Sermon - Easter 2 - John 20:19-31

 

Jesus makes his first appearance to the twelve, minus Judas, and minus Thomas, in today’s reading.  Those 10 disciples are locked up, for fear of the Jews, but twice on that Easter evening and once again a week later, Jesus stands among them and speaks, “Peace be with you”

Shlama Alakhon – in the Aramic – was the common greeting, based on that Hebrew word many of you know – Shalom!  Peace!

But the peace Jesus brings them that day, and the peace that he brings us this day – is much more than just an everyday greeting.  With these words of peace, he truly brings peace.  With his death and resurrection, he accomplishes peace.  And with his presence, he promises a peace that even passes understanding.  Let’s consider this morning the words of Jesus, and the resurrection peace he brings.

His first words greeting those disciples many NOT have been what they expected.  Actually they didn’t expect him at all, they still thought he was dead – although the women had been saying some strange things.  Peter and John went to investigate, and they couldn’t fully embrace the reality even though they, too, saw the empty grave and the abandoned grave linens. 

And even if they were starting to believe he’d really done it, that he really rose from the dead, they didn’t grasp the full implications.  Because they were still afraid.  Locked up and hunkered down, in hiding, John tells us, for fear of the Jews.  Even a week later, they still cowered. 

But they’re not the only ones to slip back into fear.  They’re not the only ones to hear that Jesus lives and act like it doesn’t really matter.  We come here every week and hear the good news of Christ crucified and risen.  We know the scriptures well, many of us have learned them from our youth.  But we still so easily turn to fear, and all sorts of other silly things, guilt and shame and despair and doubt.  Jesus lives!  The victory’s won!  But we act like the battle is still in question.  We forget so quickly, so easily, what his victory over death means.

It means that no matter what befalls us in this fallen world, there is a resurrection in store for us.  It means that no matter what our enemies plot and plan toward our demise, they cannot win the day, because Christ lives, and we will live.  It means that we are no longer bound for death and hell, there is no dark cloud that can overshadow our destiny.

Jesus speaks peace to them, and to us.  First, he shows them his wounds.  It is as if he says, “My dear friends, look and see the marks of my suffering and death, eternal reminders of what I, as the Lamb of God have done for you.  In these scars you find your healing from sin and death.  In these wounds you are healed.  You are therefore forgiven of your sins and at peace with God.  Peace be with you.”

Now, of course, God doesn’t only give his gifts once, nor does he speak his promises only once.  And so Jesus repeats his blessing, “Peace be with you” And now he gives them another cause for their peace, and for the peace of all his people.  Through them, he will distribute and apply the forgiveness he won at the cross.  “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.  I’m giving you the authority to forgive sins in my stead, and by my command.  And whoever’s sin you thus forgive, it is forgiven!  Truly!  Just as surely in heaven itself, because my word and Spirit guarantee it.”

You know sometimes a Christian from a different denomination wanders into a Lutheran service for some reason, and sometimes they hear a pastor say these words, “In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins!” And they are offended.  Who can forgive sins but God alone, they ask, the same question the Jews asked about Jesus.  But Just as Jesus was sent by the Father, and empowered to forgive sins, so does he empower his apostles, and their descendants in office, to proclaim and apply the same forgiveness.  It’s just as good as if Jesus said it himself.  Because of what he says here, in John 20, that first Easter evening.

And so a second cause for peace to be with them, and us.

And then there’s Thomas.  Who missed the boat.  We don’t know where he was or what he was doing.  But we do know what he said about that little visit from Jesus.  He didn’t believe it.  Much like the apostles didn’t believe the women at first, so Thomas thought the others were putting him on, pulling his leg, in some sort of sick joke maybe.  “I won’t believe it unless I see him.  Even better, I won’t believe it unless I touch those wounds!”  Words of doubt that will ever ding poor Thomas’ reputation.

But Jesus appears again, and Jesus speaks words of peace again.  He gently chides Thomas for not believing the news, and matches Thomas’s doubt with proof positive – see, Thomas.  Touch the wounds.  Stop doubting and start believing.

Jesus doesn’t appear to us bodily, but he does comment about that.  Oh, Thomas, you believe because you’ve seen?  Blessed are they, or even more blessed are they, who have not seen, and yet believe.

That’s us.  We’ve heard the good news of Jesus.  We’ve been told and taught by faithful parents, pastors, Christian friends.  And we have come to believe that Jesus died and rose for us. 

John even tells us that these words of his were written for the very purpose that we (who have not seen) may believe, and believing have life in his name. 

Life in Christ.  Forgiveness in Christ.  Peace in Christ.  The blessing of faith.  You see, it all goes together.  Gifts of the risen Christ for all his people.  For the skittish disciples still coming to grips with the resurrection, and for the disciples of our day and age who stand on the shoulders of 2000 easter Christians.  Christ comes to us, having conquered death for us, and he says, “Peace be with you.”

Amen.

Sermon - The Resurrection of Our Lord - Luke 24:1-12

 

Christ is risen!  (He is risen indeed, Alleluia!)

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.

First things first.  It is the first order of business.  It happened at early dawn.  The light of the resurrection had to shine!  Just like light burst out of nowhere on the first day of creation, so the darkness of Friday could not remain, and this Sunday would see the return of the Light of the World.  Now the first day of the week becomes “The Lord’s Day”, the day of new creation in Christ.

The women were trying to pick up where they left off on Friday, bringing the spices they had prepared.  But no body needed to be spiced.  No funeral needed to be finished.  Jesus cracked death apart, their grim plans were no longer needed.

2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

The large stone sealing in his body was the first clue that something had happened.  It was rolled away.  The grave was open.  Upon investigation, the women found the second clue:  no Jesus.  No body.  No sign of death at all.  By then they should have known.  But it took more than an empty grave for it to sink in.

4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

The angels were on the scene, and as usual, with an important message.  Nothing new, really, just a reminder of Jesus’ words.  It had to be this way.  The Son of Man had to be handed over, had to be crucified, and just as certainly had to rise on the third day.

Their dazzling apparel is befitting of their dazzling words.  Why do you seek the living among the dead?  That’s a foolish thing to do.  Why would you expect to find Jesus here?  That doesn’t make any sense. 

8 And they remembered his words,

Without Jesus’ words, this whole thing is really rather perplexing.  It makes so little sense.  The stone should have been in place.  The body should have been where they left it.  Dead men don’t rise again.  We know the usual way of things, and this aint that!

But Jesus’ words must come true.  Everything that he said had to happen, just as he said. 

Without Jesus’ words, and without his resurrection, we too would be perplexed, and worse.  We would be more pitiful than anyone.  If Christ didn’t really rise from the dead then we are all wasting our time.  If Jesus isn’t the first-fruits of the dead, then there’s no chance for us to conquer death, and we are left with only despair.  If that tomb wasn’t empty then our hopes would be empty, our lives would be pointless, and our future just as bleak.

But Christ has been raised from the dead!  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

And his empty tomb points to our empty tomb.  His new life means we have new life.  His resurrection sets the stage for our own, on that day when he comes again in dazzling glory with all his angels, and when all his words and promises come true in the fullest.

9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

The women couldn’t contain themselves, for who could?  They hurried off to tell the disciples what they had seen and heard.  Angels!  The stone rolled back!  No body!  Could it be true?  Could Jesus be alive?

But as men so often do, they disciples didn’t listen.  Or rather, they thought it was an “idle tale”, like a fairy tale or tall tale, not an eyewitness report of truth.  It was just too hard to believe, too amazing to entertain the possibility.  Perhaps their grief still weighed on them too heavily. 

Should they have listened?  Surely.  Should they have believed?  Certainly. 

But Jesus doesn’t leave them stewing in their own incredulity.  He would give them many convincing proofs that he was, in fact, alive.  He would appear to them, breathe on them, have them touch his wounds, eat with them, and more.

May we be ever quick to hear and believe God’s word, and especially the good news of Christ, and also quick to believe it.  May we also receive the risen Christ eagerly as he comes to us in his body and blood, under bread and wine.

12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Brash Peter, he had to go and see for himself.  The news from the women did that much, at least, he left wherever it was he was hiding, and made a trip to the tomb.  We know from John’s Gospel that John went too.  Peter went in and saw the grave clothes left behind, and the conspicuous emptiness of the tomb.  And having seen the evidence, he went back to the other disciples, marveling.

Having heard again the great good news of Christ’s resurrection this Easter Sunday, may you also depart in wonder and awe.  May your faith marvel at all that Christ has done for you, and promises still to do.  Death is left in the dust, for Jesus, and one day, for you, too.  For Christ’s resurrection is only the beginning. 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a marvel.  It is no idle tale.  It is dazzling and perplexing, even now, 2000 years later.  And the words of Jesus still sound forth – the Son of Man had to be handed over to suffer, to die, and to rise on the third day. 

For you, dear Christian, Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed, Alleluia, Amen.

Good Friday - 7 Last Words - Tenebrae Vespers

The First Word:  Luke 23:34

33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”[b] And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Dr. Luke is very matter of fact, telling us the where and what.  There at the place of the skull, they crucified him.  Two criminals with him, one on the right, one on the left. It’s almost stunning in how tersely he puts it, “there they crucified him”, as if this might happen every day.

But even more stunning is Jesus’ first word.  Was it a word of agony or self-pity?  Was it an exclamation of, “why me, O Lord?”  Or even a cry for help?  Perhaps you or I would have even cursed our tormentors, hoping they get what they deserve, and more.

But not Jesus.  His first word is his first priority.  Others.  Us.  Those who crucified him.  We weren’t swinging the hammer or driving the nails, of course.  But our sins were.  And that precisely is the point.  Jesus comes to this cross that we might be forgiven.  He prays for our forgiveness, even as he does what it takes to win that forgiveness.

They know not what they do.  Who can know his errors?  Who can know the depth of his own sin?  But as deep as it goes, so much deeper goes Christ’s love, and Christ’s forgiveness.

The Second Word:  Luke 23:43

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[d] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

What a study in contrasts, these two criminals.  One defiant till the end, mocking and scorning even as he justly dies for his crimes.  The other, humble and trusting, even in the face of death and doom.  

Jesus has no word for the mocker.  But for the penitent, a kind, a comforting, a blessed word of promise that echoes for all who share his posture of repentant faith.

The thief humbly asks, not to be saved, not to be forgiven, not for much at all, but to be remembered by Jesus.  And Jesus’ second word promises so much more.  Just as he so often answers our prayers with even more grace than we can ask.

After death, for the Christian, comes paradise.  Just as Jesus’ spirit is committed to the Father’s loving hands, so is ours, through Christ.  So we can die in peace, and rest in peace, knowing that Jesus remembers you and me, and all his promises to us.

The Third Word:  John 19:26-27

26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Again, not for himself, but for others he speaks.  This time, his dear mother and dear disciple and friend, John.  They would suffer the scene of torture before them, but also the earthly loss of Jesus’ bodily presence.  But he would not leave them alone, rather he left them with each other.

Christ has also left us, but not alone.  He sends us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.  It is the Spirit who calls and gathers the church, our Christian brothers and sisters, not by blood, but by the bonds of faith.  Christ could say much the same word to us today, were we to look at each other, “behold your son, your father, your brother, your sister”  We are united with Christ and therefore with each other.

And so we love one another.  We regard each other as Christ would have us.  We see, in our fellow Christians, our family.  One body, one holy Christian church, united in Jesus Christ for eternity.

The Fourth Word:  Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

You might think this word, a quote from Psalm 22, was finally one he spoke for himself, but no.  Even in his deepest cry of agony, he speaks for you.  He shows here, that he bears the brunt of it all, the wrath of God, the disapproval and disavowal of the Father, as Jesus has become sin, and so God forsakes him.  It is this poignant moment in which Jesus bears the very pangs of hell for you, for me, for all.

