The Transfiguration of our Lord

The Transfiguration of our Lord – February 9, 2025

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

St. Matthew 17:1-9

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

Christ our Lord asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Speaking on behalf of the group, St. Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then, after giving the keys to bind and loose the gates of heaven to the Church, Christ made His first prediction of His death and resurrection. St. Peter rebuked the Lord, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” In turn, Christ rebuked Peter with those terrible words, “Get behind Me, Satan!”[1]

Six days later, Christ took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain and was transfigured before them. The divinity of Christ shone through His humanity, giving Peter, James, and John a glimpse of His glory. At that time, Moses and Elijah appeared with Him and spoke to our Lord concerning His exodus from this world.[2] The topic of conversation was Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. It is called His “exodus” not just because it is His leaving the world (for a time), but in reference to the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. Through Moses, the Hebrews were delivered from bondage under Pharaoh and led toward the land of promise. Through Christ, His people are delivered from bondage under sin and led toward the Promised Land of eternal life with Christ.

St. Peter, still trying to sort out the events from six days prior, says, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”[3] And while he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed everyone on the mountain and the Father proclaimed from heaven, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” Once again, St. Peter has received a rebuke. The disciples were greatly afraid at this voice and fell on their faces in an act of worship and repentance. Then Christ touched them and told them to rise, forgiving their sin. Coming down from the mountain, Christ admonished the disciples to tell no one what they had seen until after His resurrection.

Christ’s journey to the cross has now begun in earnest. His miracles have not ended, but they have slowed down. His focus is now on bearing the sins of the world to the cross. The revelation of Christ’s transfiguration is the beginning of preparing His disciples for His suffering and death.

Based on St. Peter’s great confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Christ did not need to reveal His transfiguration to the disciples to prove His divinity. It is true that this text is an excellent proof of the same. It shows His two natures in one person. The human nature stands before the disciples and the divine nature shines through with the glory of the true, living God. However, that does not seem to be Christ’s primary purpose for revealing Himself in this way.

Rather, He is strengthening the disciples’ hearts and minds for what is to come. “Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will scatter.”[4] The frailty of the human soul cannot bear the death of God, let alone the frailty of the disciples to lose their beloved Teacher. This will also be followed by their own persecutions and deaths. Christ reveals His divinity to bolster their faith in Him and to reveal what awaits them in glory. As St. John says, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”[5]

So too, if anyone desires to follow Christ, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Christ.[6] Bad things will happen to you in this life. People will be cruel. Your loved ones will get sick or hurt. You will struggle with finances. And unless Christ returns beforehand, you will die. This is the result of sin. And you, beloved of the Lord, will face this suffering in the knowledge that it isn’t according to God’s blessed creation of the world. In fact, you will face this suffering in the knowledge that it is your fault and the fault of your fellow man. You know that all suffering is the result of sin and sometimes, that knowledge makes the suffering worse.

St. Peter, though sometimes impulsive, was a good student of our Lord’s teachings. He understood the implications of what our Lord had told him regarding His suffering and death. Peter couldn’t bear the thought of his beloved Lord and Master suffering such an unjust death. He couldn’t bear the thought that the Man without sin would suffer the death of a disgusting criminal. He was dreadfully rebuked by Christ for rejecting the crucifixion. So then, on the Mount of Transfiguration, St. Peter tried a different tactic. “Why don’t we just stay here? Lord, I’ll build tents for You, Moses, and Elijah. James, John, and I can sleep on the ground. We can stay here on the mountain and enjoy your glory for all time. It is good for us all to be here, in Your presence, for all time.”

St. Peter is still trying to avoid the suffering of the cross. He is looking for an exit from the world like the one Elijah enjoyed. Elijah did not taste death. He was carried to heaven in his body on a flaming chariot.[7] He is still trying to spare Christ the shameful death of the cross while avoiding his own life of suffering and persecution in the world.

