thousands dead and enslaved.
A wicked and unjust sentence was given to Jesus. The account of our Lord’s Passion is sobering. We can become angry with the people and think, “I wouldn’t have crucified Jesus if I was there! I would have defended him!” But it’s not just those who were there that day that are guilty of Jesus’ innocent blood. No, we weren’t there when they mocked Jesus. No, we weren’t present in Pilate’s courtyard. And no, we didn’t scream for Jesus’ blood, but our sin led him there. Our lack of love towards God and toward one another make us just as guilty and accused as the words the crowds shouted.
Jesus was mocked, spit on, beaten, scourged, condemned, and crucified for the guilt of our sin. He carried the sins of our first parents, Adam and Eve, and all their descendants who have broken God’s Law. No one can claim innocence from his blood. Isaiah says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (53:6). We weren’t there like those who shouted in the crowd, but we are certainly not exempt from his blood. Your sin sent Jesus to the cross.
We should never consider our sin a small thing. The hymnist puts it well, “Ye who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great, here you see its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate. Mark the sacrifice appointed, see who bears the awful load; ’tis the Word, the Lord’s anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.” While our Lord’s suffering reminds us of the greatness of our sin, it more importantly points us to the mercy and compassion of our Savior who died for our sin. By God’s grace, we do not bear the responsibility of the crowd’s words, but the blessing.
II. The Blessing
With their words the crowds meant evil towards Jesus, but what they meant for evil, God meant for our good (Genesis 50:20). In fact, their words serve as a beautiful sermon and prayer. For it was by our Savior’s innocent blood shed on the cross that he paid for the sins of the world. By his blood our guilt is washed away. John writes, “the blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin” (I John 1:7). No matter how great our sin, how terrible our guilt, nor how often we have sinned—his blood is greater.
Jesus didn’t have to suffer. He didn’t have to face the false accusations, the taunts, the scourges, the nails, or the cross. But he did. The nails did not keep Jesus on the cross. It was his love for you. Our Lord knew that the only way that he could save us from the guilt of our sin was to be punished in our place. All the Old Testament sacrifices could not pay for sin, but they pointed to the Messiah, the Savior, the Lamb of God, who would take away the sins of the world.
God’s Law required payment for sin. It was necessary for sin to be atoned for. If God would have simply let sin go by without payment, he would be an unrighteous judge. But he didn’t. Instead, “God loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And for this reason, believers can have certainty of their redemption because “you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18–19).
There are countless people who agonize over their guilt. They attempt to ease their guilt through acts of devotion, charity, or other sacrifices. But we cannot satisfy our guilt. All our attempts to pay for our guilt are like a hamster running on a wheel. We will get nowhere. These acts are simply washing our hands, like Pilate. Maybe, you have found yourself struggling with guilt. Guilt over your sins against God, your friends and neighbors, spouse, or children. Perhaps, there are sins from your past that you cannot forget or sins you continue to fall for again and again.
We can’t wash our guilt away by what we do, but Jesus can, and he has! When the Apostle John gives his description of his vision of heaven in Revelation 7, where he sees great multitudes standing before the throne of the Lamb robed in white—there is only one reason that is mentioned for why they are there. They were those who had “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). Whoever believes in Jesus has had their sins washed away by the blood of the Lamb. There is no doubt about it! As Paul writes, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). And so, we can rightly pray, “His blood be on us!”
No one is beyond our Lord’s saving help—no sin is too great. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin! Even those who crucified Jesus were later urged by Peter to repent that their “sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Jesus says, “the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).
Our sin surely sent Jesus to the cross, but he went willingly for you. It pleased God to do this because he loves you. Jesus was condemned that you might go free. Our dear Lord Jesus wants you to be so certain of his love for you, that he instituted Baptism, where he washes away your sins through the water and the Word. He instituted the Lord’s Supper, where you receive his shed body and blood for the remission of all your sins. You are covered by Jesus’ blood and that’s a good thing! Because that is your clothing for heaven.
By God’s grace, we can pray, “His blood be on us!” Amen!
(picture from “The Sacrificial Lamb” by Josefa de Ayala, 1630-1684)
Midweek Lent – Vicar Anderson homily
Text: St. John 19:4-6
In Christ Jesus, who was scourged, beaten, and crucified for you and by those wounds you are healed, dear fellow redeemed:
When a verdict is reached in a court case that gathers national attention, the media is waiting for the press conference to hear about the outcome. Sometimes at those press conferences, more people than just the media will look to gather there. If the verdict was that the person was innocent, the press conference will go into detail about how they were able to prove that their client was innocent. Now how would the world react if that innocent client was brought out of the courtroom beaten and unrecognizable? They were pronounced not guilty! How could this happen?! The Jews could not provide any evidence against Jesus to have him executed. Pilate tells them this. He’s looked at the charges and there is nothing. The Jews tell him that Jesus is a threat to not only the Jews but the Romans. Pilate takes that into consideration in his ruling. Pilate knows his verdict is right, and he wants the Jews to know it as well.
Jesus body is a shadow of the teacher that He looked like only 24 hours ago. He was teaching His disciples. He had instituted the Lord’s Supper. He was arrested in the garden. It only got worse from there. Pilate now brings Him out to reveal to the Jews what has happened to Him. Jesus was taken from the public’s view and was subject to Roman torture. He had endured a scourging and a mockery so harsh that He must have been unrecognizable. Many people die from this torture. Jesus walks out, very badly beaten and abused, wearing a purple robe and a crown of thorns wedged onto His head.
It was known how cruel Pilate could be with the Jews, they see again his cruelty as Pilate brought Jesus out after His beating. Did he do this to rouse pity from the Jews, to show them that Jesus was not a threat to the Jews or to Rome? We don’t know Pilate’s thoughts, but we do know this, he knew that Jesus was innocent. This was unjust.
