“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field…”

The Sower is at work again. As you heard last week, He casts His seed lavishly everywhere He can, seeking His harvest from everywhere. His seed is good; it is His Word, and it accomplishes the task for which it is cast, in some 100-fold, in others 60-, and in others 30-; in today’s parable, the seed is the sons of the kingdom—the Church.

But, according to today’s parable, the Sower is not the only one at work. The evil one is always at work, too.

Yes, he comes along as a bird to snatch away the seed from those who do no understand—who refuse to hear and understand it. The evil one is at work also with the world and your own sinful flesh to stir up doubt and despair that God does not care for you, in order that you might fall away from the Sower and not produce the fruit for which the seed of His Word was cast to you.

But this evil one is crafty in his means. For, he also comes as one who sows “weeds among the wheat” and goes away. “So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.” These weeds look like the wheat to the untrained eye; the Sower and His servants are able to discern the difference, though.

Concerned for the crop, the servants ask if they should go to gather the weeds. It’s certainly a good thought: remove the weeds so that they do not hinder the wheat. But the Sower objects, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest…” The servants may be able to discern the difference, but in the process of picking the weeds, they may bring out some of the wheat, too. That’s too great a risk for the Sower. Wait until the harvest, the Sower tells them, “[A]nd at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

The evil one is crafty in that He creates a false church and sows it together with the true Church on earth. Those in the church are usually unable to see a difference, though the false church can be discernible to the well-trained eye—to the well-catechized eye—at least to a point. However, the Sower and His servants and reapers certainly know the difference.

The Sower stays his servants’ hands: Do not uproot the false church from the true Church; wait until the harvest. He does this for two reasons. The first, as He mentions in today’s parable, is that doing so could cause harm to the true Church. For one reason or another, if the false church is plucked from the true Church, members of the false church would somehow take members of the true Church with them, bringing them to their end apart from the true Church. The second is that the Lord is patient. So long as members of the false church are intermingled within the true Church, the seed of God’s Word is cast to them; some of these, over time, will convert and become part of the true Church.

And so it will be until the end of time, as Jesus explained the parable to His disciples. Until the end of the age, the false church of the evil one will be sowed among the true Church of the kingdom of heaven. This is almost the visible vs. invisible church, as Walther termed them, and while there is some relation, the visible church is not exactly the same thing as the false church.

In other words, you can go into any church building and will not be able to tell who is part of the true Church and who is part of the false church with a simple look. With what amounts to a glance, you cannot tell where someone stands. Everyone you see in a church building are part of the visible church, as could be recognized as such by their being in the church building for it’s regular use and participating in the activities there, but whether they are included in the invisible, true church—the wheat—is indiscernible to the naked, sinful eye.

As I mentioned, though, the well-catechized eye can be able to discern the difference between the false church and the true Church, at least to a point. This should also be encouragement to be in constant study of God’s Word—to read it, learn it, and inwardly digest it, as you heard in last weeks’ collect—to take up a personal study of the Scriptures and have them read and explained to you in the Church. Then, by the grace of God, you can be able to discern the difference between the false church and true Church, not only as it pertains to others, at least with regard to outward presentation, but also to yourself.

For the false church is most simply this: it claims Jesus’ name, prays in His name, claims to be His followers, but glories in sin. These are those “who call evil good, and good evil; [w]ho put darkness for light, and light for darkness; [w]ho put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter,” as the prophet declared. (Isaiah 5:20) These claim to be Christian, but do not follow Christ and His Word. These will hold up false doctrines as Biblical—such as the ordination of women, blessing homosexuality, encouraging abortion, and admitting to the Lord’s Table any and all who walk through the doors, among others—even claim that Jesus supports their false doctrine. These will do many churchly things, look very much like true Church, hold up their Bibles as the Word of God, but teach it errantly, call it relevant for a day and age past, or blatantly say that the Scriptures are incomplete and in need of supplemental authority, and the like. Even in the midst of the true church, they will do this by confessing with their mouth the true doctrine espoused at an altar, but believe in their hearts any and all sorts of false doctrine.

I suppose things could work the opposite way, too. It is possible that one who believes and confesses the truth would find themselves in a place where false doctrine is taught. In fact, I know that there are true believers in outwardly false churches. Try as I might, though, I can’t imagine this situation working out too well, at least in the long run; for, just as the false believer being continually taught the truth may eventually be converted to the truth, so the true believer being continually subjected to false doctrine runs a very high risk of being converted to that which is false. Something more needs to happen.

Those who abide in the Word of God (cf. John 8:31) will be able to know those doctrines as false. Yet, there are people who claim to be Christian who hold to them as salutary; there are those who wholeheartedly believe they are Christian while holding to false doctrines because their church teaches them, and they do and believe what their church teaches, believing that their church teaches what Christ has taught (or what Christ would teach in this day and age, they would say).

Now, it is not my place or that of any of you to condemn one such as these. Speak the truth in love and point out the error of another, sure, but leave the condemnation to the one who will judge the whole world at the last day. As God counsels through the pen of St. Paul, “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5) For, as St. Paul had also written, “It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:4b)

Why? For as it was said in today’s parable, by uprooting the weeds, some of the wheat may be uprooted, too. Remember that the false church is intermingled with the true Church. At first glance, members of each are indistinguishable, and even for a well-catechized eye it can be difficult to tell the difference. Furthermore, as was mentioned, the false church is not merely confined to one organization, and the true Church to another. You will find members of the false church in congregations that teach sound, orthodox doctrine; likewise, you will find members of the true Church in congregations that teach heresy. There will always be unbelievers in congregations that abide in God’s Word, and even in congregations where the Word is still present and proclaimed from time-to-time, but that hold to heterodox teachings, there will be believers.

Furthermore, as also mentioned, God is immeasurably and unspeakably patient and merciful. In time, those who are members of the false church, as the seed of God’s Word is continually cast at them, may convert. As they hear sound preaching, steadfastly study God’s Word, and are lovingly shown the errors of their ways, they, too, can come to a knowledge of the truth, and be counted among those in the kingdom of heaven.

That’s why it’s not the place of anyone to condemn members of the false church. Though one can say with certainty that at the last day, things will not go well for those who remain part of the false church or died a part of it. For it is as Jesus said,

Until that day, however, the false church will remain, and will be found scattered with and among the true Church. In fact, as time progresses, the false church will steadily grow, as even the outwardly unrighteous increase, while the true Church on earth will be but a remnant.

While that sounds discouraging, and to an extent it certainly is, there is still comfort in it. And it is this: the true Church will remain. The Lord will have his harvest. It is as has been sung many times in this hallowed hall:

While the weeds are sown together with the wheat, even as was heard in today’s parable, the harvest will come, and the wheat—the fruitful ears—will be gathered in His garner, in His eternal presence. Or, as Jesus explained to His disciples, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” And so, until that day, the true Church’s prayer is always, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus,” even as is sung in that same hymn:

So, you can take comfort, for the harvest is coming. It may not be this moment, this year, or even in this lifetime, but you have this sure and certain promise from Christ: it is coming. Until then, He comes to His Church—He is proclaimed to the world, true Church and false church alike, as the Savior of the world. He is proclaimed as the God who sacrificed Himself, shedding His blood for the forgiveness of sins.

Furthermore, He continues to come and give of Himself to the true Church for Her preservation. He is Her Head, and She His Bride; therefore, it is only fitting that He who gave Himself to make Her His would continue to give of Himself to keep Her His—He would not forsake His Bride. And so, He comes to you dear hearers—He who gave His body and shed His blood for you on the cross to make you a part of His Bride, to make you His brother and fellow heir of glory in eternity—and He gives you His body and blood hidden in bread and wine to keep you as a part of His Bride—that you may remain His brother and fellow heir of glory in eternity.

Fear not, O little flock, for while a remnant will remain, the Lord will have His harvest, and He desires that you be in it. He makes you a part of it through the waters of Holy Baptism. He keeps you a part of it in the Words of Holy Absolution, in the forgiveness given to you as the Word is proclaimed to you, and as you eat His body and drink His blood. Yes, dear fellow Christians, you are a part of His harvest, because you are forgiven for all of your sins.

Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower. The Sower casts His seed, and it falls on various types of soil—hard, clay-like soil along a path where the birds eat it, soil that is full of rocks, soil that is full of thorny plants, and soil that is fertile and fully receptive of the seed. In most cases, the seed takes root and begins to grow, but then things happen.

Jesus explained the parable:

From this you learn at the outset that as the seed is cast—as the Word of God is proclaimed—many will hear, but not all will believe. And, of those who believe, many will, for myriad reasons, fall away.

The Sower casts His seed generously, seemingly without care for where it lands. To your ears, this might sound like a futile endeavor. Certainly, the Sower would know that the Word would not take root along the path, that the evil one would come along and snatch the Word away from them. He would also know that the seed that takes root would do so only temporarily in those who easily succumb to tribulation, persecution, worry, and greed. You might wonder why the Sower doesn’t carefully plant His seed only in the fertile soil.