At the same time, don’t be too hard on St. Peter. The first words out of his mouth on the mountain are, “It is good Lord, for us to be here.” He is right. It is good to be in the presence of the glory of the Lord. It is good to be gathered with the saints, worshiping the Triune God. The Mount of Transfiguration is a foretaste of the eternal life that all Christians can expect at the completion of our journey on this side of glory. But before we can enjoy that reward, we have a journey to endure here. We have a life to live in this world, even if we are not of this world.[8]

Christ recognizes St. Peter’s struggle and it is precisely for this reason that He reveals His glory on the mountain. It is in recognition of your struggle against sin, your endurance of suffering in this world, that Christ caused His transfiguration to be written in the words of Holy Scripture. Bad things will happen to you in this life and some of it will be your fault. Some of it won’t. Some of it will be punishment for sin. Some of it will be by the hand of God, to prevent you from becoming too reliant on yourself.

The thundering voice of the Father causes the disciples to fall on their faces in repentance and reverence. They are humbled by the power and glory of the Almighty and reminded of their proper place. They are sinners who do not deserve the mercy of the Father nor the sacrifice that Christ will soon make. When the Father speaks, they do not presume to build tents but submit to whatever judgment His is about to pronounce. But what does the Father say? “This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” He tells the disciples to listen to the words of Christ, to obey the Son of God.

What does Christ say to them? He forgives their sins by telling them to arise and then leads them back down the mountain. He leads them back from the mountain of God’s glory and into the world. Having been strengthened with the vision of Christ’s glory, the disciples are to return down the mountain to endure Christ’s death and resurrection. They are also called to do more. They are called to live in this world. They are called to be husbands, fathers, brothers, Christians, pastors, and especially evangelists, that is, those who proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ to the world.

In many ways, the Mount of Transfiguration is the pattern of the weekly life of the Christian. The height of the mountain, seeing the glory of Christ, is the Holy Communion. While Peter, James, and John only saw the glory of Christ shine through His human nature, you behold Christ’s humanity and divinity in the host and chalice. You receive the whole Christ by eating and drinking, being united to Him in the most intimate of ways.

And then, your sins being forgiven, you must descend the mountain. You must return to the world, not bound by a word of silence but a word of proclamation. You are to depart the Holy Communion having been strengthened in body and soul unto life everlasting. You have seen and received the glory of Christ. You know how your story ends.[9] It ends on the eternal Mount Zion, with Christ and all the saints of heaven.[10]

This frees you to be the husband, father, brother, and Christian that God has called you to be. It frees you to endure the cruelty, decay, and sin of this world. It frees you because nothing can take you from the hand of the Father.[11] Christ is before you, behind you, beside you, and in you. Do not become so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good, as St. Peter thought he might be. Rather, carry the light of the Transfigured Christ throughout all your days.[12]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] St. Matthew 16:13-23.

[2] St. Luke 9:31.

[3] St. Matthew 17:4.

[4] Zechariah 13:7.

[5] 1 John 3:2-3.

[6] St. Matthew 16:24.

[7] 2 Kings 2:11.

[8] St. John 8:23; cf. St. John 18:36.

[9] Psalm 25.

[10] Psalm 74:2; Psalm 48:11; Hebrews 12:22.

[11] St. John 10:29.

[12] St. John 8:12; St. Matthew 5:14.

Thursday Matins during the week of Trinity 25

 Circuit Winkel on The Thursday of Trinity 25 – November 14, 2024

Also, the Commemoration of Emperor Justinian, Christian Ruler & Confessor

Psalm 46; 1 Peter 4:17-5:4; St. Luke 12:42-48

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

The context of St. Peter’s words is the suffering of Christians. The time of judgment is the time of suffering which all Christians are promised to endure. There are those portions of Scripture that deal with the sufferings of Christians that are a call to lament, a cry out to God for help in time of trouble. That is not the focus of St. Peter’s teaching. He says, ‘Don’t be surprised or think it strange when you suffer in this world. Rather, rejoice because you are partaking of the very suffering of Christ.’[1]

