There he was in the wilderness, baptizing any and all who came to him with a baptism of repentance. This was his message, still proclaimed to this day by faithful preachers the world over: ”Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2) He was, after all, the voice in the wilderness preparing the way of the LORD, as prophesied by Isaiah. (cf. Isaiah 40:3) This was the preparation that was needed: repentance, a making of room in the heart for the forgiveness that the LORD would bring.

Repentance is described as a turning away; some describe it as “doing a 180,” and while that works to describe the turning away from sin, repentance isn’t that simple. Repentance is also seeing the sin with which you struggle, the sins that you commit, acknowledging that there is absolutely no hope in yourself to free yourself from this bondage, thereby recognizing your need for a Savior. A response of this repentance? It is as you heard two weeks ago: “Hosanna,” that is, “Lord, save now!”

This doesn’t come to you of your own will. Inasmuch as you are unable to free yourself from the bondage to sin, you cannot repent of it on your own. That’s why it must be preached into you, for in the proclamation of the Word of God, you are brought to faith, a faith that brings to you repentance—to all of that stuff I just mentioned.

Therefore the voice cried out, “Repent.” That voice echoes from chancels and pulpits to this day: “Repent” And with that proclamation is given the faith to repent. Furthermore, it was all done in preparation for the coming of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus was coming, so the people needed to repent. That also happens to be the reason the message continues to this day. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. For one thing, Jesus is present in Word and Sacrament to bring His kingdom to you. For another thing, His return to judge the living and the dead is closer now than it ever has been; the question of when will not be answered apart from, “When the Father wills it.”

As for this voice, John the Baptist, and the question of when, Jesus did show up. John had the privilege that all the prophets before Him could only dream of—to point to the One and proclaim of Him that He is the Kingdom of Heaven come down. And point this voice did: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) This privilege is the reason why, according to Dr. Martin Luther, Jesus declared of him that he is greater and worthy of more esteem than any other prophet.

I suppose it could be said that the privilege that John had is extended to preachers today, in a sense. They can point to the font and to the lectern and declare that Jesus is there, with the water and in the Word proclaimed. Even more-so, they can point to the altar and say that Jesus’ very body is given to you as bread and His very blood as wine. Still, John had the greater privilege, to point to the Man Himself and say there is the Son of God…the Lamb of God. No one will be able to do that until He comes again, but then, by way of the signs and trumpets and clouds and angels, no would be able to mistake Jesus for an ordinary man—all will know who He is and why He is coming; that being the case, no one will need to point and proclaim as John had.

But this greatest of men born of women met hardship as all who proclaim and believe in Jesus do. For John, it was a prison stint for doing what God had sent Him to do; in point of fact, Herod the tetrarch had him bound and thrown into prison because John had told him that it was not lawful to have his brother’s wife. (cf. Matthew 14:3-4) It was from this prison that John sent word to Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” You see, John had heard in prison about the things that Jesus had been doing.

I will quickly cover the debate: was John asking for himself or for his disciples? I’ve spent a great length of time on this in the past. So, let me just say, John was still fully human and the circumstances of life can often cause doubt—being thrown in prison for doing what the forerunner of the Christ was supposed to do can be one of those doubt-causing circumstances. So, work off the assumption here that John doubted, as did some if not all of his disciples, I suppose. He did ask, “…shall we look for another?” He did not ask, “…shall these look for another?”

So, you can forgive John for asking such a question, given the hardship he was going through. I mean, Jesus did; it was after Jesus heard the question that He said of John that he was the greatest of those born of women. So, if Jesus forgave John, you can, too. After all, as is the case with all preaching, the first audience of every proclamation of the Word of God is the one preaching it. John needed to hear the message to repent as much as all the rest of those who heard him.

That said, this moment of weakness of faith and Jesus’ response to it should be of great comfort to you. If John, being in prison, can begin to doubt the authenticity of who Jesus is and be restored by being pointed back to the Scriptures, so can you. Such hardships are not solely reserved for those in the Office of the Holy Ministry, in any of it’s facets, but for all who bear the name Christ on their foreheads and breasts. Jesus promised that hardships would come. So, you know it’s going to happen; nevertheless, this weak and corrupt flesh will not bear such hardships, no matter how insignificant they may seem (to you or to others), and will cast doubt on the authenticity of Jesus’ identity. So, in those times, you, too, will ask, “Is Jesus the one?”

Now, John knew of the deeds of Christ. And it was to these, in particular, that Jesus referred, telling John’s disciples, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” He was telling John and his disciples—“Compare what I am doing with what was written about Me by those who came before you. Am I not doing everything prophesied of the Messiah?” It’s not unlike Jesus’ interaction with Thomas the week after the resurrection. “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” I like to believe that John responded in similar fashion to Thomas, and perhaps many, if not all, of his disciples did, too: “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:26-28)

The thing is, whether John doubted or his disciples did is immaterial. All of them suffered with the same fallen and corrupt flesh that you do, which seeks to drive you to doubt and despair, which seek to have you breach God’s commandments, which seeks to convince that that when God gave the Law, He didn’t really mean it. This is the violence that the kingdom of heaven suffers now that the Son of God is in the flesh: there’s the question, “Is Jesus really the One?’ and the outright denial, “There’s no way that Jesus can be the One.” Everyone deals with it, believer or not, and for it the kingdom of g\heaven suffers violence. So, in this regard, John and his disciples were no better off than you are, and you no worse off than they were. John needed to hear the message to repent. His disciples needed to hear the message to repent. I need to hear the message to repent. You need to hear the message to repent.

And you all need to see and hear what else John proclaimed: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Jesus pointed John and his disciples to what He had done compared to the prophecies of the Messiah. That same thing can be and is done today. Do you doubt who Jesus says He is? Look at what was prophesied of Him and look at what He has done. Doubt that He has really done it? Well, there are thousands of eye witnesses of His resurrection, having also seen Him die on the cross. These all bear witness that Jesus is the Man, the Son of God, who died and rose again and lives forevermore. Jesus is who He says He is, and He declares to you that He is your Savior!

The kingdom of heaven is at hand. It has come and He has done exactly what He said He would do. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Yes, He will come again. Therefore, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He will come on the clouds of judgment with the call of the trumpet, at which time He will gather you to Himself, because, for His sake, you are forgiven for all of your sins.

Mary, the Mother of God, visits her relative, Elizabeth, already six months with child and greets her. John the Baptist, still in utero, leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth responds to the greeting: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” and she calls Mary the “mother of my Lord.”

Now, for as long as I can remember, Lutherans have had a difficult time calling Mary blessed, the result of an over-zealous piety that even Dr. Walther battled against in his day. Lutherans have, by way of this piety, typically balked at the phrase, “Blessed Virgin Mother.” They even get a bit antsy when they hear Mary referred to as the Mother of God, or even, as Elizabeth called her, Mother of Our Lord. In some places, people will get angry if her name is even mentioned outside of the reading of the Christmas story from Luke 2 (and an occasional nod in a Christmas sermon). It’s getting to the point (and in some places gotten to the point) where Mary is completely ignored.

Certainly, there is reason not to pay to her more honor than she is due. True, she shouldn’t be venerated as some God-like figure, able to hear and convey prayers to God. The Scriptures do not elevate her to her Son’s right hand, nor do they make her out to be an intermediary between God and man. The only time you get glimpses of her like this is while she still walked the earth with her Son, such as at the wedding at Cana, and even there, it isn’t said that she was asked to approach Jesus. (cf. John 2:3) On the other hand, the Scriptures do say, “[T]here is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus…” (1 Timothy 2:5)

Of course, I refer mainly to the church of the Papacy and some Eastern Orthodox who believe, teach, and confess that they can and should approach Mary or any other saint in order to be heard by God. Sure, they can and do pray to God in the name of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, but they also talk to the saints as yet another avenue to an audience with God. On top of that, they believe, teach, and confess that certain powers have been conferred upon the canonized saints in order to effect some sort of change among man, especially in certain situations. So, for instance, statues of St. Joseph, Jesus’ guardian, are buried in yards in order to hasten sales of real estate (or improve the negotiated price). Travelers wear St. Christopher medals in order to be protected during travel. Prayers are made to St. Anne, Jesus’ grandmother, to be rescued from a thunderstorm. It seems very much like the ancient gods and goddesses of the Greek and Roman pantheons who individually controlled certain aspects of nature or man’s livelihood.

However, to learn how to revere Mary truly and rightly—or any saint—listen to what she sang in tonight’s Gospel. She said,

Notice who is doing all of the action in what Mary says. Notice who has regarded, done great things, has mercy, shown strength, scattered, put down, exalted, filled, sent away, has helped, and spoke.

God is the one doing all of the action. He alone is the one who does great things to Mary and to all whom He has given faith in her Son. That alone is enough to call Mary blessed, as it is enough to call blessed those who trust in the perfect merits of her Son to cover them and gain for them salvation. In other words, Mary is blessed, primarily, because her Son is her Savior and Redeemer; Jesus is the Propitiation for her sins! Also, you are blessed because you are, along with Mary, clothed in the righteousness of God which is Jesus Christ, God’s Son and Mary’s Son.

Furthermore, Mary is called blessed because of the special union she has with the Son of God, because of what God has done to her specifically. God had ordained her to be the fulfillment of what you heard last week from Isaiah, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) She is blessed among women because of the fruit of her womb. From her sprang forth salvation—you could call her the mother of salvation, so long as you do not ascribe to her any part in your salvation apart from the labor she went through to bear the Redeemer of the world.

Therefore, you can repeat of her what Elizabeth, her relative, said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” And the only reason for this simple: Jesus. God was drawing near in the womb of a lowly maiden from Nazareth—redemption is near as God takes on flesh in the womb of Mary.

