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.

I would guess that many of you have seen or heard complaints against Christians and Christianity that speak to, or speak against, the exclusivity of the faith. That is to say, those who complain are displeased with the fact that only those who believe in Jesus Christ and trust in Him for forgiveness and righteousness will be saved. They confess it to be unfathomable that a loving God would send those who deny faith in Christ to hell, or even allow it to happen. They also likely believe all people are generally good.

Unfortunately, this a world that wants to believe anything and everything, at least those things thought to be encouraging and uplifting, and especially those things which confirms deeply held biases. Seemingly contradictorily, the world is quick to accept everybody’s opinion as that person’s own truth, though that truth better not extend beyond that person’s personal space. Anything or anyone who teaches against these two ideals is denounced as intolerant and elitist. This is a society that values situational ethics and relativism over absolutes, that wants to shift blame and not accept responsibility. It’s a world that refuses to know The Way.

What feels like ages ago, I spent a summer at the University of South Florida in Tampa where I took a class on world religions. The instructor professed to be Wiccan; though it seemed as if she tried to hide her bias against Christianity, every once in a while she let it slip through that she was an adherent to the philosophy that good people will enjoy an afterlife in paradise, regardless of faith or confession.

Near the end of the semester, she gave the class an assignment to interview a faith-leader of a different religion. I set up an appointment to interview a Jewish Rabbi at a synagogue not far from my grandparent’s house. His branch of Reformed Judaism denied the coming of a Messiah, which he qualified by saying that there was to be no person who would be a Messiah. However, he did confess that there would be a coming messianic age, that the Jews were to initiate it somehow, and in this messianic age, all people, regardless of confession or religion or faith would be saved. To him and his congregation, being Jewish was not so much about being right, being on the right side when judgment came, or worshiping the right god, but about being the ones through whom (and it sounded like by whom) this messianic age was to start.

Before I go any further, I don’t want you to think that the philosophy of universal salvation regardless of faith and general goodness of mankind is endemic only of non-Christians. Christians, or those who claim to be, are not immune to this thought. I once read a quote by a pastor of a Church of the Brethren congregation, an anti-creedal group from among the Anabaptist movement, in which he confessed adherence to relative truth. He said,

This idea is so common, you often hear of it referred to as “all roads lead to God,” or as I once heard it referred to, it’s a belief in the Oprah Jesus. It also goes by the fancy theological term syncretism.

Hearing this, thinking of syncretism, I recall an image used to combat syncretism from a Bible study during my vicarage, which also feels like ages ago. It went something like this: Imagine a ship filled with passengers crossing the Atlantic. The ship suffers an accident and is slowly sinking. Some of the passengers do not know about the lifeboats; these passengers are lost, and their deaths cannot be laid at the feet of the lifeboat manufacturer. Some of the passengers believe they can be saved by clinging to the smoke stacks or other items on the ship; however, these items do not float, so these passengers are lost as well, and their deaths cannot be laid at the feet of the lifeboat manufacturer. Still other passengers believe the lifeboats can save them; they use the lifeboats and are saved, not because they believed really hard that the boats can float, but because the boats float as they were designed.

That’s how the world is. There are some who do not know the Savior, Jesus Christ. Should they remain that way, they are lost. Some believe their savior is Allah or Krishna or the Oprah Jesus or some other false god. They, too, are lost, should they continue to follow the doctrines of these false religions. Others know and believe in Jesus Christ, and they are saved. They are saved, not because they believed really hard in Jesus Christ, but because Jesus saves, as He was sent to do.

And that’s the truth! Jesus saves. Only Jesus saves. He said it himself: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” There is no other way to be saved. Ignorance is not bliss, even if it is not the person’s fault. Allah does not save, nor does Krishna, nor does the Oprah Jesus; these are false religions set up by the Great Deceiver. So, to answer the Church of the Brethren pastor, who asked, “Isn’t it presumptuous to imagine that the Holy One has revealed all wisdom to only one group?” “No, Christians don’t presume anything when making that claim; it is simply repeating what the Holy One Himself said: that He is the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life. It is His claim; why argue with the Creator and Savior of the world?”

Still, the Truth is so readily ignored. When it comes to “ordinary” life, that is, life outside of or apart from religion, truth is readily accepted. In fact, truth is expected, even demanded. When gassing up cars, you demand that when the meter reads one gallon, then you have filled your tank with one gallon of fuel, not three quarts. When you were in school learning math, your parents demanded a teacher who taught that 2 + 2 is 4, not maybe 5, 10, or 2000. When you go to the super market and ask for a pound of meat, you demand that when the scale reads one pound, there is actually one pound of meat on it, not 14 ounces. But when it comes to religious life, truth is rejected. There exists an attitude of “whatever works for you” when it comes to faith, spirituality, and salvation; an idea that each person’s truth is as valid as the next person’s—the denial of absolute truth is almost always done under the guise of tolerance, the ultimate truth in this philosophy. This turns the focus of a person’s faith or spirituality onto themselves and inevitably leads to works righteousness and the idea that a generally good person will live in Heaven.

I don’t understand why when an engineer says, “This bridge will hold,” it is readily accepted and never questioned, but when a theologian says, “Only Jesus saves,” it is readily doubted and always questioned. I can explain why, but that explanation is a theological one and would also be readily doubted and questioned: Sin, which has corrupted human nature, has turned humanity against the Creator and Redeemer; therefore, only God-given faith accepts the Truth. As St. Paul wrote,

So, when it comes to religion, spirituality, faith, or whatever they may call it, may people think they know the way. But if they don’t have the mind of Christ, they believe that they don’t need any help, that they will attain salvation on their own. This way leads to death however, just as clinging to the smokestacks on a sinking ship will.

Still, God wants all to be saved; St. Paul wrote as much in his first letter to St. Timothy: “God our Savior…desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) What is truth? That’s the question Pilate asked of Jesus. (cf. John 18:38) It is what you have been taught by every faithful parent, preacher, and teacher for as long as you have been kept in the safety of the Holy Ark of Christendom: that God sent His Son to save sinners—that whoever believes in Him and trusts in Him for the forgiveness of sins will have eternal life. Or, as the Son stated, He is the Way…the only Way. While this is exclusive, it is not difficult. While it may seem elitist, it is far from it.

Yes, the true way to salvation is exclusive, insofar as there is only one. St. Peter confesses, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) The world complains that there is only one Way, and perhaps Christians are guilty of often using this as a hammer against the myriad ways that the sinful world comes up with. However, the fact that Jesus is the Way is good news, and the good news is this: There is a way to the Father, and He is it!

The way of the world, the way of works, is no way at all. It is the way to death. The good news is that Jesus is the Way, and His was the work. He has accomplished every single last bit of it, just as He said near His death on the cross: “It is finished!” (cf. John 19:30) Jesus Christ is the Way, and His way was to death, too: His death for you in your place on the cross. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Upon the cross, Christ shed his blood to cleanse the world of its sins; He won the merits of salvation there for everyone.

But it didn’t end there; His way was to resurrection, too. His death and your faith would be in vain had He not risen on the third day. From His resurrection, He had another important and joyful task to see to. He mentioned it in the first part of today’s Gospel lesson: He is going and preparing a place for His disciples in His Father’s house, that where He is, they too may be. You also see in this statement that it is not any of your work: Jesus is going to prepare the place, He is coming back to take you with Him, that where He is you may be.

The last thing Jesus says in this “I am” is that He is the Life. He is eternal life. This is the life He won for you by His death on the cross and in His resurrection from the grave. This is the life that is given to you in your Baptism. Salvation is for all, because God wants all to be saved, and salvation is given individually in Baptism.

Still, it’s disturbing; a majority of people believe that a person who is generally good will earn a place in Heaven—they deny that Jesus is the Way. The Way is not elitist; the merits won by Christ were won for all, and they are offered freely to all. It’s disturbing; a majority of people hold to the idea that every personal truth, no matter if they conflict, is valid, but they deny that Jesus is the Truth. The Truth is for all people; God wants all people to come to a knowledge of the truth. It’s disturbing; a majority of people these days will die apart from knowledge of the Truth, denying that Jesus is the Way—they deny that Jesus is the Life. Death is not natural, but it is the wages of sin; Jesus has come that all may have life, and have it to the fullest. (cf. John 10:10)

And, in order that you may have that fullest life, He has taken your sin into His own flesh and received the payment for it; then, to seal you into that life, He rose again from the dead. That is what you have been Baptized into, as St. Paul declared:

Dear Baptized, that’s you! You have been Baptized into the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Therefore, being dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, you come here where you hear Jesus proclaim to you once again and all the time that He is the Way, that He is the Truth, that He is the Life. He does this out of His inestimable grace and mercy. He comes here, yes He is here in this place to give these to you all—to set you straight in Him, the Way; to erase all doubt and error through Him, the Truth, to rescue you from death and the devil by Him, the Life. That is to say, He is come—He is here—and has forgiven you for all of your sins.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who reveals the merciful heart of the Lord. That’s why, in the One Year Lectionary, this day (though it would actually fall on the Third Sunday of Easter—last week) is called Misericordias Domini, Latin for The Merciful Heart of the Lord. It takes a merciful heart to be a shepherd, and so to call this day Misericordias Domini makes for a perfect image for Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus as the Good Shepherd portrays God’s mercy in the flesh, the heart that God has for His creation that He should become man and gather His people to Himself in His own death. And He does that so that you might have life to the fullest.

But, what a shepherd does—how he tends sheep—is very likely a foreign concept to many, unless you’re from or driving through a certain community up north. What a shepherd in biblical times did is likely even more a foreign concept. The most your average modern person can say about shepherds is also the simplest: they tend sheep.

Sheep, on the other hand, you are probably more familiar with, because pastors like to wax poetic about sheep: stubborn animals that require a lot of care, are prone to straying, eating poisonous weeds, drinking from polluted puddles, butting head with others in the herd, and being downright disagreeable at times. And even with all of that being the case, they are practically defenseless against predators. They’re cute when their little, but an absolute handful when they grow up. That’s not a very flattering picture, but it’s pretty much the way it is with man before God.

That’s what you are being compared to when Jesus calls Himself the Door of the Sheep and the Good Shepherd. That’s the image that you claim for yourself when you recite Psalm 23, the Psalm appointed for today: “The Lord is my shepherd…” To call Jesus your shepherd is to call yourself His sheep. “I am Jesus’ little lamb,” you will sing to close the service today…same thing! And you also know this passage from Isaiah, as it was read just over three weeks ago as part of the Good Friday Chief Service: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…” (Isaiah 53:6ab) You are like a sheep: stubborn, straying, requiring a lot of care, downright disagreeable at times. It’s one thing to call Jesus the Good Shepherd; that’s likable. The flip-side implication is not as likable: you are a sheep…but you’re His sheep!

It can be said another way: Jesus is the Savior—more precisely, Jesus is my Savior. Again, that’s likable, but that means that I am a poor miserable sinner. You just confessed as much moments ago! So, if you are a poor miserable sinner, then Jesus is your Savior, because, as St. Paul wrote, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15) So, if Jesus is your Good Shepherd and you are His sheep, then it can also be said that if Jesus is your Savior, then you are His sinner.

You confess with King David your sheepiness and being in the flock of the Good Shepherd when you pray Psalm 23. The Psalm starts out as a brag about the goodness of the Good Shepherd: His sheep lack nothing, are made to lie down in the greenest of pastures and drink from still (that is, not polluted) waters. This Good Shepherd even restores their souls and leads them in paths of righteousness for His own name’s sake. For this, the soul of the sheep makes its boast in the Lord (cf. Psalm 34:2): “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

This is how the soul redeemed by God in Christ responds to that redemption. The sheep has confidence in confessing Jesus as the Good Shepherd; the sinner has confidence in confessing Jesus as the Savior. Where does that confidence come from? Again, it is confessed in Psalm 23, even as a sheep, even as a sinner, despite being surrounded by death and decay and evil all around, the Lord is with you!

Look at this, dear hearers: death and decay and evil are all around, beyond these walls and doors. Sometimes they creep their way in here. Nonetheless, up here, the Good Shepherd spreads a table before you where He feeds you with His own body and blood, you who have been anointed in the unpolluted, living waters at the font to be a son of God. Dear saints, because Jesus is your Good Shepherd who is with you always, He anoints you and feeds you, your cup overflows!

And because Jesus your Good Shepherd and Savior is with you always, goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life. No, I’m sorry, that translation is woefully insufficient. The Hebrew word there is better understood as chase. Goodness and mercy shall chase after you all the days of your life, because you have a Good Shepherd—the best of shepherds—who will not let anything snatch you out of His hand and from His care. Because of that, you shall dwell in the house of YHWH forever. “O YHWH, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.” (Psalm 26:8)

Jesus is YHWH in the flesh, I AM as He repeats in today’s Gospel, the same God who revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush and to David as His Lord throughout the Psalms. Abraham saw the day of Christ and rejoiced. (cf. John 8:56) These all looked forward the Christ, the Messiah, whom you now confess to be Jesus. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23, the Good Shepherd of John 10, and since those are both the case, then He is the Good Shepherd of the world, whether acknowledged to be or not. “All we like sheep” from Isaiah 53 is universal. “All have sinned” from Romans 3 is universal. The Good Shepherd is also a universal lamb: The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (cf. John 1:29)—the fulfillment of all of those temple sacrificial lambs.

Jesus is at one and the same time the Good Shepherd and Lamb of God, and He is both in the same way.

In today’s portion of John 10, Jesus uses the image of the sheep pen to make this point. This pen in ancient days was a completely walled off enclosure, likely built against a building or some other structure, with one narrow opening, likely a tight squeeze for an average sheep. There was no other way into our out of this pen. The shepherd would tend his sheep into the pen every night. The gatekeeper guards the entrance to the pen; he knows the shepherd and grants him access. Only the true shepherd enters through the narrow opening; those who try to steal the sheep don’t have access to the narrow opening. The Pharisees who heard Jesus use this figure of speech didn’t understand what He was saying.

In short, here’s what Jesus was saying: He is the true shepherd, the gatekeeper is the Father, and the narrow door is Jesus’ own death and resurrection. This is how it works: The True Shepherd has come to lay down His life in the doorway of the world so that by His dying and rising again He would gather His flock to Himself; the Gatekeeper recognizes no other death than the death of Jesus, so He grants access to no one else except the Good Shepherd and those for whom He gave His life as sacrificed the Lamb of God, who are covered and washed in His blood.

The True Shepherd comes by way of the narrow door of death and resurrection. Death and resurrection mark the True Shepherd. He lays down His life like a sacrificial lamb for the sheep. That’s what shepherds do, too: they put themselves squarely in the narrow gate in order to give their life (if necessary) to guard the sheep at night. As I said, death and resurrection mark the True Shepherd.

Any other way is really no way at all. A savior without death and resurrection is no savior but a thief and robber, a false savior created by the father of lies, the devil. Jesus was referring to the Pharisees specifically, teachers of the Law who were supposed to be teaching the people about sin and forgiveness, but were doing anything but. Instead of pointing to the death and resurrection of the Suffering Servant (cf. Isaiah 52-53), they tried to steal the sheep with legalism and moralism.

Remember what I said about the characteristics of sheep? They will eat on poisonous weeds and drink from polluted waters. That’s what Pharisaism—legalism and moralism—are. Sheep will bite on it because it looks so good, just like the forbidden fruit, you might recall. (cf. Genesis 3:6) Sheep will take a sip because, well, they gotta drink. If you look at all of the religions and philosophies out there outside of Christianity—and real Christianity at that—all they offer is the poisonous weed and polluted water of legalism and moralism; they all show you yourself as the means to work your way to god, heaven, nirvana, paradise, or whatever you might want to call it. They all tell you to look within and follow your heart to find the truth. What did Jesus have to say about that? “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23) St. Paul wrote, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” (Romans 7:18a)

The only way into the sheep pen of salvation, to the greenest of pastures of everlasting life, is the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He said as much in another of His I AMs: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) The way to destruction is broad, but the way to ever lasting life is narrow and exclusive: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. That’s what saves you and the world from sin and death; no amount of legalism or moralism will work. Isaiah wrote, “[A]ll our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isaiah 64:6b)

The good news is that the Good Shepherd has laid down His life for you and taken it back up again. In His death and resurrection He has drawn you to Himself. He has given you faith by His Word, even as in the still (that is, unpolluted) waters of Holy Baptism, faith which apprehends the benefits of His death and resurrection and make them yours. He spreads His table before you whereat He is both host and feast, feeding you with His body as bread and blood as wine, and giving you thereby the forgiveness of all of your sins, life, and salvation.

Now, you as a sheep of the Good Shepherd recognize His voice. You hear Him in His Word proclaimed by His under-shepherd and your fellow sheep who proclaim to you the death and resurrection of the Savior. That under-shepherd in particular speaks certain words at the command and in the stead of the Good Shepherd. His voice becomes for you a soothing, comforting, and strong voice of the One who created you and redeemed you. It’s the voice of Holy Absolution won for you in the death and resurrection of the Good Shepherd, who claimed you in Holy Baptism, who feeds you in Holy Communion. The voices all sound different, but they come from the same Man who is YHWH, the Great I AM, the Good Shepherd, the Door of the Sheep.

Hear His voice, for He has laid Himself down in the narrow gate and gave His life for you, only to take it up again and give you the victory. “If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” There is but one way to heaven, one way to the Father, one path to life, and that is the death of the Good Shepherd, who by His own authority laid Himself down in your death to save you.

He went ahead of you, through death to eternal life. Jesus went ahead of you, through the suffering and death of the cross to resurrection and life. He’s done what no one else had ever done. He died and rose again. As His sheep, you hear His voice and by God-given faith, you follow where He leads. He leads you through life to death and back to life again, everlasting life for His name’s sake. As His sheep you hear His voice proclaim to you that for His sake and by His work alone, you are forgiven for all of your sins.

That we may obtain this faith [by which is received justification], the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. 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, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake. (AC V, Triglotta)

Also [our churches] teach that one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered. (AC VII, Triglotta)

Although the Church properly is the congregation of saints and true believers, nevertheless, since in this life many hypocrites and evil persons are mingled therewith, it is lawful to use Sacraments administered by evil men, according to the saying of Christ: The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat, etc. Matt. 23, 2. Both the Sacraments and Word are effectual by reason of the institution and commandment of Christ, notwithstanding they be administered by evil men. (AC VIII, Triglotta)

These are three articles from the Augsburg Confession—specifically, the fifth, seventh, and eighth. Do you not also find it amazing that the Confession—indeed, the entire Book of Concord—teaches the Scriptures so faithfully and beautifully. After all of these years—over two decades in the ministry—having studied the Book so much, gone through it so many times, I am still amazed how “in agreement” it is with the Scriptures. The church of the Lutheran Reformation really did get it right.

So, the Lutheran Church believes, teaches, and confesses what is called the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar—that is, that Christ gives His body and blood with the bread and wine in Holy Communion. So, when you receive the Lord’s Supper, you receive both body and bread to eat and both blood and wine to drink. This is what is taught in the Lutheran Confessions…

…And the Scriptures. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in his first letter, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation [or communion] in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation [or communion] in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16) Paul wrote to the Corinthians that the cup—and by that he was referring to the contents, the wine—is a participation or communion in the blood of Christ; the bread, likewise, is a participation or communion in the body of Christ. Inspired by God to write of the Lord’s Supper in terms that we would say is Real Presence. Christ’s blood is really present in the wine, and His body is really present in the bread.

Therefore, Philip Melanchthon wrote in the Apology to the Augsburg Confession, “[I]t would follow, if the Lord’s body were not truly present, that the bread is not a communion of the body, but only of the spirit of Christ.” The same can be said, then of the cup: if the Lord’s blood were not truly present, that the wine is not a communion of the bloody, but only the spirit of Christ. Not that the spirit of Christ wouldn’t be enough, but that’s not what God taught through the pen of St. Paul. This is what it means to call the Lord’s Supper Holy Communion, that there is a communion between body with bread and blood with wine. However, there are Christians out there who subscribe only to a spiritual presence when they take Communion.

That said, today’s Gospel lesson also serves as proof of another key doctrine of Lutheranism: God does His work to you and in you through His instituted means, which in short are referred to as Word and Sacrament. You have just heard three articles of the Augsburg Confession which clearly articulate this teaching, so now to examine today’s Gospel.

Two of Jesus’ followers were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus in the late afternoon on the day of the Resurrection. They were recounting the events of the week, and especially that day; how things went from joyous and triumphant to a grisly death and burial. There were reports of a resurrection—angels and an empty grave—but not a word of where Jesus was; not a word of having seen Jesus except from a hysterical Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. It all seemed so unbelievable to them, that had someone else told them that they had seen Jesus, their response might have been similar to that of Thomas as you heard last week: “We won’t believe unless we see Jesus.” They had, after all, lost hope, as they said, “[W]e had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”

It is into the middle of this conversation that Jesus joined them. However, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” You must note here that these two were not simply blinded by sin that they were unable to recognize Jesus. Like Mary Magdalene in the garden of the tomb (John 20:11-18), they were prevented from recognizing Him at first; Jesus was concealing His identity from them.

“What are you talking about?” this third man asked the two disciples. You might well imagine the bewildered look on the two disciples’ faces: “This man is walking from Jerusalem and doesn’t know what we’re talking about? Where has he been? What cave has he been hiding in?” Cleopas spoke up: “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” He asked.

Now, this must almost seems sadistic, but think about it this way: How often have any of you thought that you’d like to be a fly on the wall, to hear what others say about you when you’re not there. Here’s Jesus doing that very thing; He’s hearing from these two exactly what they believe about Him:

“But him they did not see.” That’s the dagger in the heart of hope for these two.

That’s when this “clueless” man started teaching them: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” It is as if He asked them, “Didn’t Jesus say this was going to happen?” Then, beginning with Moses and the Prophets, He expounded to them all that was written about Him, still not revealing who He really was to them.

And as He spoke to them, their hearts burned within them. It was all making sense. Connections were being made between what had been written and what had happened over the past week, and especially that day, two days after Jesus’ death and burial—the third day. It is as St. Paul wrote, “Faith comes by hearing.” (cf. Romans 10:17) In the hearing of the Word of God, as Jesus expounded it for them, faith in Christ was produced and renewed and strengthened.

At that point, they still didn’t recognize that it was Jesus walking with them and teaching them, but they believed in Him on account of the Word. Faith is still created, renewed, and strengthened the same way: by hearing the Word of God, they Holy Spirit working through this means. That is, Jesus still comes and walks among His people, not recognized or even recognizable in His person, but as His Word is faithfully expounded, giving the Holy Spirit who works faith when and where God pleases in those who hear the Gospel, as Article V of the Augsburg Confession states.

The daylight was almost gone, and Jesus, still incognito, insisted that He had further to travel. “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” Jesus obliged. He went into their house and shared a meal with them. How did He do it? It seems that He took it over, becoming host at the meal; for He took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to those around Him to eat. At that very moment, the two disciples who had their eyes restrained, as it could be translated, have them opened, and recognized Jesus, and at that instant, He disappeared from their view. Him they no longer saw.

Things were then different with those two. No longer were their hopes dashed. They had faith. They didn’t need to see Jesus for they now knew where to look for Him: in His Word and Sacrament. They heard Him in His Word and saw Him revealed, with eyes of faith, in the Sacrament. And so it has been done for centuries since then. As already proclaimed, the church of the Lutheran Reformation really did get it right—Word and Sacrament.

From there, armed with Word and Sacrament, the two disciples returned to Jerusalem. It didn’t matter that the daylight was gone or nearly gone. They had to return to the disciples and talk to them. By that time, the ten were locked in the upper room and see Jesus themselves. When the two get back to Jerusalem, it’s possible that the eleven might have been reunited and telling Thomas, “We have seen the Lord,” and others are with them. And they recounted everything that had happened to them. The Word of God has some amazing effects on the heart made faithful.

It wasn’t some cruel game that Jesus was playing on these two followers. He was teaching them that they didn’t need to see Jesus as Thomas wanted to (and a week later would), for following His ascension, no one would see Him again until His return to earth in order to judge it. But, as He has promised, He would be with them and all who believe in Him always, to the very end of the age (cf. Matthew 28:20), speaking to the faithful (and giving faith) in His Word and revealing Himself in the Sacrament.

Still, many Christians don’t get it. They are like the two disciples as they walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus. For instance, there was a certain LCMS congregation in a certain city in a certain state where the certain former pastor loved to use a particular song in his created service in place of the Agnus Dei. These all shall remain nameless, except the song, whose words are: “Open our eyes Lord / We want to see Jesus, / To reach out and touch Him / And say that we love Him.” While it is certainly salutary to ask of God for a right faith in order to hear Jesus in His Word and to see Him in His Sacrament, and to pray for the return of Christ, the words of this song express a faulty understanding of today’s text—yet a sentiment held by many in Christendom.

These still seek a Jesus-experience as Thomas wanted. These still have hearts like the two disciples as they walked to Emmaus—hopes dashed because Jesus was not seen, as reliably as they would have liked, at that moment following His resurrection. These, to put it quite bluntly, refuse to hear Christ in His Word, where He walks with His people in lives assaulted by the devil, the world, and the sinful flesh. And many of these refuse to recognize the Savior in His Supper, where He feeds with His own body and blood. Instead, many look for visions in toast, cheese curls, reflections in windows, and the shape of the clouds. Wouldn’t it be amazing to see Jesus, now, with your own eyes of flesh, before He comes again and reveals Himself to all flesh as He has promised to do? It seems that’s what many of those like these want.

Despite what people like these want, they need to hear the constant preaching of the Gospel. For, as has been mentioned, faith comes by hearing, and “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.” This is what Jesus gave the two followers on the way to Emmaus, revealing Himself to them through Word and Sacrament. Jesus does does the same to you when doubts have their way with you, coming to you through Word and Sacrament to forgive your sins and strengthen your faith. “Go, and do likewise…” (cf. Luke 10:37)

So, dear Baptized, you have been gathered here by the Holy Spirit, who was given to you in Word and Sacrament. You have been beaten and bloodied by the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh, and so you are gathered here by grace and mercy to receive your Lord who comes to you in His Word and body and blood hidden in bread and wine. These you believe and receive by God-given faith. These are effective for the simple reason that they are the very means that Jesus used as He walked and spoke in His own flesh and blood to His disciples, as He instituted and commanded—His word which endures forever (cf. Matthew 24:35, 1 Peter 1:25), and He did say, “Take and eat, this is My body…Take and drink, this is My blood.”

This is the truth confessed in the Lutheran Confessions and taught in the Scriptures: wherever two or more are gathered in Christ’s name, where the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered, there is Christ present. And you can rejoice like the two followers on the way to Emmaus, that the same thing that happened to them happens here, God help me: The Scriptures concerning Jesus are interpreted to you, and as that happens, and His Sacrament is given to you, He is truly present with you here and now to give you His life and salvation and the forgiveness of all of your sins.