In Holy Baptism, Christ was put on you. It was not just Christ’s righteousness or His merits that were applied to you, but Christ joined Himself to you. You became a member, an appendage or a piece, of His body. When the Head suffers, the body suffers. So too, as Christ has suffered, so too do His dear children. But by this we know that we are united to the life-giving head. We know that we are the beloved children of God, so that “when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”[2]

It is in this context of suffering that St. Peter speaks of the time of judgment that is at hand. There is an urgency in St. Peter’s teaching. You must understand that your suffering should lead to rejoicing because the judgment of God begins with His own household, the household of faith. The parable of the Sower especially reveals how few in number of the faithful when compared to the number of the wicked. “O Lord, look down from heav’n behold And let Thy pity waken; How few are we within Thy fold, Thy saints by men forsaken! True faith seems quenched on ev’ry hand, Men suffer not Thy Word to stand; Dark times have us o’ertaken.”[3]

Yet this urgency is not for the sake of fear, or to drive you to good works for certainty of your salvation. The urgency is for the sake of calming your conscience. If you suffering is in fact a participation in the scorn, suffering, and death of Christ, then so too is your resurrection! And that endures forever. If your suffering is a participation in Christ, then you don’t need to worry or be anxious over suffering. Certainly, your own sins, the sins committed against you, and the sins of others should be concerning. Flee from them! Hate your own sins, repent of them, and flee from them! But you need not be anxious over them. Your suffering for your sins is only a small portion of the suffering Christ endured for the sins of the world and yet you get to receive the entirety of His righteousness that His blood won for you on Calvary.

And from this position, commit your soul to God in doing good.[4] Commit yourself to fulfilling the vocations God has given you, growing into the man or woman God has created you to be. In the midst of suffering, rejoice that God has sought fit to bring you closer to Himself, and recognize that suffering as the opportunity to grow in faith and knowledge of Him.

And here, only after emphasizing this point, does St. Peter turn specifically to the elders, the pastors. St. Peter witnessed the suffering of Christ. He witnessed the scorn and torture of our Lord and according to these words, perhaps even the crucifixion. My brothers in the ministry, St. Peter is also our brother. Hear his words as comfort and exhortation. “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”[5]

Neither St. Peter nor our Lord bases the work of the ministry on the “felt needs,” the wants, or the emotions of God’s children. The work of the ministry is based on what they need—and what they need is to hear the pure Word of God and to receive His Holy Sacraments. They need to hear that they will suffer. They need to hear that the wages of sin is death. Death is not a failure of medication or even an expiring of the body. It is the working out of sin in the flesh. They also need to hear, to know, to drink in the fact that they have been united with Christ—both in a death like His and in a resurrection like His. They urgently need to hear these things. They urgently need to put on Christ and be united to Him in Holy Baptism. They urgently need to be united to the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.

Our suffering in the ministry is magnified. We suffer to a greater extent than the rest of Christendom for the very name of Jesus. A mother and father may suffer greatly at the apostacy of their son, but we suffer with the apostacy of hundreds of sons and daughters given into our care. And yet even this suffering is a partaking in the suffering of Christ. He who weeps over Jerusalem knows our suffering in the ministry. If not for Christ our Head, we could not endure in His stead and by His command.

Be encouraged by this. Do not let the ministry become a burden of manual labor. It is not and never will be. Serve as overseers, eagerly, and as examples to the flock; “and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”[6]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] 1 Peter 4:12-13.

[2] 1 Peter 4:13.

[3] Martin Luther, O Lord, Look Down from Heaven, Behold, TLH 260, st. 1.

[4] 1 Peter 4:19.

[5] 1 Peter 5:1-3.

[6] 1 Peter 5:4.