If you wonder in this manner, then you have gone the way of five-point Calvinism. In their doctrine of Limited Atonement, they will confess that the Christ’s death was sufficient for all men—that His death was enough to cover the multitude of sins for all men of all times and places—but that it is effective only for the elect. They confess a double predestination, that the elect are those only to whom the Word should be sown; therefore, God predestines some to damnation. Therefore, God’s grace and election are irresistible—if you’re elect, you’re saved, no matter what else.

Ironically, you have also gone the way of Arminianism. In their doctrine of Conditional Election, they confess that God’s election is conditioned on man’s response. They believe that the Sower should only sow the Word on fertile soil because it is the only soil that is in the proper condition to receive the seed.

Both ways confess a futility to sowing the seed, to use a word, prodigally. Both ways question what the point of sowing seed along the path, on rocky soil, and soil that is full of thorny plants is. Both ways will acknowledge the sovereignty of the Sower to cast His seed wherever and however He wants—for the Five-point Calvinist, though, this confirms their doctrine of double predestination, that even though God proclaims His Word far and wide, He does so knowing that some don’t care and He predestines them to damnation; the Arminian will say, however, that some of those non-receptive soil types could later become receptive and be saved (on this point, most simply stated, the Lutheran would agree).

Both ways are also quite logical. A cursory, simplistic look at the text easily leads to the five-point Calvinism way: the Word is sufficient for all, and so it is cast to all, but it only takes root and holds in the elect. Of course, then, the inevitable conclusion to a five-point Calvinist would be that there should be no need to cast the seed on the infertile soil types (or on any soil type, because if you’re elect, you’re elect no matter what). Interestingly, one could reach the same conclusion from the Arminianism way, even though they hold to a doctrine of resistible grace. Yet, even they would concede to the logic that only the fertile, receptive soil should receive the seed, since only that soil would exhibit any response indicative of their condition (and wouldn’t resist grace). Both make logical sense.

But, what does the Word of God say? It is terribly easy to look for the substantive details of a text and so gloss over those which seem lacking in substance. The lacking detail? As was first mentioned: as the Sower goes planting, He casts the seed on all soil types. There is grace in that detail, much grace that should give you pause and comfort.

And it is this: This parable is not merely about evangelism and missions, but it is also about you who are now sitting and listening to this sermon. This parable is also about the one who has been Baptized and Catechized and has faithfully attended the Divine Service whenever it is offered. This parable is also about the one who may find themselves sitting there and listening to me or any preacher for the first time. In any step of one’s walk of life—be you Calvinist, Arminian, or other—this parable is about you, because you, dear Baptized, dear hearers, are the soil upon which the Sower casts His Word.

At times, you are like the soil along the path. And at times, you are like the rocky soil, and at times, the thorny soil. You are so, because in every step of your life, the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh are battling against you.

The devil is always about like a bird ready to snatch the Word away from you. So you are tempted to toss every bit of doctrine you do not understand to the side of the road, as if that part of God’s revelation isn’t as important as the easier stuff and doesn’t apply to you. You are tempted to throw away every bit of Scripture that you do not like, as if that part of God’s revelation isn’t relevant to you, your time, or your place.

The world is full of events that seek to sway you away from the Word that was planted in you—the world always attacks you on account of the Word. It uses sly means to accomplish this, for the world seems to work one way, contrary to the Word of God, and so you are tempted to bend the Word of God to meet your experience of life—to meet your view of the world. And so you may become a five-point Calvinist or Arminian or something else to explain divine logic in terms of fallen human logic, neglecting an, “Amen, it is so because God declares it.” Or, the worldly trials and tribulations of disaster and warfare, economic woes, illness and the death of loved ones come with their question, “Why would God allow this to happen?” That is followed by the statement of doubt, “I cannot believe in a God who would do this.”

Likewise, your sinful flesh is full of ways to sway you away from the Word that was planted in you. Your sinful flesh is always at work to turn your focus on yourself and your worries. “Do you feel well enough to go to work tomorrow?” “Wouldn’t it be nice to have the nicest, newest, biggest thing?” “You should feel proud of yourself for accomplishing some great task (and see, you can do great things)!” It also latches on to those worldly trials and tribulations of disaster, warfare, illness, and death. Never do you hear a word from Old Adam about God who supplies all that you need (whether you know you need it or not) or who works in you to accomplish good. But your sinful flesh leads you to believe by what Old Adam does say that God does not care for you or that you can do great things without Him—apart from Him. “You don’t need God,” Old Adam is always, silently telling you, “You have no use for Him.”

Nevertheless, whether you are at one time the hard soil where the birds feed, the rocky soil, or the thorny soil, the Word is still cast to you. And therein is the comfort. God does care so that He sends His Son to you, no matter the soil type, that He may root and grow in you, showing the errors of the ways of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh, in which you also participate, and bring you to repentance, and bring to you the forgiveness of your sins. In those times, you are then the fertile soil, as now, dear hearers, when you receive the Word and the forgiveness He has come to give.

And therein also lies an exhortation. The Word of faith planted in you needs constant attention by the Sower and Gardener. You should learn from this parable to be in constant study of God’s Word, so that Sower may feed the faith that He has planted in you—not just the hour or so you may get sitting here, but daily, reflective study and prayer. It is the fertile soil that produces fruit, fruit in keeping with repentance, the fruit of the Spirit, and this where the plant is in the constant attention of the Sower and Gardener—where the Word is always at the center of the person’s life. Only then are you equipped to endure the assaults of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh.

Therefore, as forgiven sons of God, do not neglect His Word. Be in it continually and and by it you will be prepared for the trials and tribulations, the assaults and temptations, of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh. By it are you prepared to handle having or having not, in good times and bad, for better or for worse, in life and in death—and only then are you secured in your salvation. It is as St. James wrote, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him,” (James 1:12) even as the Lord revealed to St. John, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer…Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10) Only by being in God’s Word continually, receiving from Him forgiveness and life and salvation are you able to endure temptation, to fear not anything you are about to suffer, to remain faithful until death. Neglect God’s Word, and you will have abandoned the gift of life God has given you by it.

Now, however, a word about evangelism and missions. Yes, this parable is about this activity, too. For, just as you first heard the Word, as the Sower had His Word cast to you, so He wants His Word to be cast to everyone. And as you are at one time the hard, clay-like soil at the side of the road where the birds feed, rocky soil, or thorny soil, so too is everyone else. They need to hear the Word of God as much as you do so that like you, they may constantly be in the Word of God and constantly receive the forgiveness of sins He won on the cross for them as much as for you and be the fertile soil that produces fruit 100-, 60-, or 30-fold.

And with that comes a warning. Do not presume to evaluate the life and health of a congregation or its evangelism activity by the soil in the seats. Soil, as mentioned, always changes. There are times when the people in the congregation, the soil upon which the Word of God is cast, are like hard, clay-like soil at the side of the road where the birds feed, rocky soil, or thorny soil, and times the fertile soil. There are times when a congregation will grow so large that their current facilities cannot house them and times when a congregation is so small that their current facilities could house them three or four times over. Soil is shifting on this side of eternity, both without and within a congregation, and is a poor means of measuring the health and life of a congregation and its evangelism activity. On the other hand, the Seed, the Word of God that is cast, is the only means by which the health and life of a congregation and all evangelism and missions should be measured. Where He is proclaimed and administered in all truth and purity, there is a healthy and vibrant congregation, should they number in the tens or thousands—there is true evangelism!

For it is there that the Word is at work to produce in people fruit, be it 100-, 60-, or 30-fold. Again, the bushel numbers are not as important as the fact that it is the Word that is at work to produce the fruit. For, where He is proclaimed, there the Spirit is at work to produce His fruit—“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22b-23a)—both in great quantity and in small—it is His fruit. The Word is accomplishing that for which God sent it, as you heard in today’s Old Testament lesson. (cf. Isaiah 55:11)

And in that, this sermon comes full circle. I had shifted from the Sower to the soil, and while the soil is an important topic, the more important topic is that of the Sower. Again, it is great joy and comfort to see that He sows His seed by scattering all over the ground, that it may fall everywhere.

Again, it seems careless and costly. Tossing seed about without care to where it lands is costly; farmers the world over know that the seed to harvest ratio of recklessly scattering seed is far too high compared to carefully planting the seed in places one expects that the seed will grow and produce the most fruit. This teaches that the Sower wants to grow a harvest everywhere, no matter the cost. He is not careless, but lavish and unrestrained—it is the mark of a God who desires all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4) The cost may be high, but He has paid the price.

The lavish Sower casts His seed extravagantly because He desires all to be saved. The sovereign Sower does so even knowing that not all will be saved. This doesn’t make God a double predestinationist. This is difficult for fallen logical to come to grips with, but is, perhaps, most easily expressed by this paradoxical statement: if you are saved, it is all God’s doing; if you are damned, it’s all your doing. God is the Savior; man brings about his own damnation. Sinful man is by nature on a path to damnation; he doesn’t need God to send him there, but he does need God to intervene in order to be saved.

