The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity – August 25, 2024

Psalm 74; Leviticus 19:9-18; Galatians 3:16-22

St. Luke 10:23-37

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

The certain man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho is representative of mankind. He is every man. He is you in this parable. He is going the wrong way. He is leaving Jerusalem, the city of peace which God has appointed for His holy habitation.[1] He is going to Jericho, the city that God commanded never to be rebuilt. In fact, God said that should Jericho be rebuilt, it would be built in the blood of the firstborn and youngest sons of the one who rebuilt it.[2] In the days of evil king Ahab, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho and sacrificed both his firstborn and youngest sons to Baal in the process.[3] In other words, the man going from Jerusalem to Jericho describes humanity’s fall into sin and the ever-present desire to sin that clings to our flesh.

The thieves who meet humanity on the road are Temptation and Satan. Every day of our journey on this side of glory, we are beset by Temptation and Satan. In his fallen state, man falls victim to these thieves who leave him half dead. He is “half dead” because he is spiritually dead even if he is physically alive.[4] The man is left helpless to save himself. He lays dying on the road to perdition and there is nothing he can do to prevent his damnation.[5]

At this fortunate moment, a priest and a Levite come down the road as well. Together, these represent the Mosaic Law and the Levitical priesthood, specifically the Temple regulations and sacrifices. The priest and the Levite are also coming down from Jerusalem. They have finished their service at the Temple and are returning to their homes. This signifies that the Law and the sacrifices have done their job. They have shown man his sin, revealing to him the ways in which he has disobeyed God’s will.[6] The sacrifices have accomplished their duty in pointing man to the mercy of God and His forgiveness. There is nothing left for them to do because faith in the Law and faith in the sacrifices of goats and sheep cannot save the man.[7] Their duty is accomplished and so both pass by on the other side of the road.

Finally, a Samaritan, who is on a journey, comes to the man. The Samaritan is far from his home. He is something other than the man himself and yet descends into the ditch to be with the man. The Samaritan is the very figure of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He journeys from the Father, into our flesh to be with us. He descends from His heavenly throne into the ditch of creation to be with His beloved mankind.[8]

Seeing the sorry state of man, God has compassion on him. He is moved in His inward being and determines to rescue man.[9] God is moved by His great love for man to descend into our flesh, into our sorry state. Christ bandages man’s wounds with oil and wine. The oil is the consolation of a clean conscience before God, the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the knowledge of the Gospel—Christ’s own sacrifice for your sins that you would be reconciled to the Father. The wine, which stings as it cleans and disinfects the wounds, is the cross given to all who believe to bear in this life.[10] This cross is affliction, give to man by God that he would ever be mindful of the sorry state which is the result of sin. This sting reminds man that he is not made for sin nor to endure in this physical life forever but has the eternal life of glory to live for.[11]

Christ raises man up out of the muck and mire of our sin and places him on His own beast of burden. He gives us His relief, His place upon the animal, and takes for Himself the burden of our sin.[12] He walks in our place. His feet tread the burning sand and sharp rocks created by the fall of our first parents in our stead. That which we deserve, Chris endures for our sakes.

Upon this beast of burden, Christ carries man to the inn. This inn is the established location for the care of man. It is the hospice designed to care for man as he concludes his life on this side of glory and enters into eternity. It is the hospital where man is nursed back to health to face life on this side of glory. It is the gym where man is trained, strengthened, and equipped to life the life of the righteous man before the world. The inn is the Church. It is that place where the beloved of God gather to hear the Word of God and receive His holy gifts in the Sacraments.

These Sacraments are the two denarii which the Samaritan given to the innkeeper. They are the means given to provide for the care of Christians: Holy Baptism to wash away sin and rebirth the Christian as one born of God, and the Holy Supper, given to feed, strengthen, form, and forgive the Christian as he continues the journey on this side of glory.

To whom are these denarii given? They are given to the innkeeper, the man given authority to administer the Holy Sacraments of God. The innkeeper is the pastor, whose solemn duty it is to preach the Word of God and administer the Holy Sacraments for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of Christians in body and soul.[13] He stands in the stead of the Samaritan who has delivered the injured man to the inn and cares for him as the Samaritan has directed.[14] He receives his orders from the Samaritan and is called to execute them according to that divine command.

Finally, the Samaritan promises to return. He will return to repay the innkeeper and to retrieve the injured man as the Samaritan returns on His journey to His Father. Christ has promised to return to gather His elect into the heavenly mansions He has prepared.[15] He has also promised to return and give to His servants, His undershepherds, the honor due their service. Pastors will be judged more harshly than all others because of the severity of their charge but they will also be rewarded more handsomely for their faithful service because of the value of the souls given to their care.[16]

Now, this parable is given to the certain lawyer as the answer to the question, “And who is my neighbor?” The lawyer is trying to find the loophole in the commandment to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. He doesn’t want to know who it is he must love. He wants to know who he doesn’t have to love to inherit eternal life. He wants to narrow the field and make it possible to keep the Law of God.

The beauty of the parable is that Christ transitions the definition from passive to active. The lawyer defines the neighbor as the one who needs help—the passive person in need. Jesus defines the neighbor as the one who shows mercy—the active person who helps. Even the lawyer acknowledges this as being true. When asked who was a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves, the lawyer responds that it was the Samaritan, the one who showed mercy who was his neighbor. And Jesus responds, “Go and do likewise.”

The parable is unquestionably about our salvation being achieved by Christ alone. It is about the inability of man to save himself in any way, shape or form. Every step of the man’s healing is the work of the Samaritan, not the man himself. And yet, Jesus’ command remains, “Go and do likewise.” For those who have been grafted into Christ, who are the baptized children of the Father and who find themselves united to THE Good Samaritan, it is a necessary consequence that we find ourselves imitating Him. We are to look to Christ our Salvation and see the very model of the perfect man. We are to look to Him and see what righteousness is. “Who may abide in the Tabernacle of the Lord? Who may dwell in His holy hill? He who walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks truth in his heart.”[17]  “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul…Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation…Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way.”[18]

Everyone in the world is a candidate for you to show mercy to but not everyone in the world has been placed before you. You have been placed in a specific location with particular people around you. These are your neighbors, and these are the people for whom you are called to be a neighbor. No one chooses for whom he is a neighbor. God has placed you in a particular place among particular people. It is their needs, their bodies and souls to which you have been called to show mercy—not for the sake of earning the inheritance of eternal life but as one who has been shown the ways of the Lord and taught to walk along His paths. 

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Isaiah 4:3.

[2] Joshua 6:26.

[3] 1 Kings 16:34.

[4] Genesis 2:17.

[5] Psalm 14:1-3.

[6] Romans 3:19-20.

[7] Hebrews 9:11-15.

[8] St. John 1:14.

[9] St. John 3:16.

[10] St. Mark 10:39.

[11] 2 Corinthians 12:7.

[12] 2 Corinthians 5:21.

[13] 1 Corinthians 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 15:4.

[14] St. John 20:21-23.

[15] Acts 1:11; St. John 14:1-4.

[16] James 3:1; 1 Timothy 3:1.

[17] Psalm 15:1-2.

[18] Psalm 25:1, 4, 8.

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Trinity 12 – August 18, 2024

Psalm 70; Isaiah 29; 2 Corinthians 3:4-11

St. Mark 7:31-37

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

In the Rite of Holy Baptism, after hearing the Holy Gospel and praying the Lord’s prayer, the Pastor touches the baptismal candidate’s mouth and ear while proclaiming, “Ephphatha, that is, be opened!” These words act as both a prayer and a blessing. They are a prayer that the Word of God just spoken to the candidate would open his ears and mouth to receive and proclaim this saving Word. They are a blessing in that “whatever you ask in [Jesus’ Name], that you will receive.” The blessing is that God’s Word will do precisely what it says. The ears and mouth of the Baptized will be opened to receive and proclaim the Word of God.

Ephphatha is taken from the healing miracle heard this morning. Our Lord goes to great lengths to heal this man’s afflictions. The man cannot speak, and he cannot hear. He cannot receive the words of others, and he cannot express himself. What’s more, because he is both deaf and mute, it is likely that he was born this way. He has never heard, and he has never spoken. He is in a truly pitiable state.

This man’s afflictions are an allegory, a picture, of the natural state of man. By nature, we are not born open to the possibilities of the world. We are not born neutral toward God such that we need to be convinced or persuaded. We are born deaf and mute. We are turned away and hostile to the Living God. How did God create the universe? By speaking. How does St. John refer to Jesus in the first chapter of his Gospel? As the Word. Faith comes by hearing. Yet the natural man, our flesh, is so “anti-God” that we are born deaf and mute. Our flesh hates God such that our ears are stopped in a fight against the words of faith.

Our flesh is healed, is opened to the Word of God in Holy Baptism. Just as our Lord used the means of spittle while healing this man, He uses the waters of Holy Baptism to open your ears and your mouth. Baptism now saves you. How? By bringing the Word of God to bear on your soul, pouring it on your flesh to open your ears and mouth.

“What then,” you might say, “of the adult brought to Baptism? Don’t we usually teach first and then baptize adults? If their ears are plugged by nature and opened in Baptism, why not Baptize them before teaching?” This is an excellent question. Christ our Lord says that if we want to inherit the Kingdom of God we must turn and become children. By this, He means we must learn to trust like children. The inherent quality of trust that is found in children is not innocence in the sense of a “lack of guilt.” The trust of children can very easily be misused, or malformed. Children can easily be taught to trust the wrong things. That is why teaching children is a full-time job from the moment they are born. They trust whatever they are presented, without question.

An adult who is brought to the church has passed this stage of unquestioning trust. He has been formed by his experiences and by the world. For such a one as this, the Word of God must work not only to teach Him of the One True God but to unteach him of the doctrines of the world. The preparatory teaching of an adult before his baptism is primarily so that when he receives this holy washing, he does not immediately blaspheme it.

Yet even in the case of the adult, Holy Baptism is effective. It is not only an outward sign of an internal change that has already taken place. When the pastor proclaims, “Ephphatha, that is, be opened” to the adult baptismal candidate, the same thing is happening as when it is said to a child. Truly, the baptized is being opened to the Word of God and his tongue is being formed for the proclamation of the same.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God.^[1] Thus, the pulpit on Sunday morning is the beginning of all pastoral care. The Divine Service is the foundation upon which the minister of God brings the Word of God and distributes the Sacraments to you, the people of God. All other activities and works of the Church must proceed from this one thing most needful.

As such, the Pastor must spend a majority of his time devoted to the Word of God. The Pastor is a man, like any other. He does not have perfect knowledge of the mind of God. He must spend time studying the Word of God so that he can rightly bring it to you. Sermons, bible studies, and devotions do not spring forth from a last minute of hurried preparation—or at least they shouldn’t. Even the study of the conduct of the liturgy itself should be a priority for every Pastor because it is that place in which God comes to His people most intimately.

There is also the truth that the Divine Service on Sunday morning is a very small proportion of the week. It represents only an hour or an hour and a half each week, leaving 166 hours outside of the Divine Service each week. Like the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, we cannot abandon the world to encamp in glory.^[2] Rather, we must bear the glory of Christ throughout the week. We must take what we have received on Sunday morning and carry it throughout all our days.

That means you must read the bible every day. One or two verses in a Facebook group or half a verse with a devotion won’t cut it. It is the Word of God that forms your heart, and it is the Word of God that unplugs your ears. The same goes for 5 or 6 random verses each day. What you need is a constant and steady stream of the Word of God. Reading straight through the Scriptures, then doing it again and again will form your heart and mind to the Word of God. You will begin to see the world through the eyes of God and will begin to speak in complete sentences even as the formerly deaf man began speaking correctly after the miracle.

The Congregation at Prayer that we use to open Bible Study every Sunday has a reading plan with two chapters a day. That should be possible for almost everyone here. For the youngest of children, you might go a little slower, but it is entirely possible to read straight from the Scriptures and talk about the details – who is involved, what happens, when it happens, where it happens, and why it happens. If you want or need a different reading plan, just let me know. There are literally thousands available.

Jesus groans as He opens the ears and looses the tongue of the deaf man. He commands the friends of the formerly deaf man to be silent about the miracle and yet they persistently proclaim the miracle throughout the region. Jesus groans and commands silence because He knows human nature will see only the miracle and stop all ears from the Word of God. We hear what we want to hear, and we speak without thinking, bound to the language of the world.