The Third Last Sunday in the Church Year

The Third Last Sunday in the Church Year – November 10, 2024

Psalm 31; Job 14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

St. Matthew 24:15-28

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

The first half of the book of Daniel is mostly a narrative. It tells the story of how Daniel came to Babylon and his rise to prominence. In these chapters, we hear how Daniel and the three Young Men are sustained by faith rather than eating food sacrificed to Babylonians idols,^[1] how Daniel interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar,^[2] the three young men being cast into the fiery furnace yet returning unharmed,^[3] the feast of Belshazzar and the writing on the wall interpreted by Daniel,^[4] and how Daniel was preserved by faith in the lions’ den.^[5]

It is not until the second half of the Book of Daniel that the prophet begins to receive visions. One gets the sense that Daniel does not understand much of what he sees. He says as much after some of the visions. Later, when the angel Gabriel comes to Daniel to interpret the visions, the prophet still seems a bit confused about what it could all mean. Such confusion is somewhat in the nature of prophecy. When a prophet is granted such a vision, he is seeing events and people from God’s perspective; a perspective not bounded by time and space. A day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day with God because He sees all time at once yet perfectly perceives each moment as distinct from every other moment with perfect clarity. This is beyond the ability of man. It is beyond our ability to comprehend with our minds and it is beyond the ability of our eyes to receive such sights.

And yet, the Prophets have been called by God to faithfully communicate on God’s behalf. They are to communicate what they have seen and what they have been told to the rest of God’s people. They are not alone in this endeavor. The Holy Spirit is with them and guides them to knowledge of the truth. The Prophet Daniel has given a faithful testimony of what he saw in these visions from God, even if the frailty of our minds cannot understand it.

With Daniel, we get a special insight into how the Prophet reacted to seeing such visions. Seeing such terrible things to come, knowing they were prophecies of destruction, what did Daniel do? He devoted himself more fervently to the things of God—that is, he repented and diligently set about offering the morning and evening sacrifices, devoted himself to the Word of God and prayer.

Prior to the visions, we know that Daniel was a very pious young man. He was already devoted to the Word of God and prayer, but the frightful visions of destruction led him to continued devotion and especially to repentance.

Next week, we will hear one of these visions the Prophet Daniel received, specifically the vision of the Ancient of Days and One like a Son of Man. This morning, we heard our Lord make a reference to Daniel’s vision of the “abomination of desolation.” To rightly understand this phrase and our Lord’s use of it, we must recognize that what we heard this morning rightfully treats two distinct topics and yet these topics have been boiled together into one soup. These two topics are the destruction of the kingdom of the Jews and the destruction of the kingdom of the world.

The concrete fulfillment of the prophecy of the abomination of desolation happened in the first century when an idol of a Roman eagle was placed in the Holy of Holies. The Jews of that time began to riot, leading to Roman soldiers descending upon Jerusalem and destroying the city and the temple.

The destruction of the temple in 70 AD was conducted according to the will of God. Forty years earlier, Jesus Christ prophesied that though they destroy the temple of His body, in three days, He would rise again.^[6] The temple curtain was torn in two at the crucifixion, signifying the end of any need for a temple built with hands or altars of sacrifice for bulls and goats. Yet the Pharisees and Sadducees hardened their hearts against God. They led many astray by preaching a false gospel, denying Jesus to be the Son of God and the rightful King of all mankind. God could not abide their idolatry.

The sign of the Roman eagle placed in the temple told the Christians it was time to flee. They left the city as quickly as possible. They did not know the day or the hour when the Romans would descend upon Jerusalem, but they knew it was coming. The destruction that followed was for the purpose of erasing the idol that the temple had become. It was now a monument to the false teachings of the Jews.

Those who had become Christians knew there was no significance left in the temple, so when they saw the abomination, they fled. The Jews could not abide the sight of the eagle. They clung more fervently to the idol they had made of something that once belonged to God. Just as their fathers demanded Aaron make an idol out of the very gold God commanded them to carry out of Egypt, so these Jews set up the temple as their new god.

Such is the destruction of the kingdom of the Jews. As for the destruction of the kingdom of the world, the abomination of desolation is spiritually fulfilled by an idol set up in the house of God, that is, an idol erected in your heart. It is abominable before God that you would seek comfort in being financially stable; that you would find pride in having your own way; that you would choose time with a sports team over the worship of Him. It is a desolation because such idolatry leaves your soul dry and hollow – a truly desolate place.

Such a spiritual fulfillment is found in the Office of the Papacy, the true Office of Antichrist, who seats himself within God’s church and calls himself the supreme authority on earth, capable of speaking on Christ’s behalf where no other men may understand. According to Unum Sanctum, a 14^th century papal bull or declaration, it is necessary for the salvation of man that he submit to the Pope above all others in spiritual and worldly matters.^[7] Thus the Pope has set himself up as an idol in the house of God, an idol in the house of the Church, a seat reserved for Christ alone.

Other spiritual fulfillments include the heresy of dispensationalism, the teaching that God saves different people in different ways, at different times. In other words, Adam and Eve were saved by divine fiat; Noah was saved by obedience; ethnic Jews are saved by their race, that is, being born in the right family; and it is only New Testament Gentiles who are in fact saved by grace on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Often associated with dispensationalism are various human actions being required to bring about the return of Christ and the end of days; whether it is the birth of a red heifer, the rebuilding of the Temple, the founding of a new nation-state of Israel, or the branding of all humanity with barcode tattoos.

These false teachings fail to understand the words of our Lord. The world is a wicked place. It is wicked because man is born in sin and conceived in iniquity. It is wicked because men make it wicked and the heart of man will always pervert the Word of God, placing himself and his own desires at the center.

But do not miss the greatest aspect of our Lord’s prophetic words today. These are words of tremendous comfort. Will the final days of this world be terrifying? Will there be suffering of Christians? Yes. But that suffering will be cut short for the sake of the elect. You have been warned of the wickedness of the world because of God loves you. All who believe and are baptized will be saved. There is no need to run back into your house to gather your treasures. There is no need to gather the laundry or put your tools back in the shed before fleeing before the destruction of the world.

There is no need because you have the greater portion. The Lord has called you out of this world of suffering. He has called you to life eternal with Him. He has called you to eternity in the bliss of heaven. His prophetic words even enumerate what is truly important – His people. He gives care and sympathy to those who are pregnant and nursing babies; to those enduring the cold of winter; and to those at prayer. The greatest gift you can give your children and grandchildren is the heritage of the Lord – His Word and Holy Sacraments. All other gifts of God in this world are to be used for a time and even to be enjoyed, but they will not last. The Word of the Lord endures forever and to those who have had that Word sealed on their foreheads in Holy Baptism, they too will endure forever.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] Daniel 1.

[2] Daniel 2.

[3] Daniel 3.

[4] Daniel 5.

[5] Daniel 6.

[6] St. John 2:19.

[7] Unam Sanctum is a papal bull issued in 1302 by Pope Boniface VIII.

The Commemoration of All Saints

The Commemoration of All Saints (obs.) – November 3, 2024

Psalm 31; Revelation 7:2-17; 1 John 3:1-3

St. Matthew 5:1-12

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

In Holy Baptism, your soul, stained with the impurity of your sin, is washed in the blood of the Lamb. It is made white in the purity and righteousness of Christ. His righteousness is imputed to you, that is, it is made yours by faith. This robe of righteousness is not strictly figurative. Christ is, Himself, united to you in Holy Baptism. And, since Christ is in the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, Holy Baptism joins the entire Trinity to you. This spiritual union is a glorious gift of God.

There is another union with Christ. The Sacramental Union with Christ occurs when you receive the Holy Body and Precious Blood of our Savior. In the Holy Supper, Christ joins His physical body with yours. What is spiritually joined in Baptism is physically joined in the Supper. It is in this way that faith is strengthened and for this reason we can proclaim that the Holy Supper strengthens and preserves you in body and soul unto eternal life.

They physical union with Christ is necessary because we are physical beings. If we were somehow only spiritual, then a spiritual union with Christ would suffice. But we are created, embodied beings. We are the crown of creation. We have been given dominion over all the rest of creation and as such, it is meet and right that God would join Himself to us not only spiritually, but physically.

And if the Lord has said that He is physically present in the Supper, if He has said that This is His Body and This is His Blood, then who are we to deny it? Or who are we to treat it as common food? If we cannot trust the Lord who has joined Himself to us in such a physical manner, how can we trust His other physical promises?

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, Blessed are those who mourn, Blessed are the meek, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, Blessed are the merciful, Blessed are the pure in heart, Blessed are the peacemakers, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”[1]

Each of the Beatitudes praises and proclaims blessings on those who are seen as weak and reviled by the world. No one will advance in the world by seeking to be poor in spirit, mourning, meek, or pure. This is something Christ tells us directly, “because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”[2]

Almost every year, on the Commemoration of All Saints, I have taught that the Beatitudes have their first fulfillment in Christ. He fulfills each of these statements to their fullest. At the same time, the Beatitudes find fulfilment in you, Christians. This is precisely because Christ has joined Himself to you. You are spiritually and physically united with Him and if the world hates Christ, so too the world will hate you.

What is worse is the truth that hypocrites exist in the Church on earth. There are those who will persecute you and think they are doing service to God.[3] And these will seek to tempt, to deceive, to persuade even the elect, if possible, to join them in the persecution of the Church.[4] Therefore we must holdfast to the true Word of God. We must holdfast to the true Bridegroom of the Church, who has united Himself to all His people.

And it is, in fact, because of this union that we experience persecution, affliction, and suffering. This is, in fact, a promise and a blessing of God. By persecution, affliction, and suffering – both spiritual and physical – we know that we have been united to Christ. He has chosen you to be united with Him in a death like His, that you might also rise to a new life like His.[5] Like a father proudly training his son in the family business so that one day, he might inherit his father’s life’s work, Christ joins you to Himself. He joins you to His own suffering and affliction because He loves you. It is not torment. It is not masochistic. It is an act of love.

On the one hand, He does it so that you would be driven away from sin and into His loving arms. He allows the suffering of the saints on account of our sin and that we would know that we have been truly united to Him. Even the martyrs sit beneath the altar of the Lamb in glory, crying out ‘How long until our blood is avenged?’[6] They are not so arrogant as to believe their blood is more righteous than Christ’s. They are crying out for the vengeance against their persecutors on account of the Blood of Christ’s. It is Christ’s blood that speaks better things than that of Abel’s. Abel’s blood cries out for redemption in the very blood of Jesus.[7]

We do not seek out suffering. We don’t have to. The Lord has promised that it will come to His faithful because they have been united with Him. At the same time, we do not have to earn our rest. He has promised that our reward will be great in heaven.

We commemorate, today, all those who have received that reward, or at least have received it in part. The saints in glorious array who have fallen asleep in Christ enjoy the nearer presence of Christ. They enjoy a union with Christ that we, the Church on earth, are still looking forward to. While our union with Christ is by faith through Baptism and physical in the Holy Supper, their union is glorious as they stand before Christ in His flesh. Their souls enjoy the company of the whole host of heaven, and they are given to worship Christ, whom they can see with their own eyes.

And yet even these have something greater to look forward to. Their glorious union with Christ will be made complete in the resurrection of the flesh. Currently, they worship Him in soul, freed from sin and in joyous rest in Christ. At the resurrection, they and all the saints of God, will worship Him in their own flesh. At that time, our union with Christ will not be mediated by water, bread, or wine. It will be in actuality, in a way that we can only dream of now. St. John says “now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”[8]

While the saints in glory are at rest, even they long for the day when we will be made like Him, receiving bodies glorious as He is glorious; pure as He is pure. Thanks be to God that He has joined Himself to us, united us to His Holy Body and Precious Blood in spirit and truth; even if that means we must endure a time of suffering, just as our Lord did on our behalf. Let us rejoice with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven as we look forward to the day when we too, will be at rest in body and soul, united with Him in glory.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] St. Matthew 5:3-11.

[2] St. John 15:19-20.

[3] St. John 16:2.

[4] St. Matthew 24:24.

[5] Romans 6:5.

[6] Revelation 6:10.

[7] Genesis 4:10; Hebrews 12:24.

[8] 1 John 3:2-3.

The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity

The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity – October 20, 2024

Psalm 119; Isaiah 25:6-9; Ephesians 6:10-17

St. John 4:46-54

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

The nobleman in our text today went on a journey in three parts.[1] First was his trip from Capernaum to Cana to meet with our Lord. Second, he journeyed back to Capernaum after hearing of the promise that his son lives. Finally, there is the reunion in Capernaum. This three-fold journey will serve as the basis for our understanding of this text.

Although we don’t know for sure where Biblical Cana is located, Scripture indicates that it is about a day’s walk from Capernaum. The nobleman was desperate enough to leave his dying son behind and make a two-day trip to and from Cana to entreat Jesus. We know that this man had heard the Word of God sometime prior to making this trip. Perhaps he had been at the wedding in Cana and knew of Jesus from the miracle performed there. Perhaps he had even returned to Capernaum with Jesus after the wedding, hearing Him teach along the way.[2]

What we know for certain is that this nobleman had faith at the beginning of our text. If he didn’t, he would not have risked leaving his dying son in the care of servants. What kind of faith did he have? We can answer this in two ways.

The tiniest drop of faith is all sufficient for the salvation of man. The newly baptized child has the same faith as Elijah, the great prophet of God who was carried into heaven without experiencing death.[3] The young man newly converted to faith in Christ has the same faith as St. Paul, who endured scorn, beatings, prison, and martyrdom on behalf of Christ.[4] The lonely widow weeping over the death of her son has the same faith as Blessed Luther, risking his life to proclaim the purity of the Gospel against the Pope and his minions. This saving faith is one and the same. There is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”[5] It is not the work of man but the free gift of God, wrought in you by the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

At the same time, this faith necessarily needs to grow and be strengthened.[6] It is one thing to possess something. It is something entirely different to care for it, use it, and benefit from it. This faith is exercised in three ways – meditation on the Word of God, prayer, and affliction.[7]

Meditation on the Word of God is best illustrated by a cow chewing her cud. She eats of the grass, chews and swallows into her first stomach, but only a small portion of her nutrition is gained. The grass is brought back into her mouth to be chewed a second time and swallowed again. More nutrition is gained. This continues over and over again until the full measure of nutrition is gained from the mouthful of grass. In this way, we are to chew the cud of the Word of God. The first eating of the grass is hearing and reading the Word of God. Each subsequent chewing is revisiting this Word in contemplation – reading the Word again and again and filling your mind with it. For the cow, there is an end to this process. For the Christian, it is a life-long endeavor.

Prayer exercises faith in taking the spiritual nutrition gained from the Word of God and turning it into action, into words given back to God. The Word of God forms our own words, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit of God gives form to our prayers.[8] Not only is prayer an act of turning our hearts and minds toward God and expecting all good things from Him, but it also trains our flesh to do the same. By turning to God in prayer, we train our flesh for all future times when we find ourselves needing Him. It trains us to turn to Him always; to expect all good things from Him always; and to trust whatever He delivers to us to be for our benefit.

Finally, there is affliction or suffering. Our Lord promised that all who follow Him would suffer in this world. In a sense, our suffering is doubled because we know that we deserve it. When we suffer in this world, we know that it is on account of our sin. We also know that we deserve this suffering because of our sin; even as the beloved children of God. In fact, because we are beloved children of God, we hate our sin and wish to be free from it. We desire that God would purge our bodies and souls of sin, of the love of sinning, and of sin’s effects. And we endure this suffering because we know that God chastens those whom He loves.[9] We know that the suffering of this present age is nothing compared to the joys of the world to come.[10] A wise man loves the rebuke of his Father because he knows by it, he will be wiser still.[11]

As the nobleman journeys to Cana, his faith is weak. He insists that Christ come to his son. He trusts enough to know that Christ’s presence is the one thing his son needs but his faith is weak because it believes that his son will not be healed without the physical presence of Jesus. This is why our Lord rebukes him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”[12] The nobleman wants a display of the power of God in signs and wonders. He is already suffering the sickness of his son and now he wants a great miracle of God in grand visible gestures.

But he will not receive it. Our Lord offers a second, albeit subtle, rebuke. “God your way; your son lives.”[13] It is as though Jesus is saying, “My Word is enough for you and for your son. Your weak faith needs to be nourished and to grow. Let it be nourished on My Word alone. Go in the promise of this Word and your soul shall be healed.”

The nobleman must now make the journey back to his son. This journey is fraught with more anxiety than the first. He now has a clear Word of God, but he does not necessarily know the meaning. He is like Martha after Jesus said to her, “You brother will rise again.” She answers, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”[14] The nobleman must be meditating over and over again on this Word of Jesus. “When I get home, will my son have breath in his body? Or will he live in the life eternal?”

It is not until the nobleman is almost home that he receives an answer. His servants meet him outside his home and announce the healing of his son. They even repeat the words of Jesus, “Your son lives!”[15] The father recognized that his son had been healed at the very Word of Jesus the night before. He receives confirmation of his joy, and his faith is now praised in the eternal Scriptures.

As we near the end of the Church year and the celebration of Advent, our minds begin to turn toward the last things, toward the time when Christ will reveal Himself to the world for the final time. The three-fold journey of the nobleman can be seen as an allegory for our journey in the church.

The journey from Capernaum to Cana signifies our faith in its infancy. It is complete unto salvation, but it is unformed by meditation, prayer, and affliction. When we encounter suffering, the only outcome we can imagine from God is according to our wishes. It does not occur to us that God’s ways are not our ways. We know what we want from God, and we demand that He give it to us in grand and splendid ways.

Then, as we mature in the Word of God and begin to be formed by meditation, prayer, and affliction, we join the man on his journey home. We know and hear the Words and promises of God, but we do not have visual confirmation of them. Faith has grown and it continues to grow. This is the majority of our life on this side of glory. This knowledge of the Word of God, while it exercises our faith and results in its strengthening, also leads to more frustration and anxiety. This is because Satan wants nothing more than to drive the Words and promises of God from your heart. I’d say the nobleman was in greater danger of losing his faith on the journey home than the journey to Cana. And yet the nobleman endures. He endures because he holds to the Word of God and continues to contemplate it in his heart.

The joyous reunion at Capernaum is the consummation of our faith. It is the glorious revelation of our Lord in glory. It is that day when faith will no longer be necessary because the promises of God will be manifest before your very eyes.[16] It is the reunion with all the faithful in heaven and the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.[17] In that day, there will be no tears, save tears of joy and rejoicing.[18] On that side of glory, you will look back at your time of affliction, your time of suffering, and realize that the joy and bliss of heaven was made yours at that very hour, before you ever set foot on the final leg of your journey home. It was in the Words and promises of God given to you from the very lips of Jesus. 

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[1] This outline of the text is loosely based on Fred H. Lindemann, The Sermon and The Propers, Volume 4 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1962), 111-112.

[2] St. John 2:1-12.

[3] 2 Kings 2:11.

[4] 2 Corinthians 11:22-33.

[5] Ephesians 4:5-6.

[6] Hebrews 5:13-14; Proverbs 9.

[7] This is a reference to Martin Luther’s oratio, meditatio, and tentatio.

[8] Romans 8:26-27.

[9] Hebrews 12:6.

[10] Romans 8:18-19.

[11] Proverbs 9:8-9.

[12] St. John 4:48.

[13] St. John 4:50.

[14] St. John 11:23-24.

[15] St. John 4:51.

[16] Job 19:27.

[17] Revelation 19:6-9.

[18] Revelation 21:4.