The intervention was costly, and the Lord your God has paid the price. It wasn’t gold or silver, but His own, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death that won your forgiveness and salvation as He bore your sins to the cross. On the cross, He bore the full brunt of the trials and tribulations, the assaults and temptations of the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh. He has taken upon Himself your fruitlessness and bore for you the fruit of forgiveness. He went to damnation and hell for you—being forsaken of His Father—and bears you up to Himself in God-given faith with the promise never to leave you for forsake you. (cf. Hebrews 13:5, et al)

Yes, the price is paid, and so the Word is cast like seed into the ground. His Word is cast extravagantly around the world without pause to soil type, to hostile or joyful reception; He does not limit His atonement or condition election. He is the one who makes it so that, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle…” (Isaiah 55:13a) And where He is received in God-given faith, there He produces a harvest, sometimes large, sometimes small. In every case, they are His: forgiven, cleansed, restored, redeemed—bought with His blood. To these He gives eternal life—they shall never perish—and He will let no one snatch them out of His loving, seed-casting hand. (John 10:28)

Dear Baptized, you are His; you have received His Word and have produced fruit in keeping with repentance. The Son of God is here, among you today, casting to you His life-giving Word as the ever-lavish Sower, casting away from you all doubts of the evil one, the trials and tribulations of the world, and the cares and temptations of your sinful flesh. He is come to show you His hands, feet, and side, the wounds by which you are healed and saved; He is come to proclaim to you that you are forgiven for all of your sins.

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…’”

Jesus spoke of these things and the wise and understanding and little children. Understanding what Jesus meant when He said these things will help to explain today’s Gospel.

First, Jesus was referring to His miracles and teachings when He used the phrase these things. They would be things about Himself; they would be Himself. What Jesus was saying was akin to His statement made to the Pharisees: that He had come to heal the sick and the healthy have no need for a physician. Hear Him, also, from the previous five verses:

As Jesus was going around Judea and Samaria, He was preaching that the kingdom of heaven was near—in fact, He was standing right there. He was performing many miracles—healing, casting out demons, feeding a lot of people with a little food. He was preaching the Law of God to show people how unworthy and totally depraved they were, all the while offering faith and forgiveness. All of these things pointed to Him as their salvation—“by faith you have been healed,” or, “your faith has saved you,” Jesus would often proclaim. Still, everywhere He went, people would not repent; everywhere He went He met resistance and rejection.

And that begins to explain the next phrase.

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…’”

The wise and understanding were precisely the people who resisted Jesus and opposed Him. They were the people who wanted nothing to do with Him and the grace and mercy He offered. These were the people who accused Him of blasphemy. These were the people who saw no need for Him. These were the people who saw in Him a departure from their status quo and sought to rid themselves of Him. They were the people who thought they knew better; people who, in their minds, were better than this Jesus. They were the people who would not repent.

You know them as the scribes and Pharisees and their disciples. They are the ones who would often try to trick Jesus into saying something that would contradict His teaching. But Jesus knew what was in their hearts. They were the people who brought charges against Him because He was doing something on the Sabbath. But Jesus simply replied that man is Lord of the Sabbath, not the other way around, and taught them by means of the Scripture and the example of King David. They were the people who leveled false accusations against Him, handing Him over to the Romans as a political prisoner to be executed. They got their way, but it was all part of the Master’s plan for their salvation…yes, even theirs.

And it didn’t end there. These “wise and understanding” people who think they have no need for Jesus the Christ still exist. These days they’re not typically known by the titles scribes and Pharisees, but share many of the same titles and labels that you do: American, Republican, Conservative, among some others like Liberal, Democrat, and Immigrant. You’ll definitely find them with labels like Jew, Muslim, and Hindu. Sometimes, even people who label themselves Christian and Lutheran are among that number. Now, that’s not to say that everyone in the first contrasting set reject the Christ of God and His message, but they are certainly found among these people. The point is that there are those who do not wish to be bothered by the Law of God and do not want to hear of the Gospel.

But, it is more than that, too. Society today is one that praises the individual and preaches self above anything else. “As long as you’re happy,” you hear. “If that works for you,” is a common phrase. It is a time of being told to look for the answers to your problems within, that you must “find yourself,” that believes that truth is relative, such that it doesn’t matter what you believe—what matters is that you believe, because everyone’s going to the same place anyway. “Being a good person is all that matters, so if you want to believe in this Jesus guy, that’s alright, but I don’t have to.”

Don’t just think that this is a problem with other people, though. It is a problem with which you wrestle all the time; you can see someone who thinks they know or are better than Jesus every time you look in the mirror. Have there not been times when you sat in your seat with your arms crossed and with a frown and furrowed brow, as if it was such an inconvenience for you to be here? Or how about those times when you looked around at all the others with the thought that what is being said is exactly what they needed to hear (but not you, because you’re not as poor and miserable a sinner)? Don’t deny that you have ever felt hat way at one time or another; perhaps it might even have been this morning. In fact, every time you break a commandment and sin (which, as you confess, is at least daily), you are proclaiming that you don’t fear, love, or trust in God (and His Christ) above all things.

But what did Jesus say? “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…”

If all of those are the wise and understanding, then the little children must be their opposite. If the wise and understanding are the people who resisted Jesus, then the little children are those who did not. If the wise and understanding are the ones who wanted nothing to do with Him and His grace and mercy, then the little children are the ones who received Him and His gifts. If the wise and understanding are the people who saw no need for Jesus, then the little children are the ones who saw their sin and their need for a Savior, and saw in Jesus that Savior. They are the people who repented and received the forgiveness Jesus was going to the cross to give them.

These are the people like Lazarus in Jesus’ parable. (cf. Luke 16:19-31) These are people like Jairus, the Roman Centurion and his household, and the poor woman with the demon-possessed daughter. (cf. Luke 8:40-42a, 49-56) These are people like the paralytic and his four friends who lowered him through the roof. (cf. Luke 5:17-26) These are people like the woman who sought only to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. (cf. Luke 8:42b-48) These are people like the 10 lepers, especially the one who returned to thank him. (cf. Luke 17:11-19)

These people bring nothing to the table. They have nothing to offer Jesus. Yet they need Him desperately. They are on the cusp of hell and death, and they recognize it. Furthermore, they recognize that they are powerless to stop themselves from crossing that cusp and falling into everlasting torment. They are like beggars, helpless and dependent upon someone else for aid. They recognize their heavy burden and difficult yoke.

And that is the life of a Christian! A Christian is a little child who has nothing of his own, but is totally dependent on someone else for their nurture and care. A Christian is like a beggar in that he believes he is a sinner who is totally dependent upon the mercy of God in Christ. Unless God is merciful for Jesus’ sake, a Christian has nothing. Therefore, to have faith in Christ is to receive, like a little child and beggar, the Lord Jesus with all His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. That is what it means to have faith like a child!

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…’”

Jesus said,

These are comforting words for little children and beggars. These words bring comfort to those who have a heavy burden and difficult yoke. It is the law of Christ, St. Paul says, to “bear one another's burdens.” (cf. Galatians 6:2) Praise be to God that the one who gave this law has borne your burdens, trading them for the easy yoke and light burden, and taking them to the cross. The same cross which is foolishness to the wise and understanding, St. Paul says elsewhere, but the power of God to those being saved, the little children and beggars. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

And that is why you are all here, little children. You gather to hear the Law of God, so that your sin may be revealed in you, showing you to be little children and beggars with nothing, completely helpless and dependent upon God’s mercy. You know that your burdens are great. But you also hear the sweet news of the Gospel, that Jesus has borne all of your burdens and woes and sins, and destroyed them at the cross. In this act which the world calls foolish, you have an everlasting peace, a peace which the world cannot understand, because your heavy burden and difficult yoke has been borne for you by your Savior, Jesus Christ; because your sin has been taken from you! That is to say, you are forgiven for all of your sins!

In the study of philosophy, there are a couple of concepts called formal principle and material principle. The formal principle refers to the ultimate source or rule used to define a belief or philosophical system. The material principle refers to the core teaching or governing doctrine of a belief or philosophical system. The terms and concepts not only apply to philosophy, but also to linguistics and theology.

In Lutheran theology, the formal principle is most simply put as Scripture alone. The implication there is that other theologies use other or additional sources to define their doctrine. For instance, in Roman Catholic theology, the formal principle is Scripture and tradition. This can cause difficulty in debating finer points of doctrine with theologians of different confessions if they don’t or can’t agree on a formal principle.

Lutheran theologians tend to balk at the idea of having a material principle. Some will like to point out that Scripture serves as both the formal and material principles in Lutheran theology. I like the idea, but I also acknowledge that doing so runs the risk of having too vague a material principle. To that end, you may have heard the statement that Article IV is the article on which the church stands or falls; this is referring to Article IV of the Augsburg Confession: “Also [our churches] teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight.”

