The Transfiguration of our Lord

The Transfiguration of our Lord – January 29, 2023

Psalm 84; Exodus 24:29-35; 2 Peter 1:16-21

St. Matthew 17:1-9

I apologize for the poor formatting of the following. This is the outline from which I preached on the occasion of the Transfiguration. The outline itself is based on a sermon for the same occasion written by Joseph August Seiss. The full citation is found in the first footnote.

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

Concerning the Transfiguration of our Lord, we will consider:

1.        The Location;
2.         The Witnesses;
3.         The Transformation of Christ;
4.        The Time when it Occurred;
5.        The Company of the Transfigured Christ; and finally
6.        The Meaning of All This.

 I.        The Location [1]

a.       Mountains are particularly suited for the sacred and the Divine.

i.        The Law was given on Sinai.

ii.      The first great sermon of Christ is given on a mountain (the Sermon on the Mount).

iii.    The conflict between Elijah and the Prophets of Baal was on Mount Carmel.

iv.     Isaac was prepared as sacrifice on the same Mountain where Christ would soon be the final sacrifice.

v.       Christ often retired to mountains to pray.

vi.     The vision of the New Jerusalem was given to both Ezekiel and St. John from a “very high mountain.”

vii.   Jesus is transfigured, betrayed, crucified, ascends, and will appear again upon a mountain.

II.      The Witnesses

a.       The life in Christian grace, in fact the law of all creation, is that of mutual dependence and mutual service; according to which it is necessary that some should have gifts and functions not given to others, and that the gifts of each should supplement the particular graces of all the rest.

i.        As Luther once wrote, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”[2]

III.   The Transformation

a.      Whereas the face of Moses shone with the light of God and was hidden by a veil, and the face of Stephen only appeared as the face of an angel, the emanation of light as our Lord is transfigured extends to His whole form; and his earthly clothing, rather than concealing it, became a participant in His light.

IV.   The Time

a.       The sixth day after a prediction concerning Christ’s death.

i.        The sixth day of creation is when man was created.

ii.      The sixth day is when Christ will be crucified.

iii.    Six is also a number of near completeness—the number of earthly things rather than 7, the number of divinity.

V.     The Company of the Transfigured Christ

a.       However alone we may seem to be in our devotions, we are never alone.

b.       The appearance of Moses and Elijah demonstrates the existence of another state of being for the saints and that it is one of glory far superior to anything enjoyed by them in this world.

c.       The greatest significance of the company of Christ is the topic of conversation—the death that Christ was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

VI.   The Meaning of All This

a.       The least meaning is that the faith of the disciples needed to be strengthened before the death of Jesus.

i.        They needed assurance of His Divine glory or else their faith would utterly fail them when His Passion should occur.

b.       The most sacred and solemn conversation and consolation offered by Moses and Elijah also served for the strengthening of Christ as He was about to endure His Passion.

i.        Just as He will pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and be ministered to by the Holy Angels, here He receives the ministrations of brothers in the faith.

c.       That Christ shone with a light all His own signifies that He is True God incarnate in the true flesh of man.

i.        That this light was not concealed by His clothing but made the earthly fabric a participant in His light, signifies that we, who are like His earthly garments, have been made participants of His divinity.

ii.      How? By being made heirs of the Father, receiving the washing of regeneration in Holy Baptism, and by being united to the very Body of Christ in the Eucharist.

d.       We are also given the Transfiguration as a picture and solemn foretaste of the future coming of Christ and His eternal kingdom.

i.        Six days before the Transfiguration, Jesus told His disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”[3]

ii.      The Transfiguration is a fulfillment of this prophecy according to St. Peter, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitness of His majesty…when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”[4]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] The following outline is based on Joseph August Seiss, “Sixth Sunday after Epiphany,” Lectures on the Gospels for the Sundays and Chief Festivals of the Church Year, Vol. 1, 6^th edition (Philadelphia, PA: General Council Publication House, 1915), 280-301.

[2] Martin Luther, “The Freedom of a Christian (1520),” AE31:333-377 (Philadelphia, PA: Muhlenberg Press, 1957), 344.

[3] St. Matthew 16:28.

[4] 2 Peter 1:16, 18.

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity – August 21, 2022

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.

It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to understand the seeming contradiction between God’s wrath and His mercy. God’s wrath is the enactment of His rightful justice against evil. God’s mercy is the withholding of His punishment against the same. It is true that the destruction of evil brings glory to God. It is also true that God desires all men to be saved. It is true that Christ died for the sins of every man ever born and that same Christ sentences the unrighteous to eternal torment in hell. God is Love and God is Just.

Thanks be to God that we do not have to reconcile these difficult attributes of God. We must, however, pay attention to them. We must realize the true meaning of God’s wrath so that we might understand the severity of our sins. Knowing the depth of our condition and the totality of God’s wrath against sin, we must cry out for help. We must plead that God would sustain us in the faith so that we would be counted among those who receive His mercy.

On Palm Sunday, as our Lord approaches Jerusalem, he weeps over the city. He weeps over Jerusalem because he loves her. He loves the people of Jerusalem, the people given to dwell with the Lord at his Temple, and yet they have rejected him. They have rejected Christ and perverted his Word. In so doing, they have invoked the wrath of God. As a parent weeps over the rebellious child who has disowned the family, Jesus weeps for Jerusalem.

These tears of our Lord signify four things.[1] First, they bring comfort by proving Christ to be True Man. He shares in the lament and pain that only man can know. Great sadness and frustration wells up within him. “The shedding of tears is a very human trait.”[2] There is no pain known to mankind that our Lord did not take upon himself. Even today, risen in glory, our Lord retains his complete humanity, exalted on high, such that we would know our unity with him.

Secondly, the tears offer satisfaction. They are obviously not the atoning sacrifice of the Cross, but Christ became poor that we would become rich, and he wept that we would have eternal joy. “Christ’s tears have paid [for all Christians] so that God can later wipe away all tears from [your] eyes.”[3]

Thirdly, they are tears of consolation. God desires not the death of the sinner and mourns the sins of man. God’s justice requires punishment for sin and it deeply grieves God to mete out such punishment and yet it is the hardness of man’s heart that rejects the love and mercy of God. Sinful man has chosen his own punishment and in God’s perfect justice, the unrepentant sinner is turned over to the lusts of his own heart. These tears flow from the deep well of Christ’s heart. “When one’s heart is wounded by sorrow, tears flow from one’s eyes just like blood flows from a bodily wound.”[4]

This is also why it is a dangerous error to believe that God has chosen some for condemnation. If God had made an eternal decree that certain individuals would go to hell, why should Christ mourn? Why mourn over that which God himself caused? No. God desires the salvation of all and mourns the loss of even one who would reject this salvation.

Finally, these are tears of exhortation. Christ weeps over sin to call us to repentance. If we have put on Christ in our Baptisms, should not we also weep over our sin? The life of the Christian is a daily battle against the world, the devil, and our own flesh. Daily we must return to the waters of our Holy Baptism, that we would mourn over our sins, and cling ever more tightly to Christ.

With the tears of Christ comes a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem. The walls, the Temple, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem were brutally slaughtered by the Romans in 70 AD. This was the first fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy, and yet it was not the Romans alone who enacted judgment against Jerusalem. The Lord delivered a prophecy to Isaiah saying, “I will encamp against you all around, I will lay siege against you with a mound, and I will raise siegeworks against you.”[5] God Himself was judging Jerusalem for her lack of faith; for turning to worship false gods; for crucifying Christ.

The earthly Jerusalem was to be the shining city on the hill; that place where God came to dwell with His people: first in the Temple and then enwrapped in the flesh of the Incarnation. The Jews who dwelt at Jerusalem were given the Word of God to be a light to all nations, being a blessing to all who blessed them.

But this was not the case. Already in the time of Jeremiah, the Jews were worshipping Baal in the morning and Yahweh in the evening. They offered their children on altars fire then sacrificed a bull to Yahweh without seeing the contradiction. By the time of our Lord’s Incarnation, the temples of Baal were gone but they had been replaced by banking and commerce in the Temple. Even worse, those most prepared to receive the Savior rejected Him as dangerous to their way of living.

You, dear Christians, are the most prepared to receive the Savior. You have the Word of God delivered to you in easily available bibles and preached from this pulpit. But much like the Pharisees, such familiarity easily breeds contempt. You confess that the Small Catechism is the right teaching of the Word of God but when was the last time you opened your copy? Or said the Ten Commandments, Apostles’ Creed, and Lord’s Prayer more than once a week? Is reading the bible in the morning and evening a danger to your way of life? We are far more like the Pharisees than any of us wants to admit.

Thanks be to God we have their example. We have the example of those who reject the Savior, seeking to destroy Him with hellfire. We have the example of these wicked men, whose actions foreshadow our own, being slaughtered by the Romans; being judged by God for their lack of faith and infidelity with the gods of their own pleasures.

The example of the Pharisees and the prophecy of destruction are a warning to you. See it for what it is. Prepare yourself for the end of days, when the heavens and the earth with pass away. In that day, will you know the time of your visitation? Will you know that Christ comes not to destroy you but to bring you to Himself? Or will you hide from the Lord?

Do your actions today and every day speak of a preparation for the coming of the Lord in power and might? Do you cry out to God, “King of majesty tremendous, who dost free salvation send us, fount of pity, then befriend us! Think, good Jesus, my salvation caused Thy wondrous incarnation; leave me not to reprobation! Guilty, now I pour my moaning, all my shame with anguish owning: spare, O God, Thy suppliant groaning! Worthless are my prayers and sighing; yet, good Lord, in grace complying, rescue me from fires undying. With Thy favored sheep, oh, place me! Nor among the goats abase me, but to Thy right hand upraise me.”[6]

You can be confident in your salvation because Jesus has died for you. You can be confident in your salvation because Jesus has washed you in His blood when you were baptized. You can be confident in your salvation because Jesus Holy Body and Precious Blood are here to strengthen and preserve your body and soul unto life everlasting.

Yet the sin which clings to your flesh can take such confidence and turn it to pride. This is the folly of the Pharisees. They were confident in their salvation because they had kept God’s Law, or as much of it as they thought necessary. They had no need for the teachings of Jesus, nor His forgiveness. Lest you, too, fall into this trap of pride, humble yourself before God and remember always to pray that He would have mercy on you.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

_____________________________

[1] This enumeration comes from Johann Gerhard, Postilla: An Explanation of the Sunday and Most Important Festival Gospels of the Whole Year, Volume 2, translated by O Marc Tangner (Malone, TX: Repristination Press, 2007), 109-119.

[2] Gerhard, Postilla, 111.

[3] Gerhard, Postilla, 112.

[4] Gerhard, Postilla, 113.

[5] Isaiah 29:3.

[6] Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning, stanzas 8-9, 12, 14-15.

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity – July 17, 2022

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

St. Luke 5:1-11

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

In the sixth chapter of Isaiah, the Prophet is taken to the throne room of God. Immediately, the prophet fell on his face and hid his eyes, proclaiming, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”[1]

The prophet knew that a sinful man who stands in the presence of God will be destroyed. Sprinkle pepper in a bowl of water, then let a single drop of soap into the middle. Immediately, the pepper will flee to the edges of the bowl. Such is the might of God’s holiness. At His presence, the filth of sin is not only scattered, but destroyed. The serpent, that ancient dragon, will bite His heel, but the Almighty shall crush the serpent’s head.[2]

This is the position in which St. Peter finds himself. Like Isaiah, St. Peter is in the presence of the Almighty God. He knows that he is a sinner and sin is destroyed in the presence of God. But unlike Isaiah, St. Peter bids Christ to depart from him. Isaiah bowed in reverence and awe before God Almighty. Such worship and adoration were met with the hands of an angel, touching a coal from the altar of the Lord to the Prophet’s lips, cleansing his sins. St. Peter does not bow in reverence but bids his Lord to depart.

Such is the heart of man. The good, the true, and the beautiful are always difficult for us to accept. They require a rejection of our love for this world. It is much easier to accept what is in front of us. St. Peter had just been blessed by God with a miraculous catch of fish, thousands of dollars in revenue, but this blessing also threatened his life. The boat began to sink. Rather than cry out for mercy, St. Peter wanted Jesus to leave. “In You, O Lord, is salvation, but I prefer my career and my life.”

Because of the sin humanity has brought into the world, the many blessings of God are, from our perspective, always tinged with suffering. To love someone requires suffering. To love is to submit your will and your needs to the will and needs of another. You deny yourself on behalf of another. This self-denial is a light form of suffering, but the human soul turns this self-denial into resentment.

Scripture always considers children a blessing from God. “Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who has his quiver full of them.”[3] Yet how easy is it to begin to resent your children? When do you get some ‘me’ time? Why can’t they just learn the first time? Why don’t they know how to behave?

Perhaps we recognize the blessings given to us but we want to choose the amount. “Blessed is the man who fills his quiver? Well, I guess I’ll shrink my quiver to 2.5.” The Word of God is profitable to forgive your sins, strengthen faith, and guide you in the way you shall go all the days of your life. “But reading the bible is boring and Netflix is only a click away.” Or, “One hour is good enough. Why do we need to have other services and events throughout the week? What are we, all pastors?”

Then we might look at the world around us. Like Peter’s sinking boat, our world is collapsing into the depths of the chaotic sea. A country blessed by God, where the freedom of conscience and the ability to worship without the oversight of pagans is a birthright, is seeing its last days. Our freedoms have become the basis for our collapse. Freedom of religion has led to the freedom from religion. It has bred a ‘live-and-let live’ mentality. It was one step into darkness when sodomy was legalized but such deviance became rooted in our nation when we said, ‘what happens in your bedroom has no effect on me, just don’t make me support it.’

We are on a sinking ship. In this same situation, St. Peter told Christ to depart and let him down with the ship. Our Lord would not let that happen. Jesus hears Peter’s confession of sins and rather than obeying the heart of man, Jesus absolves Peter’s sins and refuses to abandon him. It is as though Jesus says, “the only way for you to leave my presence is for you to throw yourself into the darkness of the deep because I will not leave you. Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” Peter has no need to fear destruction because Christ has forgiven his sin. Jesus has taken the sin of Peter upon his own shoulders and called him to be his apostle.

Christ has promised never to leave you nor to forsake you. Because he loves you, because he died for you, because he paid the price for your sin, you are valuable to him. He will fight for you even if it means fighting against your own will. Our Lord, the Heavenly Fisherman, is present with you always but especially in the Heavenly meal given from this altar. Elijah was sustained forty days and forty nights on the Bread of Heaven.[4] You, who receive the Body and Blood of Christ weekly, will likewise be sustained.

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

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”[5] Why resent the blessings of God? Why allow the blessings of God to become wicked in your eyes? Never forget what the Lord has given you. He has forgiven your sins. He continues to forgive your sins. He has given you everlasting life. What could possibly be better than that? Should the Lord call you to forsake your family, your career, your home, or even your life, you still have the better portion. Jesus is gracious to you and answers your prayer. He will not forsake you because He is the God of your salvation![6]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Isaiah 6:5.

[2] Genesis 3:15.

[3] Psalm 127:3-5.

[4] 1 Kings 19:8.

[5] Psalm 27:1.

[6] Psalm 27:7, 9, 1.

The Feast of St. James the Elder, Apostle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In T Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity - July 4, 2021

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

St. Luke 5:1-11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

       In + Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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

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

[3] Luke 5:4.

[4] Luke 5:9.

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

[6] 2 Samuel 12:23.

[7] 2 Kings 2:11.

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

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

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

[11] Romans 5:3-5.