Misericordias Domini (Easter 2)

 Misericordias Domini – May 4, 2025

Psalm 33; Ezekiel 34:11-16; 1 Peter 2:21b-25

St. John 10:7-18

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

In St. Peter’s first letter to the Church, the Holy Spirit admonishes us this morning to follow Christ. He then explains in what respects we should follow Him and concludes with why it is that we should follow Christ.

The admonition to follow Christ is quite simple and direct: “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”[1] We might be accustomed to thinking of Christ’s perfect life as an example for the Christian life, but the Holy Spirit would have us here consider His perfect suffering and death as an example, too. Christ declared, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”[2] The cross of which He speaks is often taken to be the daily burden of sin or any of the various types of suffering endured each day by man. While that may or may not be the intention of Christ’s own words, the Holy Spirit calls these words to mind in the context of greater suffering: suffering the sins of others, persecution, and death.

Our Lord’s suffering could be said to begin with the knowledge that one of His beloved disciples would betray Him. A man who had been with Christ from the beginning would betray Him with a kiss, and for what? Thirty pieces of silver and the approval of man. Then, the events of that night really begin when Christ speaks of His betrayal. He knows what Judas plans to do and is pleading for Judas’s soul. But the son of perdition had already given his soul to satan that the Christ would be betrayed into the hands of the priests and Romans. Imagine the sorrow of Christ as His heart breaks that one of His beloved would betray Him, sorrow that is redoubled as the betrayal is completed with a kiss, a sign of affection poisoned by sin.

Christ says to Judas, “Friend, why have you come?”[3] Then, to the murderous crowd, He says, “I have told you that I am [the One whom you seek]. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way.”[4] He said this to spare those whom He loved from the fate He was about to endure. Yes, they would one day meet similar deaths, but their time had not yet come. He must first show them the way into the grave, that they would also see His victory over it. They needed to see both the way into the grave and the way out of it, that they would follow Him.

So then, in what respects are we called to follow Christ? Our text outlines five ways in which we are to follow Christ. First, He committed no sin. If only we could follow Christ completely and perfectly in this way! Yet the frailty of our flesh does not excuse us from following in His footsteps. A child might try to follow his father’s footsteps in the snow, but his short legs won’t allow him to perfectly conform to his father’s gait. His little feet will make a mess of his father’s tracks.

Yet in the same way, we too should follow Christ in being disgusted by sin and fleeing from it with all we have. We should look to His steps and set our wills to following in them. When we stumble and fall, for the footsteps are too great for us, we cry to our heavenly Father to forgive our sin, lift us back onto our feet, and continue in His train.

Second, no deceit was found in His mouth. If our actions should conform to the steps of Christ, then so too should our thoughts and words. The Holy Spirit has much to say about the evil that is produced by the tongue. “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”[5] How easy it is to let a sinful word pass our lips or a wicked thought capture our minds!

Perhaps worse still is keeping silence when speaking is required. When called to confess, repent, or forgive, if you should keep your tongue in your mouth then the flame of the tongue begins to burn within you, setting your body and soul aflame. Yet look to Christ who spoke the Law to hardened hearts, the Gospel to the repentant, and even kept His silence when words no longer touched the hearts of His persecutors. No deceit was found in His mouth because from it issued the pure Word of God.

Third, when Christ was reviled, He did not revile in return. Christ did not curse His persecutors and executioners from the cross but rather prayed, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”[6] This prayer was certainly answered in the case of the repentant thief on the cross and perhaps also in the centurion who confessed that “certainly this Man is the Son of God.”[7]

We are to follow Christ in restraining our hearts against those who persecute us and those who sin against us. Cry out to God that justice be done? Absolutely. Pray that the wicked be destroyed, as Psalm 55 says, “Destroy, O Lord, and divide the tongues [of the enemy], For I have seen violence and strife in the city;” or Psalm 58, “Break the teeth [of the wicked] in their mouth, O God! Let them flow away as water which run continually…The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.”[8]

Yet even in these harsh psalms, we pray for the purpose that God’s will would be done and that we would be spared the sins of wicked men. The cry for God’s justice to be meted out on the wicked is so that God’s will would be kept pure and holy and that the righteous would be saved. It is not a prayer for personal vengeance. These are not prayers for personal retribution. They are prayers for justice and righteousness.

No Christian is called to be a punching bag, absorbing the kicks and punches of the wicked. Turning the other cheek is not a commandment to enable abuse. Rather, when the persecution, wickedness, and sins of others come against you, look to the God of all mercy, grace, and justice for relief. He will judge the unrighteous. He will protect the righteous. He is our strength and shield, not we ourselves.

The fourth and fifth respects in which we are to follow Christ are related to the third. He did not return reviling with reviling, nor did He return threats with threats. Rather, He committed Himself to the one who judges righteously. “‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”[9] When persecution and sin comes against you, the first thought is to protect your own heart, lest you too be swallow by the wrath of others and join them in their iniquity. God has said, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”[10] The Lord hears the cries of the faithful and will preserve the righteous. He will judge the wicked to the glory of His own name. We are to walk in the footsteps of Christ by having faith, trusting in the Lord’s righteousness to deal with us (and the wicked) according to His Word.

The admonition to follow Christ’s example in His perfect life but especially in His perfect suffering and death begs the question, why? As good evangelical Christians, we know that Christ proclaimed, “It is finished!” from the cross. Your salvation is finished, complete, made whole, by Christ crucified and risen from the dead. Why, then, does the Holy Spirit speak to us through St. Peter and speak so boldly about our duty to follow Christ’s steps?

It is precisely because He is the Good Shepherd. He leads His flock from the front. He guards and protects the sheep. He knows you by name. He also leads you to still waters and away from dangers. The footsteps of Christ show the way of salvation. Where Christ, our Shepherd is, that is where we want to go. If our desire is to be with Christ, to be in His flock and to go where He is leading us, then naturally, we ought to follow His steps.

We were once like sheep going astray, that is, we were once sheep without a shepherd, lost in the confusion of our sin; turned inward, staring at our navels, thinking we knew the path within ourselves. Yet even while we were in our sins, the Father sent His Son to gather the wayward sheep to Himself. He came to die that we would have life. If Christ has said, “I know My own, and My own know Me,” then it is we, who know Christ, who have been called to follow Him.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] 1 Peter 2:21.

[2] St. Matthew 16:24; St. Mark 8:34; St. Luke 9:23.

[3] St. Matthew 26:50.

[4] St. John 18:8.

[5] James 3:6.

[6] St. Luke 23:34.

[7] Cf. St. Matthew 27:54.

[8] Psalm 55:9; 58:6-7, 10.

[9] Romans 12:19.

[10] Romans 9:13; cf. Malachi 1:2-3.

Palmarum (Palm Sunday)

 Palmarum (Palm Sunday) – April 13, 2025

Psalm 22; Philippians 2:5-11

St. Matthew 26-27

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peter ran away crying.

Judas ran back to the chief priests

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

[2] St. Matthew 26:15.

[3] Philippians 2:7.

[4] St. Matthew 26:15.

[5] St. Matthew 26:24.

[6] St. Matthew 18:20.

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

Quasimodo Geniti (Easter 2)

Quasimodo Geniti (Easter 2) – April 16, 2023

Psalm 8; Ezekiel 37:1-14; 1 John 5:4-10

St. John 20:19-31

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

Thomas knows and understands that the forgiveness of sins flows from the wounds of Jesus. He desires to put his fingers in the wounds of the Risen Jesus and his hand into Christ’s riven side because he knows that without these wounds, the Resurrection would mean nothing. If Jesus hadn’t died on the cross, Thomas would still be in his sins and accountable to God. He would be under the Law and knows that he would face eternal damnation. In this way, Thomas is a skilled theologian.

But like many skilled theologians, Thomas misses the forest for the trees. There were many sins committed that first Easter. All the disciples failed to trust the teachings of Jesus. Our Lord was very clear, teaching multiple times that He would be betrayed, executed, and then rise again.^[1] He taught this was necessary for the salvation of the world. He even commanded the disciples to meet Him in Galilee after He is raised from the dead.^[2]

Despite these teachings, the disciples act very confusedly when the tomb is found to be empty. They gather in the upper room behind locked doors. They fear the Jewish leadership will come for them next, forgetting that Jesus promised them that all who believe in Him shall never die, and at the same time, if the Master is persecuted, so shall the disciples be.^[3] The disciples did not go to Galilee. They did not expect the Word of God to be fulfilled.

The difference between the high theology of Thomas and the simple theology of the disciples is the remembrance of another of our Lord’s teachings. “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.”^[4] The other disciples continued together. They may not have gone to Galilee, but they remained united with the Church. Thomas may be looking for the sign of the atonement, namely the wounds of Jesus, but he has abandoned the church while on his quest.

It is inevitable that there are fewer people in attendance today than last week. Thanks be to God so many gathered last week to hear of the Crucified Lord who has won their victory over sin and death. Where are they now? Thanks be to God you are here this week. Where will you be next week? It was not just a coincidence that Thomas missed the appearance of Jesus. He did not just happen to be on a snack run to the corner store and miss his Lord by a few minutes. Thomas specifically chose not to gather with the other disciples.

By not gathering with the disciples, Thomas missed our Lord’s Institution of the Office of the Holy Ministry. On that first night of the Resurrection, Jesus breathed on the Apostles and explained the chief duty of the church on this side of glory, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”[5]

Certainly, the Scriptures contain many commands for those born again of water and the Spirit – we are to care for the orphaned and the widowed, submit to our rulers, pray diligently, attend the gathering of the saints in worship, tell others about Jesus, and so on. But the chief duty of the Church is the forgiveness of sins. We are the people who are to be abhorred by our own sins. We are to point out the sins of the world not for the sake of derision, but so that the world would repent of idolatry, blasphemy, and other forms of degeneracy. The purpose of God’s commands is always to point us toward the forgiveness of sins.

When the disciples confronted Thomas about his absence, he made it clear that if Jesus did not prove His resurrection on Thomas’s terms and according to Thomas’s timeline, he would never believe. This is a blasphemous statement. Who is Thomas to give such orders to his Lord and God? Who are you to demand that God obey your wants and desires, giving Him boundaries in which to work or else you will not be satisfied? Thomas clearly says that if God doesn’t do what Thomas demands, he will never believe in the resurrection.

Thomas is tempting God exactly as Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. He is pretending to have the authority that belongs to God alone. Thomas is tempting God exactly as Satan tempted Adam and Eve. ‘Did God really show you His wounds? I didn’t see it, so I don’t believe.’ Thomas is tempting God just as the Jews tempted Jesus on the cross. ‘If He really is the Son of God, let Him show me by doing as I command.’

The other ten Apostles loved Thomas such that they would show him his sin. They were worried about his eternal salvation. When he responded defensively, as one might have expected, they did not give up on him. They did not exclude him from the gathering of the saints. Instead, they kept a place at the table for him. Thanks be to God, Thomas returned to the church with the Apostles, eight days later.

The written word does not always effectively communicate tone. When Jesus appears in the midst of the Apostles the second time, the tone of His comments is not recorded. I cannot say with certainty but let me offer a suggestion.

Perhaps our Lord’s words to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing,” were not as kindly sounding as most of us would like to think. Perhaps, these words were spoken harshly. Perhaps they are not an invitation so much as a rebuke.

Jesus is certainly not giving Thomas what he wanted. When the rich man cries out from hell that Father Abraham would send someone back from the dead to warn his living brothers, Abraham responds, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”[6] In other words, the rich man’s brothers have the words of Scripture, the commandments and the promises, but if those will not turn their hearts, nothing they might see will grant them faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

Therefore, it is not fitting that Jesus would be giving Thomas exactly what he wanted. In that case, Jesus would be rewarding the blasphemy of Thomas. Rather, it seems almost like Jesus is intimidating Thomas. “You think you know how to strengthen faith? You think you know what you need? I’ll tell you what you need. You need faith. You need to trust Me for I am your Lord and God!”

It is also for this reason that I don’t think Thomas ever touches Christ’s wounds. I think the rebuke of our Lord is sufficient to crush his prideful heart. Thomas wants forgiveness according to his terms and on his timeline. Jesus rebukes his pride and calls him to repentance. Thanks be to God, the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God and turns Thomas’s heart. He immediately falls to his knees and repents. “My Lord and my God!”

The same is true in the Church today. When Jesus instituted the Office of the Holy Ministry, He did so for the sake of the forgiveness of sins. The called and ordained ministers of Christ are called chiefly to bear the keys of the kingdom of God. These two keys, the binding key and the loosing key, are closely related. They both pertain to the forgiveness of sins.

On the one hand, he who is penitent, recognizes his sin, knows his sin is worthy of the wrath of God, is disgusted by his own sin, and desires to be free from it, it is the duty of the called and ordained ministers of Christ to loose this man from his sins. It is not a judgment to be made by the Pastor. He does not forgive sins according to his own will or his desires. He forgives sins according to the Word of God. Just as whosoever’s sins he forgives on earth are forgiven in heaven, so too is it his duty to forgive those sins which the Father in heaven would forgive.

On the other hand, he who is impenitent, who refuses to acknowledge his sin as sin, who denies God’s ability to judge him, or who recognizes his sin but desires to remain in that sin, it is the solemn duty of the called and ordained ministers of Christ to bind him in his sin. The gates to the kingdom of heaven are to be closed to this man. The blood of Christ was still shed for him and forgiveness flows from this blood, but he has chosen to ignore this grace and mercy of God. He is bound in his sin not because of the nature or severity of his sin, but because of impenitence.

Do not overlook that last point. The nature or severity of sin is not the grounds for excommunication or church discipline. The only grounds for the use of the binding key is impenitence. One sad example is those who are impenitent regarding their violation of the Third Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” Thomas failed to gather with the Apostles on Easter evening. When our Lord sees him, He commands Thomas to stop unbelieving, but be believing. This tells us that while he was absent from the gathering of the Church, Thomas was in a state of unbelief. He was impenitent concerning his breaking of the Third Commandment.

Those who are physically able to attend the gathering of the saints but refuse to are breaking the Third Commandment. They might be otherwise pious people. They might be very kind and loving. They might read their Bibles every day. They may even send money to the church. But they are still breaking a commandment of God. What is worse, if the Church is able to reach out to these people and they still do not return to the gathering of the saints, they are bearing the fruits of impenitence. If they continue in impenitence, then it is the duty of the church to excommunicate them.  

Do not fear the word, “excommunicate.” The purpose of excommunication is never punishment. The purpose of excommunication is to show someone his sin. It is to bring his sin to the forefront of his mind so that he would know the consequences thereof. If a man does not know that he is sinning but continues in that sin, he is still liable to judgment. The loving thing to do is to call his sin to his attention so that he might repent and be welcomed back into the Church.

Such was the case with Thomas. Had he died during that week between Easter and the following Sunday, Thomas would certainly have found himself in hell. He was an unbeliever. Jesus stood before him and showed him his sin. What’s more, Jesus showed him the consequences of his sin. Jesus also showed him the God who was willing to take on his sin and die for it. Jesus showed Thomas His wounds so that Thomas would receive the forgiveness which flows from them.

Jesus showed Thomas the way of salvation and in so doing, pronounced a blessing upon you. Jesus said, “Thomas, it took me appearing a second time and forcing your eyes upon the bloody wounds caused by your sins for you to repent. Blessed are those who come after you, who receive My Word upon your lips, because they have not seen and yet have believed.”

Blessed are you today for in hearing the Word of God, you have received the forgiveness of your sins. Blessed are you who hear the Word of God, and your heart is turned away from sin and toward the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Jesus. Blessed are you who hear the Word of God and believe it without seeing.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] St. Matthew 16:21-23; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; 26:1-2; St. Mark 8:31-33; 9:30-32; 10:32-34; St. Luke 9:21-22; 9:43-45; 18:31-34. See also the “lifted up” statements according to St. John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32.

[2] St. Matthew 26:32.

[3] St. John 11:26; 15:20.

[4] St. Matthew 18:20.

[5] St. John 20:23.

[6] St. Luke 16:31.

Vespers on the Eve of the Commemoration of the Reformation

 Our congregation held a Reformation Celebration (or Oktoberfest) on October 30. A presentation was given, which focused on the teachings of Luther's opponents in the Sacramentarian Controversy, especially Ulrich Zwingli. This sermon was then preached at the Vespers service.