It is the article on justification. I would say that if you wanted to define a material principle in Lutheran theology, it is this: men are justified freely for Christ’s sake through faith, the fourth article of the Augsburg Confession. The rest of Scripture, the doctrines contained therein, point forward or back to this article. Everything else believed, taught, and confessed in Lutheran theology is informed by this article.

For instance, I have maintained that along with Article IV, Articles V and VI form the crux of Lutheran doctrine and practice. As the Fourth informs everything else believed, taught, and confessed, the Fifth and Sixth help to flesh that all out. What of those other two articles?

• Article V states that this faith is obtained by way of the Word of God being proclaimed to you, and that the Office of the Holy Ministry was especially instituted by God in order that you would have the Word proclaimed to you, hear of your sins forgiven, and that the means of grace would be given to you. Of chief importance, though, is that faith is obtained by way of the Word, as you heard in today’s Epistle:

• Article VI states that good works that a Christian does are bound follow this gift of faith. These works are necessary—yes, they are required of you, else there wouldn’t be any commandments—but being good, doing good works, doesn’t save you. Faith is bound to bring forth good works, though.

Anything other than any of this is a perversion of Biblical doctrine and should be rejected as either heterodox—which can simply be understood as a different teaching held by anyone—or heretical—which would be an established, false teaching. Even the Augsburg Confession rejects and calls out such heterodoxies and heresies.

Now, you may be wondering that if Articles IV, V, and VI are the core of Lutheran theology and practice—the material principle, if you will—why aren’t they the first three articles of the Augsburg Confession? Those first three articles are on God, Original Sin, and the Son of God. They are the lead up to the next three articles, and the rest of the Augsburg Confession, for that matter. In order to get to the article on justification, you have to learn what it means to confess God, Original Sin, and the Son of God. On these first three points, all of Christendom agree, more-or-less, the differences being almost entirely semantic; but from there, the various confessions diverge. That divergence, I would argue, comes largely due to differences in formal principles among the different confessions.

So, the formal principle of Lutheran theology, Scripture, teaches salvation by grace, that works and being good avail nothing so far as it concerns earning salvation, because there is no one good or good enough to earn salvation, except the incarnate God-man, Jesus Christ.

• Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” If that is true, and since Jesus is the Truth (cf. John 14:6), then it is true, then it holds that in order to have a part with Jesus, it’s all on someone else, not you, that you have that part with Jesus. In keeping with the Vine and Branches theme that Jesus used, you are grafted onto the Vine, Jesus, by the gardener—and it should go without saying that a branch neither grows apart from a vine nor is one grafted onto a vine by itself.
• Furthermore, there is this word from the pen of St. Paul: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this [that is, faith] is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
• Additionally, when describing your state and condition before God before salvation, the Bible says that you were a dead man, stating that you were dead in your trespasses and sins. (cf. Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13) By way of the gift of faith, then, you have had a resurrection, as it were, to newness of life—a newness given to you in the waters of Holy Baptism. (cf. Romans 6:3-4) A dead man can no more wake himself from the dead as a child can choose to be born or adopted, which, by the way, are other words used to describe your coming to faith. (cf. John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:3, 23; Romans 8:15, 23; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5)

No one in history was saved because they were good. Last month, you confessed the Athanasian Creed, wherein you said, “At [Jesus’ second] coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.” “They that have done good,” are those who hold to the catholic (little-c) faith, not those who work good toward salvation. As St. Paul recounted, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10b-12)

Nevertheless, good works are commanded, and as they are commanded, then you confess that they are necessary. What are they for? They are given to you in order that you may serve your neighbor. As Jesus once said, “The poor you always have with you.” (John 12:8) A look throughout the Old Testament sees the commandment from God to care for the widow and the fatherless children inasmuch as the Children of Israel were to be a light to the Gentiles. That expectation continued with the New Testament church, and even unto today. Care for the widows. Care for the fatherless children. Care for the poor who are always with you. Love your neighbor as yourself. If you want to know what you can do to that is pleasing to God in heaven, this is it: serve your neighbor—and if you want to know how, read the second table of the Ten Commandments, to start. Serving your neighbor is the good work you have been given to do.

As if to underscore the necessity of these good works, St. James the Just, brother of Jesus, wrote,

So Jesus continued, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” These kinds of works—without partiality, without seeking recognition, without compensation, and sometimes without the realization that you are doing anything, and without the hope of merit before God in heaven—prove your faith; prove your living faith. As was said before, though, these cannot be done apart from God and being in Christ. He gives them, you do them in Christ—apart from Him you can do nothing.

That’s why Jesus said, “Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Bearing fruit is the good works you are given to do. Those who don’t bear fruit are taken away. And in doing the good works, you are continually pruned—a proclamation of Law and Gospel to you—that you may continue to bear fruit, and bear more, in fact!

Four times now you have heard me say that God has given these works to you. This is exactly as it was written by St. Paul. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.“ (Ephesians 2:10)

Salvation is by grace alone, which has been sufficiently demonstrated. And this comes to you by way of the Word of God alone, which has likewise been sufficiently demonstrated. What isn’t mentioned in these two statements? Faith alone! It is faith alone which apprehends the grace of God proclaimed and distributed in the Word of God and makes it your own. Hence what Jesus said in today’s Gospel: “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” By faith you believe that you are received into God’s favor, and that your sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for your sins, just as you heard in Article IV earlier. These three Solas—sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura—underlie everything confessed in these three articles of the Augsburg Confession and espoused in today’s Gospel.

As a branch on the Vine, Jesus Christ, you are continually refreshed and renewed by the Vine. His Word—verily, Jesus Christ Himself—is continually proclaimed to you. His Sacraments are often administered to you. And so you are kept grafted to the Vine, pruned and cared for that you may continue to produce the fruit that you have been given to produce. But you are already clean because of the Word that was spoken to you and into you—washed and sanctified for the sake of Christ, forgiven and redeemed and saved—and that is completely by the grace of God.

What are works in the face of such grace? How can your good works compare to the free salvation by God’s grace? They can’t! The moment you think of them as somehow meritorious, they are as a polluted rag, an unclean thing, as the prophet declared. (cf. Isaiah 64:6) They could never be meritorious for they are given by God to His children to do, and please Him only on account of Christ, through whom they are done! Besides, given the choice, would you help and serve your neighbor, or to his detriment, help and serve only yourself? Good or not, however, it is as Christ declared of these works, “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” (Luke 17:10)

No, the grace of God doesn’t compare at all with works , especially when seen as meritorious. Since it is grace, it is a gift, not to be compared with works seen as meritorious. Since it is a gift, it is unearned and undeserved, freely given by God for the sake of Jesus Christ, who by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension performed the only meritorious work for salvation and redemption, and that once for all, when He gave His life on the cross as your ransom.

That’s why Jesus said what He did. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” What sounds like a bunch of law is chock full of gospel. “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” You are clean for the sake of Christ, now go serve your neighbor, which you can do because you are already clean.

You are already clean! This is what is declared to you from the formal principle of Lutheran theology, Scripture alone, and apprehended for you by your God-given faith alone, won for you by Jesus Christ alone, by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. And so you have exactly that which is the material principle of Lutheran theology: life, salvation, and the forgiveness all of your sins.

I’ll begin with a remark by Martin Luther, condemned by the church for proclaiming that people are saved by grace through faith alone on account of Christ. Luther once expressed that, even when he was thoroughly intimidated by his enemies, he could not stop preaching the Gospel: He would envision the Jesus on Judgment Day asking him, “Why were you more afraid of them than me?” He may well have had today’s Gospel in mind.

Jesus was sending His disciples out into the world to preach a specific message: “Repent! The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As they did so, they would work miracles and wonders. That is the good part, but Jesus also pulled no punches: they would also face heavy opposition.

They would be rejected—sometimes by households, sometimes by whole towns…sometimes by family members, sometimes by close friends, and sometimes by the heads of state and church. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,” He had just told them (as you may recall from last week). Then He explained what He meant in today’s text, a continuation of last week: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master…If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.”

As things turned out, it is no less than the Pharisees and Scribes who call Jesus “Beelzebul,” the “lord of the flies” as it is commonly translated. And if those church leaders—who could do no wrong in the eyes of the people—called Jesus such, they would consider his followers gnats to be swatted. The disciples would face some terrible intimidation for telling the Good News about Jesus. The intimidation was no excuse, however. The disciples were not to remain silent. “So have no fear of them,” Jesus commanded.

For one thing, they didn’t have to fear because, “[N]othing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” The enemies of Jesus may look to have the strong hand; after all, what is a teacher and twelve men against the world? However, the disciples knew the end of the story because Jesus told it to them: He will be the Victor, and He will return in glory to judge all nations and condemn those who reject Him. Therefore, the disciples shouldn’t have been intimidated—in this battle of good vs. evil, evil will appear to have the upper hand for some time to come, but the disciples knew the end of the story, and it would be foolish to side with those who will lose in the end.

If they were intimidated, it is no excuse. They were not to remain silent, and they had no right to change the message that was given to them. They were to preach that the people should repent; the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

“Do not fear,” the Jesus said again, and this time He was even more specific. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” The disciples would suffer at the hands of sinners, this is certain; but those evildoers can only kill the body. God, the Father Almighty, wields a much bigger sword: He can send body and soul to hell for eternity. Who is to be feared more?

Which brings me back to Luther’s nightmare of Judgment Day: an angry God slaying him with divine eyes and saying, “Why were you more afraid of them than me?”

For the Church today, it is the same proposition. The Lord calls His people to proclaim what He tells them: His Law in all of its severity, and His Gospel in all of its sweetness. As an individual Christian, you will face such intimidation: when confronted with a crisis where the righteous decision means suffering, will you do what is right or take the easy way out? When a family member or close friend chooses a sinful way of life, will you lovingly speak the truth and risk hostility, or keep silent to maintain the family peace? From the school locker room to the business office, in every walk of life, there will be constant attempts to turn you from what is good and pure and holy to what is wrong and impure and most unholy.

As individual Christians face such intimidation, congregations are also confronted with the same. There are those who say that the Church must alter its message to survive. The change must come in order to bring more people into the pews, and that usually means sounding more loving and accepting and affirming (as the world defines those terms) and less condemning of sin. The change must come because this is not your grandfather’s America; times change, and so must the church. The change must come, they say, though it is usually put in soft and attractive terms—you’re not supposed to abandon the Gospel, of course; of course believe that Jesus is the Savior. The Church just need to soften up on the Law. Instead of denouncing immorality as evil, conduct further studies. Instead of disciplining manifest sinners, affirmatively bear with them and their sin than risk offending them. Instead of preaching that the Law condemns all, preach it so that it sounds like a helpful tool for living, and nothing more ruinous than that.

Sadly, congregations face this intimidation not only from the outside world, but also from their members! Sadly, many congregations have fallen to this temptation and have considered it right and orthodox—what is normal and has always been done—for many years.

So goes the pressure on the Church today. It is not new; in fact, Dr. C. F. W. Walther, the first president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, recognized this nearly 150 years ago. To students at the seminary, he declared:

It is a matter of faith to believe that the Church continues by the pure preaching of God’s Law and Gospel; so Christians live by faith. When (not if) the temptation comes to alter the message, make no mistake about it, it’s temptation to sin. And with any temptation to sin, God lashes you with His Law for your good, to show you the sin and the death that awaits. He demands that His Church proclaims His Word. And He asks this damning question: “Why do you fear them more than me?”

After all, from the Word of the Lord you know the end of the story. There is only One who sits on the judgment seat and determines your fate forever. He wields the larger sword of eternal life or death. Why would you fear anyone else more than Him?

Now, let me pause here and be clear: so far in this sermon, the Law is being preached—God’s unrelenting, unforgiving Law. This is the Law that Jesus preached in this Gospel lesson. Fear God and obey His commandments, even when opposed and intimidated by men, because He can destroy your body and soul in hell.

This is the Law of God, and it is perfectly true; however, I hasten to add that it is only half of the story. The chief purpose of the Law is to show you your sin, for you sin and break His Law every single day. Whenever you sin, your love of sin overcomes your fear of God and His punishment. Whenever you fail clearly to proclaim His Word, you fear something else besides His wrath.

God gives His Law to show you your sin; however, He does so for your good. When you see your sin, you know you cannot save yourself. When you know you cannot save yourself, you are ready to hear of a Savior. The Law is half the story; now I turn to the other half of the story: the Gospel. Dear penitent people of God, prepare to be forgiven.

How sad it would be if the message of Christianity was only one of fear, of, “Obey God because He carries the biggest stick.” But this is not the case. You do not trust the Lord because no one is more fearful. No, you trust in Him because no one loves you more.

Listen again to these words of Jesus, from the text: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” Ponder these words for a moment: When this Teacher sent out His disciples, He wasn’t some spoiled ruler who demanded that they suffer so that He didn’t have to. When this Master sent out His servant, He didn’t demand their death so He could live. He told them they will suffer just as He has and would suffer. A servant is not above his Master; if the Master suffers, the servant will suffer, too. But the Master is greater—so, His suffering is greater as well…far greater!

For those disciples, and for you, this Master suffered. At the hand of supposedly righteous men, He was arrested. He was falsely accused of all sorts of sins of which He was not guilty—but you and I are. He accepted them in silence, and allowed Himself to be beaten and scourged. He was hung on a cross, where supposedly good men mocked Him and ridiculed Him. But this was only a little bit of His suffering. The greater portion did not come from supposedly righteous men, but from His own Father in heaven—His Father who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. The Son did not deserve this destruction, for He has not sinned. You and I deserve this punishment, for you and I constantly sin against God. But there at the cross, the Master took the place of His servants—He suffered hell for your sins. God the Father destroyed His Son to fulfill the Law, to inflict punishment your and my sins have merited. But here is your salvation: God destroyed His Son so that He may forgive you instead.

Consider, then, these words of Jesus from the Gospel today: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” God the Father keeps track of sparrows, purchased at a penny a pair; He knows when one of them falls to the ground. Dear Christians, here is your comfort: You have not been purchased cheaply for a penny. No, you have been redeemed—not with silver or gold, but Jesus’ holy precious blood, and His innocent suffering and death. He has purchased you in this way that you may be His own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. This is most certainly true.

And so, you have God’s Law and Gospel in this text this morning. You are faithfully to proclaim His Word. If you fail to do so—no, no…when you fail to do so—you sin and deserve His eternal, unforgiving wrath. However, as you proclaim His Word, you also hear this sweet sound: Your sins are forgiven, because Jesus has suffered God’s wrath for you at the cross.

The Law says, “Obey God out of fear. If you do not obey Him, but deny Him, Jesus will deny you before His Father in heaven.” The Gospel says, “Jesus has redeemed you with His holy and precious blood. Therefore, you are set free to confess Him—out of thankfulness, not fear—confident that He will confess you before His Father in heaven.”

Or, to paraphrase Luther a little… When tempted to cave in to the intimidation of his enemies, Luther envisioned an angry God speaking Law: “Why did you far them more than me?” However, instead of such an unforgiving accusation, the Lord in His Gospel presents this gentle coaxing: “Has anyone else died for you, to take away your sins? Has anyone else shed holy, precious blood and endured bitter suffering and death that you may be his own forever? I have, and I forgive you and give you eternal life.”

This is the Law and Gospel of the text this morning, and so I conclude with one more oft-repeated Luther quote: “We should fear and love God,” the beginning to each explanation of a commandment in the Small Catechism. Do you fear God? Yes, you rightly fear the consequences of breaking His commands and suffering His wrath. This is a godly fear, which moves one to sorrow for sins. But all the more, you love God because of your redemption. He has punished His Son, destroyed Him, in your place—He has judged the Son who kept His commandments because of your failure to do the same. The price has been paid, a price far greater than that for sparrows. Because that price has been paid, you can be certain of this: You are forgiven for all of your sins.

The Pharisee’s asked Jesus’ disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” If you really think about it, it shows that they didn’t know Jesus, didn’t know about themselves or those with whom He ate. Who is Jesus? He’s the Son of the Living God. He’s the Christ, the Messiah. He is the sinners’ Savior. That is what His name means: Jesus, Y’shua, “YHWH saves,” that is, “I Am Salvation.” There was no one among them or those with whom Jesus ate who is not a sinner. The same is true of everyone here. As St. Paul wrote, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

Why did Jesus eat with sinners? Non-sinners don't need Him…they don’t even recognize Him. Furthermore, if He did not eat with sinners, He would have to eat alone.

Now imagine if Jesus were to come today; not like the Second Coming coming, but coming, let’s say, just for a visit. Where would He go to find sinners and eat with them? Like it or not, He would come right here. If you don’t like that, consider what it is you just did at the beginning of this service; did you really mean it when you called yourself a poor, miserable sinner? So, unless you realize and confess that you are a sinner and even more the worst of all sinners, He does not invite you to eat with Him.

You are not here, or shouldn’t be here, as the Pharisees, to show God how much you love Him or how much you have done for Him, to impress Him with endlessly repetitious words of prayer and petition or beautiful songs of praise. You are sinners gathered here by the Holy Spirit to receive the gifts God is present to give: forgiveness of sins, strengthening of faith, eternal life, and salvation. He invites you to eat with Him where He is both Divine Host and Divine Meal, for to give you those gifts, He feeds you with His Word and Sacrament. “…Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3b) “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” (John 6:55) Then, having fed you with Himself, He sends you forth into the sinful world to speak of the free forgiveness of sin for Christ’s sake, eternal life, and salvation.

This is what Jesus meant when He said to Matthew, “Follow me.”

There is a trap easy to fall into with this text. It goes a little something like this: If Jesus came to eat with sinners, and everyone is a sinner, then everyone will eat with Jesus in the end; everyone will be at the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb in His kingdom. So, today’s text is used to ignore or excuse all kinds of sin, because that’s what Jesus did when He sat and ate with sinners and tax collectors, isn’t it?

The trap can be avoided and the question answered if you take into account what Jesus had said earlier in St. Matthew’s Gospel:

You have to remember that while Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors, He didn’t eat with all sinners (or tax collectors). Those with whom He ate, He taught, and to those who received Him and His teaching (that is, believed in His name), He gave the right to become children of God. (cf. John 1:12) That is the command that He gave to His baptized, as you may recall from last week: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Furthermore, St. Paul taught those who would mistake forgiveness, which is deliverance from sin, for license, which is permission to keep on sinning:

False teachers tell you that you can continue in these things. They will ignore the part where Paul wrote, “And such were some of you…” And in order to nail the point home, Paul also wrote:

So, to be sure, you are under grace. Though you are a sinner, you are forgiven of your sins and freed from it. This is the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. His sacrifice covers a multitude of sins and grants to man mercy. Therefore, God desires mercy. The sacrifice is complete; unfortunately, men still desire it.

By outward appearance and according to the works of men, Jesus sits at the table with sinners. But by the inner reality and according to the work of God, Jesus is host at the table with His saints—saints not given to their sin but sinners clothed in His righteousness.

Therefore, the Church, the very Bride of Christ, teaches repentance in the stead and by the command of Her Bridegroom—repentance, that is hatred for sin and turning away from it to the forgiveness Christ Jesus earned on Calvary. This is precisely what the prophet Hosea was speaking of when he said, “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” (Hosea 6:1-2)

Thanks be to God the Father, and His precious Son Jesus Christ, you are not doomed to live in your sin and damned to live without God. Some may choose to do so, led down that path by false teachers and a sense of pride contrary to the Word of God. But that is not you, dear Baptized, who have been gathered here by the Holy Spirit to hear and receive God’s Word, and in it the forgiveness of your sins, life, and salvation.

For Jesus has suffered, died, and risen for you. Every bit of the wrath of God spoken of by the prophets He has visited upon His Son, Jesus Christ, in your place. Only He could bear it all and die and rise again in order to give you the victory, and that is exactly what He has done (and why He eats with sinners and tax collectors). By way of Baptism, then, it can truly be said that in Christ you have been torn and stricken on the cross; so said St. Paul as was quoted earlier. John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; by pouring out His Holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death on Calvary some 2000 years ago He has forgiven the sins of the whole world. In the waters of Baptism, in the words of Holy Absolution, in the proclamation of the Gospel, in the body and blood of the Lord's Supper—in all of these things you have been revived and raised up with Christ to come and return to the Lord our God. For in these things the Lord Jesus Christ is present today to revive you, to raise you up, to forgive you for all of your sins.

On this Holy Trinity Sunday, you are confronted once again with this sobering reality: the Church, and you a part of it, worship one God in Three Persons—the Father, uncreated, incomprehensible, eternal; the Son, uncreated, incomprehensible, eternal; the Holy Spirit, uncreated, incomprehensible, eternal. Yet, they are not three uncreateds, incomprehensibles, and eternals, but one. This is not the kind of god that man understands (He is, after all, incomprehensible); this is not the kind of god that man creates!

Nevertheless, this is the way God revealed Himself. God says to you in His Word, “I AM, and this is how I am.” He doesn’t add the caveat, “And you must fully understand it, too.” This side of eternity, no one will fully understand it. One may try to explain it using analogies, such as triangles and shamrocks and the Kool-aid Man, but even these do not allow for full comprehension and may even border on heresy, or fully cross over that border. No, He simply says, “I AM, believe it,” then gives the faith to believe it, so you, by faith, say, “Amen. Yes, yes, it is so.”

He says, “I AM.” God reveals Himself as Trinity. Certainly, you can search the Scriptures front to back and not find that term. You won’t find God outright declaring that which was confessed this morning in the Athanasian Creed as concisely and succinctly as that, but He does reveal His triune-ness. In the beginning, God spoke and things were; “Let us make…,” God said, and it was. (cf. Genesis 1:1—2:4) And when Jesus was walking the earth with His disciples, He had said, “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30) And, by holy inspiration, the apostle John wrote in one of his letters, “[T]here are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one,” (1 John 5:7 NKJV) having once already referred to the Son as the Word. (cf. John 1:1-14)

Then, there is what Jesus said in today’s Gospel lesson, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” There is one Person of the Father, one Person of the Son, and one Person of the Holy Spirit; yet they are not three Gods, but one God. Likewise, what you heard in this verse from Matthew 28 is Jesus using the singular word “name” once and then three names—one God, Three Persons…

Confronted as you are with the truth of one God in Three Persons, you can do little else in faith than to acknowledge and rejoice in the name by which He reveals Himself—the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit—the name of one God in Three Persons.

It is a name in which to rejoice because of the promise associated with it: “[A]nd behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Where His name is placed, there is He present. And your one God in Three Persons is always at work in His Three Persons where He is present. Furthermore, where He is present in grace and mercy, He is there to bless.

And so, His name is invoked upon those activities one seeks to have blessed. Luther commends this practice when you rise from sleep and when you go to bed. For he wrote, “In the morning, when you wake up, make the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Likewise, he also wrote, “In the evening, when you go to bed, make the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Then, in both cases, He commends the use of the Apostles’ Creed—confessing the faith into which you have been Baptized, a constant reminder that God loves you and has done everything to save you from sin through Jesus Christ—and the Lord’s Prayer—to show you that your “lives are made holy by God’s Word that is received and believed”, directing “sinners where to find [their] help”, living “the holy life of faith in Jesus Christ.”

Then, in both cases again, He commends a morning and evening prayer, respectively, thanking and praising God for the blessings of the previous night or previous day—not the least of which is being kept safe from all harm and danger—asking for forgiveness of sins and that one may be kept free from sinning, and commending to God’s care for the coming day or night one’s body, soul, and all things—that the holy angel of God would be with the one praying, that the wicked foe may have no power over him.

And this is because where God’s name is, there He is present to bless. It is commended to begin each day and night in God’s name in order to seek His presence for the day and night and protection from all harm and danger—the things He has promised with His name. And, you cry out to Him because you believe in what He has promised.

Now, a warning must also be given. Yes, call upon God in Three Persons, revealed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit to invoke His presence and blessing on each endeavor, but you must also be warned against doing so upon those endeavors which God forbids, for He doesn’t reveal His Triune name as some sort of a magical incantation by which He automatically comes and blesses. You just confessed God to be incomprehensible, a reminder that God cannot put in a box or in a bottle to be called upon as if He were a genie. He reveals His name as His way of blessing you, not your way to use Him to bless any- and everything.

Yet through countless centuries, His name has been abused by those who would seek to use Him to bless their misdeeds. Take your pick of any of the second table commandments; each one of them has been broken in God’s name—dishonoring parents and authorities, murder, adultery, theft, lying, and coveting. In effect, the thought goes, “I am doing this to honor God,” or, “God wants me to do this, it honors Him.” And this is not limited to the second table. Excuses in God’s name are made for the commandments of the first as well—having another god or gods, misuse of God’s name, treating the holy day as any other.

In every case, one is putting themselves in God’s place in disregard His name (first and second commandments). Calling upon God’s name to justify your sin—to excuse it or claim that the sin is right—is blasphemy, and it calls God a liar. By doing so, you claim to have a grasp on God, whom you just confessed to be incomprehensible; and if He is incomprehensible, then He cannot be grasped, either by human thoughts or wills. You place yourself in command of God, placing Him at your beck and call—you place yourself in God’s place; that is to say, you have become your own god.

This is misuse of God’s name. That second commandment certainly comes into play in all of this. “We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.” Again, He reveals His name in order that He might be a blessing, not that you may use Him to bless what you choose to bless, here listed as cursing and swearing, using witchcraft, lying or cheating.

However, He gives His name to call upon in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks. And so, you ought to call upon His name in every trouble, such as was already done this morning. For, in gathering this morning, you called upon His name, and repented of your sins—confessing the trouble you have found yourselves in, confessing the trouble you have put yourselves in. Then, absolution was pronounced over you in God’s name. He is present to give to you and to hear from and to bless your repentance, and remains present to give you forgiveness as pronounced by His mouthpiece to you.

God’s Triune name is used in the absolution as a mark that all three Persons of the Trinity are at work in absolving you of your sins. The Father begot the Son who won the forgiveness that the Spirit proclaims. Or it could also be put as I have heard it said, “The Father has begotten the Son who sends the Spirit who proclaims the Son who brings you to the Father.” This is what happens again and again and again in confession and absolution.

And, as commended by Luther, it is commended to you again to make the sign of the holy cross at those times, remembering for one thing, that it was in the Son—God in the flesh—that God was most certainly and tangibly present to forgive, as He was led to a hill outside of Jerusalem and crucified—sacrificed for the sins of the world. For another, it retraces the sign of the cross put upon you at Baptism, marking you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.