“Behold the man!” said Pilate. If Jesus was a king, Pilate wanted to show the Jews how weak their king was. If the Jews felt threatened by Jesus, Pilate hoped they would be satisfied by the beating He had already taken. “Behold the man!”—the weak, pitiful man. No one who looked at Him would have known this was God in the flesh. He had humbled Himself so completely. He was despised and rejected by men.
And this is how we are tempted to think about Him too, as nothing more than a man, a weak man. That is how we act when we put our trust in the powers of the world more than in Jesus. That is how we act when we are confronted by our friends and the world about our beliefs. It is so easy to join in with what they say and think instead of defending Christ. If we defend Christ, what will our friends and the world think of us? They might even leave us. So, it is easy to look at Jesus as just a man and what can that man do for us? Like what some of our friends and the world might think, it sure looks like He doesn’t do much at all.
Just like the chief priests and officers, the people of the world act like they are in control over Jesus. The religious leaders call out for His crucifixion. What can He do about it? They feel very powerful. The unbelieving world also has no time for a dying Savior. The world responds to power, fame, and influence. Like many followers then, they thought Jesus would lead a rebellion against Rome. Many want a worldly, reigning on earth Savior if they even want one at all. When the world denies Christ and ridicules His followers, we can forget who it is we trust in. We can forget who Jesus really is—the Son of God in the flesh, who is not suffering against His will, but according to His will.
Pilate did not know this plan and was very conflicted about what was happening. Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent. What is he to do? Does he do his duty to preserve law and order? Pilate is already on thin ice with Rome regarding the Jews. He cannot risk open rebellion, especially when he is vastly outnumbered. He also despises the Jews; they need to know that he is in charge. Pilate shows them that death is up to him. He points out that Jesus is just a man in his eyes. Jesus is not a threat to Rome. And as Pilate washes his hands, he hands Jesus over showing the Jews that this is only happening on his command. When we continue in our sins and put our trust in the things of this world, we also wash our hands of Him. We join the world and Pilate pointing at Jesus saying, “Behold the man!”
As all human beings are responsible for the inhumane torture of Christ, we do “Behold the man!” Unlike Pilate’s “sermon theme” of Jesus being only a man, we behold a man who is the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world. As He was shown hate and loathing, Jesus teaches mercy and sacrifice. He didn’t say a word to them. He didn’t defend His innocence. This is why it was necessary for our Savior to be true man. He was true man in order to be obligated to obey the law and to perfectly fulfill the law for us, and to have a body and soul, which could suffer and die in our place.
He went with the soldiers to be flogged. As He was mocked, ridiculed, and almost unrecognizable, Jesus recognizes us, lost souls that need to be saved. Our sins covered us, but Christ shed His blood on the cross to wash away our sins. The ultimate suffering that we deserved. That is what it took for us to be saved. The sacrifice was needed. Christ was never conflicted about the plan of Salvation; He didn’t debate whether or not save us. Jesus pitied us. He wasn’t thinking about Himself like Pilate, like we think about ourselves. Jesus gave up His life, suffering the pain and punishment for the sins of the whole world.
It is sometimes hard to see what Christ has done when you have given in to sin and have been ashamed of Him. You see how much He has done for you, flogged, beaten, humiliated. How do you defend your Savior? You won’t do it perfectly. You will sometimes give in and be ashamed that you know Him. Your Savior witnessed this, He felt this, and He forgives you. You were responsible for His suffering, but that is what He came to do. He took on your suffering so that you would be saved.
No one wants to be found guilty and serve time for something that they didn’t do. We have been found guilty of our crimes against God. There should be no way out of this verdict. However, when the gavel comes down and we hear the words “Not guilty”, we look over and there stands our suffering Savior. That should be us. Jesus was an innocent man. He wasn’t only an innocent man, but He was, He is the Holy Son of God. As Pilate says, “Behold the man”, we do behold Him. He is not only a man. We behold our beautiful Savior, who was scourged in our place. As “Behold the man” was said in jest, it sounds like another statement recorded by the same gospel writer. The apostle John writes, “Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The lamb of God in whom we find hope. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from “Ecce Homo” by Antonio Ciseri, 1871)
The Second Sunday in Lent – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Matthew 15:21-28
In Christ Jesus, who judges us not by what we accomplish in our faithfulness, but by what He has done for us in His mercy, dear fellow redeemed:
I have never heard a Christian say, “I wish my faith were weaker.” Every Christian wants to have a stronger faith, a faith that will stand firm in temptation, that will endure in difficult times, that will shine brightly through this life until we reach eternal life. Today’s reading gives us an example of a faith like this, a faith that Jesus Himself describes as “great.”
The people in Jesus’ day might have expected “great faith” to be found among the religious leaders like the scribes and Pharisees. Or maybe they would have looked to the dedicated priests serving day and night in the temple. Or they might have thought that the twelve disciples hand-picked by Jesus were the best examples of faith.
None of these things was the case. Just before the events of today’s reading, Jesus called the Pharisees “blind guides” (Mat. 15:14), indicating that they had no faith at all. At least twice He cleared the temple courts of those who were buying and selling there, showing that the priests were negligent in their duty. And several times He rebuked the disciples for their “little faith” (Mat. 8:26, 14:31, 16:8, 17:20), when they failed to put their trust in Him.
Jesus’ announcement of a great faith comes from a most unlikely source—a Gentile woman living in the pagan territory of Tyre and Sidon. Now we live in a time when everyone wants to assert his or her “rights.” “I have the right to this” and “the right to that,” and “if I don’t get what I think I deserve, I’ll be taking names and calling my lawyer!” This is not how the Canaanite woman approached Jesus.
She did not come with a power play trying to impress or intimidate Him: “I know people in high places.” She did not try to convince Him why she was worthy of His help: “I do what I can for my neighbors. I give to charity. I’m a good person.” No, she came looking for mercy. Mercy does not depend on a person’s own position or good qualities. Mercy depends on the one who has the ability to help. Mercy can’t be taken; it has to be given.
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David” cried the woman; “my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” And she didn’t just say it once. The form of the Greek word indicates that she kept crying out. She wouldn’t stop. This makes sense since the disciples soon came to Jesus and were begging that He send her away. So much for Jesus taking time to rest—first the woman came crying to Him and now the disciples kept complaining too!
Why didn’t Jesus just help her? Well why should He? He was a Jew sent to save the people of Israel. He told His disciples, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The woman didn’t deny this. She called Him the “Son of David.” She knew where He came from. But she did not believe that disqualified her from receiving His help. What made her so certain? What is it that she based her hope on?
The very words of Jesus that seemed to disqualify her were the words she held tightly to and wouldn’t let go. Jesus said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” We don’t know how Jesus said this whether gently or harshly. But how many of us would stick around if He said this to us? The Canaanite woman didn’t budge, and she didn’t try to contradict Jesus. She completely accepted what He said: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Do you see what she did? She pinned her hopes to the very words of Jesus that seemed to shut her out. She agreed that bread should not be taken away from the children of Israel. Jesus was the “Son of David,” the King of the Jews. But if there was plenty of bread for the children, which she wholeheartedly believed, then certainly there must be some crumbs for the dogs. “Oh to be a dog that could eat those crumbs—what a privilege that would be!” she said. This is when Jesus declared, “great is your faith!” and granted her request, the healing of her daughter.
So what are some of the characteristics of this woman’s faith? She did not appeal to her own worthiness, but came pleading for mercy. She did not give up, but kept crying to Jesus for help. She did not take offense when Jesus seemed to turn His back on her. She held Him to His Word, even when it appeared the door was closed. We can learn a lot from her example. But the biggest lesson is not gained by looking at her. The biggest lesson is looking where she looked.
Her eyes were on Jesus the whole time, not on herself. And when she walked away from Him, she didn’t go away thinking how strong her faith was. She walked away thinking how merciful her Savior was. The greatest error we make in pursuing a strong faith is looking inside ourselves to make it happen. We can think to ourselves, “I need to be more patient, more trusting, more accepting of God’s will, more dedicated to His Word.” And those things are certainly true.
But our faith will never get stronger because of what we do. Faith gets stronger because of what God does. The Bible says, “faith comes from hearing” (Rom. 10:17), which means passively receiving what God gives, not doing something to get it. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” In our Catechism we confess the truth that “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith” (Explanation to the Third Article of the Creed).
If you want a stronger faith, it’s not going to come because you try harder or stay more focused on doing what is right. A stronger faith comes when you stop looking inside yourself where you will only find worry, doubt, and pride. Faith increases when you forget yourself and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus only.
That is what we do at the Divine Service each week. We don’t come thinking about what we can do for God, or making appeals for His help because of how good we have been or how worthy we are. We come with the cry, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!” We beg for His mercy because we know we can’t live without it.
We remember how easily we have been led to doubt God’s Word at the slightest challenge we have faced. We think of how impatient we have been in suffering, and how quickly we have given up on prayer. We know how ready we were to question God when He did not give us exactly what we wanted and on the timetable we expected it.
But even though the devil tries to convince us that Jesus has turned His back on us, that Jesus doesn’t care, this is nothing but a lie. Today’s reading shows us that when Jesus seems to be uninterested in our troubles, that is only how it seems. Jesus did not fail to help the woman who put her trust in Him, and neither will He fail you.
When you come to Him looking for mercy, He shows you His cross. That is where mercy shines most vividly. That is where God the Father proved His mercy toward you by punishing His innocent Son for your sins instead of you. Jesus willingly did that for you. He went to the cross, so that all your worries, doubts, and pride would be atoned for. He went there so that no matter where you come from and no matter what you have done, you would be presented holy and righteous before God the Father by faith in Him.
This same Savior now gives His own body as your food and His own blood as your drink. He has not forgotten about you. He has not forsaken you. You would gladly have the crumbs that fall from His table, but He freely gives Himself for you to eat and drink in abundance. It is His presence through His Word and Sacrament that strengthens your faith. It is His presence that brings you healing and eases your burdens. It is His presence that increases your love toward God and your neighbor.
You have nothing to offer God that isn’t already His. The world is His! You are His! But He has everything to give you. Keep your eyes on Him like a child waiting for his birthday present or a dog eagerly anticipating his treat. He has given His gifts to you before, and He promises to keep giving them. Like the Canaanite woman did, you can trust His promises. Even if everyone else rejects you and you feel totally alone, Jesus does not reject you. Your cries for mercy will not go unanswered. You will not leave empty-handed. Your faith in the Lord Jesus will not be disappointed.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from 15 century French Gothic manuscript painting)
Midweek Lent – Pr. Abraham Faugstad homily
Text: St. Matthew 27:1-5
Dear Friends in Christ,
Our lesson states, “When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.” There is no rest for the wicked. While the disciples were sleeping, our Lord’s enemies pursued without ceasing. The chief priests and the elders plotted how they might put Jesus to death. They wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible to avoid any uproar among the people. They believed that he needed to be put to death for his blasphemy and would have gladly carried out this sentence themselves. However, they were prohibited from doing so. The scepter had departed from Judah (Genesis 49:10). They were now ruled by the Romans who reserved the right of inflicting the death penalty for themselves. It was therefore necessary for the chief priests to deliver Jesus to the Roman governor for sentencing.
