Quinquagesima

Quinquagesima – February 19, 2023

Psalm 31; 1 Samuel 16:1-13; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

St. Luke 18:31-43

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

For the third and final time, our Lord gives the Apostles a description of his Passion. He will be betrayed, mocked, spat upon, scourged, and crucified. Then on the third day he will rise. Despite three years of hearing Jesus teach and seeing his numerous miracles, the Apostles don’t understand what he is talking about. What’s more, these words of Jesus are hidden from them.

Then, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man hears the commotion. St. Mark tells us this man’s name is Bartimaeus. He asks what is going on and some men in the crowd tell him Jesus of Nazareth is coming. The crowd identifies our Lord as “Jesus of Nazareth,” as in “Jesus, the son of Joseph the carpenter.” Bartimaeus identifies him as “Jesus, Son of David,” that is, “Jesus the Christ, the Seed of David sent to save his people.”

Bartimaeus goes on to cry out for mercy. The cry, “Lord, have mercy!” was commonly heard whenever a powerful man came into a town. All sorts of people would line the streets and cry out for mercy, hoping for a little money or even simply to be noticed by the powerful man. The Apostles and the rest of the crowd probably assumed that Bartimaeus was just one beggar among many, come to gawk at a celebrity.

But when Bartimaeus asks for mercy, he doesn’t mean healing or alms or justice. We know his cry is different because he cries not, “Lord, have mercy,” but, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy!” He recognizes Jesus to be the promised Savior and cries out that he would have mercy upon him, that is, that Jesus would be the atoning sacrifice for his sins. Remember that the top of the ark of the covenant, the seat from which God judged Israel AND the place where the blood of the atoning sacrifice was poured, is called the MERCY SEAT. A cry to Jesus for mercy is a cry for salvation.

In the liturgy, when we sing the Kyrie, we also cry out for mercy. We are not crying out for a favor from a celebrity or hoping that He will notice us. We cry out for the mercy that we already know has been fulfilled. We cry out in joy, celebrating the mercy that has been shown to us. We simultaneously ask Christ to have mercy on us because of our sins and thank Christ for the mercy that He has shown us. This mercy is the shedding of His blood on our behalf. Your works don’t save you but neither does your faith. The blood of Jesus saves you. Your faith, itself a gift of God, simply receives that blood of Jesus, receives forgiveness, life, and salvation.

What do you have that is worthy of Christ’s sacrifice? Nothing. There is nothing within you that is worth Christ’s sacrifice. What then motivates Christ to die on your behalf? His love. The love of Christ is patient. His love is kind. Christ’s love does not insist on his own way, is not irritable or resentful. He does not rejoice at sin but rejoices in the truth. Christ lovingly bears all things. He humbly submits himself to death in love. He believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Christ endures the pain of betrayal, the depth of mockery, the sting of scourging, and the blackness of death. He endures all things because he loves you.

There is nothing within you that is worth Christ’s sacrifice and yet because you are created in His image, everything within you is worth Christ’s sacrifice. He loves you and all people despite themselves. His love never ends. The love of Christ never ends. He Himself is Love.

Bartimaeus was not more intelligent than the Apostles. He didn’t understand the words of Jesus on a higher level of thought. The difference between Bartimaeus and the Apostles is that Bartimaeus trusts that whatever Jesus does, it is for the Good of man. He trusts that Jesus will have mercy upon him and however that mercy is obtained, it will be the Will of God and it will be a blessing to him.

The Apostles have already shown themselves unprepared for this type of faith. St. Peter, the first among the Apostles, has vowed to prevent the crucifixion twice already and has been called Satan because of it. The Apostles have allowed their affection for Jesus to blind them to the purpose of the Incarnation.

At the end of this account, Bartimaeus follows Jesus into Jerusalem. Jesus was headed into Jerusalem to die. It would not be a stretch to think that Bartimaeus followed Jesus into martyrdom. The Love of Christ which redeems his soul then shows itself in Bartimaeus’s own faith. He becomes patient and kind, willing to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things because he can see his eternal reward.

The Love of 1 Corinthians 13 is first a reference to Christ himself. If you have knowledge of all the trivial facts in the bible but do not see how they point to Jesus, then you may as well bang on a gong. If you can speak in beautiful language and hold rapt the attention of thousands but do not speak of Christ’s death on the cross, you are nothing. If you give all your money to the poor and boldly stand up to the government to be martyred but do not have love, you gain nothing. Jesus Christ is love. With Jesus, faith the size of a mustard seed moves mountains. Without Jesus, faith the size of Everest is worthless.

Only once you have established this fact, that Jesus Christ is love and only He never ends, can you see how this Love moves within your soul. We bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things for the sake of Christ. We do these things because we know that Jesus has had mercy upon us. Faith, hope, and love abide with us now because we need them now. But the greatest of these three is Love because only it endures forever. Right now, we need faith in things unseen and hope of the resurrection which is made ours in the love of Jesus. At the return of Christ, faith and hope will no longer be necessary because we will see Jesus face to face. Then, of these three, only love will remain.

Bartimaeus is changed by the Love of Christ and his soul is moved such that he can now endure all things. He knows that no amount of suffering on this side of glory can compare with the joy to come. Bartimaeus would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of His God than dwell in the tents of wickedness, even if it means his own temporal death.

Such blessed vision awaits us all. Right now, we see the reality of Christ’s love for us as though we are looking in a dirty mirror. We know God’s love in part only because we cannot yet see clearly. We speak, think, and reason like children because we cannot comprehend the fullness of Christ’s love for us. Often, we think like the Apostles. We let our affection for people, nostalgia for the past, or comfort with the status quo blind us to the purpose of the Incarnation. Affection, nostalgia, and comfort are not evil things in themselves. They are glorious gifts of God. But if they prevent the mercy of God from moving your soul so as to imitate His Love, then they have become idols. You have become an idol. Repent of such foolishness and turn instead toward the perfect Love of Christ.

And “when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.”^[1] This coming “perfect” is not related to moral perfection or artisanal precision. It carries the idea of something being fulfilled or brought to completion. It is what Jesus proclaims from the cross, “It is finished.” Thus when the fulness, the completing comes, the partial will pass away. This is a reference to the resurrection. Our eyes will close in death, and we will be as the blind man. Then, we shall recover our sight. We will follow Jesus and glorify God.

When the fullness of time has come, all things will be made new and you will no longer see through a dusty mirror. You will see the fullness of Christ’s glory. You will see His love. You will see. You will know and you will be known. You will see Jesus face to face. You will understand His love.

And on that day, we will see each other. We will see the beautified faces of all the beloved saints of God. We will rejoice and cry out “Lord have mercy!” in joy and delight for the mercy He has shown to us.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] 1 Cor 13:10

The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of Jesus

 The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus – February 2, 2023

Psalm 48; Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18

St. Luke 2:22-32

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

At the culmination of the Plagues in Egypt, God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and use its blood to paint the doorposts and lintels as a sign that the Angel of Death should pass them over. This Angel was sent by God to collect the lives of all the firstborn in Egypt—the firstborn of both man and beast. The firstborn of the Sons of Israel were spared this fate. They were spared by the blood of the lamb. However, once God had delivered the Israelites from Egypt and met with Moses on Mount Sinai, He made a new covenant with them. This covenant declared that all the firstborn of the Israelites belonged to the Lord.[1] The firstborn beasts were given to the priests to be sacrificed. The firstborn sons would be given to serve the priests.

In the case of some beasts, the firstborn could be redeemed with the sacrifice of a lamb in its place. In the case of the firstborn child, God commanded they should always be redeemed. The redemption price of a son or daughter was a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering and either a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering.[2] If a lamb was too expensive, two pigeons or two turtledoves would suffice.

First, what does it mean to be redeemed? It is quite simple. To be redeemed means to be substituted. It means to give one thing in place of another so that you might receive back the first possession. Redemption is not quite the same as making a purchase. Giving the checker money in exchange for groceries isn’t the same as redemption because the groceries did not belong to you in the first place. Rather, if you’ve ever been to a wedding reception or banquet with a coat check, you have experienced redemption. You gave the clerk your coat in exchange for a ticket. At the end of the night, you redeemed your coat by giving the clerk your ticket. The coat is your property, and you willfully gave it to the clerk. You then “bought back” your coat at the price of the ticket. This is redemption.

Second, it is important to note who is commanded by God to perform this redemption for the firstborn child. It is always the mother. The redemption of the child is tied up with the purification of the mother after giving birth. In this, we see the beauty of the office given to women. The curse of pain in childbearing is balanced with the joy of a new life brought into the world.[3] Under the Law of Moses, a woman must then spend 40 days alone if she bore a son. If she bore a daughter, the time was doubled.[4] She must spend this time alone because everything she touches becomes unclean. It is tainted by the uncleanness of her giving birth.

But on the final day of her solitude, the mother brings her firstborn to the temple and make the offering both for her purification and the redemption of her child. Such an arduous task is born by the woman and testifies to her fortitude and willingness to love and protect the child God has given to her.

Returning to the Gospel at hand, we must note that the laws I’ve described in no way apply either to Mary or Jesus. The Holy Spirit spoke clearly through Moses, that purification was required of all who had given birth on account of conception by a man. Mary did not know a man. The child she held so dear was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And, according to the pious opinions of some, was born in such a miraculous way as to spare Mary of the unclean flow of blood.

So too, the redemption of the child was required on behalf of sin, just as the blood of the lamb at the Passover was on account of the sinfulness of man. Certainly, Mary received the inheritance of original sin, but the Christ Child did not. And yet, Mary submitted herself and her child to both tenants of the law. Why?

It is first an act of love. Mary would be free to ignore this Law of Moses but she submits herself to it out of love for her neighbor and to give glory to God alone. The events of the Book of Exodus are initiated when a Pharaoh, who had forgotten Joseph, was afraid of the prosperous Hebrews. The Israelites were great in number and posed a legitimate military threat. With the right leadership and foresight, the Israelites could’ve mounted a coup against the Pharaoh and stolen the land of Egypt.

If they had, it would’ve been to their own glory. The cunning of generals and the might of valiant soldiers would’ve won the day. As history would have it, God acted to deliver the Israelites. They were His people to redeem, and their deliverance brought glory to the name of the Lord.

In the same way, Mary and Jesus submit to the Law of Moses that all glory would be given to God alone, lest anyone think that Mary herself was without sin or without need for purification.

The more difficult question is why did Jesus submit to redemption? He is, after all, the one to redeem all mankind. He is our Redeemer. Why then, does He submit to redemption by two pigeons? In one sense, the redemption of Jesus is like His baptism. Where our Baptism washes our sins away, Jesus’ baptism draws our sins upon Himself. His baptism institutes our own. In like manner, Jesus’ redemption institutes our own. Rather than the pigeons dying for Jesus’ sins, they are a foretaste of His own death.

In another sense, Jesus submits to redemption because He is truly the Firstborn of all creation.[5] Submitting to this law in love and without compulsion is the sign that He is the Firstborn among many brethren. He is indicating that we shall all follow in His likeness, that is, when His blood is shed, we shall be redeemed. We shall be purchased from the mouth of hell and returned to the holy habitation of the house of God.

What then of this idea that it is the mother who redeems the child? Where else do we receive the redemption of the blood of Christ than in Holy Mother Church? The Church is our loving mother, who brings us to the sanctuary—the Temple—to receive the redemption at the cost of the blood of the Lamb.

Which brings us to a final comment on the godly Simeon. When our Lord is presented at the Temple, after the purification and redemption according to the Law of Moses, Simeon takes up the Christ child in his arms and praises the Lord for fulfilling His word. Tonight’s feast is sometimes called “Candlemas,” a reference to the historic practice of blessing the candles for use in the Church and the distribution of candles to the congregation for use at two important parts of the service. Such candles would be lit during the reading of the Holy Gospel and during the consecration. They signify the “Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.”[6]

This Light, the Light of Christ, comes to you in the proclamation of God’s Word and in the Holy Eucharist. As Simeon reached out his arms to behold his Lord, so too you will come forward to hold the Lord. Just as God’s word was fulfilled for Simeon, so too God’s word is fulfilled for you this evening. Tonight is the culmination of everything that has happened since Christmas Eve: the Incarnation of our Lord, the Adoration of the Magi on the Epiphany, the miracles of Jesus, His glorious Transfiguration, and finally the entering of Christ into the Temple. Tonight, He is entering the sanctuary of this Church precisely so that you might take and eat; take and drink. With this Body and Blood, your redemption price was paid and your glory awaits.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Exodus 34:19ff.

[2] Leviticus 12:6-8.

[3] St. John 16:21.

[4] “If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. ³ And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. ⁴ She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. ⁵ ‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.” Leviticus 12:2-5

 [5] Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15, 18; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 1:5.

[6] St. Luke 2:32.

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany – January 22, 2023

Psalm 97; 2 Kings 5:1-15b; Romans 12:16b-21

St. Matthew 8:1-13

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

Just as our Lord finishes preaching the Sermon on the Mount and walks down the mountain, a leper approaches Jesus and worships Him. Lepers were commanded to stand afar off, calling out “Unclean! Unclean!” lest anyone contract the disease by passing too closely. Yet this leper bolds walks up to Jesus, falls upon his knees, perhaps even falling prostrate—flat on the ground—in worship of the Incarnate Lord. After such a provocative approach, the leper humbly says, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”^[2]

Here we see the boldness of faith. Faith makes you more powerful than the US President and more wealthy than Jeff Bezos. Christ says faith the size of a mustard seed is capable of moving mountains.^[3] It is by faith that in Psalm 82, God says to Christians, “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.”^[4] Faith makes you a god among men, a lord over lords, and a mighty conqueror of this world.

It takes such faith to ask anything from God. The centurion knows that he is not worthy to have Christ stand under his roof. The centurion knows that he is not worthy even to be speaking to Christ. Yet faith, given to him by God, has made the leper and the centurion worthy to stand before the Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, Judge, and Lord of the Universe and dare to ask for something as trifling as a healthy body.

Yet even such faith as can move mountains is worthless if misplaced. The leper is able to approach Jesus with such bold faith because he trusts that Christ is not only powerful but merciful, gracious, and loving. Faith is not only knowledge in the power of God but trust in His goodness. The bold faith of the leper is not without humility.

The humility of faith trusts that God is good and will deliver to you that which is best. You do not have all of the information. You cannot see through God’s eyes. We are bidden by the Lord’s Prayer to form all of our prayers according to the Will of God.

When you pray that God would sustain you in right doctrine, the teaching of the Scriptures, and that he will not cast you away, you can be certain that the answer to your prayer will be a resounding yes. God has promised to do these things for you in His word.

But when you pray for something that is good and necessary for this body and life, but which God has not specifically promised to you in His word, then the humility of your faith ought to always cause you to ask according to the Will of God. “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” The leper is not questioning the ability of Christ nor Christ’s love for him. The caveat of “if You are willing” refers to the uncertainty within the leper if being cleansed is really the best thing for him. Jesus knows what is best and so the leper humbles himself to the Will of Jesus.

The humility of the centurion’s faith is expressed somewhat differently. Jesus is ready to come straight to the centurion’s home to heal his servant, but the centurion stops Him. “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come to my home. Your Word is enough for me. I know you are the Lord of heaven and earth. Just as my soldiers obey my commands, I know that all of creation will obey Yours. Please, just speak a word and I know—I trust—that my servant will be healed.”

No one is worthy to have Jesus come under his roof. Historically, the words of the centurion are the words prayed before received the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof, but only say the word and Your servant shall be healed.” We are not worthy to receive forgiveness, let alone to feed on the Body of God. Yet in our unworthiness, the Son of God descended into our flesh to die for us. He took on our humility and shame so that we would be given the faith which makes us kings and lords.

The humility of the centurion is in his request only for a word because he believes the Word of God will do precisely what it says. He believes the Word of Jesus will be good for whomever it is spoken. So too should you humbly believe that the words which I speak are not my forgiveness, but the forgiveness of God, your Father. You should humbly believe that what I give to you in the cup is the Blood of Jesus, not doubting because it doesn’t taste like blood. You should also humbly believe the Word of God is true simply because God has said it. If you disagree with it, submit your own will to the Will of God.

St. Paul says to the Corinthians, “Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”^[5] We see the love personified in Christ while healing the leper. Leprosy is always a symbol of our sinful condition because it deadens our senses toward God. We are not only numb toward God but dead. This necrosis creeps throughout our souls, poisoning us against God and man until we are finally laid in the grave of our own choosing, fated to spend eternity in darkness, weeping and gnashing our teeth in anger against a God we refused to know.

In this deadened state of leprous sin, the Word of God comes to us. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.^[6] Having heard the Word of God, faith is kindled in our dead hearts. Our flesh begins to move and having faith, we are bold to pray, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”^[7]

We, like the leper, already have faith. He is not praying to be converted. If that were the case, his actions would lead to salvation. No, he has already heard the Word of God and now prays that this forgiving Word would act upon his body. He prays that Christ would give to him that which is best for him. So too, we pray for food and drink, house and home, health, money, possessions, a pious spouse, pious children, good government, good friends, peace, discipline, honor, and the like.^[8]

In so doing, we also pray to be made holy. We pray that Christ would relieve us of the temptation to sin. It ought to be the desire of every Christian to live without sin. No sin should please us who would be like Christ. Praying to be cleansed with the leper is to pray that sin would cease its clinging to our conscience. While the temptations of the flesh will never cease on this side of glory, prayer for relief from sin is certainly biblical, practical, necessary, and pleasing to our Father in heaven.

The centurion himself is an example of love. He comes to Jesus not for his own healing, but the healing of his young servant. He pleads to God on behalf of another. This is love. The centurion must have traveled some distance, though not necessarily a long distance. This takes time and resources and for what? A slave? A young slave? He does this out of love. At some point, perhaps during the Sermon on the Mount, the centurion heard the preaching of Christ. The Word of God replaced his heathen heart of stone with a heart of flesh and now the centurion desires to live in service to his neighbor. Faith makes you a lord of all, but love makes you a servant of all. Faith without love is dead.^[9]

So too, should we follow the centurion’s example of faith working out in love, the greater being a blessing to the lesser. No one can provide for every need of everyone they meet. But you can provide for the needs of those God has given into your care. You can sacrifice your own comfort for the sake of another. You can humble yourself so that your children, your less fortunate friend, your sister, or even your destitute mother may have more than the bare minimum in life. To sacrifice yourself for the needs and wants of another is the definition of love.

Such faith and love will be rewarded. Both the Jewish leper and the Gentile centurion will be seated at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. They shall dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for all eternity. This feast has also been prepared for you, beloved in Christ. The blood of the Jewish leper and the works of the Gentile centurion did not secure their invitation to eternal bliss. The Word of God, which delivered the very faith by which it is apprehended, moved their souls to repent of their sins and trust in Christ for salvation. This faith is then shown forth in love for their fellow man.

Your faith too is shown forth in love, even when you don’t realize it. You cannot help but show love toward your neighbor so long as you have faith. The act of changing a diaper is not worthy of salvation but the act of changing a diaper is the showing forth of love born by faith. It is the blessing of the helpless child by the capable mother.

So too are your prayers heard and answered no matter how it may seem to you. Faith means trusting that Christ knows what is good for you and will deliver that which is good. If your prayer is not answered the way you wanted it to be, then realize that you do not know what is best. God does. It would be worthwhile to practice praying like the leper and the centurion.

“Lord, if You are willing, You can deliver me from pain. But I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. Only say the Word, and Your servant shall be healed.”

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[2] St. Matthew 8:2.

[3] St. Matthew 17:20.

[4] Psalm 82:6.

[5] 1 Corinthians 13:2.

[6] Romans 10:17.

[7] St. Matthew 8:2.

[8] A summary of the Small Catechism on the 4^th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer.

[9] James 2:17; 1 Corinthians 13:2; Galatians 5:6; Colossians 1:4; 1 Timothy 1:5, 14; 1 John 4:20.

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity – October 16, 2022

Psalm 122; Deuteronomy 10:12-21; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

St. Matthew 22:34-46

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

Our Lord’s encounter with the Pharisees can be seen as a summary of the Scriptures and an outline of your salvation recorded in three parts: The Law, The Gospel, and the application thereof.

First, we have the Law. The Pharisees approach Jesus to test Him. It is not clear if they are trying to boast that they are able to do what the Sadducees could not do, that is, trick Jesus into accusing Himself; or if they see Jesus as the enemy of their enemy and thus a friend at least for a time. The exact motivation of the Pharisees isn’t important. What we do know is that they are up to no good. It is the week of the crucifixion and they have been plotting the death of Jesus for some time. They are not now looking to make amends with Jesus.

A representative comes forward and asks Jesus which commandment is greatest. This is not a stupid question. It is important. But we must also understand the question. He is not asking which commandment is so important that it renders the other commandments unimportant. He is asking which commandment is the standard by which all commandments are measured.

Scripture tells us that all sin is worthy of death. All sin is a transgression of the will of God and thus deserving of the same eternal punishment. However, God shows particular disdain for certain sins, chiefly murder, adultery, and idolatry. If we insist that all sins are equal in every way, it will lead us to hell. It leads to hell because it says that having a lustful thought is the same as physically sleeping with someone other than your wife. It leads to hell because it says a harsh word about the guy who cut you off in traffic is the same as cutting his throat. It leads to hell because whether you choose to spank your child or beat him doesn’t matter.

Our Lord offers the proper response. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love is the summary of the Law. Love God and love your neighbor. Love is an action. It is a verb. It is something you do. It is not an emotion. How then are we to show our love for God? What actions are we to take to show love for God? By loving our neighbor. You love God by loving your neighbor. Your actions toward your neighbor demonstrate the love you have toward God because your relationship to God necessarily changes who you are and how you treat others.

The problem is that we don’t keep these laws. We do not keep the commandments to love God and love neighbor. You do not treat your neighbor as yourself. The fact that you have money in a bank account says that you do not love your neighbor as yourself. It means that you are storing some money for yourself that you have not given to someone that is in need. If you were in their shoes, you would use the money you currently have stored. Thus, you are not treating them as yourself. You are treating them as a neighbor.

This is not an admonition to empty your bank account. Rather, it is an illustration to show that we always consider our own comfort before we consider the needs of our neighbor. Not only this, we do not love God with our entire being. We chafe at His Law. We chafe at His love. How is it that God can forgive someone like Jeffrey Dahmer when I am trying to be a good person? How is it that God can expect me to forgive when even He condemns the unrepentant? How is it that God expects me to actually separate myself from the culture when He has placed me here? I need a job, so I can go along to get along.

The Law of God is good and wise. It tells us what God desires for us. It tells us how to live according to the will of God so that we might begin to please our heavenly Father. Yet even as much as the Law instructs the Christian, it will always accuse your conscience. You cannot and will not ever keep the Law perfectly. You are incapable of perfect love—perfect love toward God or neighbor. It is for this reason the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees must continue.

Our Lord asks the Pharisees concerning the Christ and whose Son He is. They answer this first question rightly. “He is the Son of David.” Then Jesus intensifies the question. “How then, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, does David call the Christ his Lord? No father, let alone a king, would call his son, ‘Lord’. That is absurd.”

Jesus is teaching the Pharisees concerning His own divinity. He is confessing that the Christ is True Man and True God. The Christ, the Messiah, the Savior must be True God and True Man. He must be the son of David and the Son of God. He must be these things because He must keep the Law to love God and love His neighbor perfectly. He must keep these commandments perfectly so that the Law would be fulfilled in totality.

There is a promise of salvation in the Law. However, this promise is conditional. For the Law to give you salvation, you must keep it perfectly, with every breath you take. With man, this is impossible. From the moment of your conception, you are created in iniquity, bearing the sin of your fathers. You are born in the image of your fathers, all the way back to Adam. The Christ, however, bears the image of His Father. He bears the original righteousness of God Himself. This purity then allows Him to lead a perfect life, fulfilling the Law in a way that man cannot.

Yet if the Christ were only some demi-god, born of the union between a divine father and a mortal mother, his death would only save himself. Your salvation required the death of a True Man because God cannot die. Your salvation also required the resurrection of the True God because God is life. The Christ took the Law and the prophets and hung them on a cross. He nailed your sin to the foot of the cross, making you and all sinners His footstool.

In doing this, He fulfilled the Law of God. There are no more demands for the salvation of man. Everything necessary for you to sit in heavenly glory has been accomplished. This is the Gospel. It is a man. It is God. It is the Christ, fulfilling the Law and dying in your place. It is Jesus, rising victorious over the grave so that death would no longer have a claim on your soul.

The Holy Spirit concludes this section of Scripture with a summary statement. “No one was able to answer Jesus a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.” These two statements are an invitation for you to do what no one was able to do during that first Holy Week. You are now called by the Holy Spirit to answer Jesus’ question. You are being called to confess who the Christ is. You are being called to confess whose Son the Christ is.

We do this every Sunday morning when we confess the Nicene Creed. Hopefully, you do this every day as you recite the Apostles’ Creed. But you are also being called to confess the Christ in your life by loving God and loving your neighbor. You are being called to make the bold confession of your faith in word and action, every day of your life.

You have been freed from the bondage of the Law because it has been fulfilled. You are now free to strive to obey the Law because it no longer carries the punishment of eternal death for those who are in Christ. You are free to love God and love your neighbor because you have no need to fear the Law. You can now love the Law as we pray in Psalm 119.

The Holy Spirit is also calling you to dare to question Jesus. By this, the Holy Spirit is calling you to prayer. What are you praying for? Are you praying for wisdom? Are you praying for a fervent faith? Are you praying that God would not let you fall away from the faith? Are you praying for strength in the face of temptation, that you would never have need to fear the law of God, so long as you breathe?

You are a Christian. You have the freedom to boldly approach God’s throne and ask him as dear children ask their dear Father. You have this freedom because the Son of God took your flesh. The Son of God loved His Father’s will and loved you as His neighbor such that He would obey the commandments of God unto death, even death on a cross. Use this freedom to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Use this freedom to loudly confess the Christ is the son of David and the Son of God.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.