"To Government & Citizens" (Lent Midweek 2 - Luther's Table of Duties)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Lent is a season of repentance as we reflect on why our Lord died on the cross for us. But Lent is also about catechesis, because Lent is a catechetical season.

 

Tonight, we continue to make our way through the Christian “house rules” on how we deal with each other. These “house rules” serve as our groundwork on our Lutheran worldview of vocation. These vocations are the duties or responsibilities that we each owe to our neighbor.

 

As I said last week, first a word of warning: Luther’s intention in including the Table of Duties was to serve us as our guide – the Third Use of the Law – in how we ought to live in this world and what is our duty to one another. But as it always is, when the Law is at play, we often hear the Law as its Second Use – mirror, because the Law always accuses, but again, the primary use and focus of the Table of Duties is to encourage us as we live out our lives in the various vocations that God has placed you and I in.

 

Tonight, we will focus on the third of the Three Estates: government, as we consider the next two pairs in the Table of Duties: “Of Civil Government” and “Of Citizens.”

 

As we ponder this third estate, we are reminded that Christians are not anarchists. We believe that fallen man requires an earthly government. Luther, himself, has said that it is better to live under a tyrant than to live under an anarchy where there is no order, no predictability, and therefore no stability. So, the government has a claim on us. 

 

Today is March 4. Besides the news in the Middle East, if you turn on your television or listen to the radio or podcast, or wander through Walmart, you are quickly reminded that it is tax season. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, it is if you like numbers and filing and stress and seeing your money vanish.

 

Paying taxes is one of the most direct ways that we experience the topic of these two pairings from the Table of Duties that we consider tonight. On one hand, these pairings are very straightforward. But they also confront us with challenging questions – questions that the Christian faith answers in ways that are different from the fallen world.

 

Luther provides only one Scripture text for the topic “Of Civil Government” and it’s likely that’s all that we will need. In Romans 13(:1-4), St. Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the government authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

 

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul says in a straightforward manner that governing authorities have been instituted by God. God is the one who has provided them. And since God put them there, to resist the governing authority – the civil government – is to resist God Himself.

 

You see, the role of the civil government is simple. It is to restrain wrongdoing and is to maintain order. St. Paul adds, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger to carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer”(Romans 13:3-4). Paul, here, is describing the civil government as “God’s servant.”

 

Civil government exists for one reason and one reason only. Civil government exists because of sin. Civil government exists because it is the means God has established to restrain and control evil. Because when given a chance, sinners will do terrible things. That is why God established civil government.

 

Again, the government is God’s servant. But what about when the government rejects what God has commanded? The government can be in the wrong when it overreaches the authority of its estate. An example of this is if the civil government would command things that are contrary to God’s will, such as commanding how the Church worships, and to that, we will say, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). And when that happens, we are called to suffer for the truth.

 

We must also remember that St. Paul wrote the Book of Romans during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero. So, if Christians were to be subject to Nero, an unstable man who had Christians burned as torches to light up the night, we are to be subject to all who are given the civil authority over us. Even with all his flaws, at least Nero kept order in the Roman Empire.

 

So, there is good reason why Luther included “good government” among the blessings of daily bread, because life without government is a frightening thing. Again, it is better to live under a tyrant than under an anarchy where there is no order.

 

But no government is free. It may appear that government is able to grow money from trees, but that money is paid for by our tax dollars. So, every government costs money. “Therefore,” Paul writes, “one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, … Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (Romans 13:5-6a, 7). In saying this, St. Paul was only repeating what Jesus had taught in Mark 12:17: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

 

So, like it or not, government is a great blessing from God. And its main vocation is to restrain sin. And so, Paul said in 1 Timothy 2(:1-3): “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”

 

When you were baptized into Christ, you were made a part of the royal priesthood of God’s people. As part of this priestly service, our vocation is to pray. And this is what we do at each Divine Service as we pray for our civil authorities each week. But this vocation isn’t just limited to our time together in this space as we are to pray for God’s enlightening of our civil authorities as a part of our daily lives.

 

During this season of Lent, we follow our Lord as He makes His way to the cross and empty tomb. He goes to the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. By His death, He has won for us forgiveness. By His bodily resurrection, He has won for us eternal life.

 

Civil government is a great blessing from God. It restrains sin and allows us to live in peace. Our vocation is to obey the government, pay our taxes and pray for those who govern us. Yet, when the government acts unjustly, or when it commands things that violate God’s will, we are called to follow our Lord in entrusting ourselves to God in the midst of suffering. We do this knowing that all authorities have been instituted by God, who has given us forgiveness, life, and salvation through Jesus’ blood and merit. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Born of Water and the Spirit" (John 3:1-17)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”(John 3:3).

 

Nicodemus was a curious man. Nicodemus was seen as a holy man. He was a Pharisee, a rabbi of the Jews. He was among the most learned men. But he was also a man of much fear. He feared what the others among the Sanhedrin would think about him visiting Jesus of Nazareth. He feared that he would lose his position among the rulers of the Jews. But he was curious. He wanted to know more about this man named Jesus.

 

So, in his curiosity, Nicodemus did visit Jesus, but not in the daylight, but under the cover of darkness. Nicodemus came to have an open conversation with Jesus and to debate Him.

 

But unlike the typical Pharisee who was savage and malicious toward Jesus, Nicodemus wanted to have a courteous and proper conversation. He did not want to deceive Jesus with cunning, nor test Jesus with wicked intent, nor to catch Him in His words. Rather, Nicodemus desired to ask Jesus how a man could be saved.

 

So, they began their conversation discussing the righteousness of the flesh and that of the righteousness of the Spirit. 

 

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Or more literally, “unless one is born ‘from above’ or ‘unless one is born not of this world.’”

 

And Nicodemus responded as any flesh-minded person would: How can this happen? “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”(John 3:4). That’s a logical question. How could that logically happen?

 

But he missed the point. Nicodemus was thirsting for righteousness and salvation, but he couldn’t get passed the idea of being physically re-born in his mother’s womb.

But Jesus says in proper Lutheran terms “You don’t have to understand it, so don’t over think it.” “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:7).

 

Of course, Nicodemus was marveling at “You must be born again.” He didn’t like what he heard. He didn’t like it, because he couldn’t understand it. He was trusting his human reason, just as we so often do. How can he be born again when he is old? This sounds like pure foolishness! How could he become newly born?

 

To this, Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

 

I’m sure this sounded like a riddle to Nicodemus. And this may even sound like a riddle to you. This means nothing other than to die to sin and live to righteousness by faith and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, here, is speaking of Baptism.

 

You see, in Holy Baptism, the old man is drowned in the water and is raised up again. The drowning is the putting to death of the flesh and the sweeping away of sins. The raising up is the renewal of the new man in the Holy Spirit. All the while, the man is the same physically, but he is changed spiritually.

 

When the children of Israel were journeying in the wilderness and murmured because of the length of the journey, God was angered and sent fiery serpents among them that bit them so that many of them died. Then God told Moses to make for himself a serpent of bronze and set it up as a sign, so that whoever is bitten and looks at it will be preserved.

 

At first, the children of Israel didn’t understand what Moses had made. They probably laughed at Moses. But soon, they understood. Soon, they realized that those who were bitten and looked up at that bronze serpent were preserved from death.

 

Outwardly, that bronze serpent was not something that would give a lot of hope. Especially when the snakes kept on coming. Remember, God never took way the serpents. But God gave His people a way out. He gave His people the way of salvation. Even though they would be bitten, the bite would not kill them, because whoever looked upon that bronze serpent in faith would live.

 

This sounds like pure foolishness. But remember, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25). For “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise” and He “chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

 

You see, Jesus used that event of the bronze serpent to show Nicodemus how God works in the world. 

 

God works in mysterious ways. He works in ways that our human nature thinks to be crazy. He works in ways our human reason cannot possibly fathom. 

 

To the world, the waters of Holy Baptism appear to be just water – to which it is. But when that water is connected to the Word, to the very name of God – the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it becomes more than just water. It becomes a Sacrament. It becomes a way of salvation. Holy Baptism works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

 

Connected with the Word of God, Baptism becomes a life-saving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit. For as St. Paul proclaims in Titus 3: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying” (Titus 3:5-8).

 

We may not truly understand it, but we believe it and we confess it. Through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, we are born spiritually, and in spirit we are born by the Word and Sacrament.

 

It is through the working of the Holy Spirit indwelling in us as given to us through Holy Baptism that we become new people. We are born anew. We are born from above. We don’t know how this happens, but we know this happens. For through the hearing of God’s Word and by receiving His Sacraments, we grow into new people. We grow in our discipleship to Christ. We grow in living out the Christian life. We don’t just believe differently than unbelievers, we live differently. All of this happens because of being born of water and the Spirit. For, as Jesus says, “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).

 

That bronze serpent was a strong visual reminder of the fierce wrath of God over sin. It was lifted high so that every Israelite might see it, repent of their sin, and look up to it in obedient faith. To everyone who followed this call, their faith resulted in the preservation of their life.

 

Again, God works in mysterious ways. That snake was a prefigure of what would happen not just for those Israelites of old, but also served as a prefigure for the salvation of the world. So, just as everyone who looked in faith at the snake was healed from deadly bite, everyone who would look in faith at Jesus – high and lifted up – would be saved from the bite of eternal death and have eternal life.

 

Jesus says, “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” and “that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16, 17). Whoever is the promise. So, whoever – no matter how bad, how despicable, how wrong, how lazy, how negligent – whoever trusts in Jesus, whoever clings to Him in repentance and faith is forgiven and is given peace and eternal life. Whoever looks to Christ alone finds comfort, joy, and a sure and certain hope.

 

To those born of the flesh, to those who only follow human reason, this sounds like utter foolishness, but this is the power and wisdom of God; this is the way of the Spirit.

 

This is God’s plan for you and for the entire world. He wants to save you. He wants to heal you. He wants to comfort you. So, no matter how much those snake bites of sin attack you, remember that you born of water and the Spirit through your Baptism into Christ. Remember that when you repent of your sin, your sin is forgiven through the merit and work of Christ alone. Remember to lift up your eyes and heart to Christ crucified for you! For through His atoning death and bodily resurrection, He has given you peace. He has given you the fruits of His cross: forgiveness, life and salvation!

 

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17). Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"The Table of Duties: To Pastors and Hearers" (Lent Midweek 1)

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To Read Luther's Table of Duties, click here.

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Lent is a season of repentance as we reflect on why our Lord died on the cross for us. But Lent is also about catechesis, because Lent is a catechetical season.

 

When one thinks about Luther’s Small Catechism, one often thinks of the Six Chief Parts: (1) The Ten Commandments, (2) The Creed, (3) The Lord’s Prayer, (4) Baptism, (5) Confession, and (6) the Sacrament of the Altar. That is usually where one stops. Six Chief Parts. Good to go!

 

But what if I told you that there were sections at the very end of Luther’s Small Catechism that often goes unnoticed. Did you notice that something was missing? Well, at the conclusion of the Small Catechism, Luther places three more sections: Daily Prayers, The Table of Duties, and Christian Questions with Their Answers.

 

When I went through catechesis – that first time when I grew up in the ELCA, I thought this pamphlet contained the entire Luther’s Small Catechism. But upon further inspection, this pamphlet did not contain the Table of Duties and Christian Questions with Their Answers. However, I can give Augsburg Fortress a pass on one of them, since Christian Questions with Their Answers was not published until after Luther’s Death. But I do find it rather odd omitting the Table of Duties.

 

But I can’t just go after the ELCA, since the LCMS hasn’t been perfect in including the entirety of the Small Catechism either. Although the LCMS has always included the Table of Duties in its publication of the Small Catechism, it has not always been included in our hymnals. 

 

In my research through my LCMS hymnals, the first hymnal to include the Small Catechism was not the beloved red TLH, but the blue Lutheran Worship, but even with that publication, the Table of Duties was missing. Thanks be to God that the maroon LSB has included the entirety of the Small Catechism.

 

Beginning tonight and throughout these Lenten Midweeks we will look at that second of the last three parts of the Small Catechism: The Table of Duties.

 

So, what’s the importance of the Table of Duties? Well, for Luther, the Table of Duties were just as much of a part of the Small Catechism as the Six Chief Parts. For the Table of Duties describe how the faith, that was created and nourished by the Six Chief Parts, prays and lives. When Luther put the Table of Duties together, he was trying to teach what the Christian life looks like and how it is structured around our daily vocations.

 

These Table of Duties could be described as the Christian “house rules” on how we are to deal with one another. You see, Christians have holy orders, or vocations, that are created by God in which we all live. These vocations are the duties or responsibilities that we each owe to our neighbor.

 

Each of the vocations described in the Table of Duties are applicable to us. And Luther’s intention in including them was to serve as us the Third Use of the Law – our guide – in how we ought to live in this world and what our duty is to one another. But as a word of warning, when we hear of these vocations described to us in the Table of Duties, the Second Use of the Law will be in play, because the Holy Spirit always uses the Law to accuse us. The Second Use of the Law – mirror, is not Luther’s intention, but the Law always accuses, but the primary focus of the Table of Duties is actually that of encouragement.

 

You see, the Table of Duties serves us as a reorientation so that we would return to our first love, to what God has established and the orders that He has given. And order is so important in the Bible. The worst thing a person can be called in the Bible is to be lawless, that is, to be without order. And “order” means that things are actually predictable.

 

As human beings, we live in three estates that often overlap, but they are also unique from each other. The first of these three estates is the family. Out of the family comes the Church (The Second Estate) and the government (The Third Estate). 

 

But in order to understand these Three Estates, God has created various vocations, or callings. He instituted vocations in life that we occupy, and God uses these vocations to care for others. The Table of Duties is divided up according to these various vocations, or callings.

 

Tonight, we will consider the first pair in the Table of Duties: “To Bishops, Pastors and Preachers” and “What the Hearers Owe Their Pastors.”

None of the Means of Grace just happen on their own. The Means of Grace require a pastor. This is why God has instituted the Office of the Holy Ministry. This is the vocation into which all pastors are called. It is God’s Office. No one can take this Office for himself. Instead, God must call men through the work of His Church, through seminary education and the churchly Divine Call. And God tells us the requirements for the Pastoral Office as we heard earlier in 1 Timothy 3: “The overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive” (1 Timothy 3:2-4).

 

And no pastor is perfect, just as no one is perfect, except for one: Jesus Christ. For all Christians live by faith in the forgiveness that Jesus won by His death, bodily resurrection and ascension. Yet, as those who shepherd Christ’s flock, pastors are held to a higher standard. This is why St. Paul cautions “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).

 

As your pastor, my Holy Office is to attend to the work of Word and Sacrament ministry. But this work takes place in the world. So, Luther adds “What the Hearers Owe Their Pastors.”

 

St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9(:14): “The Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” Paul adds in Galatians 6(:6-7): “Let the one who is taught the Word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

 

Just like laypeople, pastors and their families also can be tempted to want more daily bread. We, like, everyone else can covet what others have. Pastors can complain that they don’t receive more, even when God is providing what He has promised. But at the same time, congregations can look to get pastoral care “on the cheap.” There are congregations that are stingy with supporting their pastor. But where there are congregations who faithfully provide for her pastor, such as here at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, I give thanks to God that so many people are moved by the Holy Spirit to act in generous giving through their faith in Jesus Christ, who always provides for all our needs of body and soul.

 

St. Paul also makes it clear that the pastor is not to speak of his own ideas or his own opinions. Instead, Paul instructs pastors in Titus 1(:9) that “[pastors] must hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” So, pastors must teach what is true and correct what is false. 

 

Again, the Office of the Ministry is not man’s office, but God’s Office. So, we must always remember how the pastor came to serve in that place. I did not put myself here. God placed me here, working through His Church as you gave me the Divine Call to proclaim God’s Law and Gospel and His Means of Grace in this place.

 

The writer to the Hebrews wrote: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17).

 

As we live in a world that is becoming more and more like the first century world, we have a pressing challenge that faces both pastors and their hearers alike. Will pastors be willing to continue proclaiming the truth of God’s Word? Will pastors continue to proclaim that Christ alone is the way to salvation? Will pastors continue to teach the Ten Commandments as God’s Commandments and not just God’s suggestions? Will pastors continue to condemn the taking of a life – including the unborn and elderly? Will pastors continue to teach against sexual immorality?

 

For hearers, will you be willing to hear, believe and accept these Biblical teachings, even when it pertains to a family member or close friend?

 

This is a great challenge that faces both pastors and hearers. But we do not face this challenge on our own. Instead, we face these challenges secure in the knowledge that Christ who was crucified on Good Friday, rose on Easter. The risen Lord, through the Holy Spirit, enables us to live in the confidence of His bodily resurrection knowing that because He rose, we, by faith in Him, will also rise! 

 

Because of Jesus’ atoning death and bodily resurrection, He causes us to live differently from the unbelieving world, because He has called us out of this dark world and into His marvelous light! Jesus gives us eyes to recognize His Church as the place where His forgiveness reigns and the place of life everlasting. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Overcoming Satan for Us" (Matthew 4:1-11)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1).

 

Immediately after Jesus’ baptism to fulfill all righteousness for us, Jesus faced the temptation of the devil – just as we face being baptized into Christ. It was for this purpose that Jesus had come into the world: to overcome Satan for us. And this was the first thing Jesus did at the start of His public ministry. Again, He confronted Satan for us.

 

Every temptation we face is a test. Each second of our lives, we are being tested. And this test is only a pass or fail. There is no “C” grade for passing. It’s either A+ or F.

 

Temptation comes from every angle. As long as we live in this fallen world, we will be attacked, hunted, and harassed on all sides. From the flesh: we want what we want now, things like filling the belly and riches. From the world: we want to be honored as we are tempted by ambition and worldly glory for power and dominion. From Satan: Did God really say?

 

Temptations come in many different forms. Temptations come when we face unpleasant experiences, such as pain, suffering, illness, disappointment and bereavement. Such experiences may cause us to question God’s wisdom and His love. But temptations can also come when life appears to be going well. Sometimes when we experience success or good health, we may think that we can handle temptations when they come.

 

The temptations Jesus faced were indeed serious efforts by the devil to rob the world of its Redeemer. And Satan had been very successful in the past as he led the first Adam into sin so that a Redeemer would be necessary. Now, Satan attacks the second Adam, Jesus Christ, in an effort to frustrate His work of redemption.

 

At one time, Satan had been created as one of God’s holy angels, but now he was a fallen angel. He had rebelled against God and had been cast out of heaven together with many other fallen angels who followed him in his rebellion against God.

But as smart as Satan thinks he is, God is still much wiser and more powerful than Satan could ever be. And Satan cannot overpower us as long as we place our trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

The Greek word used for devil is diabolos (from which we get the English word diabolical). The meaning of this word is slanderer or liar. You see, the devil is not just a clever liar, or a habitual liar; he is a constant liar. He is the father of lies. Satan invented the very idea of lying and told the very first lie. Yes, he makes wonderful promises, as he did to Eve (“You will not surely die” [Genesis 3:4]), but he has never kept a single one of them, and he never will. And if Satan does occasionally speak a few words of truth – as he does with Jesus, he distorts them or misapplies them or takes them out of context or immediately proceeds to contradict them.

 

We know all of these things about the devil, yet, what do we so often do? We so often keep falling for his lies. He tells us that life will be so much more enjoyable if we only disobey God’s Commandments. So, he persuades us to lie, cheat, and steal as he says there is nothing wrong with that. He persuades us into taking the easy way out. His lies always lead to all kinds of trouble, sorrow, grief, and regret. Yet, each time, he convinces us that in this particular case, it will end up different. But in every single case, the devil’s promises are never intended for our good or for our benefit. His only goal is to keep us separated from God.

 

So, what are we to learn from Satan’s temptation of Jesus? Well, for one, it would be a mistake to read this text from Matthew 4 as a “do it yourself” strategy on how to resist temptation.

 

So often, we read this text that way. If we only followed Jesus’ example, then we can handle Satan’s temptations. But how well are we at doing just that? Not very good. I’d say, with pretty good certainty, that we would all receive a failing grade.

 

So, clearly this text isn’t a “do it yourself” guide on how to resist temptation.

 

So, why did the Holy Spirit bring Jesus into direct confrontation with Satan? Well, He’s there, because Jesus is Israel reduced to One. Jesus is the embodiment of Israel.

 

In the past, the nation of Israel had failed every time its people faced even the smallest of temptations. The people of God were weak. They always gave in. They murmured. 

 

Jesus is out there because the nation of Israel needed someone to represent them. Jesus is out there because the nation of Israel needed someone to take their place. Jesus is out there, because, frankly, the nation of Israel blew their chance.

 

For the nation of Israel, it was often all too convenient for them to serve some other false “god.”

 

So, Jesus isn’t out there to serve as an example for Jews and Christians. Because that is too hard for us to follow. We are sinners and we all too often get persuaded by lies in hopes of an easier life. This battle is too hard. This conflict is too difficult.

 

Jesus is there doing battle with God’s great enemy, Satan, the accuser. And nobody can fight that battle except for Jesus. 

 

And this is the battle: will you fall for Satan’s lies to make your life easier? Will you choose the bread that perishes?

 

You all know what you have chosen. So often, we choose the easier option, just as the nation of Israel did before us. But Jesus never chooses the path of least resistance. Not once. He depends upon “every Word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

 

The battle also consists of this: will you wonder whether God’s ways are right? Will you wonder whether God can be trusted? Will you put God to the test? You can’t win this battle. You have lost this battle many times before, but Jesus never doubts. Jesus never doubts the will of God the Father. Not once.

 

The battle also consists of this: who are you with? Whom do you serve? To whom do you belong? This is the greatest battle of all.

 

As Christians, we confess that Jesus is Lord. We confess that we worship the one true God. But how many times have you taken that first step, or second or third step toward repudiating the God to whom you belong? This battle is just too hard.

 

But Jesus never does anything or says anything or thinks anything apart from God the Father. So, there in the desert, He joins the battle against Satan and He wins. Jesus turns failure into faithfulness.

 

You see, those temptations and those sufferings that Jesus endured throughout His earthly ministry are actually greatly magnified versions of the trials that we endure daily. Yet, Jesus never faltered. All we do is keep falling into sin. So, what does Jesus do about our faltering? 

 

Jesus willingly suffers the punishment that we all deserve because of our sin and failures, and on top of that, Jesus gives us all the credit for the blessings of all of His success simply by faith in Him. Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. With His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53). Jesus died, so that we may live!

 

There in the desert, all we can do is watch. We are watching not that we can be like Jesus, but that so we can belong to Him, and to be with Him to this very day.

 

Jesus’ temptation by Satan is not a “do it yourself” playbook on how to resist temptation, but this temptation is to show us the faithfulness of Jesus. And being baptized into Christ, we can say, “I am with Him.”

 

But is there anything we can do? I guess there is something. Knowing that Jesus has overcome all temptation, we can say, no thanks, “I am with Jesus.” When the temptation comes to run after something that you shouldn’t have, some thing, someone, some feeling, some whatever, you face that temptation and say, “No thanks, I am with Jesus.” When temptation comes, and it will come, fix your eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God – for you! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Ashes and Repentance" (Matthew 6:16-18)

Listen to today's Sounding the Scriptures POPcast here! 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Jesus said: “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you”(Matthew 6:16-18).