So, fellow Lutherans, how do you show Mary proper attention and veneration?

For one thing, do not be afraid to call her what God calls her. A look both at last week’s Gospel reading and tonight’s, four times Mary is called blessed, and all for the sake of Jesus, both as her Savior (as much as yours) as well as the fruit of her womb:

• And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:28, NKJV)
• Then [Elizabeth] spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
• [Elizabeth said,] “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
• [Mary said,] “[F]or he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed…”

First Gabriel brings word directly from God calling Mary blessed, then both Elizabeth and Mary echo what Gabriel had said. Here’s the thing, the Word of God calls Mary blessed, and if God calls her blessed, then there should be no lack of confidence to say the same; and, as I mentioned, it is said because of what God has done for her.

For another thing, you repeat her song. It is a song of faith. Her words become your words because, like to her, God has done great things to you, even as He was then confined, as it were, in the space of His mother’s womb. He has regarded you, lowly as you are, and lifted you up in the person of His Son, Jesus the Christ. Therefore, you sing back to God His very Word, repeating the words which He first gave to Mary, the blessed virgin. Like her, your souls magnify the Lord, because He has come, given His life for you on the tree of the cross, and forgiven you for all of your sins.

The typical Gospel lesson fare for the season of Advent concerns the coming of the Christ. You heard this past Wednesday Gabriel announcing to the virgin Mary that she will conceive the Son of God and bear the Savior of the world. Sometimes the lesson is Palm Sunday, as you heard last week, which features Jesus coming into Jerusalem to bear the sin of the world on the cross. Sometimes you hear Jesus Himself speaking of His coming again in glory to judge the quick and the dead. And then there’s this Sunday, where the central figure is a odd-looking man in dirty clothes telling people to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

And what a man he was! This man, John, lived in the wilderness, wore camel hair for clothes with some sort of leather strap for a belt, and he never enjoyed any of the finer amenities of life. In fact, his diet was a simple one. He enjoyed the sweetness of honey, likely raw with bits of hive and other things still in it. He might have had whatever nuts or berries he might have found while foraging. However, his source of protein was locusts…LOCUSTS!

It’s no accident that he was like this. His lifestyle and appearance resembled that of an old prophet from years before: Elijah. In fact, the two men sounded very much alike, as well. Elijah once told Ahaziah to repent, to which the king responded by sending soldiers, twice, to apprehend the prophet; both times, Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume the soldiers. (2 Kings 1) His message to repent was a serious one.

John had taken up the mantle of Elijah as the predicted Elijah to come in preparation for the Messiah. How did John prepare the way for the Messiah? By preaching the same message as Elijah: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Some people took him seriously, for they journeyed to meet him and were baptized by him; his word was getting out.

Part of the reason for Advent is preparing to celebrate Christmas. The theme, liturgically, is preparation for the coming of the King, and in this day and age, that coming is only the coming in glory and judgment on the Last Day. However, the season bears that second purpose: preparing for Christmas.

This kind of preparation takes on two forms. One form of preparation is a happy kind, like a buildup to a celebration or party. Getting the decorations up. Getting the gifts and wrapping them. Getting all the food for the big day’s feast. The other form, while I wouldn’t call unhappy, does tend to be a bit more somber. It’s the preparation of the heart to celebrate the first coming of the Savior of the world. It involves hearing about the coming of the Christ, those predictions mentioned earlier. It also involves some introspection: “How do I, by my life, seek to prevent the coming of the King of kings or otherwise tell Him that He’s not welcome here?” It always involves the message of Elijah and John the Baptist: repent!

As the Baptist proclaimed: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” Nothing should crowd the path of the king. Nothing should be an obstacle for the king. He should be able to walk the path without looking at it; holding his head high as nobility, guided by his pages and attendants, or carried in his sedan. Modern visiting dignitaries get pretty much the same treatment: roads are repaired, cleaned, and blocked off for a time so that they (and their entourage) are the only ones who can travel on them, getting to where they need to be quickly and unencumbered by regular traffic, but still within sight of the (adoring) populace.

But John the Baptist was not calling for straight paths in the desert for any normal king. Christians, in preparing for Christmas, are not preparing for the birth of any ordinary child. Paths are prepared for the King of kings and Lord of lords…God incarnate. How does one prepare for this? By making straight paths, of course.

Once again, John and Elijah were saying something similar. As Elijah called down fire to consume the soldiers, John is calling down the mountains to fill in the valleys. Just as you will sing in a bit: “Let the valleys rise to meet Him, and the hills bow down to greet Him.”

But there’s more—something different—to be said about the straight paths for the King of kings. Certainly, His paths should be straight, but your hearts and minds should also be on the straight and narrow paths. This is part of how Christian preparation for the coming of the King of kings looks. After all, if you are Christian, you love Christ, and if you love Christ, you keep His commandments—that’s what He says in John 14:15! That means that the straight and narrow path is one of keeping God’s commandments—a way of no sin.

Well, do you love the King? Do you love God and His Christ? I’m certain everyone here would all love to say that you do, but her is the Law’s accusation: No one, not any single person here, keeps His commandments—all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (cf. Romans 3:23); The accusation is that while you may say that you love God, paying lip-service to the idea, as it were, and you may even put on a fine outward show, but by way of your actions and the true intent of your heart, you prove that you do not truly love God and His Christ. To put it another way: The good that you want to do you do not do, but the evil you do not want to do you keep on doing. (cf. Romans 7:19)

Your God has coming to you in flesh and blood like yours, and this God-man, Jesus Christ will return for you—He is holy and has salvation; He has come and is come and is now and here present and will come again! Therefore, repent, make a straight path for Him! That is to say, making straight paths is repentance! This is the message of John the Baptist—as it was of Elijah—“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

The Baptist’s message was truly serious. A holy God was coming, before whom anything unholy would be destroyed. Would it not be wise to repent? So, John issued the warning: “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” There was no margin of error, there was no wiggle room: do what is right or be destroyed—either produce good fruit or be cut down and cast into the fire. There was no room for self-justification, no gray area. Either you were good and righteous or you weren’t, and God was coming, bringing with Him His justice and wrathful fire. What was the unjust one to do? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!”

His message is truly serious for today, as well. The call to repentance is still issued. The axe is still at the ready, waiting to cut down that which does not produce good fruit. It is time to prepare for the coming of God, it is imminent. The axe may swing at any moment. Make your paths straight, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!”

Dear Baptized into Christ, fear not, all hope is not lost! Yes, “the axe is already at the root,” but there is another root. While the Law accuses you of not keeping God’s commandments, it does not condemn you—it can no longer do so. Another prophet has proclaimed sweet, good news to counter this Law from God, but more than that, keep it perfectly in our place: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Isaiah proclaimed that there is a stump, one stump—roots that will bear good fruit. From the stump of Jesse—from the line of David—will come the Holy One of Israel, who brings forth good fruit.

Today, I proclaim to you, dear Baptized, that this Branch has come, and has borne all good fruit. He has stood upon God’s Law—perfectly, blameless, upright…holy! He took those good fruit to a tree, upon which He was nailed, from which He graciously gives those good fruit, and to which He has taken your unholiness, and destroyed it—the axe was swung and cut off this other tree in your place! Now, therefore, the Law can no longer condemn you for its condemnation is complete in the crucifixion of the King of kings. No longer do you need to fear death—to fear being chopped down and thrown into the fire—for the tree upon which He gave His life has become for you the Tree of Life!

This Branch has grown into the True Vine. Through Baptism, you have been grafted to Him. And, grafted to Him, you are planted by streams of living water, so that through Him you can produce those good fruit—through Him and by Him you are able to bear fruit in keeping with repentance—to bear the good fruit of making straight paths. By Him and through Him, and only by and through Him, are you made holy.

And the gift He brings for those who bear the good fruit is forgiveness. His free gift to you who have been Baptized into Christ and grafted to the Vine is forgiveness of sins. He produces the good fruit of repentance in you and matches it with His most holy absolution.

So, instead of preparing yourselves for the coming of the King of kings, you are prepared. While you could never hope in of of yourself to prepare yourself—while you could never hope to bear good fruit of your own will—by God’s gracious actions on and in you, you are prepared to meet and greet the coming again of the Savior. By His gracious action, you look forward to Christmas as a time to celebrate the birth of the Savior and a time to rejoice that Salvation has come down to earth. By His gracious action, you look forward to that unknown day, when the kingdom of God will once again descend on the earth and fulfill the prophecy spoken through John: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” You can look forward to that day, because, being Baptized into Christ and by His grace remaining faithful, you are His wheat!

To be prepared to celebrate Christ’s birth is to be prepared for His second coming. During Advent, as you prepare to celebrate Christmas—the first coming to earth of Christ—you are being prepared for and eagerly expect the return of Christ—His second coming! Forgiven of all our sins, grafted to the vine, you look with anticipation to that day when you will be gathered in His barn, joining Him in His Heaven. Because, as Isaiah said, “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” So, with joy The Church prays, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.”

And until that time, you are kept and prepared, making straight paths for His coming, producing fruit in keeping with repentance by way of being grafted to The Vine, which is Christ, and receiving from Him the forgiveness of all of your sins.

It seems like a good place to start these mid-week Advent services. True, “In the beginning was the Word,” (cf. John 1:1) but as the Church looks forward to Christmas once again and celebrating the birth of the enfleshed God, it does one good look to when God became incarnate, when the Son of God, the Word became flesh in order to “dwell among us.” (cf. John 1:14)

It was to a lowly maiden that God sent His messenger, Gabriel, whose name means “Man of God,” to announce the good news: “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” When Mary saw and heard Gabriel, she was troubled, and Gabriel continued:

With Mary’s reply—“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”—she was set off down the road of bearing the Savior of the world. She went from lowly maiden to the woman who would bear God, watch Him grow into a man who would take into his Mary-given flesh the sins of the world, and watch Him go to Calvary and be nailed to a cross. Mary was given a difficult cross to bear herself—a sword would pierce through her soul also (cf. Luke 2:35)—but conceived in her womb is her Savior. If she fully understood what that would entail the night of her heavenly visit, I can’t say, but she was made keenly aware her Son, the Son of God, would be given the name JESUS—YHWH saves—and that He would save her, too.

Growing in the womb is God in the flesh. He is God, do not doubt it, nor be deceived to think or believe otherwise. Veiled in flesh, He is the Godhead unseen. Sure, you would have been able to tell that Mary was pregnant, but the mystery of the incarnation is that the flesh of God is veiled in flesh. God hides the person of His Son in flesh, and hides His Son’s flesh, those first nine months, in the flesh of His mother. He was conceived and born as you were, and all of it without sin.

The incarnation is about the hidden-ness of God. For one thing, no one born with sin can look upon God in His glory and live. So, the glory of God is hidden with the person of God in flesh which is hidden by way of His mother’s womb as everyone, for about nine months, was hidden in the wombs of their mothers. There, within Mary can be said is that of which St. Paul wrote, as he paraphrased from the prophet Isaiah: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9, paraphrased from Isaiah 64:4)

Dear hearers, rejoice this evening in the unseen! Rejoice at all times in what is unseen by these eyes. For, just as Jesus was then hidden from sight in the womb of His mother, so now He deigns to hide Himself from sight in other means.

• For one, by God-given faith, you believe that Jesus, the Son of God, is hidden in His Word given and proclaimed to you. You have the Scriptures. You have Gospel preaching. You have the words of Holy Absolution. And in each of these, you have Jesus, present in His means of grace. And where Jesus is present in His means of grace, He is present to give forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
• For another, by God-given faith, you believe that Jesus, the Son of God, is hidden in plain water and ordinary bread and wine. For when His Word is applied to these simple elements, water becomes the washing of regeneration in which the Holy Spirit is given to produce and strengthen faith in the Son of God, and Jesus is given for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, and bread becomes the body of Christ sacrificed on the cross of Calvary and wine becomes the blood of Christ shed on the cross of Calvary, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, because Jesus is present in these means of grace.

Now, the eyes and ears of flesh do not perceive Jesus in His means. They look and sound like ordinary words, a book printed as any other, a speech given as any other. They look, taste, and feel like ordinary water, bread, and wine, a bath like any other, a meal like any other outside of some ritualistic use. They are Jesus, even though there is nothing in them that you experience by the flesh to verify that you are given and receive Jesus, even as these are spoken into your flesh, applied onto your flesh, and placed into your flesh.

And it is for that reason that you can easily succumb to a gross error. It goes something like this: Jesus contains the Son of God. If you had lived in ancient Judea, and could have merely gazed upon Jesus, you would not have known that He was the Son of God, and even if He had told you that He was, your experience and sight might tell you otherwise. This might help to provide some understanding for the constant demands for signs and miracles. He looked like any other man, ordinary, no beauty that He would be desired. (cf. Isaiah 53:2) God is Spirit, the Scriptures say, not flesh. With that in mind, yet still knowing that Jesus is God, logic would dictate that Jesus was a man into which God took up residence, for lack of another term. At it simplest, the error is that Jesus is a man possessed by God, as if God were as any demon that, from time to time, takes possession of a person.

Now, there aren’t many Adoptionists walking around, nor many adherents to Sabellianism, Docetism, Arianism, Apollinarianism, or any other such heresies. You and almost all who call themselves Christians hold to the truth that Jesus is God. Jesus wasn’t and is not now merely a man who simply contains God, in His second person. Christians do confess, however, that the full glory of God was hidden in His flesh; nonetheless, He is fully God.

There are those, however, who will boldly confess that the Bible contains the Word of God; it only contains Jesus. There, in simple words, in every jot and tittle, Jesus is hidden, but He is fully there, just as He is fully God in authentic flesh. To confess that the Scriptures only contain the Word of God allows you to pick and choose which parts are those parts that are Jesus, that are the Word of God, and which ones aren’t. From this springs all sorts and conditions of errors such as the ordination of women, condoning homosexuality and abortion, and calling any other sin not a sin.

And of course, if one can say that Jesus is not present in His Word, or fully present, then someone else can say that Jesus is not present in His Sacraments. Baptism becomes merely a sign, a moment and rite that signifies the dedication to Christ of the believer. The Lord’s Supper is reduced merely to a memorial meal, done in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, where Jesus is not truly, flesh-and-blood present, but that the bread and wine merely represent Christ’s body and blood, or perhaps He is only spiritually present, and that, “…as often as you [eat and] drink it…” (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:24-26), can be reinterpreted to mean as rarely as you do so.

What does the Word of God declare, however?

• Jesus said, “This is my body...this is my blood.” (cf. Luke 22:19-20, emphasis mine) The word “is” is right there in the Greek, even though it doesn’t have to be. Also, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16)
• The Word says, “Baptism now saves you.” (1 Peter 3:21) Also, “[H]e saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7) And, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)
• Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17) Also, “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” (2 Timothy 3:16) “Scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35)
• The Word says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14) The “Man of God” proclaimed, “[Y]ou will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. … The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

The Word of God declares to you even as it gives you Jesus. The Word of God is Jesus. Jesus is God. Through the Word of God and in His means of grace, God reveals Himself to you through His Son and gives Himself to you for the forgiveness of your sins, for your eternal life, for your salvation. Your experience and fleshy sight and hearing do not reveal these things to you, but you perceive them from Him through faith. Therefore, there is much rejoicing over the hidden-ness of God, because, though hidden, He is revealed, and He is here, and you are forgiven by Him for all of your sins.

“Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!” (Psalm 118:25)

When it comes to the triumphal entry, much can be said about the entry itself, and much has been said. Regarding the donkey and colt, the palms and coats, even Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem as a king, much has been said. But have you ever given much thought to what the crowds say as Jesus rides into town?

I began this sermon by quoting from Psalm 118. “Save us, we pray, O Lord!” The Hebrew at the beginning of that verse is, “Hoshi’ah na.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? “Hosanna, we pray, O Lord!”

So, the crowds calling out to Jesus riding into Jerusalem were fulfilling the Scripture, specifically Psalm 118. “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” “Save us, Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Save us in the highest.” The crowds were praying Psalm 118 to the Son of David, a Messianic title denoting that He who was riding into Jerusalem was their Savior, Emmanuel, God-in-the-flesh!

And that is exactly why He is riding into Jerusalem.

If this were a Lenten sermon, the focus would shift to Jesus’ ride from the wilderness, into Jerusalem, to the Temple, before the Sanhedrin, before Pilate, before Herod, and ultimately to the cross. And that would be a good place to focus, a very good place to focus, as the culmination of that not-ironically-called Good Friday is the Son of God shedding His blood as the propitiation for the sins of the world—the ultimate act by which the Son of David saved the crowds crying out Hosanna, as well as the rest of the world.

But He can’t get there apart from Advent—the coming of the King. Advent is not primarily the coming of the King to Jerusalem to assume His throne, the cross. Advent is also about the coming of the King of kings in the flesh to His creation. His coming in flesh and blood is as much a part of the work of His salvation as is His suffering and death on the cross. Apart from the obvious, that He would have no blood to shed and flesh to give over to death unless He came in flesh and blood, God had to become part of His creation in order to save that creation.

The Law of God demands satisfaction from the flesh and blood that breached the same Law of God. You break God’s Law, you deserve to die. But, God would not see the sinner die, as the prophet Ezekiel had twice written. (cf. Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11) What’s a God to do? His Law demands your death, but He would not have you die. What if someone were to die in your place? That’s the way it has to be.

And the only way it would work is if God Himself were in that place. So, He becomes one with His creation, a member of the very same part of that creation in which He takes the most pride: man. Therefore, “[W]hen the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5) When the fullness of time had come, the Father sent Gabriel to a maiden, and told her,

And, as that same angel told Joseph, His guardian, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)

There comes a question: did the crowds fully understand what they were saying? Did they understand the ramification of their prayer, or why they were even praying it in the first place? Now, I’m the first to come to the defense of the people of the past, that they are not as ignorant or stupid as moderns like to portray them. However, in this case, I cannot do that, and for the simple reason that people today are just as ignorant and stupid in this regard.

You come here week after week, and make extra trips on Wednesdays during Advent and Lent. You speak pretty much the same thing every time as the Divine Service gets started. “I, a poor, miserable sinner confess my sins and iniquities.” In essence, you cry out to God the same prayer that the crowds did: “Hosanna, Son of David; save us, we pray, O Lord.” But do you know exactly what you are asking for? Yes, you know that you are asking for forgiveness, but from what? Your sin? What is that? Do you know the depth of your sinfulness; can you even list your sins?

Of course not! “Who can discern his errors?” the psalmist prayed, “Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” (Psalm 19:12) That prayer is little different from the cry of, “Hosanna.” The crowds knew and you know that you need saving, that they needed saving. You know and they knew that they couldn’t effect this salvation for themselves. They and you have been groomed by the Scripture and right doctrine to confess that salvation is from outside of yourself. “[T]here 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) As the prophet Jeremiah also declared:

Your righteousness—your salvation—is from outside of yourself. Therefore, you can only obtain it from another. That is why your God chose to become one with you, to become your brother and your substitute. He took His flesh like yours, and had it nailed to a cross outside of Jerusalem. He took His blood like yours, and shed it in the Praetorium and on the hill called Skull. He gave Himself over to death that you would not have to for the crime against the Law of God, giving His life for your ransom and redemption—for your salvation.

“Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” Behold your God is in the flesh, body and blood like yours to give and to shed. He comes to bring you forgiveness, life, salvation, and peace—peace between you and God, salvation from the condemnation of the Law, life that is the rescue from eternal death, and the forgiveness of your sins. This is the mercy of God by which you all that you have deserved, in Christ, you do not receive, and the grace of God by which you receive, in Christ, all that He was won for you.

The King has come, in flesh and blood, into Jerusalem, and has received His crown (of thorns) and assumed His throne (the cross). He has brought you into His kingdom, which, as He told Pilate, is not of this world. (cf. John 18:36) He has now ascended to His throne in Heaven, whereat He rules all things for you. Advent is also about the King coming again in His flesh, in glory and power; for He will return to take you to Himself, for His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. All of this because He has saved you and forgiven you for all of your sins.

“Give us this day our daily bread,” Jesus taught you to pray. What is meant by daily bread? Luther instructed: “Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”

Luther left a list of things for which to be thankful, finishing them off with the phrase, “And the like.” After all, as you learned from the Small Catechism, “Give us this day our daily bread,” means, “God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.”

So, take a closer look at that list. Are you thankful for things like food and drink? I’m guess that for most of you, even with these increased prices, food is very much readily available, and you never think about the methods by which that food is available.

For the young in attendance, you receive your bread and water as a little child, because you are a child. Parents prepare meals and set them before you, or they let you know where the food is so that you can prepare something simple for yourself. Maybe you thank your parents for the food that they have prepared and provided for you, though I suspect thankfulness is not near your lips as you begin to eat.

For the rest of you, food and drink are matters of income and expenses. You work (or have worked once upon a time) in order to put food on the table for you and your family, if you have one. You trudge through your daily routine, working for the paycheck so that you can buy your groceries. Even more than your children, I suspect that thankfulness is the least of your concerns as you purchase, prepare, and eat your food and drink.

The same goes for your clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, and goods. All of these are good and perfect gifts given to you by God. Yes, you have to work for them, but God provides the means for you to acquire these goods. He gives you the skills you need to earn a just wage or the charity of others to supply what might be lacking, all in order that the supports and needs of your body are met.

Children approach these things without a second thought, usually. You might say that they take them for granted, and that may be so, but I would suggest that it is all done innocently enough. They have no concern for how goods are procured unless and until those necessary goods are missing and they have developed a greater sense of how stuff comes from the store to the house.

Adults, on the other hand, knowing how to acquire these First Article gifts, approach them more cynically. As easily as these good can be acquired, so easily can they also be lost, wasted, broken, or end up in any number of states that make them unusable, and this not always through the direct fault of the person. Easy come, easy go—knowing this, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to be thankful for these gifts of God.

That does not negate the fact, for either children or adults, that these things are given through the grace, mercy, and compassion of God.

The same goes for all of the other items on that list. A devout spouse, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, and faithful neighbors are all gifts from God. And even when you don’t have any of them, they are still God’s gifts to you. For instance, even in times when the politics in this country have not been as polarizing as they are currently, I’m sure there have been times when you have not been pleased with the outcome of one election or another. You may even have just cause to complain about the consequences of an election. In such times, it can be difficult to consider the government a gift of God for which to be thankful. Nevertheless, God’s Word bids you to pray for your rulers (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1-2) and acknowledge that they are from God (cf. Romans 13:1-4), and you are to be thankful to God for them.

For a little perspective, consider this: would you really want to live in any other country if an election doesn’t go your way? Certainly, every election season you hear people proclaim that if so-and-so is elected, they’re moving to Canada, but who among them actually does? It kind of becomes an acknowledgment that, no matter how bad things may get here, or perceived to be here, it is better than anything else out there (even Canada). And if that is the case, and you agree with it, in addition to the command to thank God for good rulers and good government, isn’t this reason enough to thank God for good rulers and good government?

How about good weather? I have once lived in a place where the people constantly complained about the weather. When it was warm, they complained that it was warm. When it was cool, they complained that it was cool. When it was raining, they complained about the rain. When it was dry, they complained that it was dry. When it was windy, they complained about the wind. When it was still, they complained about the stillness. Each of these things, in their own right, make for good weather, sent by God. Even those spells which are exceptionally wet or snowy or dry or warm or cold are sent by God. So, are you thankful for any or all of this?

The answer to all of these questions is that you are not. Rarely, if ever, are you thankful for anything that is on this list, and those rare times when you are thankful are never enough to “make up for” those times when you are not. So, even when there are occasions when you thank God for His provision, you are, more often than not, ungrateful. It is part and parcel of your being a sinner; your Old Man refuses to thank God, much less acknowledge Him, for all of His benefits to you.

That’s why God sent another gift, greater than all those listed here or in the explanation to the First Article of the Creed. These are all good gifts, given to support the body. But your thanklessness indicates a greater need, something for more than just the body, but also the soul. “[For] when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5) Listen to those words again, and marvel at them: “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman…” God, who is divine, sent His Son—the second person of the Trinity—into the flesh, to be born under the weight of His own law, in order that you would receive the adoption as sons.

This is no ordinary feat. This is the Creator becoming one with His creation. This is the Creator taking on the very same flesh, bone, and blood as the apex of His creation. In all of the mythologies the world over, every false religion that the Deceiver has created, not once does a god become a man. Some may manifest themselves as a man, but never is a god conceived in the womb of a woman—and in Jesus’ case, a virgin—born, and grow up into a man just like the rest of humanity—to be “of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting,” as you confess in the Athanasian Creed.

What this means is that God knows what it feels like. What is “it?” Everything. God knows exactly what you are going through, for He has gone through it Himself. God knows what it’s like to be you. He knows what it’s like to be loved, to love, to be hated and disliked, to dislike, to enjoy something, not to enjoy something, to be hurt, to heal, to be bruised, beaten, cut, scraped, and even sick. He’s been there, and He’s been there for you.

Case in point are the ten lepers in today’s Gospel. If Jesus were not a man like you, but simply a god manifesting Himself in the flesh, He would likely have just passed them by without a second thought. If He had a thought at all to show them mercy, He would likely have waved His hands over them, then gone on His way.

But that’s not Jesus. Jesus is a God unlike any other, and He is a man unlike any other. Being fully God and fully man, only Jesus could have compassion on these ten the way He did. Jesus, knowing exactly what they were going through, stopped and spoke to the ten, telling them to show themselves to the priest. Off they went, and as they went, they were healed. One returned to thank God. Who wouldn’t? Well, the other nine didn’t, but this one Samaritan realized that God was standing before him in the flesh, a God who could sympathize with him. And this sympathetic God healed him. The priests could wait, Jesus was there right now, but wouldn’t be for long, as He was on His way to the cross.

Here’s the real kicker, though. Inasmuch as God in Christ was able to sympathize with the lepers, He is also able to sympathize with you. He knows about your routine and your thanklessness; He’s seen it first-hand, felt it first-hand. No, I’m not saying He was ever ungrateful, but being fully man, He has seen why you are first-hand, and as the other nine lepers could possibly attest, felt the effects of ingratitude first-hand as a man. He knows; God knows—and He is able to sympathize with you. Therefore, He gives you the greatest gift: Himself.

Jesus isn’t flesh and blood simply to sympathize with you, but to give of that flesh and blood for your redemption. So, on a very good Friday, that flesh and blood of God carried a cross part of the way to Golgotha, even as He bore your sins to that place. There, He was nailed to it, shedding His blood, and giving His life over to death as the sacrifice for your sin. He took your ingratitude into His flesh and destroyed it, even though you now suffer with it. Yes, Jesus knows, but He loves you, has compassion on you, and forgives you for it.

What greater gift is there to be thankful for? Dear hearers, you now express that thankfulness as you hasten to His command and invitation at the table here, even today. For He comes to you in compassion, with His flesh and blood, hidden in the simple means of bread and wine, for your forgiveness, life, and salvation. These, you take into your mouths at Jesus’ command and invitation, and in faith receive the very things which He gives Himself to you. And in faith, you receive this good meal with thanksgiving, as your New Man rejoices in that which you have received.

So, on this national day of thanksgiving, remembering the good gifts that God has given you on this shore, remember in thanksgiving also the good things that He has given you to bring you to that distant, bright shore. For your God has given you His Son, having become one with you—a God able to sympathize with you unlike any other god—and sacrificed Himself on the cross for you, giving you life, salvation, and the forgiveness of all of your sins.

On All Saints’ Day, the Church remembers. She remembers those saints who have gone before, suffering persecution and even dying for the faith. She remembers those saints who have, by the grace of God, served the Church and world with lasting contributions. Her members usually remember those friends and loved ones who have now entered eternal rest.

But, what does it take to be a saint? A saint is one who is sanctified—made holy—one who has no sin. Therefore, if you are without sin, you are a saint, too.

What does it take to be a saint? In the Gospel lesson, Jesus recited the “Beatitudes,” qualities of those who are blessed to be saints. This is a passage of Scripture that stands out for many, and one that carries with it great joy and blessing. However, it is also one that is often twisted and misunderstood to lead to despair.

As an intro to treating this text, I offer this statistic by way of illustration. At one time, according to something I once read, 85% of all drivers in America considered themselves “above-average drivers.” Of course, this cannot be true—by definition, just under 50% of drivers are above average. However, this survey gives an insight into human nature: people generally view themselves as better than others. And, if they are better than others, then they are doing a good enough job.

This transfers over into religion far more than you may be aware, and it becomes apparent in how these Beatitudes are often taught. Often, one will hear, “The message of the Beatitudes is that, if I do these things well enough, then I will be happy. If I am good enough at these things, then I will be blessed.” It’s a human standard of measure: “If I am better at this than average, then I’m in good shape.” But does this work for sainthood? Well, take a look at the Beatitudes and see if you are good enough at keeping them. A short sampling should do the trick.

Jesus declares, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Indeed, the Scriptures make clear that the saints of God will enjoy eternal life with a new heaven and a new earth; and Jesus declares here that saints are meek.

Meek and humble are synonymous to a degree; in fact, many thesauri list them as synonyms. Being meek means putting others and their needs over and above your needs. Being humble means not drawing attention to yourself, especially when doing something for which you would otherwise receive recognition and praise. Most simply, they both mean to put others before self.

More directly, meekness is power under control. One who is meek uses his authority, position, and skills in service to others, not himself. So, are you meek enough? Do you use your authority, position, and skills in service to others? How about your resources, because they’re a part of this, too? Do you use them, particularly what may be considered excess—that which is more than what you need for yourself—in service to others? Do you put others before yourself?

I could go on and ask more and more questions about meekness, your meekness, but when such an examination goes on and on, the response of the sinful nature is, “Sure, I could be meeker, but I am meek enough to my satisfaction,” or, “I am comfortable with my level of meekness toward others.” But here is the thing: Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek.” He did not say, “Blessed are those who believe that they are meek enough.” When He calls for meekness, He calls for perfect meekness; it is not your measure that matters, but the measure of God. To believe that you are meek enough, according to God’s standards, is arrogance and pride—the very opposite of meekness!

Jesus declares, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” To hunger and thirst for righteousness is earnestly to desire the things of God—holiness, faith, purity, etc.; and those who hunger and thirst will seize every opportunity to be fed. If surveyed, people will give a variety of answers on what it means to hunger and thirst enough for righteousness. Some will propose that it is enough to attend worship on Christmas and Easter, while others will hold out for four times a year. Some will maintain that every-Sunday attendance indicates an earnest desire, while others will add mid-week services during Advent and Lent, or even the rest of the year. Well, can a hunger and thirst for righteousness be connected to something other than or in addition to worship—do you have daily devotions? Are they long enough? Do you attend a Bible Study? Do you devote enough time to personal Scripture-reading and prayer? Have you memorized enough portions of Scripture and the Catechism in your hunger and thirst for righteousness? Or more simply, are you a good person engaged in good works at all times and to all people?

Once again, the response of the Old Adam is to say, “I hunger and thirst for righteousness enough because I’m satisfied with my efforts.” Even—and here’s the kicker—“I’m comfortable with my hunger and thirst.” But Jesus does not say, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst by their standards.” He offers no qualifiers. To believe that your hunger and thirst for righteousness is enough is, again, a most unrighteous arrogance and pride.

One more ought to do it—or do you in. Jesus declares, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Once again, to see God is a privilege of the saints, who will see Him in glory for eternity. Of course, to be pure in heart, you have no thoughts of lust or covetousness, mischief or malice. You are perfectly satisfied with the things that you have, perfectly trusting when trials arise. You are not affected by prejudice, nor would you ever indulge in gossip or grudge-bearing. Now, I know of no one—Christian or non-Christian—who claims to have a heart that is absolutely pure; it’s impossible! That’s why the Old Adam comes up with this seductive line: “I’m only human, and I could be a lot dirtier than I am—and like some people are.” But listen once again to the Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart,” says Jesus. He does not say, “Blessed are the purer in heart (you know, those who are just a little bit cleaner than all the others).” If you say or believe that you are pure in heart—or even pure enough in heart—you give proof enough that your hearts are far from pure.

Remember where I started with the Beatitudes, with the common teaching that, “If you do these things, then you will be blessed and happy,” and it is thought that this is all doable. This is a misleading teaching, because you must do these things perfectly, all the time, to earn the blessing and enjoy the happiness. Once you examine what these Beatitudes require, you are far more likely to cry out, “Enough of the Beatitudes! They promise blessings if I do them, but I cannot do them. Enough of the Beatitudes! They are more than I can do.”

And if that is what you cry out, then blessed are you. Blessed are you because, by the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, you have made an honest confession of sin. You have examined yourself by the unflinching mirror of God’s holy Law, and you have concluded that you cannot live up to it. If it is up to you to be meek and merciful and pure, you are without hope. Amen. This is most certainly true. You now agree with the Law of God that you can do nothing to please Him or earn your salvation. You are now prepared to hear about the One who has saved you, who showers these blessings upon you.

So, woe to you if you believe that you can achieve holiness and sanctity by your keeping of these Beatitudes. If you believe that you have done enough in the way of meekness and mercy (and all of the rest) to earn God’s approval and become a saint, then you argue against Scripture—you make God to be a liar—and are headed for despair. Woe to the one who believes he does a “good enough” job of righteousness to please God.

And woe to anyone who preaches and teaches this Law to you in anything less than full strength. It is always an attractive temptation to proclaim these Beatitudes as if they are something within your power. It is tempting to urge you simply to be meek and humble, merciful and peaceful, promising that you will be happy if you do these things well enough. If that is what anyone tells you, then they have done you a grave disservice. For one thing, they teach you that you can—by your own reason and strength—do these things to God’s satisfaction. Far worse, if they teach you that you can do it, then they teach you that you do not need a Savior because you can save yourself. Woe to the one who preaches that you can fulfill the Law.

So, enough of the Beatitudes! At least, enough of this idea that you can become happy and blessed if you do these things well enough, for it will never be. No, God grant that, by faith, you agree with His Law and make this blessed confession: “I, a poor miserable sinner justly deserve thy temporal and eternal punishment.” Such a confession means that you’re ready to hear of the One who has done enough.

Though you cannot fulfill the requirements of these Beatitudes, they are, by no means, to be shunned. For one thing, you need to know of your sin. For another, these Beatitudes give you the opportunity to rejoice in your Savior, Jesus Christ. He has kept these Beatitudes perfectly. What’s more, He has kept them perfectly for you. Listen, marvel, and rejoice.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” says Jesus. No one has been poor enough in spirit, except Him. Marvel at this godly, unending humility during the Savior’s journey from conception to cross. Had He demanded that He sit on a throne and be served, hand and foot, by all, He would only have asked for what He deserved. But, He did not come to be served but to serve—and to give His life as a ransom for many. (cf. Matthew 20:28) Humbly, the almighty Son of God served those around Him. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, taught the sinner, forgave the penitent, raised the dead. He did not practice pride and demand service. He served, even to the point of death on the cross. He was poor in spirit enough that you might have the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Jesus mourned—not just the death of a loved one like Lazarus, but the killing sinfulness of man. He mourned for Jerusalem, that her inhabitants would not repent. (cf. Matthew 23:37) Furthermore, He paid the price for sin on the cross—that your mourning might be turned to dancing. (cf. Psalm 30:11) Jesus did more than mourn—He saved you from eternal mourning. He mourned, that you might be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Remember, meekness is power under control, used in service to others. Jesus did not use His omnipotent power for His own profit, but in service to others—He cured diseases, multiplied bread and fish, and cast out demons. When beaten and spat upon by sinners, He did not wipe them out with a word; meekly, the all-powerful Son of God allowed Himself to be crucified. He has been meek, so that you might be delivered to the new heaven and the new earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Remember the Temptation of Christ, for in the wilderness Jesus suffered hunger rather than listen to the devil’s temptations and turn stones into bread. He hungered enough for your righteousness there, that you might be filled with forgiveness. Remember the words from His parched lips near death: “I thirst.” He has thirsted and died on that cross, that you might be filled!

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” To be merciful is not to give an evildoer what he deserves. Again, the Lord Jesus did not destroy those who arrested Him, blasphemed Him, mocked, and crucified Him. He could have; He could have come down from the cross, saved Himself, and destroyed them utterly. Instead of giving them what they deserved, He spared them and died for them, to give sinners what they do not deserve: forgiveness. Instead of condemning you, He forgives you. He has been merciful, so that He might give mercy to you forever.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Of Jesus, Hebrews 4:15 declares, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus was perfectly pure in heart—and why? Hebrews 4:16 says that because He was without sin, you can go before His throne of grace with confidence. Jesus has been pure in heart, so that you might see God in glory forever.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” The Lord Jesus Christ made peace. He made peace between man and God by breaking down the wall of separation between the two, by removing the sin that kept him from God’s presence. He has made peace, so that you are sons of God and heirs of heaven.

And who has been persecuted more for righteousness’ sake that Jesus Himself? Who has been reviled and persecuted and spoken evil of more falsely than Jesus? He has done these things enough, and so His is the kingdom of heaven. But, once again, He has done these things for you. He shares His victory over sin and death with you, and so yours is the kingdom of heaven.

Do you see? When you see what you have to do to fulfill the Beatitudes, you should see that you cannot do it—not even close. “Enough of the Beatitudes! We cannot do them.” Looking at them through the lens of the Law, they only show you how deep and dark your sin is—how terrible your failures are. But look what happens when you look at the Beatitudes and Christ: now you see your salvation! He has fulfilled the Beatitudes—He has done these things perfectly, and He has done them for you. The great exchange has taken place: Christ Jesus has taken away your sins at the cross—He has suffered God’s wrath for your failures to be poor in spirit, meek, merciful, and all the rest. But in taking away your sins, He has not left you with nothing; instead, He has given you the credit for His obedience—for His keeping of the Beatitudes. Because He has done so, God the Father looks upon you and says, “I see no sin in you, because My Son has taken it all away. Now, for His sake, when I look at you, I see one who is poor in spirit, mournful, and meek, earnest for righteousness—holy! Yours is the kingdom of heaven.”

How odd it may seem at first: You do not become holy because of how well you fulfill the Beatitudes. Rather, you are made holy because, because by grace, the work of having fulfilled them is imputed to you, given to you, made yours through Jesus Christ and for His sake. Furthermore, by the work of the Spirit, you confess that you cannot keep them as you ought, and if you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. (cf. 1 John 1:9) This is why the life of the Christian is one of continual repentance—confessing your sins and rejoicing that Jesus has done what you could not do, and has done it for you!

What does it take to be a saint? You need to be without sin. And so you are—not by your work, for it is never enough, but by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. He has done the work and paid the price to make you holy. Therefore, dear hearers in Christ, blessed are you, His saints, because you are forgiven for all of your sins!

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”

Jesus used a very weighty word to describe the state of man’s corruption, not just for his time, but even today: “slave.” When Jesus used that word as He spoke to the Jews who had believed in Him, it did more than just catch their attention; alarm bells were likely going off in His hearer’s heads, putting them on the defensive. Hence their reaction in the text!

Given this country’s history with slavery, you are most familiar with the concept of chattel slavery. These kinds of slaves were considered less-than-human property. People, though they were considered anything but, were owned by other people, documented and registered and taxed under certain property tax codes. Unfortunately, even though the concept and practice of chattel slavery have been around since the 16th century, for most Americans, it influences the understanding of more historic practices of slavery, even other forms of slavery in use to this day! It should come as no shock that the words “slave” and “slavery” still carry as much weight and bad baggage today as they do; the history may not be the most recent, but it’s recent enough to cause consternation in people.

As I mentioned, there are still people today who are not justly compensated for the work they do in one form of slavery or another. There are those who call child labor in less developed and less sensitive parts of the world a form of slavery, even as it was used in the past. The kind of slavery you most often read about in the Bible, which is in practice in some places today, is not the same as the chattel slavery of this country’s past; in this case, to have called someone “my slave” would not have indicated ownership of another person, but that another person was indentured to serve them—in many cases, these slaves gave themselves over willingly to this service as a means of being cared for themselves, because slaves had to be respected and cared for. From conquered peoples to self-indentured fellow countrymen, a slave in the ancient world was not less-than-human and in many cases, could work out or buy back their freedom.

As much as “slave” and “slavery” are weighty words, they are also economic words, dealing with possessions, income, and services in one form or another.

Jesus, as He so often did with these kinds of ideas, came along and turned that idea upside down. He said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The Jews who had believed in Him responded, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Into the concept of slavery as economics, Jesus thrusts a spiritual concept into the mix. Hear His words again and learn about slavery and freedom:

It has been said before—I know I have said it many, many times: If you can’t say, “No,” to something, then you are a slave to that thing. Something comes along that tempts you, and tempts you again, and tempts you again. As you are continually tempted, the pressure builds and the temptation becomes all the more attractive. You know what you are being tempted to do is a sin, so says the voice of conscience, but the more attractive and desirable the thing is, the easier it is to justify doing it, and to make excuses for doing it.

The thing is, no one is tempted toward sin only once. You know how it is. You’ve succumbed to a temptation, committed the crime, and before you know it, you’re being tempted again and again and again and again… And you sin again and again and again and again. One time has become two, two becomes three, and in short order that thing you were tempted to do only once has become a habit. You can’t say, “No,” to it; you have become a slave to it.

And here’s the thing with sin. No one sins only once who continues to live and breathe after committing the sin. So, since you sin—and sin repeatedly—the difficulty in saying, “No,” to sin should be apparent.

Jesus says, anyone who sins is a slave to sin. By holy inspiration, St. Paul wrote, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) One more time: “All…have…sinned…” That “all” means everyone—all of you sitting here, the man standing up here in the pulpit, everyone—there is no difference, all are sinners alike.

There’s an old saying in political circles: “If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.” Sometimes the thought is that if the truth is ignored, it will go way. It all sounds ludicrous, but that’s exactly what was going on with Jesus’ hearers. “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” It begs the question: how often had they repeated that lie? Were they ignoring their history with Egypt? Were they blind to the occupation of the Romans right in front of them?

It may be enough to make you wonder: Can I be that blind, ignorant, or ludicrous? Do you believe a lie to avoid the truth? I’m sorry to tell you, you certainly can, and you absolutely do.

It might be as simple as avoiding those who have wronged you, even if only slightly. It could be as complex as avoiding confrontation because you know—you just know—that confronting this person is going to get you nowhere and accomplish nothing, so you don’t even try. Or maybe it's something in between, such as not coming to church because you grow weary of hearing about being a sinner (and if that’s your concern, what you’re fixated on, all that you’re hearing, then I would encourage you to keep listening for the absolution, which is always there).

As for believing lies to avoid the truth, well, that happens every time you try to justify yourself for committing what you know to be sin. Instead of the serpent asking you, “Did God really say?” (cf. Genesis 3:1) you tell yourself that God didn’t say or didn’t mean it like that. You tell yourself the lie that God’s law really doesn’t condemn you for doing the thing you did, for saying the thing you said, for thinking the thought you thought, etc. And you repeat it, over and over again, to try to convince yourself that the lie is true and the truth is a lie.

These are all temptations, to be sure, and even if the intention may be good in some cases, the result never is, and you sin. If you can’t say, “No,” to something, then you are a slave to that thing.

It is this spiritual slavery that Christ had in mind when He said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “Abide” here means to continue in or hold fast to, much as the word “keep” does with regard to the commandments.

Speaking of those Ten Commandments, one can look to when they were given to address these descendants of Abraham. Having been slaves to the Egyptians, YHWH led them out of Egypt, and in the wilderness gave them the Ten Commandments. This slavery in Egypt was given to them as an object lesson, pointing to the greater slavery to sin. Therefore, when God gave the Ten Commandments, chiefly purposed to point out sin, He prefaced them thus: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” This is a theme that runs throughout the Pentateuch, and it is repeated often: YHWH is their God; He brought them out of slavery.

There is one time that really stands out, though. In Deuteronomy, it is written:

A lie repeated often enough becomes the truth, right? “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” “We have never been enslaved to anyone.” Those were easy lies to tell themselves. While they were under the rule and occupation of the Romans, life was relatively peaceful. There were some Jewish slaves in Roman households, but many Jews also enjoyed Roman citizenship. It was easy for them to have denied the periods of slavery in their history at a time like that. “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.” They denied their past, and in so doing, they had forgotten their God—they had sinned.

To this, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”

As you live your lives in these latter days, there are lies that you can easily be led to believe are truth. Among them is the meaning of “God is love.” The world would have you believe that means that anything goes, that the Law is of no effect. You want to take things in ways that only seem right? God is love. You want to lie in bed with anyone who might please you, opposite sex or same? God is love. You want to rip babies from wombs? God is love. Those are the “big ones,” not to put too fine a term on it. In the church you might see these kinds of things blessed when, “Repent,” should be proclaimed. Some issues might be ignored when they should be dealt with. “God is love,” is taken to mean that you can bend without breaking, but if you can’t say, “No,” to something, you are a slave to that thing.

To you, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”

Is there a way to break away from this slavery to sin? How? How does one say no to the sin which so easily entangles? On your own, there is no way. Left to your own devices, you will not.

But there is a Way! Return to the Word of God. In the Gospel this morning, Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth…” The Word of God declares to you your fallen nature, proclaims to you what it is that you have forsaken. This is the Law of God and the truth it proclaims to you, even as you heard from the pen of St. Paul, “All have sinned…” No matter how much you may want to ignore or deny it, you are a sinner, and you have sinned. And sin deserves the wrath of God. This is the Law.

But, like I said, there is a Way! Left with only the Law, you would be left in utter despair. It was in this utter despair that the church on earth found itself in the days of Martin Luther. In very few places, the Gospel was hardly ever proclaimed to lost and hurting souls, and where it was, it was preached as some sort of unattainable goal, turning into another Law. So the people were left to work their hardest and give their last penny in order to appease the wrath of God for their sin, hoping against hope for a reduced stay in Purgatory.

Again, like I said, there is a Way! Out of this time of despair, God called Martin Luther who, being in despair himself, became a monk (a friar) against his father’s wishes, and started down a path that led him to discover the sweetness of the Gospel, the true Gospel—that Jesus is not a wrathful Law-bringer, but the fulfillment of the Law and the propitiation that brought peace with God over and against his sins and the sins of the whole world. His eyes were opened with verses such as these:

• “[B]ut God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Romans 5:8-9)
• “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:20-21)
• If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)
• “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:21-26)
• “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15)

That, dear hearers, is the truth. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the way free from slavery to sin, as He paid the redemption price with His shed blood. He is the truth, the truth of God’s grace over and against the sins committed by way of this fallen flesh. He is the life, the life eternal of all of those who believe in Him by way of His resurrection from the dead and ascension to the right hand of majesty.

You heard me use the word “redemption.” That is also an economic term, consistent in use with the word “slavery.” A slave, in and of himself, has no means to free himself, especially a slave under the practice of chattel slavery. Those bound in service to another in other forms of slavery were indentured until such time that they had served enough time or acquired enough money to purchase their freedom—that is redemption. In relation to slavery, redemption is buying freedom, and it always involves a price. Jesus is your redemption in that His blood pays the price to buy you back from the slavery to sin—a propitiation, in the case of Jesus’ blood.

This is the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins that you hear expressed in these passages:

• “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight…” (Ephesians 1:7-8)
• “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)
• “[Y]ou were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

“The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” The Son has set you free, redeemed you from sin and death into His most marvelous life. Though you still struggle with your fallen flesh on this side of eternity, His love and blood covers your multitude of sins. You are free, free indeed, because you are forgiven for all of your sins.

The lesson today is one of my favorites, and I confess that I made that statement sarcastically. It’s not that I don’t appreciate what’s going on or that I don’t like what it has to say and wish to deny it. It’s a fantastic event in the life of Jesus, and one which bears full attention (are there any other kind?). But, as concerns my profession, it comes up twice in lectionary this year, which means there’s a good chance that I’ll preach on it twice. So, I best get to it.

Jesus heals the ten lepers on His way to Jerusalem passing through the region of Samaria. You know the lesson well enough, as you hear it every year on the National Day of Thanksgiving, appropriate for the day based on the one leper who, as he is being cleansed on his way to the priests, turns around and bows at the Great Physician and High Priest’s feet in thanksgiving.

Now, like I said, you know it well enough, but as is often the case with well known texts, you know it so well that you can easily lose the details of what happened. To direct you to those details, I invite you to take note of what Jesus did as well as what He didn’t do.

Jesus approached these men as He passed through Samaria. Lepers were supposed to stay at a distance from those not afflicted with the disease and shout to them to stay away because they were unclean. Certainly, you’ve heard pastor after pastor, teacher after teacher, say this. Well, these ten stayed at a distance from Jesus, but their shouts to Him indicated that they knew who He was: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

“Y’shua,” they called Him. It was a common name at the time; probably about as common as the name Joshua is today, or even moreso; it is, after all, the Hebrew form of Joshua. It may have been common enough that had they just guessed that this Man’s name was Jesus, they had a good chance of getting it right. “YHWH Saves,” it means, for He will save His people from their sins. (cf. Matthew 1:21) This Man will save His people from their sins. And, there’s a good chance that word of what this Jesus did got to these lepers—that He cast out demons, raised the dead, and healed diseases. In any event, the lepers knew that this was not any other Y’shua, though, and didn’t just guess at His name, because they also called Him Master.

Y’shua, Master, is not any other Jesus or Joshua. This Jesus is the Master, God-in-the-flesh. Jesus is the Master over all creation—it was made through Him and by Him. In Him all creation lives and moves and has its being. (cf. Acts 17:28) The lepers were calling out to this Jesus, the Master, the Word of God, through and by whom all creation was called into being. He could have mercy on them. A simple word from Him by which all things were created, and they could be healed and restored.

And Jesus spoke that simple word. “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

Off they went, all ten of them. There was only one reason why someone unclean would, with haste, make his way back into civilization and show himself to a priest. The priest would declare the unclean person clean, fit to rejoin society, healed, restored to the life he was forced to leave because of leprosy. Again, you have heard that many, many times before. Jesus didn’t tell them that they were healed; He told them to go to the priests, and on their way, He took their leprosy from them. He would take this wage of sin from them and be pierced with it to the cross, where He would die for their sins, and not theirs only, but for the sins of the world!

You might imagine their joy as they rushed off into the city. All that was taken from them when they received their leprosy would be returned to them. Who wouldn’t be ecstatic and seek to return to that as quickly as possible?

To put it bluntly, one of those ten, that’s who. Realizing that he was healed, he returned to Jesus, fell at His feet, and gave Him thanks. And this man was a Samaritan! The priests would still be there when he was done. His life would still be returned to him once he had thanked Jesus. But while He had the time and the knowledge of the presence of God-in-the-flesh in his midst, he was going to turn back and give Him thanks.

“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Or, more literally translated, “Your faith has saved you,” Jesus told the man.

Now, while the nine lepers who didn’t return are often called ungrateful, you might want to reconsider calling them that. Luke didn’t say that they received healing without thanks. If nothing else, to put the best construction on the nine, they simply didn’t return to show their gratitude. It might be that they were ungrateful, or maybe they were grateful but never expressed it or did so after all the excitement of being cleansed had passed, or maybe they simply didn’t express any thanks at all (I mean, do you ever express your thanks for every single thing God has done and given to you?); the truth is, only God knows.

All Luke recorded is that they ran back into the city, presumably to do exactly what Jesus had told them to do. He didn’t write that they were thankful nor unthankful. Perhaps, having been cleansed and with having the thought of returning to their families and lives foremost in their minds, gratitude was not preeminently on their mind. While that’s hardly an excuse for their perceived ill behavior, Luke’s silence does at least allow these men to be painted in a more favorable light. Still, ingratitude, in any shape or form, is a symptom of the sinful condition that infects all men like leprosy—it is sin.

Presumably, the Samaritan now cleansed, and having thanked Jesus, showed himself to the priests and was returned to his former life. Luke doesn’t say one way or another, and his silence in this regard is telling. If the man had not gone to the priests as he was directed, it’s likely, I think, that Luke would have written as much; that would be a very important detail with some potential theological weight, but nothing I need to get into for the sake of this sermon.

The same can be said for the other nine. Presumably, they showed themselves to the priests and returned to their former lives. If anything different had happened to them, Luke probably would have written so. Again, his silence is telling; you are given no other option but to believe that the nine so-called ungrateful lepers were healed and restored to civilized life.

Therefore, you can only confess that this is what Jesus did: He healed all ten. All ten lepers were cleansed by Jesus, and by His cleansing were given a new lease on life!

Likewise, you can only confess that this is what Jesus didn’t do: He didn’t rescind His word for the nine that didn’t return to thank Him. He didn’t return their affliction to them.

Again, based on the whole corpus of the Scriptures, you can also only confess that Jesus took the leprosy of all ten—in fact the wages of sin of all men—and paid the full price for all sins on the cross on Golgotha. There, having been beaten and whipped and crowned with thorns, this now unclean Man was nailed to the cross and made the ultimate Sacrifice for the sins of the world. He suffered the full wrath of the Father in the place of sinful man and won for them His Father’s favor and grace and mercy, having died the death due each one. Therefore, for His own sake, this Great High Priest declares you clean, for He has done the work to make you clean—He makes you clean!

What can you learn from this? Well, let me repeat Luther’s explanation to the First Article of the Creed.

The Father has given you everything that you have. Even Luther’s enumeration pales in comparison to the gamut of God’s blessings to you—physical, temporal, emotional, spiritual, or however you would like to classify all that you have from the hand of God. You have everything—EVERYTHING—by the hand of God. Is there work that you do to obtain and maintain any of it? Sure, but it is all directed and given to you by the hand of God.

Furthermore, all that God has given you, you have regardless of any merit or worthiness in you. Whether God deems that you deserve something or not because of what you have done or left undone, because of who you are or how you are, He still gives you what you have—all that you need. Your merit or worthiness does not determine God’s grace and mercy to you. You are His child, His creation—in Him you live and move and have your being—and He gives to you out of His fatherly, divine goodness and mercy.

For all of this it is your duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. Any thanksgiving and praise you have for your heavenly Father comes to you by way of His grace and mercy. It flows and stems from what God has done to you and for you and on you. When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, you pray that He would lead you to realize that what you have is from Him so that you can rightly thank Him for it.

It follows, then, since what you have is from His hand regardless of worthiness or merit in you, that your receiving and continuing to receive from Him and your holding on to what He has given you is not determined by your thankfulness. God does not rescind His blessings because you failed to thank Him for them or even acknowledge Him as the giver of all good. No, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45b) Certainly, the evil and unjust would not thank God for the sun and rain, much less acknowledge that He sent either; yet He still gives these even to them, and much more.

This extends even to the Son. For God loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son. (cf. John 3:16) What can anyone say about themselves and their condition that God would love everyone so that He would send His Son as a propitiation for the sins of the world? (cf. 1 John 2:2) Nothing. I mean, if anyone here were in God’s place, you would be hard-pressed not to throw your hands up in disgust and forget about the whole creation. Thankfully, you are not in God’s place, and He didn’t just give up on you; God’s senses of justice and grace and mercy far outweighs yours. To that end, He loved you to death, the death of His Son!

Now, for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Father declares you clean. You have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and your robes are as white as snow! Yes, you are reconciled! “[W]hen we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son...” (Romans 5:10a NKJV) You are like the lepers, who for the sake of Jesus, Master, were cleansed at His word—for it is by a word that you are cleansed: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost” and “I forgive you your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”

So, which of the ten lepers are you? Well, nine times out of ten, I would say you are a so-called ungrateful leper. Oh, it’s not always that you mean to be thankless toward Jesus for His Sacrifice on your behalf; thankfulness simply rarely comes to mind, even in a setting like this.

Perhaps that’s a result of the sinful nature’s reaction to the repetitious nature of the liturgy; week-in-and-week-out you come here and you hear of the forgiveness of your sins, and you sing your amens and thanksgivings, and it has all become so routine that you do it mindlessly. “Did I just thank God for His Son? It may have sounded like it, but did I really do it?” This is no excuse, but it does paint you as an ungrateful lot, and speaks volumes of the sinful condition which you carry with you by way of the Old Adam. Ingratitude toward God, intended or not, is sin. I mean, it is your duty to thank and praise, serve and obey God for His first article gifts; how much more for His second article gifts—the forgiveness, life, and salvation that is yours by way of the Son?

Thankfully, Jesus does not rescind His Baptism or Absolution for your ingratitude. Thankfully, Jesus does not make His body and blood of no effect for you, and especially not of ill effect, for your thanklessness. To do so would mean that your salvation depends on you and your thankfulness. On the contrary, your salvation is wholly and completely dependent on the Word of God. Jesus says a thing, and it is done. Jesus has come to forgive sins, and your ingratitude, even for His forgiveness, is among the sins He forgives—for He forgives all sins.

This is the Article on Justification from the Augsburg Confession:

You have justification and righteousness, forgiveness and salvation, for Christ’s sake, by Christ’s work, through Christ’s merits, because He has given you faith to believe it.

So, by His command, you were baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; you may not have uttered “Thank you, Jesus,” but your baptism is still valid. Now, daily as the baptized child of God, by contrition and repentance, that Old Adam drowns and a new man daily emerges to live before God in righteousness and purity because by His command, you are forgiven in the name of the Father and of the Son and of Holy Ghost. Of this you can be certain, for Jesus said, “If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven” (John 20:23a); for this, it doesn’t matter if you gave thanks to God or not. Therefore, having been made worthy by the blood of the Lamb, you are invited to receive your Savior’s body and blood—“Take, eat,” He says, and you eat the bread that is His body; “Take, drink,” He says, and you drink the wine that is His blood—and receiving Christ’s body and blood your faith is strengthened and you receive forgiveness, life, and salvation. Your receiving the gifts of God and their benefits does not depend on your thanking God for these gifts. Jesus tells you what a thing is for you, and that it is—He speaks His grace into you and onto you, and so you receive His grace!

All the same, it is your duty to thank and praise God for it all. Only by His grace are you even able to do so. Thank God for that!

God doesn’t give His Son to you for your sake, but for His. St. John wrote, “[Y]our sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.” (1 John 2:12b) Therefore, ten times out of ten, you receive the benefits and merits of Jesus Christ your Savior for His Sake, in His merits, by His worthiness, through His Word; that is, the forgiveness of all of your sins.

YOU BROOD OF VIPERS! You go around claiming you keep the law and have Abraham as your father, but you act like children of the devil! You present yourselves as being righteous before God, yet you don’t even keep the commands and statutes of the Lord. You lift yourselves up as an example of righteous living, yet others can plainly see that you do not live in accordance with your own standards or those of God. REPENT! PRODUCE FRUIT IN KEEPING WITH REPENTANCE. (cf. Luke 3:7-8)

These are harsh words, to be sure; but they are no more harsh than what you heard in this morning’s Gospel. “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.” What could inspire such righteous anger in Jesus to utter such harsh words? Causing little ones to sin. What could cause little ones to sin? When you say one thing, presenting yourself as being righteous before God and lifting yourself up as an example of righteous living, but do something else.

Hypocrisy is deadly, judging by the curse Jesus pronounces. In fact, it’s doubly deadly. For the one person—the hypocrite—they say one thing and do another, they believe one way and act another. For the other person, it creates mixed feelings about the first, it leads them astray, it offends them and turns them off—they believe that all people in the first person’s camp are like the first, to the point that they want no part in what the first person is, even if what they profess to believe is the truth. In essence, two people suffer. Jesus is completely justified in His anger.

Jesus is, of course, referring to a believer, at least one who professes to be a believer or one who passes off their teaching or doctrine as the truth, who then would cause a little one to sin. Out of concern for the little one—the one of young or even no faith—it would seem that Jesus would prefer to eliminate the hypocrite who would influence the little one the wrong way, that He wants to spare one life where two could be lost. Or does he?

The great concern is that a Christian struggling with hypocrisy most does so if he does not repent when he is rebuked. Jesus said, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” Repentance and forgiveness are the life of a Christian. A Christian, confronted with his sin, repents and is absolved from it; his sin is removed from him as far as the east is from the west, as the Psalmist writes. (Psalm 103:12)

Now, you know where this is going, I’m sure. This is a kind of hypocrisy all deal with. After all, who likes to be rebuked? So, when you are rebuked, how do you react most often? You make excuses, you deny it, you question the rebuke, but do you ever repent. And if you rebuke someone, how do you do it? Pointedly, accusingly, judgmentally…and if the one you rebuke repents, you don’t forgive them. If anything, you might say, “It’s okay,” but deep down, you hold their repentance over them as something you can store in your back pocket and use against them sometime in the future.

Yes, you struggle with hypocrisy. So does the man in the pulpit. So everyone else beyond these walls compares how you act to what you say, and, well…”such lies; why would I want to be a part of that?” This reflects poorly on Christ, the author and perfecter of your faith. Does He really want to eliminate you in order to spare the one life? The fact that no one here has a millstone tied around their neck would indicate otherwise; the fact that you are still here to be rebuked, to rebuke, to repent and be absolved certainly indicates otherwise. Jesus would rather spare both lives; He would like to keep the little ones from sinning AND keep the rest from causing the little ones to sin.

Still, to be a Christian is to be like Christ, Who gave of Himself for others. But are you like Christ? No…certainly not always. You are, in fact, Christians in word, but not always in deed. You tell others that you are members of a church, you might even wear crosses or crucifixes, or even shirts with Bible passages on them, but you do things that are contrary to your confession of faith. Case in point, a joke I once read, which is, admittedly, a little over the top:

It’s a funny story, but sadly, it illustrates the point perfectly.

That’s not even the half of it. A problem plaguing many congregations today (and for as long as believers have gathered together) is when someone may say, “Yeah, I’m a Christian, but I don’t attend a church.” Well, isn’t going to church what a Christian does? People know what Christians do more than you might think they do. What does the non-believer or the one of little faith think when they know one claims to be Christian, but prefers to stay in bed on Sunday morning, or simply doesn’t attend the gathering of the saints?

Recall, now, that Jesus would prefer not to toss anyone into a lake with a stone around their neck. “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 1:15a) and there is no end to the debate over who is actually the worst. He came into the world to save even those who struggle with hypocrisy. Just as with every other sin, Jesus died having lived a perfect life, doing what He said and saying what He did, to forgive sins—who struggle with hypocrisy or coveting or theft or murdering or adultery and every other sin.

In Baptism, you have been claimed as a son of God and coheir with Christ of eternal life. In being claimed as a son of God, you have been given faith, a faith by which you can say, “Jesus is Lord”; a faith by which you can say, “Have mercy on me, a sinner,” when confronted with your sin.

Forgiven, your cry and prayer is and continues to be like that of the apostles in today’s lesson: “Increase our faith.” Dear hearers, He answers that prayer each and every day as He comes to you in Word and Sacrament to forgive your sins. Even today, He gives you His body and blood hidden in bread and wine for the strengthening, the increase, of your faith.

And here’s your comfort, dear Christians struggling with hypocrisy, Jesus tells you that with faith like a mustard seed, you can tell a mulberry tree to be uprooted and replant itself in the sea. So, why are the oceans not full of mulberry trees? Well, I’ll get to that.

Let me begin by saying that you should not get caught up in the size of the seed, as if you ought to compare your faith to that. You should note that Jesus did not say, “…faith as small as a mustard seed…,” in today’s text, though that’s how it’s often heard; what He said was, “… faith like a mustard seed…” So, Jesus is not telling you that a small or little faith can make you do impossible things. On the contrary, Jesus often rebuked people, especially His disciples, for having a small or little faith. (cf. Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, 16:8, 17:20) No, faith like a mustard seed can make you do impossible things.

So, just what is it about the mustard seed? Elsewhere, Jesus told a parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32) Jesus used a bit of Rabbinical hyperbole here to illustrate a point. While small, a mustard seed actually isn’t the smallest seed in the world. While most mustard plants aren’t some grand trees or bushes in which birds can grow, they all grow into large plants in comparison to the size of the seeds. And that’s the point! A mustard seed doesn’t just remain a seed, but grows into a plant that you wouldn’t expect from such an otherwise insignificant seed. In fact, mustard doesn’t only grow big over the ground, as Jesus described, but under it, too, with a deep taproot.

That’s what faith is supposed to be. It is planted in you like a seed, which sprouts and grows, rooted deep in the Word of God, growing beyond what might be expected compared to what was planted. It is an amazing thing, bound to produce good fruit—that is, good works—in abundance, in over abundance, on the scale of telling a mulberry tree to replant itself in the ocean, or telling a mountain to move from one place to another. That’s the hyperbole, and why there aren’t oceans filled with mulberry trees. And this is the point of the hyperbole: your faith should not remain little or small, which is rebuked, but sprout and grow, and by God’s providence it does just that!

Faith like a mustard seed can only do great things because of its object. Being rooted deep in the Word of God makes for a faith that does amazing things, on impossible levels, such as saying, “Jesus is Lord,” or, as Jesus continued in today’s Gospel, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.” This faith takes hold of Jesus, its object, and takes Him captive to His promises, so that by this faith you repent of your sins, and by this faith you receive forgiveness. That is the life of a Christian: repentance and receiving absolution. When you have done this, you have done your duty—and this only by God-given faith like a mustard seed—and what an amazing, mustard-seed-to-mustard-plant-like duty it is! It is the power to overcome in the struggle against hypocrisy.

That is the mountain that is moved with faith like a mustard seed, the mulberry bush that is uprooted and planted in the sea: overcoming in this struggle against hypocrisy. With faith like a mustard seed, you can say, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” (cf. Mark 9:24) With faith like a mustard seed, you can repent of your sin, even when rebuked, and receive absolution. All of this God gives you for the sake of His Son, who was crucified for your transgressions and risen again to give you life. Of all the things, that is what your mustard-seed-faith clings to most; that is the object of your faith: Christ and Him crucified. For Christ’s sake, repentance is free and absolution is free!

Therefore, you brood of vipers. Jesus loves you. You say you have Abraham as your father. By God’s grace, you do. You present yourselves as being righteous before God. By Jesus’ sacrifice, you are. You lift yourselves up as an example of righteous living. By the Spirit’s leading, you are free to do so, because you have been given faith like a mustard seed, and so you are forgiven for all of your sins.