"The Marks of Christ's Sheep" (John 10:22-30)

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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: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28).

 

How good are you at listening? According to Psychology Today, in one survey, 96 percent of respondents said they were always or sometimes good listeners. Would you consider yourself to be a good listener? However, another study found that we only retain about half of what people say to us. And that is directly after they say it. So maybe you aren’t as good of a listener as you may think.

 

Now, as you are acutely aware, men and women are different. Even if the fallen world attempts to erase the fact that men and women are different, how is it that one sex is significantly better at listening than the other sex? And in case you aren’t sure which sex is typically the better listener, well, it’s female. You may have already known that. And there are always exceptions to every rule. So, there are occasions when the male is a better listener than the female, but typically, the female is the better listener.

 

In today’s Gospel text, Jesus says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

 

Do you know who your Shepherd is? Do you know what He is saying to you? Do you know His voice?

 

Sheep always recognize their shepherd’s voice. They listen for their shepherd’s voice. If they hear another’s voice, they flee. They flee, because voices are unique. Voices can identify people much like fingerprints. Restless babies settle down when they hear their mother’s or father’s voice. 

 

Today’s text tells us about the familiar voice of the Good Shepherd, who is Jesus Christ. But how do we identify His voice?

 

You and I hear many voices. Persistently and in many ways, the voices of the world – those “strangers,” “thieves,” and “robbers” – approach us. 

§  They call us to disobey the voice of Jesus by rejecting or evading His commands. 

§  They call on us to subvert His inerrant Word. 

§  They call us to ignore Jesus, so that we would get caught in false teachings. 

§  They call us to remain busy in this life so that we don’t have time to hear God’s Word and receive His Sacraments weekly in this place. 

§  They call on us to abandon our faithfulness to Christ. 

§  They call on us to isolate ourselves apart from Christ and this congregation. 

§  They call on us to not support the work our gracious Lord has given for us to do here, by supporting this congregation with our time, our talents and our treasures that Christ alone gives to us.

 

After Christ ascended into heaven to receive all power and all authority in heaven and on Earth, it appears that He has abandoned us. But He hasn’t. He is still speaking. He speaks to us in the Scriptures. He speaks to us through right preaching. But are you listening?

 

The Good Shepherd is speaking as He carries His rod and a staff (Psalm 23:4) and by this, He directs and guides us. He speaks to us the word of the Law – the rod, as He lets us know how much we have sinned and deserve nothing but eternal wrath apart from Him. He also speaks to us the word of the Gospel – the staff, as He forgives our sins, giving us salvation and opening for us eternal life. His word of Law and Gospel is His unique voice.

 

For the Jewish authorities who were at the temple colonnade and interrogated Jesus, which led to Jesus to say, “My sheep hear My voice,” they were wondering just who Jesus was. It was winter and Jesus was at the temple for the feast of dedication, which may be better known as Hannukah. 

 

So, the Jewish authorities asked Jesus, “How long will you keep us in suspense?” (John 10:24a), or more literally, “How long do you take away our life?” This is what they were asking. So, for these Jewish authorities, knowing who Jesus was is a life-or-death issue. They want to know if Jesus is the Messiah or not. So, Jesus answers them, saying, “I told you, and you do not believe” (John 10:25).

 

What Jesus is saying is this, “You will not understand, since you don’t understand anything I have said, because you are not of My flock. You don’t know the Shepherd’s voice. If you did, you would know. You would realize who it is Who is speaking to you.” You see, knowing the voice of Jesus is a life-or-death issue for you and me. 

 

For if you do not know His voice, you only receive judgment. The marker of unbelief is that those who oppose Jesus are not of His sheep. If they were His sheep, they would follow Him. If they were His sheep, they would become His disciples. If they were His sheep, they would be given them eternal life. For Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

 

For everyone who hears the voice of the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd knows them, and they follow Him. And He gives those who listen to His voice: eternal life.

 

This is Christ’s guarantee for you. All those who listen to His voice and follow Him receive eternal life. And in His hand and His Father’s hand, He says that no one will ever snatch you.

 

But what’s to guarantee that we will receive eternal life that Jesus says is ours as His sheep? Afterall, there are so many kinds of strangers, thieves and robbers just waiting to steal us away from God. And because we live in America, our First Amendment allows for so many false teachers who wear sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. They preach what our itching ears want to hear rather than what we need to hear. 

 

We are called sheep, because sheep are pretty stupid. Sheep are easy prey. If everything was up to the sheep, just up to you and me, we’d all be dead. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

 

This is what we are all up against. We are all facing increasing opposition against the Church. And not only that, the media and culture are bent against the Church. We have so many spiritual forces arrayed against us. And it gets worse. We have ourselves to contend with. We have our own sinful nature. It’s a never-ending battle. 

 

But Jesus says, “No one can snatch those who listen to My voice and follow Me.” Now, the fallen world, our own sinful nature, and Satan himself are sure trying. Who is going to protect me and you from ourselves, the fallen world, and the devil? These are our wolves!

 

But that’s the beauty of today’s text on this Good Shepherd Sunday! It’s not up to us – you and me. So, for us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven. He saw our hopeless situation. He saw how hopeless we were. We were like sheep without a shepherd. 

 

So, He came down. He came down to do something about our hopeless situation. You see, for the Good Shepherd, He doesn’t see us as just sheep to Him. For He calls us His brothers and sisters. He calls us children of God by grace through faith in Him. He went so far as to lay down His life for us – you and me – to give us His atoning blood which covers yours and my sins.

 

And in this constant battle, this daily battle against cosmic powers, spiritual forces of evil, and ourselves, Jesus gives us His medicine of immortality. He gives us a blood transfusion every week, so that we have the same blood type as He does. So, when you partake of Christ’s true body and His true blood, Christ’s perfect blood is coursing through your veins. And when we hear His voice, we listen. When we hear His voice, we participate in the life of Christ given by Him.

 

It is here, in the Divine Service, that the Good Shepherd teaches us His voice. It is here where the Holy Spirit records Christ’s voice of Law and Gospel within us as He writes it on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:34). And having the Good Shepherd’s voice recorded in our hearts means that we are able to hear Him, believe in Him, abide in His Word, and follow Him.

 

So, wherever and whenever the Good Shepherd speaks, we are attracted to His sweet words and we listen. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life.”Have you ever noticed that those four statements of our Good Shepherd’s voice intertwine? “Theyhear – I know – they follow – I give.” In these four short master strokes, the relation between the shepherd and the sheep is pictured. All four of these statements are simultaneous.

 

When we hear our Good Shepherd’s voice, He knows, we follow, and He gives. He gives His sheep eternal life, so that we would never perish. He gives us protection so that no one could ever snatch us out of His hand.

Yet, the wolves are always out there. Those strangers, thieves, and robbers. But we have the promise. We have Christ’s promise. We have the Good Shepherd’s promise that no one can ever snatch you away from Him.

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen!

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"Our Reformation Cry!" (Matthew 11:12-19)

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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 to the crowd: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

 

On this Reformation Sunday, we thank the Lord for the long line of saints who have remained steadfast in the truth of God’s Word – the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist, saints of the Early Church, the reformers of the one true Faith, and countless faithful men and women today. Each one of them, including you and me, have paid a price in remaining faithful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Yes, we have all paid a price. Now, some much more than others. For many, they have paid the ultimate price – martyrdom. For others, they may have lost long friendships and family, because of remaining faithful to Christ.

 

As Christians, we must be prepared to suffer for God’s truth, since we know that Satan and his fallen world hate Christ and Christ’s Church. And why is that? Why can’t we just get along?

 

One chapter earlier in Matthew 10, Jesus chose His Twelve Apostles. He gave them “authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction” (Matthew 10:1). Then Jesus gave them their mission: to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand as they heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons (Matthew 10:7-8). Jesus also gave them His promise: “Everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

 

Hitched to that promise was a declaration of war: “Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (Matthew 10:40).

 

So, why can’t we just all get along? It’s because of the enemy – Satan, his minions, and this fallen world – which doesn’t much like incursions into its domain.

 

Following His instructions to the Twelve Apostles, Jesus went on preaching and teaching. He was preaching and teaching in enemy territory – Satan’s fallen world. Jesus went on preaching and teaching, since He came to rescue and restore this fallen world.

 

As this is happening, John the Baptist is locked up in prison awaiting his execution. There, in his cell, John is wondering if, in fact, Jesus of Nazareth, is the promised Messiah, who has come to restore all of humanity. Or should his disciples look for another? To that question, Jesus says to 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. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me” (Matthew 11:4-6).

 

Jesus then asks the crowds about John. “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing?” (Matthew 11:7b-8a)

 

Did the crowds seek someone to be swayed with the shifting winds of public opinion? No. Did they seek a man dressed in nice clothes like that of a powerful king? No.

 

What the crowds saw was the messenger preparing the way for the Christ.

 

This is what led Jesus to say: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

 

You see, when God took upon Himself human flesh, the fallen world, Satan, and our own sinful nature didn’t really appreciate it. Yet, Jesus still comes. And when Jesus comes, His kingdom comes. Jesus comes forcefully into the fallen world – a world enslaved by sin, death and the devil. And where Jesus comes, His evil foes fight back. 

 

John the Baptist experienced violence for preparing the way of the Lord. He was arrested. He was imprisoned. His severed head was placed on a platter.

 

Jesus, too, experienced violent opposition. The Pharisees and Sadducees repeatedly challenged His preaching, teaching, and healing. He was falsely accused. He was beaten and flogged. He was betrayed by His own friends. He faced the worst kind of capital punishment – crucifixion. He was nailed to a tree and suffocated to death.

Jesus’ apostles and disciples also experienced violent opposition. They were locked up. They were beaten. They were stoned. They were beheaded. They were poisoned. They were crucified. And all for simply preaching salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone.

 

But despite the violence, God’s kingdom keeps pressing forward. His royal banners forward go! 

 

You see, even though Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried, He also descended into hell in victory! That third day, He rose from the dead! Then He ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty!

 

Jesus came to redeem us lost and condemned sinners. He purchased and won us from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with silver or gold, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death so that you and I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness!

 

For nearly two thousand years, the kingdom of heaven continues pressing forward in this fallen world. And His enemy is still pressing hard against it. Those “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12) are not just going to take the loss and lie down.

 

As you and I know, Satan and his fallen world are violently opposed to Jesus and His saving and forgiving ways as He works through His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments – in His Church. 

 

So, Satan and his fallen world continually attack Christ and His Church. They call Christ and His Church unloving. They seek to re-make Christ’s Church into the image of the Great Deceiver. Satan and his fallen world do not want sin called out. They don’t want to live by God’s Word. Instead, Satan and his fallen world desire to remake Christ’s Church into a lazy, go along to get along type of false Christianity. This is what we face today. This is what Christ’s Church has always faced.

 

This is why Christ’s Church must always be reformed. This is why it must always be called back to the saving work of Jesus Christ, the Church’s Bridegroom. For if we get lazy and flabby by not reading, hearing and studying God’s Word, we will form a new kind a Christianity – a false Christianity. A Christianity without Jesus. 

For if we get lazy and flabby by not joining the assembly of believers, among whom the Gospel is purely preached and the Sacraments rightly administered, we will form a new kind of Christianity – a false Christianity. Again, a Christianity without Jesus.

 

Recently, CBS Mornings aired a segment called “The State of Spirituality with Lisa Ling”[1] in which she interviewed a transvestite “Lutheran” “pastor” named Drew Stever. In case you are lost, Drew is a woman cosplaying as a man. And in case you are further lost, pondering how a transvestite can be a pastor. And to calm all fears, this “pastor” is not in fellowship with us. 

 

In the interview, Lisa Ling said to Stever, “There is a lot of people who say that according to the Bible, God made man and woman, and that couldn’t be any more clearly defined. How do you respond to them?” To that question, this confused “pastor” said, “[The Bible] is hard to relate to modern-day times, because it wasn’t written for 2024. It was written for then.”

 

The thing is, God’s Word never changes and that is the message of the Reformation. In fact, that is the motto of the Lutheran reformers: “VDMA”, which is a Latin acronym for “The Word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 2:24-25). If God’s Word did change, we would have no sure and certain hope. We would be tossed to and fro by wind and waves. But thanks be to God, His Word never changes. So, His eternal promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation are sure. 

Like the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist, saints of the Early Church, and the reformers, we ought to commit fully to the purity of our Christian doctrine. For in that doctrine, we hold the great truths taught by Holy Scripture, such as God’s creating and preserving power, our justification by grace through faith in Christ alone, Christ’s presence in His Means of Grace, the clarity of God’s Law in the moral issues of our day, and of our sure forgiveness won for us through the crucified and risen Christ.

 

On this Reformation Sunday, may we take our stand and never budge from God’s truths as He teaches us in His Word. Christ says: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15). This is our Reformation cry! So, may our ears be joined to right understanding and saving faith! Let our hearing be joined to His saving Word and our hearts to His Word! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

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[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDtGbosAbFA&t=73s

Sermon for Pentecost 15: "Be Strong in the Lord" (Ephesians 6:10-20)

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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:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).

 

My dear Wormwood,

Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. Of course this has not always been so. We are really faced with a cruel dilemma. When the humans disbelieve in our existence we lose all the pleasing results of direct terrorism and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and skeptics. At least, not yet. I have great hopes that we shall learn in due time how to emotionalise and mythologise their science to such an extent that it is, in effect, a belief in us. …

 

I do not think you will have much difficulty in keeping the patient in the dark. The fact that ‘devils’ are predominantly comic figures in the modern imagination will help you. If any faint suspicion of your existence begins to arise in his mind, suggest to him a picture of something in red tights, and persuade him that since he cannot believe in that (it is an old textbook method of confusing them) he therefore cannot believe in you.

Your affectionate uncle

Screwtape[1]

 

That letter was from Satan’s undersecretary to Wormwood, his incompetent demon nephew in C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters.” Throughout each letter, Wormwood provides guidance and direction to his nephew with the goal of leading his patient to hell. Each letter shows how we are caught in the middle of spiritual warfare between God and Satan. The point of C.S. Lewis’ book is to make us aware of the scheming of the devil in our daily life. But how many people are actually aware of Satan’s spiritual warfare against humanity?

 

So many people, even many Christians, aren’t aware of Satan’s spiritual warfare, or they don’t even believe we are at war at all. Many don’t believe that there is a devil. And that may be his most deceitful scheme. You see, when someone doesn’t believe in Satan, or when we forget about him, we forget that we are at war.

When we do that, we get soft and flabby. We become more vulnerable to sin than we were already. We begin to rationalize our favorite sins, whatever they may be – “evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness”(Mark 7:21-22). When we forget about this spiritual war, we can rationalize almost anything, because we think we’re hearing words of wisdom rather than whispers of the enemy.

 

But we all notice struggles, even if we don’t notice Satan. We do notice when our paychecks don’t go as far as they used to. We notice the conflicts among family and friends. Life is a struggle for each and every one of us. Hardship and heartache are part of the daily struggle that we all face in this fallen world. We are inclined to think that our problems only come from people. But that’s not the case. Yes, Satan uses them, but they are only his instruments. People are just pawns in Satan’s war.

 

We face an even greater struggle that isn’t against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil at work. As much as we may try to ignore it, there is, in fact, a great cosmic struggle between good and evil, between God and Satan, and we are right in the middle of it. St. Paul describes the struggle that Christians face with such evil as a wrestling match, akin to professional wrestling. But there’s a problem, the referee has been knocked out, so the match is now “anything goes.” The tables, ladders, chairs, kendo sticks, flaming darts, and low-blows are now in play. And this wrestling match is no longer inside the squared circle; it takes place 24/7 – every single day of your life. And your opponent, Satan, will do anything to take you down.

 

Day by day, we are battling forces that are so far beyond our ability to withstand, and we must take it seriously for these forces that we battle against are far worse than what we can see. And he does not sleep or rest for even one moment as he attempts with all trickery to hinder your faith so that he may catch you and put you under his control. Assisting Satan is the fallen world and your own flesh, which you carry around your neck and which always drags your back, so that you may become secure and careless and cease watching and contending.

 

We cannot begin to list and imagine what Satan’s cunning attacks will be, except for what we have personally experienced. He is the supreme master of a thousand arts, with various ideas and suggestions, which he substitutes God’s Word for his lies. You may not even notice his attacks as he knows how to deceive our minds through the propaganda of mass media. And unlike what you may see in television and movies, Satan will not appear to you as he truly looks, in all his hideous attire, saying: “I am Satan. Be on guard against me!”

Rather, Satan crawls around like a serpent, adorns himself most beautifully disguised as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14), a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), the father of lies (John 8:44).  He twists God’s Word to fit his needs as he attacks our faith, Baptism, the Sacrament of the Altar, and all the articles of the Creed, which none were given or instituted by flesh and blood or are part of this earthly governance, but which come from heaven and pertain to eternal life. So, how can we possibly stand against Satan and his spiritual forces of evil?

 

The only way we can stand against Satan is by knowing that we don’t have the strength within us to fight him. Left to ourselves, we are doomed. We cannot stand against Satan. Left to ourselves, we are easy prey for the devil’s snares of lies and lust. In our weakness, we easily stumble into his traps of selfishness and greed. Left to ourselves, we are not equipped to battle against the evil schemes of the devil: his deceit (John 8:44), his manipulative words (1 Cor. 2:4), and his flattery (1 Thess. 2:5) as he disguises his evil intent. Satan whispers in our ears manipulative words like “tolerance” and “women’s reproductive health,” which mean just the opposite.

 

So, what can we do? Nothing. We can do nothing. But there is Someone who can do something. This Somone is Jesus Christ. Only Jesus gives us strength so that we are able to stand against the devil. So, our strength to stand against Satan is not in our knowledge or effort, but only in Christ alone.

 

In our text, St. Paul acts like a good, true field captain who addresses his people as they are arranged in battle formation as he admonishes them to stand firm and defend themselves boldly and confidently. St. Paul points out that those who have been Baptized into Christ and cling to Him always are also soldiers, soldiers who are equipped with Christ’s weapons and armor.

 

As much as we may not like to hear this, our Christian life is not a life of leisure, nor a life of peace and security as we live in this fallen world. As long as you are in Christ, the spiritual forces of evil attack us without ceasing from all sides. So, we must not snore or become lazy and slothful, but always watch and remain equipped.

 

So, it is not enough to have the knowledge about Jesus. For even the demons believe in Him. But we must cling to Jesus as He comes to us in His Word and Sacraments, so that the devil does not tempt us into moral lapses by yielding on points of Christian doctrine or by reducing Christianity into an external thing, a mere shell. So, we need to be strong against the temptations of the evil one. But we cannot be strong by ourselves. We need help – God’s help.

It is only the strength that comes from Christ Jesus alone that enables you to stand against Satan.  In Christ alone, we are able to stand against the devil and his schemes. For we have put on the new man, Jesus Christ, in the waters of Holy Baptism. St. Paul, our field captain, calls on us to put on the full armor of God. Picture this armor in your minds. 

§  The belt of truth. Every soldier in every age needs to be convinced that the cause for which he’s fighting is true. Our cause is true. We stand against Satan and against the fallen world because God has opened our eyes to see Him as He truly is. Because Satan has blinded the world, it may ridicule us, abuse us, and call us foolish. But our cause will be vindicated.

§  The breastplate of righteousness. We know that our righteousness will never stand against Satan, but God has firmly fastened onto us the righteousness of Christ. By laying down His armor to die and rise from the grave for us, Jesus gives us absolute protection against Satan’s accusations. We have the assurance of forgiveness as we wear Christ’s own holiness.

§  The shoes of peace. Now that our sins are forgiven by Jesus’ death, we are at peace with God.

§  The shield of faith. Faith alone in Jesus saves.

§  The helmet of salvation. Salvation has been won for us through Jesus Christ!

§  The sword of the spirit. This is the Word of God. Unlike the other armor, the sword is offensive. When fighting at close quarters, God’s Holy Word is the best piece of all for warding off Satan’s thrusts, and to change hearts and minds.

 

Now, this armor is not seen but is spiritual. This is God’s armor that we are all given in Holy Baptism. Clothed in Christ and His strength, we are able to stand against the spiritual forces of evil. Strengthened by the Holy Spirit at work through the Word, we can be strong in the Lord. We may be afraid, be full of doubt and uncertainty in this “anything goes” wrestling match, but we are wearing Christ’s armor that He continuously strengthens through His Means of Grace, so that we remain upright against the devil and his demons as we are not misled by his lies. We stand because the One who is in you, Christ Jesus the crucified and risen Lord, is greater than the prince of this fallen world. 

 

Yes, we are in this wresting match of cosmic proportions, but that shouldn’t dismay us, for our help is cosmic also. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3) When you are weak, He makes you strong. So, be strong in the Lord as He has placed upon you His armor! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  + SOLI DEO GLORIA +

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[1] C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: Harper One, 1996), 31, 32.

Sermon for Epiphany 4: "With All Authority" (Mark 1:21-28)

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:

 

“And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath [Jesus] entered the synagogue and was teaching” (Mark 1:21).

 

On the Sabbath following their selection to become fishers of men, Peter, James, John, and Andrew, together with Jesus, went into Capernaum to attend the synagogue service. And since, synagogues had no resident ordained minister, the rulers of the synagogue typically would invite some rabbi or scribe present to teach the Scripture lessons. On this day, these rulers picked Jesus of Nazareth.

 

Now, what Jesus taught on this Sabbath day, Mark does not tell us, but Mark does tell us the impression His preaching made on those worshippers. They were astonished. In the Greek, a stronger term is used; it is about the equivalent of “dumbfounded.” You see, these worshippers had never heard teaching like this. This is what caused them to say that Jesus “taught them as one who had authority”(Mark 1:22a).

 

So, what was so different about Jesus? Well, typically, the preacher would appeal to the interpretations of the past rabbis. Jesus, however, quoted no experts, but proclaimed the good news on His own authority. What Jesus taught was not something that He had learned from someone else. Rather, everything He taught and preached He knew by direct knowledge. So, everything Jesus said was in perfect accord with God the Father.

 

As everyone was flabbergasted at hearing God’s divine truth, suddenly there was an interruption. A man among the congregation cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:23-24). What we have here is a case of demonic possession.

 

As we live in the western world in the year of our Lord 2024, many today do not believe in demon possession. And if they did believe in it, many think demon possession was just something that happened years ago. So many today believe that surely Satan no longer sends evil spirits into people, but demon possession is real. You may not notice it, but that’s likely since you refuse to see it.

 

But Satan would rather attack in more subtle ways. Lying and seduction are powerful and have longer lasting effects than coercion. As the Father of Lies, Satan does a much better job with us when he simply convinces us that lies are truth. We see this in the attitudes of all sorts of social problems today. How easily the devil converts us into being liars ourselves – even lying to ourselves and fleeing God’s Word of truth. 

 

Through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul proclaims this truth for all time: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

 

But we, who are in Christ, should not be frightened. Remember, the battle has been won, even if the war is not completely over.

 

But oddly enough, the great confession of today’s reading from Mark is not from a disciple, but from the demon-possessed man when he says, “I know who you are – the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24). Now, this man could not have known what he said about Jesus. It was Satan that possessed this man who knew who Jesus of Nazareth was and what His purpose was. Satan knew, since he was in fact – at one time – a messenger of God, an angel of God. Even as a fallen angel, Satan will never forget his enemy. So, at that moment in the synagogue, two realms are colliding: the spiritual realm of the Lord God of Israel, and the spiritual realm aligned against it.

 

Even with his words, Satan is revealing himself to be wiser than many modern theologians. However, this knowledge is doing Satan no spiritual good. This knowledge is only filling him with fear and trembling that his reign as the prince of this fallen world is nearing its end.

 

Even though the demon-possessed man was speaking the truth about Jesus, Jesus would not accept its words as testimony. Satan was not a proper witness, for those hearing him could say, “Those are the words of the Father of Lies. How can we believe them?” Rather, Jesus wanted the people to recognize and accept Him as the Messiah through His authoritative preaching and seeing His works. So, Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (Mark 1:25). With that simple command, at once, the demon obeyed. Now that man shook violently, and Satan used the voice of that man to utter a horrid scream, but that scream was that demon’s last whimper. At last, the man was free. Jesus had given a mighty demonstration of His almighty power in Satan’s own domain.

 

All throughout Scripture, demons know who Jesus is. Again, like their leader Satan, they, too, know who Jesus is, due to being fallen angels. Jesus would confront many demons throughout His earthly ministry. In Mark 5, Jesus met a demon-possessed man, with tremendous strength who had the power to break shackles and chains. The possessed man cried out to Jesus, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me” (Mark 5:7). 

 

And even when Christ accomplished His mission as He lived a sinless life in the place of all sinners, even to the point of death on the cross, so that His innocent death atoned for the sins of all people by stripping Satan of all his power to control the souls of mankind, Satan still attempts to go after mankind even though he has no shot of victory. As Paul and Silas were in prison, they met a slave girl who was possessed by a demon. She cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). So, even though Satan and His minions hate God, it is their angelic nature to proclaim God and His truth – even if they don’t want to.

 

Again, God does not want demons proclaiming His truth, since again, those are the words of the Father of Lies. How can anyone believe them? And that’s the point. It would be Jesus’ authoritative preaching and His mighty works that would bring people to faith in Him as the Son of God.

 

Jesus is the One with authority, not Satan and not Satan’s minions. When Jesus spoke, He was speaking from the very essence as God. By His authority, He told the demons to depart. He alone had that kind of authority because He is the Author of life. He is our Creator. And our Creator is good. 

 

To every demon-possessed person Jesus met, He brought them liberation and new life. 

 

Today, even though he has lost the battle, Satan continues to attack us on all sides. He whispers in our ears saying, “Did God really say?” He causes us to question truth as he leads us into lies. We must repent and turn to Jesus as Satan’s deceit will never end until Christ returns in glory on that Last Day. And as that great and magnificent Day nears, Satan grows ever more desperate. 

 

Satan, the great deceiver, led our first parents Adam and Eve into disobedience, sin, and death. As a result, we are under God’s wrath sentenced to eternal damnation as we merit and deserve – through Adam’s sin and your personal sins of thoughts, words, and deeds against God and your neighbor. Without God’s love in Christ for you, there was no help, no hope, no comfort for us. This all changed only when the Son of God in His goodness had mercy came down from heaven by becoming man – like us in every way, except without sin – to help us. Christ snatched us from the jaws of eternal death in hell. He won us. He made us free. He restored us to the Father’s favor and grace as His own possession through the water and the Word of Holy Baptism. He has taken us under His own protection and His shelter in order that He may rule us by His righteousness, wisdom, power, life, and blessedness.

 

So, what should we do to combat Satan, this fallen world, and our own sinful nature that much prefers Satan’s lies to God’s truth? Well, turn to Christ, who alone has all power and authority in heaven and on earth. Turn to Christ, who alone has the authority that defeats Satan and his demons. Turn to Christ, who suffered and died for you, so that your sins would be forgiven and that you would be free from Satan’s accusations. Turn to Christ and listen to His voice in the Scriptures. Turn to Christ and receive His grace of forgiveness through the words of absolution and in His very body and blood under the bread and wine that forgives your sins and strengthens your faith.

 

In the spiritual battle until the Last Day, for everyone who clings to Christ, your victory has been won and all by grace through faith in Him, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.   

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +