The Feast of St. James the Elder, Apostle

St. James the Elder, Apostle – July 25, 2021
Psalm 89; Acts 11:27-12:5; Romans 8:28-39
St. Mark 10:35-45

            In the name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

            St. James the Elder is not only one of the Twelve but is part of the inner circle of Jesus. Three Apostles – Peter, James, and John – are given the unique opportunity to witness the raising of Jairus’s daughter,[1] the glorious Transfiguration of our Lord and the ensuing conversation with Moses and Elijah,[2] and finally the agony of our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane.[3] Of the three, however, we hear very little from James’ mouth in the New Testament and we have nothing of his writings. The Epistle bearing the name of “James” was written by the brother of our Lord, not the brother of John.

            The silent James and his poetic brother John seem embarrassed to ask Jesus for something. It is like a child saying, “Promise not to be mad, but I…” “We want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

            Jesus’ response is the same as most parents, “What do you want?”

            The request of the sons of thunder grates on all of us, especially because we live in America. “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” They are asking to sit in the two highest seats at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. They are asking to be given the highest honor by sitting closest to our Lord in eternity. Immediately this sounds arrogant. “How dare they presume they can ask such an honor. What do they think, they are better than us?”[4]

            This is precisely the reaction of the other ten apostles. “Who do those guys think they are? Who are they to rule over us? We have rights and freedoms, and they are sinners just like us.” It is built into the American mindset that one man ruling over another is tantamount to a king, dictator, or tyrant, and inevitably results in horrible abuses of power.

            Jesus rebukes the ten because they were seeking to rule over the sons of thunder. Their desire for equality resulted in tyranny over their brothers in Christ. By comparison, James and John were rebuked very gently by our Lord. They may not have understood the full implications of their request, but they were asking for a good thing – to be close to Christ for all eternity.

            James and John went too far in requesting the highest seats of honor in Christ’s kingdom but at least theirs is a pious desire: to be in Christ’s kingdom, at his side, and at hand to serve him. The ten, not the two, are revealed to be arrogant. They demand equality for all. None shall rise above them and should anyone stand out for any reason, they must be crushed. Soon, no one desires to ask Christ to be near them because such a desire is considered selfish. Where would the world be if no one desired Christ to be near?

            The fantasy of democracy is that all people are equal in all ways. They are granted equal opportunity in every way and to deny such opportunities is a sin against democracy. It is easy for us to consider the virtues of such a governance, but the vices often lie in our blind spot. Other democracies have risen and fallen – fallen for economic reasons, fallen for wicked tyrants, fallen from invasion. In our country, democracy has allowed for abortion to be legal and funded by your taxes. Democracy has allowed homosexuals to claim a right to marriage and force Christians to lose their livelihood. Democracy has allowed pornographic scenes onto cable networks during prime time. The insistence on freedom of opportunity and equality has turned violations of the Ten Commandments into laws and immorality into justice.

            Trust not in princes, they are but mortals. No system of governance is without flaw; most have their merits but all have shortfalls. The sin of Adam ensures that man will always desire the downfall of other men. “I may not be able to earn more money or become more successful, but if I can’t do it, no one else should either.”

            Repent. Repent of such arrogance and judgment against your neighbor. “Not only are you not better than other people, but there are, in fact, people better than you, people smarter, harder working, busier, kinder, more generous. Don’t take that away from them. Don’t try to pretend it isn’t so. Instead, strive to be like them.”[5]

            The rebuke of James and John is gentler. Christ asks what seems to be a rhetorical question, “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” The brothers, still focused on their desire and with no consideration for Jesus’ perspective in the question, respond, “We are able. Yes we can.”

            One might assume that Jesus would say, “Wrong. You can’t because I’m God.” But he doesn’t. He says, “Yes, you will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. You will suffer in this world. You will suffer physically, emotionally, and spiritually. When things are the worst and you cry out to your heavenly Father, he will not intervene to stop your suffering. James, you will be martyred. John, you will die a natural death, but you will be beaten and spend years in isolation.”

            You, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, will also suffer. Cancer will grow. Depression and anxiety will turn your thoughts against you. Your body will begin to fail. Your eyes grow dim. Your children and grandchildren will abandon the faith. Death will come for you and for your loved ones. Like James and John, you will drink the cup of Christ’s suffering. Your flesh will be drowned and die when you daily return to your baptism. Repentance involves suffering because it involves looking at sin and being made sad because of it; recognizing what your own sins have wrought in the world.

            Repent and open your eyes to the Word of God. You are not better than your Master. He was crucified and has called you to take up your cross and follow him. You do not get to choose your cross, you must bear the cross he has given you. In the depth of suffering, trust that God is good even when you cannot see it. Know that he is chastising your sin so that you will be made white as a virgin bride.

Your suffering realigns your heart to recognize the one thing needful – the Blood of Christ shed for the forgiveness of sins. Whatever we are denied in this life is for the sake of turning us toward trust in Christ. Whatever harm we endure is for the sake of making us to rely on the Great Physician to heal us in body and soul. This chastisement is Christ still fighting for you against the sin which plagues even the faithful on this side of glory. It is not punishment, it is the last stages of victory, being won on your behalf in your own flesh.

            Also, like James and John, this cup is not given to you alone. You will drink from the cup of suffering, but Christ has finished the cup of God’s wrath. Christ has swallowed the cup of wrath to the dregs. You are never alone in your suffering. You follow in the footsteps of Christ when you bear the cross of suffering. He is calling you to himself, to Mount Calvary, where you may kneel before his throne of glory.

            In his glory, that place where James and John desire to be, we see that Jesus Christ is above every one of you. He is without sin and yet became sin on your behalf. The most perfect human being, the Almighty and All-powerful God of creation, became less than a slave, lower than a worm, to atone for your sin. He did not come to be served by fancy vestments, beautiful old words, or the smoke of incense. He came to serve you by enduring the torment of hell for you, by dying for you, by rising again and ascending to the Father that a place would be prepared for you in eternity. To this day he serves you by chastising your sin and proclaiming his Word of forgiveness from this pulpit and that lectern. Jesus serves you by instructing you in the way of the Lord, that you would know what it is to live as the creation he made you to be. Christ serves you through the hands of a sinful man who distributes to you the single most valuable and precious objects in the universe – the Holy Body and Precious Blood of God.

            This is far superior to being equal. It is better than having equality of opportunity or freedoms, or rights. The Resurrection on the Last Day will see the New Heavens and New Earth full of individuals. We will all look different. We will all have different abilities and personalities. We will be free to be who we are, and we will be pure in ourselves. This is the glory of man in the Resurrection.

            In the Resurrection, we will rejoice in the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Some will sit closer to Christ. Some will sit further away. All will rejoice to be in the presence of Christ and we will celebrate the blessings of those sitting above us at table. It would be a joyous irony if St. James and St. John were seated on Christ’s eternal right and left sides. If they are, it would be cause for rejoicing. If not, it would be a cause for rejoicing. Because no matter who is on either side, the Lamb is on the throne.

In T Jesus’ name.  Amen.

---

[1] Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51.

[2] Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28.

[3] Matthew 26:37; Mark 14:33.

[4] From this point on, this sermon is based on a sermon by Pastor David H. Petersen, delivered on July 24, 2010, especially the comparison between the ten and our system of government. The sermon may be found here: https://cyberstones.org/sermon/st-james-the-elder/

[5] Petersen, “St. James the Elder 2010,” https://cyberstones.org/sermon/st-james-the-elder/

The Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Psalm 47; Genesis 2:7-17; Romans 6:19-23
St. Mark 8:1-9

            In the name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

            A crowd of about 4,000 men, along with their wives and children, all Gentiles by birth, followed Jesus for about three days. They heard his preaching daily and continued on the way with him. At the end of the third day, Jesus called his disciples together and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.”[1] It would seem the people have fasted for at least the three days they have been following Jesus – the men, women, and children.

            Jesus continues, “If I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”[2] Jesus has led these people on a wandering trip through the wilderness for three days and there is no possibility that all will make it home safely to eat. Many would fall prey to bandits but even more would likely faint, perhaps even die.

            The disciples are shown to have short memories. Sometime before the events of our text, our Lord fed 5,000 men, along with women and children. On that occasion, our Lord had compassion on the crowds because they were like sheep without a shepherd. They were Jews and the Pharisees had failed them in the Word of God, teaching as doctrines the traditions of men. When the day was far spent, the disciples told Jesus to send the crowds away so they could buy food, but Jesus insisted on making provision for them. He used five loaves and two fish to feed nearly 12,000 people.

            This time, it is Jesus who broaches the topic of feeding the multitude. The disciples are confounded. “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”[3] Either they’ve forgotten the previous miracle or they believe these people to be without a promise of provision, since they are Gentiles. Afterall, it was the ancestors of the Jews who were fed with manna and quail during the wandering in the wilderness.[4]

            Yet Christ, our Lord, has the same compassion upon the Gentiles as he showed to the Jews. He came that the nations would be called back to the worship of the true God, that all peoples would be united in His Body, the Church. Thus, with seven loaves and a few fish, He satisfies the multitudes. They eat their fill and then some. After the meal, seven large, man-sized baskets[5] are filled with the remnants. Our Lord provided the multitudes and the disciples with a superabundance of provisions. None left hungry. All were not only fed but satisfied.

           The Holy Spirit is not satisfied to record the events of history. The events read in today’s Gospel are history. They happened precisely as recorded. However, as the Holy Spirit tells us through St. John, “These things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”[6]

            What does this miracle say about Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God? It says that He has compassion upon all peoples. It says that He has deep, heart-felt compassion on you. It says that Jesus has a gut-wrenching desire to satisfy you in body and soul and that his promise is fulfilled. The provision of Christ for both body and soul is more abundant that you could ever imagine. Our minds can only comprehend seven loaves of bread, but Christ provides seven baskets more than we could ever receive.

            The disciples hear of the compassion of Christ and are aghast. Rational thought denies the possibility of providing food to such a multitude. So much for using reason to determine the actions of God. Reason itself is a good gift of God but when set against the clear Word of God it becomes the worst of blasphemies. Forcing the Word of God to fit into our rational mind has led to many, if not most, of the worst heresies of the Church.

            It doesn’t make sense that Jesus’ has two natures, human and divine, in one person. It doesn’t make sense that a Virgin would conceive and bear the Son of God. It doesn’t make sense that the Incarnate Body and Blood of Jesus is present on altars throughout the world. It doesn’t make sense that God inspired human men to write the words of Scripture without allowing sin to corrupt the words.[7] It doesn’t even make sense that Christ has forgiven all of your sin and yet you must still suffer the effects of sin on this side of heaven.

            Thanks be to God we are not called to make sense of these things. Our rational minds react to these mysteries like the disciples, “No one could do that! That’s not possible!” The eyes of faith, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, the heart of flesh which has replaced our hearts of stone, these react like the multitude, “I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord.[8] I will sit at the feet of my Lord and receive all He will give me. If he should appoint me to die this day, I know it is good for me because He has promised to give me all good things.” Even those sitting in the second and third row must’ve seen the paltry loaves and fish Christ was blessing, yet they react in faith, trusting that Christ would provide for each of them.

            Here you might ask, “If Christ is such a gracious provider to His beloved Church, why are there Christians who suffer lack? Why does God allow Christians throughout the world to suffer poverty and hunger?” This is a fair question, and the answer is in three parts.

First, the Kingdom of Christ to which He has called you and in which you have citizenship, is not a temporal kingdom. A temporal kingdom is founded on the things of this world: house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all we have. Rather, Christ has founded a spiritual kingdom, in which we seek and find eternal and divine possessions. This Kingdom is provided for by the Word of God, the Sacraments, the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit. This Kingdom lacks nothing. Christ would have us long for the eternal gifts of His Kingdom rather than pine for the things of this world. Temporal governments, rulers, fathers, and neighbors may provide or steal temporal goods, but they can never take away the eternal provisions of God.

            Secondly, Christ would have all Christians exercise faith in all matters, temporal and eternal, in seeing that all things, temporal and eternal, are provided by him. We are to see the hands of Christ in our paycheck; in the calloused hands of the farmer providing our food; in the hands of the workman who builds our house; and even in our own hands when we change diapers, share a cup of coffee, or clean someone’s house.

Since the Church Militant exists on earth and will remain on earth until the Last Day, Christ must provide for her food, drink, clothing, buildings, locations, and all other things necessary to this life. In fact, the entire world continues to exist only to support and provide for the Church. If all Christians were to suddenly die, the world would end for there would be no reason for God to continue to support it. (That will not happen because we have the promise that Christ will return at the end of the world to gather the faithful to Himself.)[9]

“But since the devil rules in the world and he is the enemy of Christ and of His Church, and since [the Church does not] seek the things of this world, they must suffer [temporal possessions] to be taken out of their mouths, and [to be] robbed of [that] which belongs to them. Here now Christ must help His Church and give where she suffers need and want, that she may continue to exist, that it may be called miraculous giving; and the Christians acknowledge that it is given by Him and that He shows forth continually in His [Church] such special miracles [of daily bread], so that they will have something to eat, drink, etc., even if the world gives nothing and grants no favors; but takes from her, and is jealous and hateful because of what God gives her.”[10]

So, when Christians are lacking, they know that what they can never lose is eternal life. No matter how impoverished a Christian is, he holds the entire world in his hand because Christ is with him. And should his stomach growl for lack of food, it is to remind him of things eternal.

Thirdly, Christians suffer lack in this world so that others might show them love. The multitudes suffered lack of food and the disciples were appointed to distribute the miraculous bread to them. Sometimes the vocation of a Christian requires they be the to be served, to be the object of another’s affection. This is a holy calling in life: to be the one to receive the good works of others. We are called to share all good things, holding all things in common. To serve one another, even when we believe the resources to be lacking, is a blessed work of God and a loving service to our neighbor.

Finally, we must see the Feeding of the Four Thousand as a blessed picture of the life of the Church. You walk through those doors every week, after seven long days of journeying in the wilderness. You are tired from the cares of this world; from your own sin, the sins of others, and temptation to sin. If you should continue on your journey alone, you would surely faint.

Yet Christ has compassion upon you. He has called you to follow him, to hear his voice. Each Sunday, He teaches you in His Holy Word – the Introit, the Old Testament Lesson, the Epistle, and especially in the Holy Gospel. He is speaking to you know in the words of this sermon, through the lips of an imperfect vessel. When the teaching for the day is done, He calls you to gather before Him. He takes break, blesses it and gives thanks, then breaks it and calls his servant to distribute it to you. Your body and soul are then satisfied with the Living Bread from Heaven. On the strength of this bread, you then return to the way, the path of life in this world until that day when your journey on this side of heaven is complete and you enter eternal life, where the feast will never end.

‘What Jesus does for the multitude, He does today. At that time, He acted visibly while today He acts invisibly. Then, He fed the body. Today, He feeds body and soul. At that time, He gave men perishable bread. Today He gives you the Eternal, Living Bread from Heaven. We, the Baptized, need the nourishment of Christ’s own Body and Blood to support us on the journey through the wilderness of this life toward our heavenly fatherland.’[11]

O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; and His mercy endureth forever.[12]

In T Jesus’ name.  Amen.

---

[1] Mark 8:2.

[2] Mark 8:3.

[3] Mark 8:4.

[4] Exodus 16.

[5] Acts 9:25.

[6] John 20:31.

[7] This is a reference to the autographs of the original human authors of Scripture. I recognize there have been errors in the transmission of the written texts, however, the Word of God is infallible and communicates the entire truth of Scripture, even if minor errors have been made in transmission of the text.

[8] Psalm 116:13.

[9] The section regarding the question of why Christ allows Christians to suffer lack is based on Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, Vol 4, translated and edited by John Nicholas Lenker (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983), 220-222.

[10] Luther, Sermons, 221-222.

[11] Pius Parsch, The Church’s Year of Grace, Vol 4 (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1964), 76-77.

[12] The Benedicamus.

The Sixth Sunday after Trinity

 

Psalm 28; Exodus 20:1-17; Romans 6:1-11

St. Matthew 5:17-26

            In the name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

            At the time of our Lord’s Incarnation, the Pharisees believed the Law of God required outward obedience. They had begun to teach Israel how to outwardly obey the Law so that they might become holy. The Pharisees recognized that sin infects the whole person, that the inward motivations of the heart cannot perfectly obey the Law of God. But in their view, the Law did not require this. The Law only required outward obedience. This they believed was achievable. Through such outward obedience, they would be made holy, and this holiness would make them acceptable to God.

            The primary error in this teaching of the Pharisees is their view of the Law. God’s Law demands perfect obedience – outward obedience, inward obedience, conscious, unconscious – perfect obedience. “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”[1] The Law of God is perfect and holy, therefore it requires perfect and holy obedience.

            No man is capable of such obedience. We may be able to keep portions of the Law in an outward manner, we may even be able to keep the whole Law in an outward manner, but so long as we dwell on this side of heaven, Original Sin guarantees we will transgress the Law inwardly. We will also certainly sin outwardly.

            Our Lord is teaching this precise lesson in today’s portion of the Sermon on the Mount. “I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”[2] The Pharisees were outwardly righteous. They outwardly kept the Law better than anyone else. Yet entrance into heaven requires more righteousness than this. The Law of God requires perfect righteousness. Keeping the Law in every jot and tittle.

            You have heard what God said in the Ten Commandments, “You shall not murder.” The Pharisees have taught you that to keep this commandment means do not kill people. But Jesus says that whoever is angry is in danger of judgment. Jesus says whoever calls his brother empty-headed[3] is in danger of the council. Jesus says that anyone who calls his brother a moron[4] is in danger of hell fire.

           These words of Jesus should not be easily dismissed. At the heart of murder is anger. Cain was first angry with God and Abel. This anger consumed him and led to his murderous act. Should Cain have called Abel a moron, Jesus says the result would’ve been the same. Cain would be in danger of hell fire. ‘The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. It defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature. No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.’[5] Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words hurt forever. The consequences of our words hurt forever.

            If we cannot keep the Law as God has commanded, how can we call the Law Good, Wise, and Holy? St. Paul says the Law “imprisons all under sin, that the promise of grace might be given.”[6] If a man has cancer, but does not feel the effects, he will not seek treatment. However, when set against the good and set standards used in testing, his cancer is revealed, and he knows where to seek treatment. The Law functions the same way for man. The Law reveals your sin and calls your attention to it. You realize that you are imprisoned under the Law. Like the all-too-often death sentence of cancer, the Law reveals not only the cause (being sin) but the result (death).

            Christ our Lord is calling our attention to our sin. He is pointing out the sin residing in our hearts that we might identify it, repent of it, then flee from it. The instruction to be reconciled to your brother and your adversary are examples of the fruit of repentance. The one whose righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees seeks reconciliation.

            Where do we turn for help? We cannot keep the Law for we sin daily and we sin much. We turn to Christ. The Son of God has come to fulfill the Law, not to destroy it. It would be impossible for Christ to destroy the Law. First because the Law is the Will of God. It is Christ’s own Will. He cannot destroy his own Will. Second, the Law is eternal. It is essential to God. Third, if Christ were to destroy the Law, how would man realize his sin? How could anyone be saved if his need for a Savior remained hidden? Sin has so corrupted mankind that without the Will of God we would be content to live in our sins. We would know nothing better until the day we die and see Abraham from afar in our eternal torments.

           Christ used the Law of God to show Cain his sin before he ever killed Abel. When Cain was angry, Christ said to him, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”[7] This was God calling Cain to repentance of the sin in his heart and warning him of the consequences for allowing that sin to fester. God desired reconciliation between Cain and Abel. Cain refused this Word of God, allowed the sin of his heart “to give birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”[8]

            What then does it mean that Jesus came to fulfill the Law? That not one jot or tittle will pass away until all is fulfilled? In the first place, it means that Jesus was born under the Law that he might keep it perfectly. God himself took on our flesh in order to submit to the Law of God. Jesus actively kept the Law in every way. Never once did he break the Law in thought, word, or deed. He kept it perfectly. This active obedience of Jesus fulfilled the Ten Commandments. His active obedience fulfilled all the commandments God has given to man. But the active obedience of Christ was not enough to redeem you. It was not enough to save your soul from deserving hell.

            Jesus also submitted himself to God’s justice. The Law of God requires not only obedience, but it requires justice for transgression. It requires payment be made for the debt of sin. The wages of sin is death. Therefore, God’s justice requires the death of the sinner. Jesus, though he knew no sin, took the place of sinners. He died the death that we’ve earned. Death had no claim on him because he did not sin. They still beat him, stripped him, and crucified him. Jesus really died. He died because he bore your sins.

            But death could not hold him. It would be unjust for death to hold Jesus because he was without sin himself. His holiness exceeds the sin of the world. Therefore, when he rose from the grave, it was in victory over death. It was in victory over sin. This fulfilled the Law of God. Jesus fulfilled the commandments of the Law through his active obedience, his perfect keeping of the Law. Jesus also fulfilled the justice of the Law through his passive obedience, submitting to death on the cross on your behalf.

            It is this death into which you are baptized. You are baptized into death with Christ, so that you would also rise with him.[9] In Holy Baptism, you died. One who has died has also been freed from sin.[10] You have been freed from the sting of death which is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law.[11]

           “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”[12] The Law is fulfilled, not destroyed. God’s Holy Law is Eternal and Good. Those who have died to sin now look to the Law to see “those good works which God has prepared that we should walk in them.”[13] We look to the Law to see what it is to live like our Heavenly Father, to live according to His Word in love and service to our neighbor.

            This is also the teaching of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. How does one become more righteous than the Pharisees? Through the Blood of Jesus that has fulfilled the Law. What does that look like? It looks like seeking reconciliation. Notice that whoever is angry, or says “Raca” or “moron” is in danger of judgment, the council, and hell fire. These things are bad for you because by doing them, you are allowing sin to rule you. You are returning to the sin of Cain.

            Instead, be reconciled to your brother. Repent and beg forgiveness. Then walk in love. In doing these things, in seeking to keep the Law of God, you are not making yourself more righteous than the Pharisees. Rather, you are showing that the righteousness of Christ already belongs to you.

In T Jesus’ name.  Amen.

---

[1] James 2:10.

[2] Matthew 5:20.

[3] ῥακά (Matthew 5:22)

[4] μωρέ (Matthew 5:22)

[5] See James 3:1-12.

[6] Galatians 3:22.

[7] Genesis 4:6-7.

[8] James 1:15.

[9] Romans 6:1-5.

[10] Romans 6:7.

[11] 1 Corinthians 15:56.

[12] Romans 6:1-2.

[13] Ephesians 2:10

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity - July 4, 2021

Psalm 27; 1 Kings 19:11-21; 1 Peter 3:8-15

St. Luke 5:1-11

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

            St. Peter’s response to the miraculous catch of fish is puzzling. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” St. Augustine,[1] St. Ambrose,[2] and others see this as an example of the Apostle’s deep humility. St. Peter is confessing his sins to Christ, whom he has only recently met. To this point in Luke’s Gospel, Peter has only shown up once – at the healing of his mother-in-law. But he was not the central figure in that event.

There is no mistaking that Peter is central to this miracle. His name appears 6 times in these short verses. It is his boat above all others which the Lord chooses for his seat while teaching. It is also only Peter whom Jesus commands to “Launch out into the deep.”[3] St. Peter is also the only Apostle recorded to receive a new name from Christ. Simon becomes Peter in this text.[4]

When Simon launches out to the deep, casts his nets at the Word of Christ, brings in a great number of fish such that his nets break and the boat begins to sink, why does he confess his sins to Christ? Peter was in the boat with Jesus as he taught the crowds the Word of God. He heard the proclamation of Jesus and the salvation which had come to man in human flesh. Yet at first, he calls Jesus “Master.” It seems that Peter first recognizes Jesus to be a teacher; a good teacher; perhaps a prophet of God.

After the miracle, as the boat is sinking, he calls Jesus “Lord.” By the miracle, he recognizes this teacher to be the Heavenly Teacher, the Son of God, the Prophet like Moses, promised to his fathers to save man from sin. Therefore, he confesses his sin. He knows this Lord is the only being capable of remitting sin. Even better, Peter does not confess specific sins which he has committed but he confesses that he is a sinful man. He knows that sin has infected his entire being and for this, he deserves punishment.

This leads us to the puzzle of his confession. If Peter recognizes Jesus to be the Christ, his Savior, why command him to depart? Peter falls at Jesus’ knees in the posture of worship and then commands Jesus to depart. Why?

As I said before, many church fathers take this to be an act of humility. In effect, Peter is saying that he is not worthy of God’s presence nor of forgiveness. This is true. No one deserves the love of God. No one deserves forgiveness. That is what makes it love and what makes it forgiveness. Our unworthiness is how we know God is merciful. While you were yet sinners, he gave his son to die for you.

 But I am unwilling to accept humility as the only motivation for Peter to command Jesus to depart. Blessed of a man as Peter is, he is human. Self-preservation must have played a role in his statement. Peter recognized Jesus to be the Christ and a man of tremendous power. Recognizing himself to be a sinful man, Peter remembered his Sunday School lessons that sinful things cannot survive in the presence of God. They are consumed by the fire of his holiness. Peter is making the decision to continue living his earthly life rather than be in the presence of Jesus. This is his sin in this text. It also foreshadows his sin of denial on the night when Jesus is betrayed.[5]

Peter’s experience is common to all Christians. We must all make decisions between what we want and what God has willed. We think we know what we want. We think we know best, even in matters not pertaining to our own sin. “How could God not desire my sister to live? She did not sin to cause her diseased heart.” No, she didn’t, and yet she is dying. We can certainly pray she be spared but even more urgent would be to pray for her faith. God desires that all mankind would repent and believe in Christ. Pray that God’s will would be done, that God would turn her heart so that when she dies, she goes to be with God. And although she will be separated from you for a time and cannot return to you, there will be the day when you will go to be with her.[6]

St. Peter was a professional fisherman and knew the best times and places for fishing. Yet according to his will, they fished all night and caught nothing. Peter was acting in the darkness of his own human sight and the night of this world. In the daylight of Christ and at the command of his Word, Peter catches more fish than two boats could handle.

Yet even this blessing of Christ, the blessing of a multitude of fish, seems to endanger Peter’s life. From Peter’s perspective, he’s been given too much of a good thing that has now become the source of his destruction. He desired to follow the Word of God but did not like the real-world outcome. Therefore, he utters those terrible words, “Depart from me.”

This life is full of suffering. Elijah, a prophet of God who never tasted of death,[7] once despaired of the suffering of this world.[8] Driven into the wilderness, he believed himself to be the only Christian left on earth and no one would listen. He was lonely. His life was being threatened. He was a failure. So, he sat under a broom tree and asked God to kill him. Elijah was tired. He was done.

The Lord sent an angel with food and drink to revive Elijah. He ate the bread and drank the water but then laid down again to die. Then the Angel of the Lord, Christ himself, came to Elijah, touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” In the strength of that meal, Elijah journey forty days and nights before speaking to God in the still small voice. After assuring Elijah that God is Almighty and works all things to the good of them that love him, he gives Elijah a companion – Elisha.

We each suffer in our own ways. We suffer as we watch our loved ones suffer, which is often worse. Suffering rends our hearts because we were not created to suffer. Our eternal souls cringe at the concept of suffering but such is our lot so long as we live on this side of glory. Suffering will never be easy, but for those in Christ, we know two things: first, there is an end to all suffering;[9] and second, our suffering is little more than the chastisement of a loving Father who desires us to be made holy.[10]

Christ hears Peter’s confession, knows his humility and sinful self-preservation, and refuses to abandon him. It is almost as though Christ says, “the only way for you to leave my presence is for you to throw yourself into the darkness of the deep because I will not leave you.” “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” Peter has no need to fear destruction because Christ has forgiven his sin. Jesus has taken the sin of Peter upon his own shoulders and called him to be his apostle.

Christ has promised never to leave you nor to forsake you. Because he loves you, because he died for you, because he paid the price for your sin, you are valuable to him. He will fight for you even if it means fighting against your own will. Our Lord, the Heavenly Fisherman, is present with you always but especially in the Heavenly meal given from this altar. Elijah was sustained forty days and forty nights on the Bread of Heaven. You, who receive the Body and Blood of Christ weekly, will likewise be sustained.

You have no need to be afraid because you are forgiven. If the wrath of God has been poured out on Jesus on your behalf, then you no longer need to fear the wrath of God. If you do not need to fear the wrath of God, then you have nothing to fear. Neither height nor depth, neither death nor life, neither lost loved ones or the suffering of this world needs to cause you fear.

Notice we are not told the boat stops sinking, only that they are able to bring it to land. The forgiveness of Peter does not end the suffering but emboldens him to endure. This suffering produced endurance. His endurance informs his character as an apostle. His character as apostle proclaims the Word of God to the suffering world and delivers hope; certain hope of everlasting life.[11]

To hear the absolution, to hear that Christ forgives your sins will not make your suffering immediately go away. Receiving the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Christ, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins will not immediately grant you a peaceful mind. But the Word of God and his Holy Sacraments were given for the consolation of souls – to forgive sins and strengthen our weak hearts. In time, these means of receiving God’s grace will strengthen you in body and soul from now unto life everlasting.

With St. Peter, hear the Word of God taught and proclaimed. Humbly confess your sins and receive the forgiving Word of Christ. Then, with Elijah, arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you, but not for Jesus.

       In + Jesus’ name.  Amen.

---

[1] http://www.lectionarycentral.com/trinity05/Augustine1.html

[2] http://www.lectionarycentral.com/trinity05/Ambrose.html

[3] Luke 5:4.

[4] Luke 5:9.

[5] Luke 22:31-34, 54-62.

[6] 2 Samuel 12:23.

[7] 2 Kings 2:11.

[8] 1 Kings 19:1-10. This account occurs immediately before today’s Old Testament Lesson.

[9] Revelation 7:14-17; 14:13; Isaiah 25:8.

[10] Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 10:2; Luke 6:36.

[11] Romans 5:3-5.