This miracle shows that Christians are called to the exact opposite. Christians are called to be silent before the Word of God, to receive it daily and live by it at every moment. Christians are then called to speak that Word of God plainly throughout the world, just as the tongue of the formerly deaf man was unbound so that he could speak plainly.

May your ears and tongue be loosed by the Almighty Word of God this day. Ephphatha, that is, be opened.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Romans 10:17.

[2] St. Matthew 17:1-9.

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2024

Psalm 34; Sirach 24:7-8, 10-15a; Galatians 4:4-7

St. Luke 1:39-55

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

“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”[1] What are those things which were told to Mary from the Lord?

Mary is told to rejoice for the Lord is with her.[2] This is fulfilled from the moment of her conception, when she was born in the faithful anticipation that God would come to save His people. God is with her all the days of her life. It is fulfilled again when that same Lord is incarnate in her very womb. God is with her intimately as He grows in her womb, soon to be born a man. The Lord is with her as she watches Him be crucified. He is with her when He rises from the dead. He is with her even as she lay dying, some 15 years after His ascension.

Mary is also called blessed among women. This is fulfilled already during the ministry of our Lord, when a woman in the crowd cries out to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”[3] It is fulfilled again tonight and every time a Christian refers to her as the Blessed Virgin Mary. And it is true. Mary truly is blessed among women. Not only is she blessed with faith, but she alone was granted the holy privilege of carrying the Christ in her womb. She alone beheld the Word by which creation was made within her own body.

One of the greatest of things told to Mary by the Lord is that she would be the mother of God. She would bear the Son of God and call His name, Jesus.[4] Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is true God, begotten of the Father before all worlds and true man, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since the Incarnation, His humanity and divinity cannot be divided. He is one Person, although with two natures. Because of this, it is fitting and correct to call Mary the mother of God.

Perhaps the greatest thing said to Mary is that this Son of God and Son of Mary would inherit the throne of David and that He would reign forever.[5] Her Son would be David’s Son and David’s Lord, the everlasting Prince of Peace, the Savior.[6] Mary was told by God that her Son would save her from her sins.[7] That He would go before her to prepare a place for her to rest for all eternity.[8] That He would reconcile her to His heavenly Father, making peace where sin once made for enmity.

I say this is the greatest thing because when you think of all the things Mary heard regarding her Son, this might seem like the least of things. It was accomplished by death. There is no physical sign, per se, that it was accomplished. And yet, it is the entire purpose of the Scriptures and the Incarnation. The salvation of Mary and all who believe is the reason God became man. And if there is anything we are to learn from Mary, it is that God chooses the lowly to be exalted. Jesus was born in a cattle stall, not a grand palace. He was born to a virgin girl, not a queen or empress. He made Himself lower than the animals for the sake of His beloved mankind.

The same is true for you. Just as Mary was promised that everything said to her by the Lord would be fulfilled, so too, those things the Lord has said to you have been, are, and will be fulfilled. In your Holy Baptism, Jesus declared that you are righteous. You have been born again into Christ. He said that you are a son or daughter of the Father. Your sins have been washed away and He prepares a place for you in the heavenly mansions. This is most certainly true.

Why come to church on a Thursday evening to celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary? Because she is the sign, the image, of Christ’s church. Jesus was alive in her womb. He sought a resting place, a dwelling among His people.[9] Her body was His holy temple, just as you are the Holy Temple of the Holy Spirit. If you have been born again through the waters of Holy Baptism into Christ, then you too, have been born into His holy habitation.

For centuries, Christians have looked at Mary as the mother of all Christians. That doesn’t mean we worship her or elevate her to some “demi-goddess” status. No. She is our adoptive mother just as the Church is our mother. The Church is our mother because she is the place where we are given new birth. We ought to love and respect Mary because she was a lowly virgin who placed all her hope and trust in her Son, the same Son of God that we worship. She is an example of faith and an example of one for whom Jesus died. And just like you might celebrate the birthday of your beloved mother or grandmother who has died, for the sake of her memory, we too celebrate the death of Mary for the sake of honor.  

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Luke 1:45.

[2] St. Luke 1:28.

[3] St. Luke 11:27.

[4] St. Luke 1:31.

[5] St. Luke 1:32-33.

[6] Psalm 110; Isaiah 9:6.

[7] Genesis 3:15.

[8] St. John 14:3-10.

[9] Sirach 24:7-15.

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity – August 11, 2024

Psalm 68; Genesis 4:1-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-10

St. Luke 18:9-14

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

We must all recognize that there is more of the Pharisee in each of us than there is the Tax Collector. This is because the temptation to justify ourselves is so great.

Sure, on the one hand, we might look at the Pharisee and rightfully point out that he prays in such a way as to make sure everyone else can hear him. We might also point out that while he thanks God that he is not like other men, he doesn’t really ascribe this difference to God. The Pharisee does not say that God is the reason he isn’t tempted toward these sins. Instead, it seems pretty clear that although the Pharisee is thanking God, he is saying that he is a good and pious man because he has worked hard to be a good and pious man.

Seeing these things, we might say to ourselves, “Thank God I’m not like that self-righteous Pharisee! I know better than that!” And that is why I say there is more of the Pharisee in each of us than we realize. This is the same sin as the Pharisee.

It is a good and God pleasing thing to thank God that you have not fallen into grave sins – extortion, embezzlement, adultery, or murder. But equally important is realizing that the reason you haven’t fallen into those sins is not that you are strong, but that God has preserved you from them.[1] Every one of us is moments away from falling into the worst sins imaginable. The only thing protecting you is the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is the depth of the depravity of the human condition.[2] There is no woman that is incapable of having an affair. There is no man that is incapable of killing another person – man, woman, or child.

The stakes of the parable seem much lower, but I can tell you they are not. The Pharisee – that pillar of the community and known by all to be pious and kind – prays to the Lord in praise of himself. He seeks to justify himself by his actions and he wants God to recognize his efforts. The result, as Jesus says, is that he goes back to his home a pagan. He eventually goes to his home in hell, just the same as the unrepentant extortioner, thief, adulterer, and murderer. The blasphemer is equally condemned.

The Tax Collector is a great sinner. He has turned his back on his people, stealing from his neighbors, his cousins, his family, all for selfish gain. He has tied himself to the pagans who have invaded his country, and he supports their wicked sacrifices to demons. He is the man no one wants his son to become.

But the heart of the Tax Collector has been turned toward God. He has heard the Word of God, and it has convicted his heart of sin.[3] He has seen the sins in his life. He knows there is nothing he can do to be free of these demons.[4] For this reason, he prays to the Triune God, “Please, be merciful to me, for I am the worst of all men.” He does not ask for God’s pity. He doesn’t ask for a handout from God or reassurance that everything will be ok. He doesn’t ask God to change the situation around him. He doesn’t even ask for the strength to become unlike other men because he knows that even changing his ways won’t save him from the fires of hell.

The Tax Collector asks God to make atonement for him. He asks God to spill the blood of God’s own Son on his behalf. He asks for Jesus to bind the demons in his soul and cast them into the abyss, making way for the Holy Ghost. He finds himself in the Temple asking that God would cleanse him and make him the temple of the Holy Ghost.

This is the lesson for today. In the Book of Leviticus, as God is establishing the worship by which He would be present with His people, we read,

Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.[5]

Then immediately, we hear,

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace.[6]

Aaron offered sacrifices to the Lord according to God’s good pleasure. His heart, and the hearts of the people, were oriented toward God, knowing that it was not their obedience to God that made atonement, but that God had provided them with the offering which He Himself would receive.

The sin of Nadab and Abihu was that they thought any sacrifice would do. They thought any fire could be used to sacrifice to God. They thought so little of their own sin that God would excuse it because He had already come to dwell with His people.

Do not make the mistake that you are immune to these temptations. There is the crass dismissal of God’s law, like that of Nadab and Abihu, thinking so very little of your sin. Then there is a more subtle temptation, akin to that of Cain. Both Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices to God but only Abel’s was received. Why? Because Cain’s was not offered in faith.[7] Cain placed his trust in the sacrifice, not on the gracious God who would receive it. This subtle temptation is to think that because your name is on the membership roles, because you are here this morning, because you tithe, because you are well liked, because you aren’t like other men (not even like Cain, Nadab, Abihu, or even that Pharisee), you are saved. There is no human on this earth who is incapable of the greatest sins.

Rather, are you like the Tax Collector? Are you frightened of your sins? Are you in mind of the fact that hell is real and could really swallow you whole on the last day? In this case, repent of the sins clinging to your flesh. Follow the example of the Tax Collector and confess that you are the sinner, the worst mankind has to offer, and plead that God would have mercy on your soul.

Recognize also, that God has had mercy on your soul. He has given you a gift greater than you can imagine. The very blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, was shed to forgive your sins. The atonement, for which the Tax Collector prayed, has been made. The same God who warned Cain against the sin waiting to devour him; the same God who came to dwell with Moses, Aaron, and the children of Israel; the same God who descended into mortal flesh shed His blood to cover, to make atonement for your sins. It is then this same God who comes to you today. He comes in the Word read and even more intimately in His Body and Blood. The very Body and Blood of Jesus that you receive from this altar is the blood of the atonement, the Body broken and blood shed on the cross. It is the same and it gives you the answer to the Tax Collector’s prayer. The Lord has had mercy on you.

In + Jesus' Name. Amen.

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[1] Psalm 121:7-8.

[2] Romans 3:23.

[3] Psalm 86:11.

[4] St. Matthew 12:29.

[5] Leviticus 9:22-24.

[6] Leviticus 10:1-3.

[7] Hebrews 11:4.

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity – August 4, 2024

Psalm 55; Jeremiah 7:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

St. Luke 19:41-48

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

A den of thieves is the place where the robbers feel safe. It is where they store their stolen treasures and plot their next crime. A den of thieves is where the criminals hide from justice even as they prepare to break more laws. In this way, we can see what our Lord is condemning on Palm Sunday.

The money changers had turned the Court of the Gentiles into a market. Money changing was necessary. The Temple had its own currency, and it was necessary that foreign currencies be exchanged so that the Temple tax and tithes wouldn’t be offered in coins bearing foreign gods or idols. It was also necessary that sacrificial animals be bought and sold in or near the Temple. The Passover was coming and Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims who had travelled great distances to offer sacrifices. It was impractical and sometimes to expensive for them to travel with the necessary animals for sacrifice. So they needed somewhere to purchase the animals to offer to the Lord God, Almighty.

The sin comes in that the money changers had turned the court of the Gentiles into a market. The one part of the Temple reserved for Gentile believers was overrun by commerce. The Jews had refused the children of God by faith a place at the Lord’s Table. This is what makes God’s house of prayer into a den of robbers – not the exchange of money but the theft of a rightful place in the house of God to those of a different birth.

Our Lord wept over Jerusalem because she failed to recognize the time of her visitation; the time when God came to her for her salvation. Jerusalem was too busy seeking profit and power, long life and health to see her Lord had come.

In the year 70 AD, this prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled. The city of Jerusalem was surrounded and destroyed by the Romans. This destruction fulfilled two purposes. First, it was a judgment against the mighty city on the hill who time and again murdered the prophets and rejected God. Second, it was the very hand of God destroying an idol. Mankind is very good at making idols. We are twice as good at making idols out of good things given to us by God. Jerusalem was built as the city of peace, the site of the Lord’s habitation, His own dwelling. The Temple was built as the House of God, a monument in stone showing the presence of God among His people.

Then, when God descended into the flesh of man, He took a new dwelling. He began to dwell with His people, not in buildings of stone, but in flesh. At the crucifixion, the Temple curtain was torn in two to show that God no longer dwelt behind the curtain but with His people. The need for the sacrifice of animals was over. They were only ever a shadow of the final sacrifice of Christ. The end of sacrifices meant the end of the need for the Temple and the Temple priesthood.

But, given the opportunity, man will turn even the good gifts of God into idols. The Book of Acts and the Epistles are full of controversy over the necessity of keeping the food laws and circumcision. In general, just how “Jewish” do Christians need to be? Phrased this way, the question itself is wrong. No one needs to be Jewish by blood or ceremony to be a Christian, and this has been true since Adam and Eve were created! It is true that God chose one nation, one people, one ethnai to be His people. This was for the purpose of the lineage of Christ. Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samson, Samuel, and David were and are saved by faith. No one has ever been saved by his blood or his heritage.

God is no respecter of persons. This is why He took such great offense when the money changers had taken over the Court of the Gentiles. It is true, the distinctions of the Temple were still enforced at this time, but God made provision for the Gentile believers. Remember, every time a centurion (Gentile by definition) is mentioned in the New Testament, his faith is commended. In Isaiah 56, the Lord God Almighty says,  

“Also the sons of the foreigner

Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,

And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—

Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,

And holds fast My covenant—

Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,

And make them joyful in My house of prayer.

Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

Will be accepted on My altar;

For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”[1]

“For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all Gentiles, all nations, all people.” Immediately after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, Christians of Jewish descent began demanding that all Christians be circumcised, restrict their diets, and live according to Jewish laws. For a time and in certain places, St. Paul and the other apostles recommended bearing with these weaker brothers so as not to destroy their weak faith. However, there would come a time when these weaker brothers would also need to be strengthened. They could not claim to be children in the faith forever because their particular weakness made outward actions necessary before faith could enter in. Requiring the Jewish laws meant God would only save those who first committed outward acts of obedience. Salvation by works, not faith.

From Adam to today, and on to the very last day, salvation is by faith alone. No one is saved apart from faith nor in a way other than through the saving blood of Jesus Christ. The modern nation of Israel has nothing to do with the children of Israel in the Old Testament, aside from occupying roughly the same geography. The promises of God to His people Israel are His promises to the Church – the people of God. There is no necessity of a third temple, a sacrificial red heifer, or new priesthood within a modern nation for the salvation of man nor the return of Christ. These are lies first systematically taught by John Nelson Darby in the 19^th century and made popular in the heretical Schofield Study Bible.

Looking to the nation of Israel as the harbinger of the return of Christ is precisely to miss your visitation. To be focused on the ethnic Jewish people as somehow a continuation of the children of God is to hide your eyes from the one thing that makes peace with God – the blood of Jesus Christ.

Christ our Lord stood overlooking the same city for which Jeremiah wept and shed his own tears. Jesus wept for Jerusalem because he loves her and all her inhabitants. Jerusalem was the city chosen to receive the Incarnate Lord, given the Word of God and the promise of everlasting life. Yet Jerusalem had rejected her Savior. Jerusalem had killed the prophets and neglected the Word of God.

Our Lord weeps over Jerusalem because he loves her. He loves the Pharisees and Sadducees, the chief priests and scribes, the leaders of the people, the Romans, and the Herodians. If this were not the case, he would not bother to rebuke them nor shed tears on their account. He desires not the death of a sinner but his conversion. Jesus weeps for your sin. I’m not so certain that Jesus isn’t weeping as he cleanses the temple with a whip of cords. He weeps for your sin and then bears it to the cross of Calvary.

The same Jesus who chases out the money changers will shortly thereafter submit to these same authorities. He will not struggle against them. He will not seek asylum. It is Palm Sunday when he weeps for Jerusalem and cleanses the Temple. Jerusalem who kills the prophets and silences the Word of God will soon kill the Prophet like Moses, the Incarnate Word of God, the King of Kings, and Eternal Priest of the Most High. Jesus will submit to the death of a criminal so that the money changers don’t have to; so that you don’t have to.

Every drop of water in the Bible points to Holy Baptism, even the tiny drops of Christ’s tears. He sheds these tears to cleanse you of your sin. He sheds his Holy Blood to pay the debt your sin has incurred. He rises victorious to proclaim his word of forgiveness and victory over sin, death, and the devil; to claim you as his trophy. His tears, his teaching, his life, death, resurrection, and ascension are all accomplished for you, whether you like it or not. This is what Christ has to deliver to you through the lips of a sinful man.

A parent who enjoys spanking their child is an abuser. Chastisement truly hurts the parent as much or more than the child because we love them. The Heavenly Father chastises us for our own good. Christ cleanses the temple for the good of the money changers, so that they would repent, then listen to his teaching. Immediately after cleansing the desecration of the Temple, Christ teaches the crowds. He restores the Temple to its purpose – that place where the Holy God dwells with his people, distributing his Word of forgiveness and his gifts of salvation.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Isaiah 56:6-7.