And what a remarkable time that was, too, your Baptism. There, as was commanded in today’s Gospel lesson, you were Baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God’s name was placed on you! You are His, therefore He is with you always. And from that moment (and for some, for many moments before), you have been catechized—taught to observe all things that Jesus has commanded.

Again, the Triune name is used signifying the presence of all Three Persons at work in Baptism. The Father is there, as at His only-begotten Son’s baptism, and calls the Baptized His son whom He loves, a co-heir with His only-begotten Son. The Son is there as the Baptized’s sins are washed onto Him, and He proclaims, “Now you have died My death, and you will be raised to life everlasting as I was raised on the third day.” And the Spirit is there to give faith to receive God and all the blessings He has to give in all three Persons, sanctifying and keeping the Baptized in the one true faith.

Hear it again, dear Baptized, you are claimed. You have God’s name placed on you, marked with the sign of the cross, marking you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. Therefore, you are blessed—you have the blessing of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And this is His blessing, to know and do His will, to know and believe His Word, to lead a holy life according the Word of God taught in its truth and purity, the breaking of every evil counsel and will which would not let you hallow His name, to receive from Him every good and perfect gift and thank Him for it, and to hear, receive, and believe this: that you are forgiven for all of your sins.

The catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.

I know I jumped a week ahead as you’ll confess this and the rest of the Athanasian Creed for Holy Trinity Sunday, saying in no uncertain terms that you believe in one God in three Persons, distinct yet the same God. I bring up this portion of the Athanasian Creed because today is a day set aside to acknowledge the work of one of the Persons in particular—the Holy Ghost—and when speaking of the work of the Holy Ghost, one cannot escape speaking of the work of God in three Persons; one, because He is one God always at work in all three Persons whether it is recognized or acknowledged or not; and two, because the work of the Holy Ghost is almost always behind the scenes, if you will, calling attention primarily to the Son and His work.

But on the day of Pentecost, particular attention is paid to the Holy Ghost, and His work is more overt and pointed out in the Scripture. Yet, even on this day, the purpose for which the Holy Ghost acted openly was to point to the One who was and is God-with-us and His work for your salvation.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus spoke of this day. It’s a short reading certainly worth hearing again:

Now, Jesus spoke a familiar lesson, one spoken to the Samaritan woman at the well. (cf. John 4:1-15) If you are thirsty, go to Christ and drink, and out of your heart will flow rivers of living water. This time, however, John explains that the Christ is speaking of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, if you thirst for righteousness, go to your Lord, and He will supply it and give you the Holy Ghost who creates and sustains faith.

Now, it must be said that this giving of the Holy Ghost that John wrote of in today’s Gospel lesson is the fullest measure of giving which, before the Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, had not happened. Certainly, the Holy Ghost was active in times before this, as “prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21); even as was read this morning:

And again, it must be said, that prophecy is not simply a telling of the future, but the speaking of the Word of God. This gift of the Holy Ghost certainly happened before the Jesus was glorified, as Moses and St. Peter gave witness, and the Holy Ghost was at work to create faith in God in these times, but He was not given in those times as He was on that first Pentecost Day.

For on that day, the disciples who had added Matthias to their number, were all together in one place, and the Holy Ghost came upon them and “gave them utterance,” as it is written in the New King James Version. They were given the gift of prophecy, not to tell the future, but to speak “the wonderful works of God.”

Some supposed them to be drunk, but Peter rose and refuted it; He cited Joel as now being fulfilled in their hearing: “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”

What did Peter prophesy? He spoke the Word of God:

That is exactly the work of the Holy Ghost. He brings the Word to thirsting souls; or as Gary P. Baumler wrote,

When Jesus finished his work of salvation and entered into his glory, God’s Holy Spirit was poured out upon the believers in special measure. This happened on Pentecost when the Spirit turned loose the streams of water from the disciples, and the water of life has flowed through believers to countless thirsting souls in every age since.

Now, some suppose this gift of the Holy Ghost will produce in the true believer the mark of, well, true belief, as they define this mark. If one has been baptized with the Holy Ghost, they will say, then they should be able to speak in tongues. And by this they mean speaking in some unintelligible babble, the meaning of which is known only to the speaker and God, though, supposedly, every once in a while someone else may come along who can interpret this babble, or so they will claim. However, the content of this babble need not be anything important. Oh, they’ll point to Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 13 as proof that unintelligible babble is a gift of the Holy Ghost, but they’ll overlook the fact that what the disciples were doing was speaking the word of God in languages that could be understood by the foreign Jews in Jerusalem, not otherwise worthless unintelligible babble.

On the contrary, the work of the Holy Ghost is to produce faith in Christ and to sustain that faith; “God’s Holy Spirit leads thirsty souls to Jesus. He works the faith that drinks the refreshment Jesus offers.” In these latter days, He is always at work to do this, and He draws little attention to Himself. He certainly shares in the glory of the Father and the Son, as, again, will be confessed next week, but it is His glory to bring people to Jesus and Jesus to people, even as the Reformers confessed, “For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel…” (ACV) His work is to point to the Son, sent by the Father, and the work He has accomplished for the salvation of the world. His work is to point to the cross of Christ, and there to cause you to see Jesus upon it as the sacrifice for your sins—to see Him as your Substitute.

So, yes, dear hearers, you have this gift, too. For hear something else that Peter prophesied on that first Pentecost Day:

You have been here, at this font or another, and have been baptized, and there your sin was washed off of you and onto your Savior, and the Holy Ghost was given to you to work in you faith, to give to you the forgiveness Christ won for you on the cross, and to secure you in the holy ark of Christendom—to keep you in this one, true faith. It wasn’t your own reason and strength that brought you to Christ your Lord, but the Holy Ghost who “leads thirsty souls to Jesus”; who “works the faith that drinks the refreshment Jesus offers.” There, in that most blessed flood, your Old Man was drowned, and a new man rose to live before God in righteousness and purity forever, because you were made to drink the living waters from Christ.

If some of those words sound familiar to those of you who have been catechized, they should. Today, the Nicene Creed is still confessed, whose words are similar and which meaning is the same as the Apostles’ Creed, in which Third Article is confessed,

This is most certainly true, dear Baptized! You have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, who has created and sustained the true faith in you, calling you by the Gospel, enlightening you with His gifts. This is most certainly true, dear Baptized! You have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, who has brought you to the well that doesn’t run dry so that you will never thirst again, having in you a spring of water welling up to eternal life. This is most certainly true, dear Baptized! You have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, therefore you are being kept with the whole Christian church on earth. This is most certainly true, dear Baptized! You have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and by Him you can tell of the wonderful works of God to a world thirsting for righteousness. This is most certainly true, dear Baptized! You have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and He has even today richly forgiven you for all of your sins! And so, you will be raised on the Last Day to eternal life. This is most certainly true, thanks be to God—the Father, the + Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Jesus was praying. He would soon be captured to be crucified, and He prayed. “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” He prayed for a glory unlike any other.

Now, it’s nothing new, this world’s idea of glory. Those who are highly esteemed are said to have the glory of men. They have medals and ribbons pinned on them. They are awarded gold, silver, and bronze medallions. They are presented with trophies. People will pay $10 each to spend an hour and a half to watch them on a 30-foot high screen, and upwards of thousands of dollars to sit with thousands of others to watch them play a game. Fame, fortune, and beauty (and maybe valor) are the defining characteristics of glory to the world.

But Jesus was praying for a glory unlike the world understands. “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself,” He once said. (John 12:32) Glory does draw people.

Jesus prayed, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” He prayed for a glory unlike any other.

It’s still nothing new, this world’s idea of glory. One who is glorified is able to rest on their laurels. Glory means being able to receive service. Along with many accolades comes adoration and praise. With fame, fortune, and beauty (and maybe valor) comes the gift of being waited on hand and foot. Whatever the glorified person wants, that person gets. Being served is a defining perk of glory to this world.

But Jesus was praying for a glory unlike the world understands. Here is God-in-the-flesh who took up the trade of carpentry, making things for other people. He is the One through whom all things were made who had stooped down to wash His creatures’ feet and then served them a meal. (cf. John 13) He has come, as He has said, to serve, not to be served. (cf. Matthew 20:28)

Jesus prayed,

He prayed for a glory unlike any other.

And, once again, it’s still nothing new, this world’s idea of glory. One who is glorified is idolized. They can say no wrong. People hang on their every word; people want to hear what a glorified person has to say, hoping for something new and wonderful and amazing (as the world defines those), and incorporate what it is they have said into their lives. And make no mistake, these are their words—they are not “merely” giving words from another. Being listened to and heeded is another defining perk of glory to this world.

But Jesus was praying for a glory unlike the world understands. He could have come and stood on the mountains and shouted commands to the rocks, winds, and waves, and they would have obeyed. He could have, with a word, changed the ways things work. But this is God-in-the-flesh who speaks to His people the same words of Law and Gospel that God has been speaking from the beginning.

Jesus prayed,

He prayed for a glory unlike any other.

Yeah, you know, it’s nothing new, this world’s idea of glory. Glory means not belonging to another, but maybe even having followers. It’s being set apart as different and better than others, not one with others. Or, I could go the other route, too. The world’s idea of glory is pretending to be one with others when no true unity exists. They keep themselves together. They keep themselves apart. They keep themselves above others. Haughtiness is also a defining characteristic of glory to this world.

But Jesus was praying for a glory unlike the world understands. He prayed that those who have been created through Him and heeded the word of God be given something: unity with each other as the Father and Son are one. He prayed that this unity be kept through His name, and later, by the Word of God, when He prays, “Sanctify them”—make and keep them holy, set apart—“in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

Yes, Jesus prayed for glory, and the glory He prayed for goes to the cross. It is His glory to serve, to do the work He was given to do (which He has been doing since His incarnation). In His life and teaching and work, He has fulfilled all that has been written about the Son of God in the Law and the prophets. He has been righteous—sinless—in all that He has done. And, He went to the cross with that perfect life to die for the world, to be lifted up and draw all to Himself, to credit all with His righteousness. There is no greater glory—there is no other glory.

What a fitting end this is to the season of Easter. At a time when an empty cross and empty tomb are celebrated, you are brought back to the one act of righteousness by which God is glorified: the death of His Son on the cross for the redemption of the world, the forgiveness of sins, the victory over death, the gift of eternal life.

You have God’s Word on that. This is the word that Jesus gave to His disciples, which in turn has been preached and taught to the ends of the world, beginning in Jerusalem. His Word is His promise, His guarantee. It is signed, sealed, and delivered in God’s holy name. It’s the name into which you have been Baptized, meaning that you have God’s name placed on you—you are claimed, dear Baptized, owned by the One who created heaven and earth and everything in them. It is the seal upon your forehead and heart that mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. It is the name to call upon in every trouble, pray to, praise, and give thanks to (cf. Psalm 50:14-15, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)—the name by which you can call upon God as Abba, Father, Daddy…as His dear children.

It’s a wonderful connection, God’s Word and His name. For it is as you have been taught: God’s name is kept holy “[w]hen the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead a holy life according to it. This grant us, dear Father in heaven.” Furthermore, God’s kingdom comes “[w]hen our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly life, here in time and hereafter in eternity.”

And as far as God’s name and Word are connected, it’s no coincidence that the Second Commandment—You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God—is followed by the Third Commandment—Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What is this? “We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.” “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.”

So then, when God’s kingdom comes, when His Word is kept pure and undefiled, kept sacred, there true unity exists—where the people of God are being sanctified by His truth which is His Word, the whole, undefiled counsel of God. Such is what is confessed when pastors and teachers and congregations subscribe to the Augsburg Confession which states, “And to the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments.” (AC VII, Triglotta) That is to say, true unity in the Church comes by the Word of Her Head, Christ the Lord, who is the very Word of God, in His name, and not by any other means; again, where His Word is purely taught, there His name is kept holy. But, you don’t need to take my word on that, for you have the very Word of God: “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one…Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Where God’s name is, there His Word is at work to accomplish that for which Jesus prayed.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus eyes were squarely fixed on His cross. He was in Jerusalem to die for you and for all, in order that you might be rescued from this vale of tears and its errant ideas of glory, with all its fame and fortune and beauty. But this is the glory of God: that He sent His Son to die for you, that you and all for whom He died may be perfectly one with each other and with Him. He was lifted up on the tree of the cross as the perfect Sacrifice, the flawless Substitute, the propitiation for your sins—for the sins of the world. (cf. Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10) This is the glory of God, that He sent His Son to die for you, and so you are forgiven you for all your sins.

“And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.”

After going before His disciples into Galilee (cf. Matthew 26:32; 28:7), and appearing to many, many people, giving them many infallible proofs of His resurrection (cf. Acts 1:3), Jesus led His disciples through Jerusalem to Bethany to be received into heaven there before them. Christ’s ascension did not happen in Galilee, which served as something of their home base during His three-year ministry, but just outside of Jerusalem. They had been there a mere 40 days previous where they had witnessed His passion, suffering, and death, and where He had risen from the dead.

In fact, to get through Jerusalem to Bethany, they had to pass through the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. So, there they all were again, the place of Jesus’ capture and torture and death on their behalf, and it is at this place where Jesus, as He had said so many times before, would be taken from them.

Being there served as a visual reminder of what the Father had sent the Son to do. God suffered and died on their behalf, fulfilling His Law, keeping every statute and fulfilling the punishment it demands for their failure to do so—and you, dear hearers—and the place where they stood and witnessed His ascension was where His bloody, sweaty agony had started.

And as if to nail home this reality, pun intended, Jesus blessed them. There were typically two ways to confer a blessing. Individually, you touched the person you were blessing, usually on the head, as you receive from your pastor when receiving individual absolution. When blessing a group, you raise your arms over your head and pronounce the blessing with palms facing the crowd. Jesus had brought His disciples to the place where He shed blood and sweat for them, then showed them His nail-pierced hands in blessing before being taken from them into heaven. The content of the blessing is unknown—it is not know what Jesus said—but what greater blessing can there than one that includes being shown the wounds and stripes by which they were healed?

From there, “He…ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.” (Ephesians 4:10) Have you ever given any thought as to why Jesus ascended?

For one thing, He said that He must leave in order to send the Holy Spirit. You heard accounts of Jesus telling His disciples this very thing the past couple of Sundays. Furthermore, Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high, as He had previously told them. (cf. Acts 1:4-5, 8) At that time, 10 days later, the Holy Spirit descended upon them, and they began to proclaim Christ crucified gathered for the nations gathered in the city for the Feast of Booths. The Holy Spirit took from what is from Jesus and made it clear to them, and they made it clear to those gathered in Jerusalem.

For another thing, Jesus ascended so that the Church could operate on faith and not on sight. Think of it this way, had Jesus remained on earth like in the days following the resurrection, it would have been a great thing. People could see Him, talk to Him, know Him, and know the things He had done for them. His death on their behalf would have been confirmed by being over 2000 years old and still bearing the stripes that brought salvation and healing to mankind. It would be marvelous for the church, and potentially give no excuse for anyone to believe in anything else or in nothing at all. But, let’s say that Jesus remained in Jerusalem or Galilee; could you say that He would be here tonight because two or three or more are gathered here in His name? He said that would happen, so it would behoove you to trust that He would be, but He certainly would not be here like He is there in Jerusalem or Galilee, where you could see His nail-pierced hands as He blessed you.

He is filling that space in Jerusalem or Galilee locally. His presence is visually verifiable. Here, you only have His Word on it, and that should be enough, but His presence there could cause doubt here and anywhere else where He would not be visually present. Therefore, He ascended far above the heavens to fill all things. How does He fill all things? The Spirit takes from what is His and makes it known to you. You know of Jesus by the means He has left for you—the Word and Sacraments. The Holy Spirit is at work through these means to fill you with Jesus, so that you who are Baptized into Christ have put Him on, and that it is no longer you who live but Christ who lives in you. (cf. Galatians 2:20; 3:27)

And He has ascended far above the heavens to prepare a place for you, that where He is you may be, too. (cf. John 14:3) Make no mistake about it, eternity is not some ethereal plane of existence where you one day will ascend spiritually. There is an actual place being prepared for you, you will have an actual seat at the banquet feast of the Lamb in His kingdom that has no end in His eternal presence. Jesus ascended bodily to heaven. He who descended down here below and took on flesh and bone and blood like yours, now has taken that flesh and bone and blood to the right hand of the throne of God.

“And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead…” On that last day, Jesus will return in the same way the disciples saw Him depart: on the clouds, in the flesh. Then, you will be like Him and in the place where He is, glorified, perfected, and ultimately restored. The Son is glorified in His death, resurrection, and ascension for you, and you are glorified with Him by way of your Baptism into His death, resurrection, and ascension. By way of this Baptism, you have put on Christ, and you are called children of God. Now, on the last day, when Jesus returns bodily to judge the living and the dead, you will be judged living, because you are the glory of the Son.

There sits Jesus, ascended to the throne on high, filling all things, and there for you, your Prophet, Priest, and King. He intercedes for you, His brothers, before His Father (and your Father) in heaven. Yet another amazing thing to ponder. God intercedes with Himself on your behalf, but not merely as God, but as God-in-the-flesh, Jesus Christ. Let no one ever say that God does not or cannot fully comprehend the suffering of mankind. The Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, sits at the right hand of the throne of God, the place that is rightfully His by way of being God Himself. And if you have difficulty coming to grasp with that idea, see Him at Bethany, blessing the disciples, His hands raised in blessing, showing them once again the nail prints, as He is taken from their sight on the clouds to heaven.

For now, Jesus acts as your Prophet by sending messengers to you to bless in like fashion, perhaps not with nail prints in their raised hands, but with words which express the truth of which those nail prints have won for you, as well as the thorn-pricked brow, flagellated back, and pierced side: [raise hands in blessing] you are forgiven for all of your sins.