Vespers on the Eve of the Commemoration of the Reformation – October 30, 2021

Psalm 46; Galatians 3:26-4:7

St. Matthew 26:17-30

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

Ulrich Zwingli was right to confess with our Lord, “The flesh profits nothing.”[1] Our flesh profits nothing before the Lord. The Law of God, his will for creation, offers righteousness, eternal life, and salvation, but this offer comes with a condition. The Law offers these wonderful gifts to all who keep the whole of God’s Law without error. “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” You may try to earn salvation by keeping the Law, but it is a great gamble. Stumble in one point, fail in a tiny way, forget one jot, tittle, or iota, and you have transgressed the entire law and are guilty of all sin.

“But what of good works? If we transgress a little but work much good, doesn’t that make up for it?” By no means! Did you not hear that to transgress a little is to be guilty of all the Law? This is the very definition of “redeem.” To redeem is to give one thing in exchange for another. Maybe you have a gift card to Walmart that you redeem for groceries. Maybe you have a paycheck that you redeem for cash. Your good works cannot be redeemed for your righteousness for two reasons.

First, your good works do not have enough value to meet your guilt. No amount of human works will be enough to match the debt incurred by your sin. Remember, to be guilty in one point, makes you guilty of the whole Law. Your debt to God is greater than you could ever imagine. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, the servant owes the master ten thousand talents.[2] That is the equivalent to something between $250 million and $20 billion dollars. The point is that salvation comes at an astronomical cost. Since all the works of man are as filthy rags before the Lord, you simply can never earn enough in works to match the value of your soul.[3]

Second, your good works are not of the correct currency. You cannot walk into Walmart down the road and pay in Euros. Your currency must match what is acceptable to the one holding your debt. The price is in blood. The price is your life, your soul. The original sin of Adam and Eve severed the relationship between man and God. Good works do not heal that rift. Buying your wife a new car does not cancel your adultery. The currency is unacceptable. Good works cannot avert your doom. It is a false, misleading dream that you can keep the Law in its fullness.[4]

Not only do good works not atone for your sins, they also do not retain or strengthen your faith. If your works are responsible for strengthening your faith, if your works are the reason you retain your faith, then salvation is due to your works. Natural man will always fight against God. Every Christian will struggle against sin in this world. If that struggle is overcome by your good works which keep you faithful, then your salvation is again, won by works.

The act of a diligent prayer life, the act of coming to church, the act of forgiving your neighbor, even the act of reading the bible does not, in itself, retain your faith. The life of the Christian is not complete through a checklist of holy living. The Word of God is not a self-help book by which you attain righteousness, salvation, and eternal life.

This is most pointed when we suffer. When the terminal diagnosis comes, we are tempted to pray harder, believing that more diligent prayer will cause God to perform a miracle. The danger in relying on our efforts in prayer is when the prayer is not answered according to our desire. If God does not give us the outcome we’ve prayed for, we’ve worked for, then he must’ve either not heard our prayer, or far worse, denied it. And yet it is God himself who commands us to pray in the 2^nd Commandment and promises to answer our prayers. “God must be unjust. God must be cruel. God must not care.”

Repent of this blasphemy. Repent of relying upon your own works for salvation. Repent of turning a beautiful gift of God, prayer, into a work of your own choosing, by which you hope to persuade the creator of the universe, who has promised to love you, care for you, and deliver to you eternal life. Your flesh cannot abstain from sinning. Keeping the Law for the purpose of salvation, even by good intentions, is a useless task and in vain. None can remove sin’s poisoned dart or purify your own sinful heart, so deep is your corruption.[5]

God is just. God is merciful. God is gracious. The Law must be fulfilled, or else we must die despairing.[6] The Son of God, Second Person of the Holy Trinity, descended from the heavenly throne room into our flesh. He took on the form of a servant. At “the fullness of time, [the Father] sent his Son to be born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”[7]

True God, Second Person of the Holy Trinity, united himself to human flesh. He became True Man. This God-Man united himself to our flesh such that we can say “God hungered; God thirsted; God was born of a woman; God suffered; God died.” The two natures of Christ must be distinguished for it was by his divinity that Christ was able to keep the Law perfectly and atone for our sins in eternal currency. The divinity of Christ ensured his redemption was of the proper quantity and currency such that his redemption would suffice for all mankind, from Adam to the last baby born.

It was by his humanity that Christ could die. It was by uniting his divinity to his humanity that the Son of God could share this salvation with mankind. It was by uniting human flesh to his divinity that when Christ ascended to the Right Hand of the Father, he could prepare a mansion for all who believe.

These two natures of Christ, divine and human, are forever united in one person. This one person, Jesus Christ, acted for your salvation. His works are good. His works are holy. His works are perfect and eternal. This one person, the God-Man, has united the hiddenness of the divine God within the revealed flesh of creation. This one person has redeemed you through his blood and then guaranteed your eternal life by rising from the grave. His blood is more precious than $20 billion and matches the currency of your salvation.

It is no wonder then, that this God-Man, on the night when he was betrayed, took physical elements, and united them to his body and blood. The very same Body that would die upon the cross for your salvation and the Blood that was shed to redeem your soul are sacramentally united to physical elements – bread and wine. Two elements but one Sacrament. This is a reflection of the unity of God and Man within the person of Christ. Two Natures but one Person.

From the very beginning, God has given himself to man through means. God walked in the Garden and spoke with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. They could see him, hear him, smell him, touch him. These are the means by which he revealed himself to Adam and Eve. These were not illusions. They were and are truth. So too does his grace come to man through means. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”[8] This Word of God comes to us through means – the preaching of men called into the Office of the Holy Ministry and the printed word in the Bible you read, hopefully aloud.

But since man is a physical being and would be tempted to ignore something as ephemeral as the spoken Word, God has united his word to physical means as well. The Word in and with the water, given by the command of Christ and for the purpose of the forgiveness of sin, constitutes Holy Baptism. It is truly a washing, not a symbol of cleansing. The Word of God in, with, and under the Bread and the Wine, given by the command of Christ and given for the forgiveness of sin, constitutes the Holy Communion.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”[9] The Eternal Word of God is united to human flesh. This same flesh, he has united to bread and the blood which flows through that flesh he has united to wine. In this Holy Body and Precious Blood is found the salvation of the world. The very same Body which hung on the cross and the very same Blood poured out on the earth are given to Christians for the bestowing and strengthening of faith. They are the victory feast of the Church who celebrates with the Victorious Christ who has defeated death and the grave.

What then of our good works? Our flesh profits nothing for salvation. Christ has won salvation for us. Coming to Church, reading the Scriptures, receiving the Holy Sacraments, and fervent prayer are not good works which you do. They are the means of grace by which God delivers himself to you. You do these things not to earn salvation but to receive what God has to give you – righteousness, salvation, and eternal life. These things do retain and strengthen your faith but not because of what you do, its because of what God delivers through them.

Our good works are then also a reflection of what has been done in us. Has God forgiven your sins? Has God delivered to you the righteousness of Christ? Has God given you a clean conscience through the waters of Holy Baptism?[10] Has the very Body and Blood of Christ wrought faith within you, capable of moving mountains? Have you been declared a child and heir of God, no longer a slave to your passions, to sin, to death, and to the Law?

Then you are free to serve God with a joyful heart! No longer are your works that of a slave hoping to earn freedom. You are a son, an heir, whose inheritance is certain. You are now free to pray because you know that your Father in heaven hears and will answer your prayer. You are now free to come to Church, regularly and often, because there you will receive your salvation in Christ. You are free to give to the poor because eternity has been given to you. You are free to raise your children in the way of the Lord because He died for them too.[11] You are free to daily read the Scriptures because there you find your Savior.

The flesh of man profits nothing for our salvation. The flesh of Christ has won our salvation. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world…Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”[12]

In T Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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[1] St. John 6:63.

[2] St. Matthew 18:21-35.

[3] Isaiah 64:6.

[4] Salvation Unto Us Has Come, LSB 555:1. Public Domain.

[5] Salvation Unto Us Has Come, LSB 555:4. Public Domain

[6] Salvation Unto Us Has Come, LSB 555:5. Public Domain

[7] Galatians 4:4-5.

[8] Romans 10:17.

[9] St. John 1:1, 14.

[10] 1 Peter 3:18-22.

[11] Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 19:13-15.

[12] John 6:51, 53-56.