And so, Jesus was bound and delivered to Pontius Pilate. When Judas, who betrayed him saw that Jesus was condemned, he was remorseful. Some translations say that “he regretted it” or “changed his mind.” But why would Judas, who had been seeking an opportunity to betray Jesus, feel remorse? While we cannot know for certain the reason for his remorse, some have suggested that it was because Judas never thought Jesus would actually be captured. Judas had never had the slightest thought that it would come to this. Rather, he thought that Jesus, as it had happened before, would slip away unharmed. He could come away with thirty pieces of silver and later he could again easily find forgiveness and reconcile with Jesus. However, when Jesus surrendered and was condemned to death, he was remorseful.
Judas did not start with the intent to betray Jesus. His initial temptation was greed for money. John writes, “he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it” (John 12:6). His love for money grew so great that he jumped at the opportunity to betray his Lord with a kiss for thirty pieces of silver.
Judas’ betrayal serves as a warning to each of us. Judas was one of our Lord’s chosen disciples and yet he fell. Therefore, beware of proudly thinking, “It can never happen to me!” Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver; what is our price? Is it a great fortune? Is it success in our occupation? Is it a special someone? Or is it simply continuing in the sinful pleasure and entertainment we enjoy?
Peter writes, “your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” One of the great tricks the devil uses to separate us from God is minimizing our sin. The devil holds this minimizing mirror before our eyes to make our sin seem quite small and insignificant. He holds this up when he wants to tempt someone into sin. The devil says, “You are underpaid, what’s the big deal if you take that tool from work or add five minutes to your punch card. They really should be paying you that anyway. You’re not stealing, you’re taking what you deserve.” The devil lies, “I bet your neighbor has spoken ill of you. If you tell other people about their sins, it’s not slander because it is the truth. After what they’ve done to you, they deserve much worse than just being the topic of a little gossip.” The devil lures, “Watching this adult video or looking at these illicit pictures is not that bad. Everybody else does it, why can’t you?” The devil tempts, “So what if you have a few too many beers, it’s just one night. Take a load off and relax!”
The devil always begins with seemingly minor sins. For Judas it wasn’t outright betrayal, but an outwardly insignificant temptation, planting greed in his heart. But after the devil tempts us into sin, he takes out another mirror—the magnifying mirror. With this he makes our sin appear so great that we are beyond forgiveness. He mercilessly holds this before our eyes after we have fallen so that he might lead us to despair.
This is what we see in the case of Judas. When he saw Jesus being led to Pilate, he realized for the first time what he really had done. He now saw his horrible sin and betrayal and he could not endure it. Before this he had loved the money so dearly that it seemed a small matter to him to betray Jesus for it, but now it changed. If he had all the money in the world, he would give it all in return to undo what he had done. Judas went to the chief priests and elders to bring back the money, which was a constant reminder of his sin, and said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
But he received no comfort, “What is that to us? You see to it!” Even bringing back the money could not ease his conscience, and in despair, he hanged himself.
In the middle of Jesus’ passion, the Gospel writer holds out the example of Judas so that we might learn never to forsake or abuse what Jesus has done for us. The devil will use it to rip us away from God and bring us to despair. We must guard ourselves against the tricks of the devil by reminding ourselves before we fall into sin the serious and dangerous nature of sin. However, when we do fall, we should remember that Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s mercy are greater than our sin!
The ashes on Ash Wednesday, remind us that we are dust and to dust we shall return because of our sin. But we are not without hope because the cross reminds us that because of what Jesus did for us, our sins are forgiven, and God will raise us from the dead to be with him in heaven! Even Judas’ words offer comfort. Unbeknownst to Judas, he shared one of the best sermons on Jesus.
Jesus’ blood was innocent. He was holy. He was not deserving of death. And yet, for our sakes he came into this world to suffer and die for our sins, so that we could be forgiven and brought back to God (I Peter 3:18). “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). To those who mocked him, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Jesus wants all men to be saved and to receive his forgiveness. He urges us to repent and look to him. Even in Gethsemane, Jesus longed for Judas to repent, calling him, “Friend.” The same is true for us. Despite our endless betrayals, Jesus wants us to come to him. He comes after us as the Good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep.
In Luke chapter 15, we learn the story of the prodigal son who left his father’s house and squandered his inheritance. The son realized his mistakes and went to ask forgiveness and to see if he could just be a servant in his father’s house. “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). The father put the best robe on him, gave him a ring, and butchered a fatted calf! The father showed him love and mercy beyond measure. This is a picture of God’s mercy towards those who come in repentance to him. He sees us coming and runs to us. Jesus says that the angels rejoice in heaven over one sinner who repents!
For our comfort, Scripture also records for us the account of Peter. Peter and Judas’ sin was ultimately the same. The difference was not in them, but where they went when they had nothing to stand on. Judas tried to cover his sin. Peter took his sin to Jesus. The example of Peter gives us comfort that we don’t need to have anxiety and despair over our sin, but simply look to Jesus, who has paid for all sin. Are you concerned about your sin? Then take it to Jesus—he will never turn you away! Scripture states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). We can’t make the payment required for our sin, but Jesus did and because he paid the price, we are free from our sins.
John writes, “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (I John 1:7), “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (I John 2:2). Our dear Lord Jesus shed his innocent blood for you because he loves you. He wants you to have his forgiveness. He knew the cost, but Jesus gladly went to the cross to save us that he might bring us to heaven. And so, we can sing,
Thou hast died for my transgression,
All my sins on Thee were laid;
Thou hast won for me salvation,
On the cross my debt was paid.
From the grave I shall arise
And shall meet Thee in the skies.
Death itself is transitory;
I shall lift my head in glory.
(ELH 354:5)
(picture from “Judas Returns the Money” by James Tissot, 1836-1902)
The Third Sunday after the Epiphany – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Matthew 8:1-13
In Christ Jesus, through whom we are Abraham’s offspring, heirs not by blood but by faith in our Lord’s promises, dear fellow redeemed:
It’s about time for church to start. You hear the door open and turn to look. Who would you most like to see walk through that door? Maybe it’s someone you haven’t seen in a while—a member of your family, a childhood friend, a co-worker, a neighbor. You make room next to you and motion them over. What a great surprise!
But is there anyone you would not want to see walk through that door? That’s a tough question. In general, we say that everyone is welcome at our churches. We want everyone to hear the truth and learn what Jesus has done for them. But some people have hurt us, sometimes very deeply. Even seeing them can bring back all the pain. We might think in our hearts that people like that do not belong in our churches. They can go somewhere else, but not here.
This shows how our love has limits. It is an imperfect love because our sin is mixed in with it. We keep inside ourselves a certain amount of bitterness, a certain amount of prejudice, against individuals or groups of people because of experiences we have had with them. We might say that we could never respect a person who supports a cause or a candidate that we totally disagree with. Or we might condemn all the members of a social class or people of a different nationality that we think only care about themselves. Or we justify our lack of love toward someone because of the wrongs he or she has done to us.
All of these things come not from a strong sense of righteousness and justice, but from our own pride. Our pride keeps us from the self-sacrificing, generous life that God calls us to live. When we read about Jesus in the Gospels, we see the contrast so clearly between how we should be and how we actually are.
In today’s Gospel reading, a man with a terrible, contagious skin disease knelt before Jesus begging Him to cleanse him. Lepers like this man were outcasts, banished to live in their own colonies. They had to announce their status—“unclean!”—whenever they came near people without leprosy. Probably quite a few people looked down on these lepers. They pitied their condition maybe, but they still stayed as far away as they could. I’m sure we would have too.
But when the man came up to Jesus, Jesus did not keep His distance. He could have just spoken a word and healed the man like He did with the centurion’s servant. But in this case, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched the man! No one could have seen that coming. It was something that non-leprous people simply didn’t and wouldn’t do. Why risk being infected with the same disease?
When Jesus reached across that great divide toward His suffering neighbor, it could be that the man shied away. He was not used to a compassionate action like this. He didn’t want Jesus to get what He had. And then suddenly his leprosy wasn’t there anymore. His skin was clean! Jesus directed this outsider to come back in, to show himself to the priest and return to his home and family.
Going on a little further, Jesus was met by the friends of a centurion who appealed for help for the centurion’s servant who had been paralyzed. This request was surprising. Why would any Roman military commander ask a Jewish man like Jesus for help? The Jews resented the Romans for their occupation of Judea and Galilee, and the Romans acted like a ruling party acts. But this centurion was different. The evangelist Luke tells us that he treated the people with kindness and supplied the funds they needed to build a synagogue in Capernaum (7:5).
Even so, Jesus was under no obligation to help the centurion’s servant. The centurion was a Gentile, and Jesus had come for “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat. 15:24). But just as He had compassion on the leprous man, He had compassion here too. After the centurion expressed his confidence that Jesus could heal his servant without even coming into the house where the servant was, Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.”
And Jesus said something else, something that applies directly to you and me today, thousands of years after that miracle in Capernaum. Jesus said, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness.” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are those patriarchs through whom the promise came. The LORD told them, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3; 28:14).
“All the families of the earth” is all-inclusive. The many who “will come from east and west” means people from around the world. It is not just the blood descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is all those who share the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who believe as they did in a Savior who takes away the sins of the world.
Jesus emphasized this again after His resurrection. He told His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mat. 28:19-20). Jesus wants all the people of the world to know that His saving work was done for them. He was anointed at His Baptism to be their Savior. He was driven to the cross and shed His blood for their sins. He rose from the dead in triumph over their death.
He wants everyone from east to west to know that He has removed their transgressions from them “as far as the east is from the west” (Psa. 103:12). The apostle Paul brings it right home to you and me. Like the leper and the centurion, we were outcasts, outsiders. Most of us have no family line running back through Israel. We are part of the great mass of Gentiles, a bunch of nobodies whom very few will remember after we are gone.
But we matter to God. We are not strangers to Jesus. When He went to the cross, He was carrying your sins. He had your bitterness and prejudice slapping Him in the face. He was pierced by your pride. He felt all the world’s anger and hatred and animosity directed toward Him. And yet He still said, “Father, forgive them. I love them. I will die for them, to save their souls.”
Paul writes, “[I]n Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). His blood reconciled you with the holy God. His blood cleansed you at your Baptism and cleanses you through His Supper. It makes and keeps you His blood brother. You were an outsider, but you aren’t one anymore. “[F]or in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27).
You are a member of the body of Christ, wearing the clothes of His righteousness, no more stained by your sin. And there is room for more sinners like you. There is room for murderers, adulterers, robbers, and liars—sins that all of us have committed in our hearts if not by our actions. There is room in Christ’s body for northerners, southerners, easterners, and westerners. There is room for your closest friends. There is room for your fiercest enemies.
As soon as we have understood that our salvation comes only by the grace of God, we can’t begrudge that salvation to anyone else. We don’t deserve it any more than they do. If in our pride we think that we belong in Christ’s kingdom more than others do, then we need to hear Jesus’ warning that “the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness.” He was speaking about the Israelites who thought their connection to Abraham’s family tree was the most important thing. What they ignored was Abraham’s humble faith.
We, too, will lose our salvation if we trust in our connection to other faithful people in our church or in our family, instead of daily repenting of our sin and trusting in Jesus alone for forgiveness and life. Like that leper, we must admit that by nature we are unclean, sinful in our thoughts, words, and actions. Like the centurion’s servant, we are paralyzed if left to ourselves, suffering terribly.
We are not worthy to have Jesus love us. Our welcome gift for Him when He took on our flesh was anguish and cross. We sent Him to His death because of our sin. And He went forward willingly. He had mercy upon us. We were His enemies, but He called us friends. We were outsiders, and He welcomed us in.
He shows us the way we should be toward those who have hurt us and those who are nothing like us. We look upon them not with hatred but with love, not in judgment but with compassion. As Jesus meets us in His Word and Sacraments to heal us from past hurts, He also helps us to set aside our anger and grow in love toward those around us.
Then we begin to see others as He sees us, as poor sinners in need of forgiveness, as hurting souls in need of grace and mercy. Jesus did not give up on us, and He doesn’t want us to give up on others. Jesus Welcomes the Outsiders, outsiders like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, outsiders like you and me, and more outsiders from east and west—even many we would not expect.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from a portion of a Byzantine mosaic in Sicily)
Circumcision and Name of Jesus – Vicar Anderson sermon
Text: St. Luke 2:21
In Christ Jesus, who when the fulness of time had come, He came down from heaven, was born of flesh and under the law for you, dear fellow redeemed:
When I was studying to go into law enforcement, I went on some ride-along’s with my local police department. On those ride-along’s, I was able to hear the question asked from an officer’s point of view, “do you know the reason why I pulled you over?” This is the question that no one wants to hear because when you hear this question, it means that you have probably done something wrong. And, usually you know you did something wrong. Depending how serious the crime is, someone could find themselves in court. They might get their time reduced, or they might hear that judge bring the gavel down and say guilty. Laws keep us safe from danger. We know that these laws keep us safe yet we usually don’t like to follow them. We also see God’s laws and find ourselves relaxed in following those too. In fact, we have broken every one of them. What will He do to us? Will the perfect judge condemn us? God shows how much he cares about us with the text for today. He knows that we can’t fulfill the Law, so the lawgiver himself has come to fulfill it!
Mary and Joseph waste no time in following the commands of God. The law states that “on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised” (Leviticus 12:3). We see the care that Mary and Joseph had for the Word of God. They were devout believers in His promises. They followed what the law said concerning their new born son. However, this law is more than a Law handed down by Moses. Circumcision started long before this in the command that God gave Abraham in Genesis 17. [God] said to Abraham, “this is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised…Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant (10-12, 14.)”
What is so special about this covenant? This is God giving Abraham a promise and setting Abraham and his descendants apart from the nations around them. This promise is that God would be with him. Abraham would be the father of many nations. His name would be great! There was also the promise of the Savior that would come through him. God told him when he called him that, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12: 3). Now the Savior had come from the line of Abraham. To keep the promise given to Abraham, Jesus is circumcised, made a member of the people of the covenant, placed under the law. Jesus has no need to obey the law for himself as He is God. The law was given to the people. God told them that they are to keep these laws. When they keep the law they are showing that they trust God. It also shows how they are separate from the heathen nations. The heathen nations did despicable things. If the people of the covenant, God’s chosen people sinned, then they had to repent.
Looking in the Old Testament, it is apparent that many of the Israelites did not follow God’s law. They simply defied them. They were God’s chosen people. Yet they were often at war with God and his laws that He had given them. They were punished for their sins and when they repented, God would come to them as a loving Father to his children. As the Jews attempted and failed often to obey God’s law, they had to bring sacrifices to God. They needed many, many animals to shed their blood. This was done to look ahead to the coming one. But often the Israelites would only go through the motions with these sacrifices and were not actually sorry for their sins. Or they thought that the sacrifice was what did the job. The Israelites deserved the punishment that was given them because of the law that they had broken.
Like the Israelites of old, we see God’s law and we fail to follow them. We work very hard at it, but it never comes to fruition even if we are trying our best. We also can find ourselves going through the motions. We might not think about the prayers that we are saying. Some of the prayers that we say we might not even mean them. If we fail to repent of our sins, then our confession is meaningless. It can be easy to do that if we believe that “God will just forgive me anyway, he knows that I’m trying. He knows that I’m not as bad as other people.” If we don’t repent of sins and are sorry for them, we can go to communion and take it to our harm. This is the danger of getting set in the motions because then why should we be at church at all. This is the danger of being stuck in our sins.
This time of year is a great example of this taking place. Now is the time that people are going to start their new year’s resolutions. We will start them with great anticipation and the hope that they will stay with it. Unfortunately, we are very quick to lose interest in something that could help us. We make the promise and then we break it. We treat our sins the same. We will promise God that we will try our best to keep his law. We make a promise and then we don’t keep it. We lose interest and we keep doing them. We need someone to fulfill the law for us.
Jesus follows the commands of God not for himself, but for sinners. This event is the first time in Jesus early life that he sheds his blood. At eight days old Jesus had already shed blood for you. We know this shedding of blood would have to be more. This is the start. Jesus following the law at eight days old makes him obligated to keep the law. From His infancy to adulthood, He fulfilled the law completely for you. He then shed his blood and gave his life for you on the cross. He didn’t have to do it. He was perfect in every way. But He wanted to do it for you. Only the lawgiver, God in the flesh, could come down and keep the law for you and take away your sins. We see that in our text today. Jesus as a baby, being put under the law.
The name He was given also described His purpose. He is given a name of utmost importance. A name whose definition is the sole reason that he came down from heaven, for our salvation. Mary and Joseph were both told that they would name this child Jesus because “He will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus fulfilled the law to redeem all people. He took on the pain, woe, and suffering for all people of all time. He did not live this life for himself, he lived it for us.
Paul’s letter to the Galatians shows us how important it is that Jesus went under the law for us. Paul writes, “But when the fullness of time had come God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoptions as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). Because of what Jesus has done, we can go to God as children go to their dear Father. God sees that the law has been completed by His son Jesus Christ. He lived out His life as an act of obedience. This act of circumcision obeyed the Old Testament law for baby boys. This was only the beginning. Jesus continued to obey the Old Testament law up to his death on the cross.
Jesus’ circumcision fulfilled the promise that was given to Abraham and his descendants. With Jesus being circumcised, being brought into the Abrahamic covenant, all families of the earth have been blessed. Now that Jesus has fulfilled the law for us, what about circumcision? Is it needed? We see the battles that Paul fought in the New Testament that this is not the case. Circumcision does not bind us to the promise, but Jesus instituted something else that does. Paul explains that we have been circumcised in another way.
“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:11-12). Your baptism connects you to what Christ has done. In your baptism you are buried with Christ and you now walk in newness of life. Your Savior, God in the flesh, has obeyed the law for you. He began his journey as a baby, going to the cross, completing it.
No one can imagine a lawgiver being the one who has to fulfill his own law. Now we see Jesus our Savior. He was given a name that was known from eternity. He was put under the law for us. We don’t have to despair when we fall short of God’s law. He sent his only Son to obey his law willingly for us and Jesus shed his blood willingly. He is our Savior. His name tells us so. His obedience shows us so. Our sins have been washed away. At eight days old we see how much Jesus loved us. He did this for us in our place. We can begin the new year with no worries since the law has been fulfilled! Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from “The Nativity at Night” by Geertgen tot Sint Jans, c. 1490)
Maundy Thursday – Vicar Anderson homily
Text: St. Luke 23:44-47
In Christ Jesus, who committed His spirit into His Father’s hands and brings all that He finished on the cross to you in His holy Supper, dear fellow redeemed:
The final words from Christ on the cross occur closely together, most likely only separated by a few seconds. He cried out with a loud voice, “it is finished” and then “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Most men who died by way of Roman crucifixion had no breath left in them, because the cause of death was usually suffocation. This was not the case for Jesus. He made sure to have plenty of breath for His final words. They were not said in weakness, but loudly and in triumph and victory. He wanted to cry out His final words as loud as He could so that all would know and never forget His almighty power over death.
Jesus had suffered eternal death in hell on the cross and still with life in Him declared it finished. He had fulfilled the great work of atonement for the sins of the entire world and now in His final words all the suffering and pain was approaching an end. The darkness that blotted out the sun for three hours was beginning to break and His Father’s countenance shone again on His beloved Son. Jesus commits His spirit into His Father’s hands and bows His head in death. It was a job well done indeed.
Death is hard for us to see; it’s even hard for us to talk or think about. This is especially true about our own death. It takes people quickly and far too young and sometimes it takes people slowly and painfully. Death is never a fair opponent. The world wants us to be afraid of death and hide us from it at all costs. But death for a Christian doesn’t need be scary and it doesn’t need to be thought of as only ugly and brutal. Jesus teaches us that death is only a sleep from which we will awake to be with Him in heavenly glory. (Luke 8:52) Death is only a portal into true life, life eternal with Jesus.
In the eyes of the unbelieving world Christ’s death is seen as defeat and as foolishness, but to the Christian it is powerful and the only way to salvation. (1 Corinthians 1:18) The sinless Son of God dies to save the sinful child of man. (ELH 292; 5) St. Paul writes, “Christ Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross” (Phil. 2:8).
Jesus is our suffering servant who endured everything willingly. As Isaiah prophesied, “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). All the lashes and beatings He received were because of our sinfulness and not His own. He took the torture and ridicule we deserved without protest or hesitation.
All four evangelists refrain from using the language “He died” when describing Jesus’ death. Rather they all report that He breathed His last, gave up or yielded up His spirit. This language reflects the willingness He had when He bowed His head in death.
Christ had said earlier, “I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:17b-18) Although He truly died, Jesus didn’t lose His life; He gave up His life. Death’s power couldn’t take life from Jesus the Son of God. He entered into death and freely laid down His life (John 10:17–18) to rescue us from sin, suffering, pain and death. He met death and overcame it to save you and I from the jaws of death. What He has done is truly done. All is finished.
But how do we know that this soul saving and life giving work is ours? How do we know He finished it for us? Well, Jesus not only won life for us He also brings that life to us in His Word and Sacraments. All that He finished on the cross is brought to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He has worked faith in our heart and continues to strengthen our faith by directly coming to us in Word and Sacrament. Jesus strengthens and prepares our soul for heaven by feeding Himself to us, by feeding us His living body.
You and I need to be fed by Jesus because we will never be able to live like Him. We cannot meet God’s holy Law. Even if we tried our absolute hardest we would still fall short of the mark. Only Christ is holy and blameless, only He can meet God’s requirements of perfection. He is righteous and innocent and He came to redeem us by living perfectly under God’s Law. (Galatians 4:4–5)
We need a way for Jesus perfect life and righteousness to come to us, to penetrate our heart and make us glad. He does this by bringing us the forgiveness He won on the cross. A strength that only He can provide and forgiveness only His body and blood can grant us. Jesus by the power of His Word sets a glorious banquet before us saying, “come, for all things are now ready” (Luke 14:17).
On Maundy Thursday evening, the night He was betrayed and the night before His crucifixion Jesus instituted this great banquet feast. St. Matthew writes, “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:26–28)
Jesus took and distributed the same body and blood to His disciples that will be distributed to you this evening. His Word is clear; “this is my body; this is my blood” and it is His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit that makes it so. In His wisdom Jesus gave all believers a way to be so close to Him that He truly dwells in us. As we sing in our beautiful hymn of thanksgiving, “my Savior dwells within me now, how blest am I how good art thou!” (ELH 325; 2)
In the Lord’s Supper He gives you His living flesh to eat, the same flesh torn by men’s hands, the scourging whip, and rusty nails that pounded His hands into the cross. He gives you His living blood to drink; the same blood that dripped down His face from the crown of thorns and poured out from His spear pierced side. He places on your tongue the body and blood that death could not hold, the same life giving, resurrected and ascended flesh and blood that reigns in all heavenly glory.