 

Our Gospel lesson for tonight is the traditional Ash Wednesday reading about alms – or increased giving, fasting and prayer. Tonight’s lesson is a good one as Jesus warns us not to make a show of our piety “as the hypocrites do.”

 

But one can wonder, what is the meaning behind those ashes on our foreheads? Could those ashes on our foreheads be “practicing [our] righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them”? (Matthew 6:1). 

 

And later Jesus says in our reading, “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face” (Matthew 6:17).

 

So, what are we doing with these ashes on our foreheads? 

 

Well, there is a difference between private piety and public piety. Christians do not observe Ash Wednesday individually, but corporately with the public Ash Wednesday Divine Service. So, when we are here in this public space with ashes marked on our foreheads, this practice is much bigger than just someone’s individual piety.

 

Likewise, when Jesus says, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so they may be seen by others. … But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:5, 6).

 

Now, keep this in mind, here Jesus is talking about individual prayer, not corporate, liturgical prayer. So, it would be certainly weird if I would just step away from the chancel and go into the sacristy during the Prayer of the Church so that nobody could hear my prayers.

 

Certainly, I can pray individually for my flock – for which I do, but this would be rather weird during the corporate Divine Service. 

 

The same goes with ashes. If I put ashes only upon myself that would be weird. But if we all put on ashes, this would be a congregational activity.

 

But do the ashes mean that we are all fasting? That answer is no. The ashes are a mark of death upon us. It shows that we are all a dying people. And they are in the shape of the cross, because although we are dying, we are still redeemed in Christ, the crucified. So, those ashes on our foreheads are no different from wearing a crucifix or cross necklace in public. Or, wearing a shirt that proclaims that you are a Christian.

 

For us on this Ash Wednesday, those ashes are not declaring to people that we are bragging, like the hypocrites that Jesus is referring. Again, those ashes are really a mark of death upon you, but again, those ashes are in the shape of the cross to show that you are redeemed and that you have life despite of sin and death.

 

Those ashes in the shape of the cross upon your forehead represent your only hope: your only hope as one redeemed by Christ, the crucified.

 

As we begin Lent, we are conditioned to set aside this season for self-examination and assessment. We use this season to focus upon repentance. 

 

But all too often, our repentance is seldom pure. Our intentions may be sincere, but our piety is seldom pure. At some level, we usually repent with the idea in mind that we may receive some reward. 

 

For in at least a part of us, in our repentance, we are not really sorry that we sinned. But we still repent because we fear the consequences before a just and righteous God. For so much of the time, we are like the boy who is caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. He is sorry. But he isn’t sorry for stealing the cookie. He’s only sorry that he got caught.

 

This is the life of a sinner. The truth is that sin is double-mindedness, distorted devotion, and self-concern. And we can’t change that. We can’t overcome who we are by ourselves. We are self-centered, self-serving people. Even our repentance is tinged with concern for our own advantage.

 

We cannot save ourselves.

 

But here we are with those ashes on our foreheads in the form of Christ’s cross. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Those ashes are the mark of death. But they are so much more than that. They also represent our only hope. By faith in Christ, God the Father will not judge you as you deserve, but He sees you as His beloved child, one who has been redeemed by Christ, the crucified, who by His blood has won forgiveness, life and salvation for you.

 

Now that we have God’s grace, I will challenge you with something. Instead of giving up something, if you do that, why not add something beneficial during this Lenten season? Why not study the catechism? And you are in luck this Lenten season as for our upcoming midweeks, we will consider the Table of Duties from Luther’s Small Catechism. Or you could set aside time for prayer, Bible study, devotion, or singing hymns. And we do this not to earn any favor from God, but to grow in the one true Christian faith.

 

Our only hope is in Jesus, whose cross is marked on our foreheads. May our deeds reflect Christ’s mercy and His glory. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +