Good Friday

Good Friday – April 18, 2025

Hosea 6:1-6; Habakkuk 3:2-4; Exodus 12:1-11; Psalm 140

St. John 18-19

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

“If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty…you are still in your sins…If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”[1] The death and resurrection of Christ are the center, the heart, of our faith. This is because Christ vicariously (that is, in the place of man) rendered to God, who was wrathful over our sin, a satisfaction which changed His wrath into grace toward us.[2] The vicarious satisfaction of God’s wrath on your behalf is the focus of our service today.

Pilate asked the Jews, “Shall I crucify your King?”[3] All Christians ought to consider that question. All Christians ought to be bothered by how to answer it. Knowing the depth of your own sin, it seems impossible to answer, “Yes! Crucify Him!” You know that it is your sin that ultimately put Christ on the cross. He lived a perfect life. There was no sin in Him. He knew no sin and yet He died the death of a criminal because of your sin. No one desires to see an innocent life taken. It is even more difficult to know that the innocent life was taken because of you.

At the same time, knowing the depth of God’s love for you, knowing what the Scriptures say about the Christ, and knowing that God will raise the innocent Lamb from the dead, Christians are also obligated to answer Pilate’s question with, “Yes, crucify Him.” It is this dichotomy that I hope to lay before you this afternoon by looking 1) first at the immutable justice of God; 2) second, what it means that Christ is our substitute; and 3) finally, the benefits of Christ’s substitution.

I.                   The Immutable Justice of God

God’s immutable justice demands perfect obedience to His Law and pronounces eternal damnation on all who transgress.[4] This justice is an inherent quality in God. He is perfect in every way and will not stand in the presence of imperfection. As for the demand of perfect obedience, that is precisely how God created the universe. In the beginning, He called all things good. With the creation of man, He called all things very good. Man was created in original righteousness. His will was perfectly conformed to God’s will. Adam and Eve trusted God more fully and obeyed His Law more precisely than we can even imagine.

The proclamation of eternal damnation on all who transgress was also present at the beginning. God told Adam and Eve that should they transgress His Law, they would surely die. The consequence of sin is death, not strictly because one logically follows the other, like one domino hitting the next, but because of God’s judgment against transgression. God passed the death sentence for the transgression of sin because it is a tearing of the relationship between man and God. It is a destruction of the relationship into which God first created man. If God is life, then severing our connection to Him via sin is to choose death. Therefore, God’s judgment of death for transgression does logically follow, even if the cause and power of death is God’s proclamation, not logic. It is the Word of God that makes death deadly.

Some might try to comfort themselves by saying that God’s justice and proclamation of damnation for transgression of that justice only apply in general, to His general governing of the world. However, this is not the case. Scripture is clear, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them;”[5] “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”[6] All means all. Everyone means every individual person. Every person is born a sinner, a consequence of original sin, and every person continues to sin. Stumble in one minor point of God’s Law and you are guilty of it all.[7]

It is our own guilt and shame that would plead with Pilate to reconsider. Knowledge of sin leads us to realize that we are not worth the death of another, let alone the innocent death of Christ.

II.                Christ is the Substitute

Yet it is the very death of Christ that pleads on our behalf. The hour of His crucifixion is the hour of His glorification. It is the very reason He came into our flesh. “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.”[8] Motivated by the deep, eternal, divine love for man, Christ made Himself lower than the angels that He might reconcile us to the Father and plead our case before the Divine Judge. He willingly accepted the obligation to stand in man’s stead both to keep the Law perfectly and bear the punishment the Law exacts on transgression.[9]

By standing in the of man, Christ fulfills both elements of God’s justice. He perfectly kept the Law. He was obedient in every way, even triumphing over the temptations of satan that were the demise of Adam and Eve. He was obedient to death, even death on a cross.[10]

Christ’s death was gruesome. He was tortured, stricken, smitten, and afflicted. His face and body were unrecognizable as He hung on the tree. He suffered physical and spiritual pain on a scale billions of times greater than we can imagine. He knew the pain He must endure on your behalf. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He begged the Father that if there was another way to save mankind, any other way, to let it be so.[11] And yet, He faithfully submitted to His Father, knowing what must happen. What mother’s heart isn’t broken by the suffering of her child? And yet any mother would give anything to suffer in her child’s place. So too, Christ is willing to suffer even this on behalf of His beloved.

Knowing the depth of Christ’s love for us, that while we were yet sinners, He died for us, we ought to answer Pilate’s question, “If it is the Father’s will, then please, do not crucify Him; yet do not act according to our will, but let God’s will be done.”[12]

III.             The Benefits of Substitution

Through Christ’s substitutional obedience and death, God’s wrath against man was appeased, or in other words, the judgment of condemnation was set aside.^[13] The verdict was rendered, and the sentence was carried out, but not on you. Christ stood in your place and received the full sentence due to man for sin, and there is no double jeopardy in the divine courtroom. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”[14]

Having been justified by Christ, declared righteous before God, the relationship between God and man has been restored. That which was sundered by sin has been repaired through the death of Christ, which satisfied God’s wrath against sinners. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”[15]

There is sometimes the idea that faith or religion is for the purpose of personal fulfillment, comfort, encouragement, or self-actualization. That idea leads to the modern thought that while you might find fulfillment in Christ, someone else finds fulfillment in friendship, the teachings of the Buddha, or even a fine glass of whiskey. This thinking fails to realize that in Christ, we have something objective. A real change has happened outside of ourselves. Christ’s vicarious satisfaction is an objective truth that stands outside of our sense of fulfillment, joy, or encouragement. He has satisfied the wrath of God such that we are now reconciled with God. The restoration of this relationship means that we have access to the Father. We are declared free from the bondage of sin.

In this freedom, sure, we find a sense of fulfillment, joy, encouragement, and even happiness, but these benefits derive from the true benefit of the Cross – a restored relationship with God, an objective declaration of our innocence before God. The deadly power of death has been removed. It had no claim on Christ, the truly innocent One, and so now death has no claim on you. “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”[16]

We must never separate the Crucifixion from the Resurrection. The Resurrection of Christ is the sign that His sacrifice to the Father was accepted, pleasing to the Father, and that it made atonement for man. Death had no claim on Christ because He had no sin. Yet He bore the sins of the world, your sin, into death that it would be buried there in the tomb. It was necessary for Christ to die so that by His death, death would be destroyed.

And standing on this side of the Resurrection, our eyes opened like those of the disciples in Emmaus, we can hear Pilate’s question with new ears, “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate and the Jews, though themselves agents of death and the devil, were also working to fulfill the way of salvation. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.[17] Therefore, we can confidently answer Pilate, “Yes, crucify our King because by His crucifixion, we shall be made righteous before God. Yes, crucify our King because by His death we are saved and the wicked shall be judged. Yes, crucify our King because in three days, He will be raised triumphant over the death you so wickedly have commanded.”

The cross of Christ is His glorification and the moment of our salvation. If there was any other way for salvation, even Christ found it preferable. Yet this was the only way to save sinners. And because Christ loves you, He endured the sins of the world by hanging on a tree. Thanks be to God that He “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”[18]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, 19.

[2] This definition of the vicarious satisfaction comes from Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, Volume 2 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1951), 344.

[3] St. John 19:15.

[4] Pieper, 344.

[5] Galatians 3:10.

[6] Romans 3:23.

[7] James 2:10.

[8] Galatians 4:4-5.

[9] Pieper, 345.

[10] Philippians 2:8.

[11] St. Matthew 26:39-46; St. Mark 14:35-42; St. Luke 22:41-44.

[12] Romans 5:8; St. Luke 22:42.

[13] Pieper, 346.

[14] Romans 3:23-24.

[15] Romans 8:1.

[16] 1 Corinthians 15:56-57.

[17] Hebrews 9:22.

[18] St. John 3:16.

Maundy Thursday

 Maundy Thursday – April 17, 2025

Psalm 67; Exodus 12:1-14; 1 Corinthians 11:20-32

St. John 13:1-15, 34-35

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

St. Paul writes of the Sacrament of the Altar, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you.”[1] The Sacrament we celebrate this evening is the same Sacrament St. Paul delivered to the Corinthians. More importantly, it is the same Sacrament Christ gave to His gathered disciples on the night on which He was betrayed. We participate in that same Supper, namely the very Body and Blood of Christ, given for you for the forgiveness of sins.

What you receive is the same Body and Blood of Christ that hung on the cross and rose from the grave three days later. So much is it the same, that it is not my reciting the Words of Christ that makes it the Sacrament. Rather, the speaking of the Verba marks these elements, this bread and wine, as participating in the very Words Christ spoke that first Maundy Thursday. These elements participate in the miracle of Christ Supper and thus are the Body and Blood of Christ, made so by His very words.

This Sacrament was given for us to “do this” often, namely eat and drink His Body and Blood, in remembrance of Him. The words, “in remembrance” mean to call to mind not only what the Sacrament is and what benefits it bestows, and those are chiefly what it refers to, but also the sacrifice made by Christ, through which we are saved. To receive the Sacrament in remembrance of Him is to remember Christ’s perfect life and death and to know that you are receiving the fruits of His righteousness in this very supper. You receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. None of these belong to you by right. They are not rewards for your work, knowledge, or personal righteousness. The Supper belongs to Christ and He has graciously called you to His table to receive everything that rightly belongs to Him. It is His forgiveness, life, and salvation that you receive.

And as this Supper rightly belongs to Him, it is the great gathering of the Body of Christ around His Holy Supper. It is a divine family meal, shared by those of the same faith, in a shared confession of Christ’s holy name.

Who, then, should receive the Sacrament? Simply, one who is worthy and well prepared. To be worthy to receive the Sacrament is to have faith in these words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

As for preparation, St. Paul says, “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” To be prepared to receive the Sacrament requires examination. This examination is best done according to the Small Catechism, under the section called, “Christian Questions with Their Answers.” In summary, this examination has four chief parts. First, it requires that you know that you are a sinner. This is necessary since the Sacrament offers the forgiveness of sins. If you have no sin, then you have no need of the Sacrament. If you think you have no sin, you deceive yourself, and again, you have no need of the Sacrament. Knowledge and awareness of your sin also makes you aware of your need for salvation, your need for a Savior.

The second part of this examination is to see if you are sorry for your sins. This is called “contrition.” One can be aware of his sin but not sorry, not sorrowful, over it. Such pride has no place in the Christian, nor does such a prideful man have a share in Christ’s Body. Rather, to know your sin and be sorry for it is to desire to be free from it, to be turned away from it, to be relieved of it.

The third part of this examination concerns faith. If sorrow over sin is the first part of repentance, the second part is faith, trust that Christ has and will forgive your sin. Trusting that Christ can, does, and will forgive your sins is nothing more than trusting that the words of Christ are true. “Given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.” Christ has said it, and this I believe.

The final part of examination is the intention, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to resist the devil and walk in newness of life. This is the fruit of repentance. A Christian who receives the forgiveness of sins has received a new heart, and sincerely intends to strive against the temptations of the devil and walk in the light of Christ.

Such preparation requires at lease some intellectual ability. It requires the ability to speak or communicate an awareness of what is happening in the Sacrament. This is especially important for the relationship between the communicant and the Celebrant, the Pastor who is distributing the Lord’s Supper. He, as the steward of the mysteries of God, is responsible for distributing the Holy Communion according to Christ’s institution and command. And since St. Paul warns against receiving the Sacrament unworthily, it is necessary that the Pastor do everything he can to assure that those who receive it from him, receive it to their benefit and not to their judgment.

This means the Pastor must be able to discern that the communicant can and has examined himself. It means the Pastor must have the sense that this person knows he is a sinner, is sorry for his sins, has faith that Christ has forgiven his sins, and intends to bear fruit according to this faith. That requires communication and examination on the part of the Pastor.

What about those whose faith is weak or who are struggling with their faith? Should they commune? By all means! The True Body and Blood of Christ strengthens you in body and soul to life everlasting. If a Christian’s faith is weak, if he has been assaulted by the cares of this world or the temptations of the devil, there is nothing he needs more than the assurance of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation found in the Holy Supper. He needs to be fed on the medicine of immortality that he might go on in the strength of this holy food.

We each ought to be concerned with receiving the Sacrament worthily. The First Letter to the Corinthians makes it clear that to receive it unworthily and unprepared is to eat and drink to your own judgment. The Lord’s Supper is the medicine of immortality, but use any medicine incorrectly and it will harm you. Failure to consider the right use of the Sacrament runs the danger of receiving it to your temporal and eternal harm.

Who, then, should not receive the Sacrament of the Altar? First, those who are not Christians or are not baptized should not receive the Sacrament. They have no knowledge of sin according to the Word of God and do not trust in Christ for Salvation. If they are converts to Christianity who haven’t yet been baptized, they first need to receive the new birth of water and the Holy Spirit. Then, they may join in the glorious feast of Christ.

Second, those who cannot examine themselves should not receive the Sacrament. This includes infants, who have not yet obtained the intellectual ability to examine themselves. It also includes those with significantly progressed forms of dementia or alzheimer’s, who have lost the intellectual ability to examine themselves. Similarly, those who are unconscious should not commune. Finally, the uninstructed fit into this category. The uninstructed are not lacking in skill but are lacking in knowledge. They must first be shown from God’s Word what sin is, how to find sin within themselves, who Christ is, what He has done, and receive instruction in what it means to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

Third, those who are openly unrepentant, living contrary to God’s Word, should not commune. These are those Christians who are aware of their sins but are not contrite over them or do not want to amend their life so as to flee from sin. This, by the way, includes sins against the Third Commandment. The one who was baptized and confirmed in a Lutheran Church but hasn’t come to the Divine Service since the Sunday after confirmation should not commune. He habitually lives contrary to God’s command to be in Church, to gather with the saints, to commune often, that is frequently.

In the preface to the Small Catechism, Dr. Luther says that someone who does not seek Holy Communion at least four times a year is not a Christian, and he is being generous. God commands frequent attendance to keep the Sabbath day holy. Attending once or twice a year, let alone a few times in a decade, does not mean you are a Christian. Such a one should not commune until he has received fresh instruction, examined himself and been examined such that he can make the bold confession, “I am a sinner for whom Christ died, and my soul needs the Sacrament that I might obtain the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.”

Fourth, Christians who are themselves unforgiving and refuse to be reconciled with their neighbors also ought not commune. Christ says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”[2] To withhold forgiveness and refuse reconciliation is to slap Christ in the face. It is to say that your judgment is greater than God’s. He gave His life for you, to forgive your sins, yet you would refuse to forgive someone for their slight against you. Like the servant who begged for forgiveness from his master but refused to forgive the debt of another servant and was thrown into prison, the outcome for refusing to forgive is the same.

Finally, those of a different confession are not to commune together. Holy Communion is not just an individual act between you and God. It is a public expression of unity with those who kneel at the rail with you. It is a statement that you share the doctrine that is preached from this pulpit and distributed from this altar. It is a meal shared by a family, it is not for strangers off the street, foreigners to the family.

There are real distinctions between denominations. Any church body that ordains women does not believe the Scriptures to be without error. Any church who believes the Sacrament of the Altar is a symbol of Christ’s Body has a false understanding of who Christ is. A Church who gives any man other than Christ the authority to determine what sin is or who receives salvation does not believe what the Bible says concerning the forgiveness of sins and our justification before God. These are real, core differences that we should not overlook. There are certainly Christians in all Christian denominations but there is no unity. To commune together would be to confess a lie, a unity that doesn’t exist.

To a lesser degree, it is also important to remember that even within the Lutheran Church -Missouri Synod, a visitor to a church does not have an inherent right to commune. When you visit another congregation, you are a guest in their house. It is your responsibility to contact the Pastor ahead of time so that he knows to expect you. On the morning of, it is your responsibility to arrive early, introduce yourself, and ask permission to commune. It is fitting and proper for a guest to ask to participate in the family meal. And if the pastor, for whatever reason, asks you not to commune that day, you should not take offense. Your soul will not be harmed by not receiving the sacrament for that one day. You will still participate in the service. You will hear the Word of God by which man is saved. Your sins will be forgiven.

Regarding those who should not commune, the goal is always to move toward being able to commune. For the unbeliever, that they would be brought to faith in Christ, moved by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God to receive Christ as the only way to salvation. For the unrepentant and the unforgiving, that they would be shown the depth of their sin, moved by the Holy Spirit to confess that sin for what it is and return to the sheepfold of faith, sincerely fleeing from sin and clinging to Christ. For the uninstructed, that they would be instructed in the faith, taught the Word of God so that they might examine themselves and be found worthy and prepared to receive the Holy Communion. And finally, for those of a different confession, that they would see the errors taught in their denomination and brought to a right understanding of the Word of God, made to see the pure truth of God’s Word. The Church regularly prays for an end to all schisms. Christ has one Body and it is the sincere desire of all Christians that the Body of Christ would be united in a true confession of His Word.

The meal we share this evening is the Lord’s Supper. It is His meal where He is both host and food. We dine together, being united in one confession of Christ’s Holy Word. In this divine meal, we receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation because in this meal, we receive Christ, Himself. He gives His Body and Blood that we would be united with Him in body and soul.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] 1 Corinthians 11:23.

[2] St. Matthew 6:14-15.

Palmarum (Palm Sunday)

 Palmarum (Palm Sunday) – April 13, 2025

Psalm 22; Philippians 2:5-11

St. Matthew 26-27

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.[1]

Christ our Lord rode into Jerusalem to die for the sins of the whole world. Like the wood carried by the donkey up the mountain when Abraham intended to sacrifice Isaac, Jesus is being carried to the altar of the cross on a mountain called Calvary. Our Lord willingly submits to the mockery, torture, and execution of sinful men to redeem even those wicked Pharisees and Sadducees.

Despite dying for the sins of the whole world, the whole world is not saved. There are those blatant pagans, who scoff at the Name of Jesus. They have never believed in Christ and so condemn themselves. What is more difficult for many of us are those who have known the Name of Christ, been baptized and taught from His Word, but through laziness, discontent, or the influence of the world, have abandoned their Lord.

St. Peter and Judas Iscariot are two such people. Judas has been embezzling money from the disciples for some time. It seems the anointing of Christ at Bethany was the last straw for Judas. Sometime after the woman poured the costly perfume on Jesus’ head, Judas ran to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver [Jesus] to you?”[2] They handed over 30 pieces of silver and left Judas alone to begin plotting.

St. Peter believes himself to be zealous for the Lord. While he is sorrowful at first, recognizing that he is capable of betraying his Lord, Peter later decides that he will never abandon, let alone betray, Jesus. When the crowd appears, Peter jumps into action, drawing his sword and cutting off the ear of the chief priest’s servant.

In his zeal, Peter has forgotten that the Christ rode into Jerusalem to die. He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and the likeness of men so that he could be obedient unto death.[3] This death would seal the new covenant in His blood, atoning for the sins of the world. Peter thinks he will defend Jesus from the crowd, not allowing them to take Him away.

When such a power play doesn’t work, Peter follows behind the crowd to the courtyard of the Sanhedrin. I’m sure he was working hard to develop a plan to spring Jesus out of the chief priests’ custody. It is here, in a garden, he denies three times to know Jesus at all. By the time the rooster crowed, Peter realizes his sin. Zealous Peter, who was willing to die with Jesus rather than abandon Him, had denied his Lord three times. The gruesome parts of that Friday, the torture and crucifixion hadn’t even begun, and Peter had already fled like a startled lamb. He ran into the early morning light weeping bitterly.

About the same time, Judas is also having second thoughts. The Sanhedrin condemned Jesus and were now taking Him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor. Judas knew the only reason to take Jesus to Pilate was for a death sentence. He suddenly realizes that his actions have sentenced Jesus to death. His reaction to the situation tells us that he didn’t fully understand the implications of betraying Jesus until he had already set them into motion.

Peter ran away crying.

Judas ran back to the chief priests

Judas confessed his sin before them and gave back the thirty pieces of silver, but the chief priests would not have it. They did not forgive Judas but left him to contemplate his own sin. Then Judas went and hanged himself.

St. Peter disappears for a while. We do not hear about him again until the day of the Resurrection. He hides himself for shame. The former spokesman of the disciples, the recipient of miracles, St. Peter is reduced to a child hiding in his closet after hitting his brother.

The sins of Peter and Judas weighed heavily on their souls. Peter overestimated his righteousness. He overestimated his ability to withstand temptation. Thus, when he fell, he fell hard. It seems a slight sin to have denied knowing Christ, but it is indeed blasphemy. He was denying the very God who took on flesh to die for him.

Whenever you are silent in the face of sin, you too deny knowing Jesus. When you see homosexuality portrayed on television or in the movies and are not disgusted by it, you deny knowing Jesus. For that matter, whenever you watch something, read something, or even visit certain restaurants and think to yourself, “Oh, I can handle watching this. The nudity, language, violence, tight clothing, or other blatant sins won’t affect me;” you may as well proclaim, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble!” This overestimation of your own righteousness and underestimation of your sinfulness is the sin of Peter in your flesh.

Judas was greedy. His betrayal began with the question, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?”[4] Every time you have chosen the respect of the world over the commandments of God, you have bargained for far less than 30 pieces of silver. Submitting to the government because “they said so” or preferring the word of “Science” to the Word of God is appealing to the chief priests. Being annoyed by a long sermon or bible study but being able to sit through a 2-hour movie unperturbed is a sin. At least Judas made 30 pieces of silver. Today, we are happy to betray Christ for 7 minutes of pleasure.

All of you will be made to stumble because of Jesus, for the ancient flesh which clings to you desires nothing more than to scatter the flock of Christ. All of you will betray Christ in word and deed. What then is our hope?

Judas had no hope. He was sorrowful for his sin. He expressed contrition, the first part of repentance. Yet he was without faith. He did not trust that Christ could and would forgive him. He ran to the priests to make atonement for his own sin. He gave back the silver, trying to buy a clean conscience, yet even these wicked men would have none of it. Judas ran outside the city and hanged himself.

Suicide does not automatically condemn you to hell. It is entirely possible for a Christian, possessing faith in Christ for his salvation, to be overcome by a moment of emotion and make a stupid decision. The shadow of depression can pass over anyone and if the shadow is dark enough, it can make us think there is no light, at least for the moment. Such a suicide certainly can be saved.

But we should not take that to mean that everyone who commits suicide is not responsible for his actions, nor that the act of suicide is not inherently sinful. It is. And there are some who commit suicide because they have despaired of Christ. They believe He cannot or will not forgive them. Judas is one of these. Our Lord said of Judas, “woe to that may by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”[5]

Since the fall, man has confused good and evil. Since the enlightenment, we’ve fooled ourselves into believing the world is never black and white, only shades of gray. And since at least the 1980’s, we have come to celebrate the so-called “anti-hero” in the United States. We cheer for the dark, brooding guy bad guy who is full of wickedness but rises above it, at least for a while, to save the day. Every hero must be flawed so deeply that he constantly questions what is good and what is evil.

What’s more is that we’ve become obsessed with the idea that every villain must have a reason for his evil. He must have an origin story. Someone committed evil against him so he has a reason, a right, to perpetrate his evil acts. Evil is no longer evil. It is the understandable, if inadvisable or regrettable, consequence of a difficult life. Christians must reject this thinking because we know the devil is a liar and the father of lies. He is the source of evil. The sin clinging to our flesh is the source of evil. Evil is never something to sympathize with nor something to be played with.

This tendency in our modern minds has turned Judas into a sympathetic character. Many Christians choose to believe that Judas is in heaven. Jesus says differently. It would’ve been better had he not been born. This is a statement of condemnation. Judas dies in his sin because he dies without faith. He despairs of the forgiveness of God and hangs himself because he thinks he cannot live with what he has done. For the rest of eternity, he will endure not the love of God, but His divine wrath.

There is a note of hope for us in the story of Judas, however. Each time our Lord predicts His betrayal, Jesus is calling Judas to repentance. By the foreknowledge of His divinity, Jesus knows that Judas will ultimately reject this call to repent, but that doesn’t stop Jesus from calling. The worst thing to happen to men on this side of glory is to hear the silence of the Lord. Notice how often Christ is silent before Caiaphas and His other accusers. When God stops speaking to you in His Word and Sacraments, it means He has left you to the passions of your own heart. He did not shut His lips toward Judas. Judas shut his ears to the Word of God. Judas chose the approval of man over the love of God, and seeing that he had lost the approval of man, Judas hanged himself.

This is a note of hope for us because it demonstrates how far Christ will go to keep His sheep in His flock. Being called to repent, being confronted by your own sins does not feel good. It hurts when someone points out your sin. It hurts because the wound inflicted on your soul by sin is being reopened. The call to repentance opens the wound so that the wound may be cleaned out by the confession of your sin. The wound is then healed by the salve of Christ’s Word of forgiveness. The whole life of the Christian is one of repentance because repentance has two parts: sorrow over your sin and faith that God will forgive that sin.

St. Peter is the narrative foil to Judas. He denied Christ and ran away weeping. Wherever he went that Friday morning, we know that he returned to the company of the disciples by Sunday. He is again with the disciples in time to hear Mary Magdalene proclaim the resurrection to him.

Peter was ashamed of his sin, but he did not try to purchase forgiveness. He came back to the place where Christ promised to be. “Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am in the midst of them.”[6] Peter returned to the place where he expected Jesus to be, even if he didn’t fully understand Jesus’ prophecies regarding the Resurrection.

For his threefold denial, Christ our Lord gives St. Peter a threefold absolution.[7] Peter demonstrates both sorrow over sin and faith that Christ has overcome even his sin.

Preachers often find themselves trying to help you recognize sins in your daily life. I am quick to point out that utter devotion to a local sports team is akin to offering sacrifice to Yahweh in the morning and Baal in the evening. But sometimes, we all need to remember the severity of grosser sins. Peter denied knowing Jesus. He said, “I do not know Him.” This is like saying, “I am not a Christian!” Judas betrayed Jesus to a murderous mob, resulting in the Crucifixion.

These were not sins of momentary passions. They were wicked, manifest sins. Yet the death of Jesus atones for them. No matter what you have done—from giving more time and attention to the sportsball than to reading Scripture, to sleeping with another man’s wife, murdering a man in the flesh, or denying the Name of Christ for the sake of a job, money, or reputation—the Blood of Jesus has atoned for you.

If a guilty conscience ever seizes you, certainly remember your baptism, but also come to your pastor. Remember your baptism because it was the sure and certain moment in which you were washed in the waters of regeneration and born again of water and the Holy Spirit. You were made a new creation in Christ and an heir of heaven.

But also come to your pastor for absolution. You need to hear that Jesus has forgiven your sin in this very moment. With the hands of the pastor on your head, hear that Christ died for you, for this sin that plagues your conscience, for all the sins you have committed. Do not think you can handle sin on your own, like Peter did. Do not think you can relieve yourself of sin, like Judas did. Confess your sins and trust that Christ forgives them. Meet with Jesus in the place He has promised to be and hear the Word of absolution again and again for your sins.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] The following sermon is a modified version of the sermon preached in 2022.

[2] St. Matthew 26:15.

[3] Philippians 2:7.

[4] St. Matthew 26:15.

[5] St. Matthew 26:24.

[6] St. Matthew 18:20.

[7] St. John 21:15-19.

Lent Midweek 5

 Lent Midweek 5 – April 9, 2025

Psalm 143; Leviticus 19:1-2a, 10b-19a, 25b

St. John 10:22-38

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

169 years before the birth of Christ, the Syrians ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes conquered Judea and overthrew Jerusalem. He arrogantly entered the Temple, removing the altar and the other appointments. In its place, Antiochus erected a pagan altar and began offering sacrifices to Zeus. He ordered that all citizens of the kingdom adopt Greek habits, culture, and religion on punishment of death.[1] Many from Israel “gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.”[2]

At that time, God raised up a man named Mattathias to begin a rebellion against this pagan ruler. This rebellion began with the faithful remnant fleeing into the hills and waging a guerilla campaign against the superior forces of Antiochus. As word of the rebellion spread, faithful women and children also made their way into the hills to find safety among these steadfast men of God.

It was Mattathias’s son, Judas Maccabeus, who would eventually defeat the Syrian army and liberate Jerusalem after 4 years of brutal warfare. All the while, Judas would encourage his men by bolstering their faith. In the face of vastly superior numbers and armaments, Judas remained faithful that the True and Living God would deliver them from the oppression and false worship of the Syrians.

When that day of deliverance finally came, the first action of the now freed Israelites was to remove the pagan altar from the temple. They refused even to repurpose the stone, preferring to cast it into an unclean place, awaiting God to raise up a prophet to tell them what to do with it. They rebuilt the altar and remade the furniture and appointments of the temple. When the preparations were complete, the priests offered the first right sacrifices in the temple since Antiochus had erected the Abomination of Desolation in that holy place. To commemorate the occasion, Judas Maccabeus declared an 8-day celebration of mirth and gladness, giving thanks to the God who had delivered them from the hands of Antiochus, his pagan worship, and his pagan way of living. This 8-day feast is called “Hannukah,” translated, “The Feast of Dedication.”

This feast is the setting for our reading this evening. It was a feast to commemorate the rededication of the temple, after it had been cleansed of the false worship of pagan gods and rededicated to the worship of the True and Living God. You may have heard Hannukah as the “Festival of Lights,” but the legend of the miraculous oil that burned for 8 straight days is not recorded until nearly 700 years after the Maccabean Rebellion. The feast was instituted to commemorate the great victory God provided over the Syrians and the restoration of worship according to the Word of God.

With this in mind, the actions and questions of the Jews in our text take on renewed significance. Just as the nations surrounded Jerusalem and threatened the existence of God’s people, the Jews surround Christ. As He walks in the oldest portion of the Temple, it is demanded that He tell them plainly if He is the Christ.[3] These Pharisees and chief priests are asking an honest question. They have already asked this same question five chapters earlier. Christ has shown through His works and through His teachings that He is indeed, the Christ of the Scriptures, the Son of God become Man, but they have refused to see, refused to hear.

Christ answers them very directly, “I told you, and you do not believe.”[4] He goes on to characterize His sheep as those who hear His voice. This hearing, receiving of the Word of God, is not strictly passive in the sense of audio waves bouncing off the ear drum. Its like the mother who tells her teenage son to take out the garbage. When she finds him still sitting on the couch and the garbage sitting in the kitchen, she might say, “Did you not hear me?” Hearing the voice of the shepherd manifests in action. In the case of Christ, this Word of the Shepherd is the call to leave earthly and sinful attachments and follow Christ.

Salvation is by faith alone. It is not the result of our actions, even our response to the Word of God. But being one of the sheep, being one who hears and receives the call of faith, results in a change in the state of being. Having heard the Word of God, one cannot help but be called to a new life. This is the life of a Christian. It involves a new way of life, a new habitus.

The nefarious Jews and chief priests of our text are like their forefathers who gladly adopted the religion and ways of life of Antiochus. They are firmly rooted in their false beliefs concerning God and His Word. They refuse to hear, and respond, to the Words of Christ. Thus, their way of life, their habitus, is unchanged. Being unchanged, their lack of faith is made manifest to all.

The devil has not changed his tactics in the last 2,000 years. Those who belong to him still seek to draw away the faithful sheep into an earthly habitus, an earthly way of life, as opposed to the way of Christ. Rainbow pride, DEI, and critical theory are a new creed commanded by the collective conscience of a new Antiochus, the ruler and high priest of our age. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” and “Live and let live” would never be enough to satisfy this new religion. Christians are daily demanded to confess the words of these new creeds. We must resist that temptation. Young and old alike, we must resist.

The most fundamental step in this resistance is to refuse to speak the lies. After Antiochus commanded everyone in Judea to sacrifice to his gods, there was a small minority who refused. Among these was a 90-year-old man named Eleazer. His friends begged him to participate, if only to save his life, but Eleazer refused. He said, “At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many of the young would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion. If I dissemble to gain a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring defilement and dishonor on my old age.”[5] Eleazer did not lead the military revolt against Antiochus, but he refused to speak the lie. He would not dishonor God’s Word, and he would not set the unfaithful example for the young. Youth, and children especially, need role models. They especially need men who will show them the way of life, the way of Christ. They need men to be men so that they would learn to lead in their own time.

Beyond refusing to speak the lie, the next step to which all Christians are called is living the life of a Christian. That might sound overly simple, but it is true. Show the next generation of Christians how to act in Church. Listen, sing, give attention to the matters at hand. Recite the catechism with your children or grandchildren as often as possible. If you are employed, be the best employee you can, setting the example of one who works for Christ. Care for your children as the gifts of God they are.

If it has been given to you, the greatest step is actively participating in the rebellion. At the beginning of the Maccabean revolt, the faithful few had no weapons, yet they ran into battle with the Lord at their side. The Word of God was their sword and shield, their armor and defense. These first steps might look like attending a March for Life. It might look like refusing to attend DEI training. It might even be as simple as reading articles or books to better understand the situation we are facing.

The sheep who hear the voice of the Shepherd are never alone. He holds you in the palm of His hand and no one can snatch you away. The warmth of the Father’s hand enlivens you to live according to the word that gives you hearing. Our Shepherd is the one who gives eternal life. That life is the freedom to stand with Judas Maccabeus and Eleazer, to rejoice in the Temple not made with hands. Freedom to stand against the Jews, the chief priests, and the nations who surround you. It is the freedom of one released from the bonds of sin and called into the sheepfold of Christ.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] 1 Maccabees 1:41-50.

[2] 1 Maccabees 1:43.

[3] St. John 10:24.

[4] St. John 10:25.

[5] 2 Maccabees 6:24-25.