You receive Jesus’ righteousness, life and forgiveness, which strengthen and preserve your soul every day and even in death. When it is time for your soul to depart this world you can confidently rest in His Words from the cross knowing that Jesus finished everything. You can depart in peace to your Father where He will welcome you into His loving arms as He did your Savior. Amen.
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(painting of the Last Supper by Simon Ushakov, 1685)
Midweek Lent – Pr. Faugstad homily
Text: St. John 19:30
In Christ Jesus, who never leaves a duty undone or a promise unkept, dear fellow redeemed:
The sixth word of Jesus from the cross is very short. We have it in English as three words: “It is finished!” But in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek, it is just one word. Scholars think that Jesus would have spoken this word in Aramaic from the cross. That word was most likely mashalam or shelim, which is a form of the word for peace. “Peace is accomplished!” In Latin, the word is consummatum and in Greek, tetelestai. One word, one very important word.
What did Jesus mean by this word? What exactly was He saying was finished? He wasn’t talking about being done with the sour wine. He wasn’t talking about His life either, since He did not give up His spirit until after speaking. The word He used meant that something had been done and would remain that way. It was finished, and it still is.
Jesus provided a clue when He used the same word with His disciples a short time before this. He told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished” (Luk. 18:31). The word He used for “will be accomplished” is a form of the same word He spoke from the cross. What will be accomplished now is. It is finished!
Jesus had accomplished “everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets.” The Old Testament prophets had written about how the Son of Man “will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him” (vv. 32-33). All of this suffering was written about Jesus before He lived it. It was all there.
The first hint of His suffering was announced in the Garden of Eden. The LORD said to the lying serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). The woman’s offspring was the Christ. He would crush Satan’s head, and in doing so, His heel would be bruised. That bruise was His suffering and death on the cross.
It took a long time for God’s promise to be fulfilled. It took so long that many people wondered if God would do what He said He would. Where was the snake-stomping Savior? Where was mankind’s redemption? Where was the victory? God knew His people. He knew they would have doubts. He knew they would grow impatient and lose hope. So He repeated the promise and kept repeating it. He spoke it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He spoke it to David and Solomon. He spoke it through prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah.
And now the time had come. The promise would be fulfilled. “[E]verything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.” Jesus was mocked and abused and spit upon and flogged and nailed to a cross. Was this the plan? How could this turn into victory? But it was victory. While Jesus cried out in anguish under the crushing weight of our sins, the devil’s head was simultaneously being crushed under His heal.
Jesus was paying for the very sins that the devil loves to hold over your head and throw in your face. There on the cross is the answer for your guilty conscience. There is the answer for your shame. There is the answer for the sins you have regretted ever since you did them. Jesus suffered hell for those sins. You can’t make up for them, but Jesus could. He could ransom His sinless life for your sinful one to the Father.
And it didn’t just count for you; it counted for every sinner. He “gave himself as a ransom for all” (1Ti. 2:6). If you are included in that word “all,” then Jesus suffered and died for you. Then He paid for all your sins. He didn’t miss even one— not the sins of your hands, not the sins of your mouth, not the sins of your mind. I can speak this so confidently, so certainly, because of the sixth word Jesus spoke from the cross: “It is finished!”
Everything that had to be suffered for you was suffered. Everything that had to be paid for you was paid. Everything that had to be done for you was done. All of it was for you, to reconcile you with the holy God. The apostle Peter, the same Peter who denied knowing Jesus at the time of His most terrible anguish, wrote, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1Pe. 3:18).
The Christ suffered once for Peter’s sins, once for your sins, once for my sins, once for the sins of the whole world. He fulfilled His Father’s will on the cross. He proved definitely that God keeps His promises. “[E]verything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished,” said Jesus. And it was.
There is no better news than this news. That’s why the devil attacks it so ferociously. He knows what Jesus did on the cross. The Lamb of God shed His blood to wash away all sin. That means the devil cannot rightfully accuse us anymore (Rev. 12:10-11). What sins can he point to if they were all atoned for on the cross?
So the devil tries to trick us and tempt us away from Jesus. “Oh, you have messed up too badly,” he says. “How could God ever forgive you for that? You knew that what you were doing was wrong, and you did it anyway!” Or he tries the opposite approach: “You aren’t that bad. Jesus didn’t really have to go through all that for you. Just focus on being a good person, and God will be happy with you.”
When we see what Jesus did on the cross, we should neither despair nor be prideful. Yes, Jesus was nailed to the cross for your sins, but He went there willingly. He wanted to take the punishment for your sins, so you wouldn’t have to. But if you think your sins are not all that many or all that serious, look closer at the spotless Lamb brutally beaten and pinned to a cross. Even if no one else in the world needed Him to suffer and die in their place, your sins alone were enough to put Him there. He was there for you.
That means His word from the cross was spoken for you: mashalam! consummatum! tetelestai! That word is the power behind the means of grace. The pastor can declare by the authority of God and by his holy office that your sins are forgiven because Jesus said, “It is finished!” Because He said, “It is finished!” you can be certain that His body and blood given to you in the Supper is “for the remission of your sins.”
The work to save your soul and redeem you from eternal death was completed on the cross. If this work were in your hands to do, it would never be done. But because Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God, took on this work, it was finished, and it stands finished forever and ever. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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(picture from Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald, c. 1510)