But his cry is not for himself.  It is for you.  To show you that he bears all this for you.  He is forsaken so that you are not.  He is punished, so that you go free.  He bears hell, that you might experience paradise, and an eternal home in the mansions of the Father.

The Fifth Word:  John 19:28

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”

In the fourth word, he spoke of his spiritual suffering, being forsaken by the Father.  Here, he speaks of his very real bodily suffering, his thirst.  Losing so much sweat and blood through his ordeal, it’s no surprise that Jesus was dehydrated.  Thirsty.

He speaks the fifth word to fulfill Scripture.  Most likely it is Psalm 22 which he has again in mind, 

14 I am poured out like water,

    and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

    it is melted within my breast;

15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

    you lay me in the dust of death.

But he gives voice to his bodily suffering here to fulfill Scripture.  Scripture must be fulfilled because God’s word is always true.  Scripture must be fulfilled because Jesus leaves no detail undone.  His work is perfect, even his suffering and death leaves nothing out.

And he needs that little moisture to prepare his tongue for a final declaration, which we are about to hear.

The Sixth Word:  John 19:30

30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Again he speaks for us, as he dies for us.  “It is finished” is a declaration, a proclamation, an announcement that his work is done.  The price is paid.  The atonement is accomplished.

Nothing more needs to be added, indeed what could be added to this perfect life and death?  Surely not your works, your will, your merit or worthiness.  Only Jesus can suffice, only the blood of Jesus can pay the price.  And he has.  And it is finished.

With this word of finality and totality, a sweet promise is spoken.  Your sins are finished.  The devil is finished.  Even death itself is finished.  For by his death he has destroyed death.  It simply has no more sting.

The Seventh Word:  Luke 23:46

46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Finally a word for himself?  No, even his last word is for us.  He commends his spirit to the Father’s loving care.  Having paid the price and accomplished his great mission, the Father has no more scorn or wrath for the Son, but receives his spirit gladly.

And where Jesus goes, you and I will go.  When we die, we can say the same, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit” in a sure confidence that he will receive us through Jesus Christ.

Death becomes for us, who are in Christ, no longer a punishment, no longer the sad and final separation from our Creator.  Rather, we see in death the gate to eternal life.  We see in death a rest and a peace.  We know that for us, like for Jesus, it is only temporary.  We too shall rise.  And until we do, our spirit is like Jesus’ own spirit, safe in the Father’s keeping.

Thanks be to God for the blessed suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And thanks be to God for the precious words he uttered from his cross, words all spoken for us, for our good and blessing.

Sermon - Holy (Maundy) Thursday - Luke 22:7-20

 

“The New Covenant”

God made a deal, an arrangement, a covenant with his Old Testament people.  “I will be your God, and you will be my people.”  But there were stipulations.  Commandments must be kept.  Sacrifices must be made.  Clean and unclean laws would be followed.  A whole system was given to Moses and carried out by the Aaronic priesthood.  God was merciful in giving them this sacrificial system, this covenant, to deal with their sin.  And so it went for 1500 or so years, from the Exodus in Egypt up until this very night that we commemorate, Holy Thursday.

On this night, the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled.  On this night, a new covenant was made.  On this night, the night when he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks, gave it to his disciples and said, “take eat, this is my body which is given for you.  This do in remembrance of me.”  In the very same way, he also took the cup after supper, gave thanks, and then said, “drink of it all of you, this cup is the New Testament (or New Covenant) in my blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.  This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

A New Covenant.  Established in an upper room over a quiet meal with 12 disciples.  Quite a contrast to the Old Covenant, which was established at Mount Siani with 12 whole tribes.  Although that Old Covenant was also sealed with a meal, as the elders of the tribes ate and drank on the mountain, saw God, and lived.  So these disciples ate and drank with the Son of God, and though he would die, they would live.

What was the problem, though, with the Old Covenant?  Why did it need replacing?  Had it reached the end of its warranty or was God simply bored of it all?

Jeremiah tells us, “ [it will not be’ like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke”

They had turned away from God’s covenant.  They had forsaken his forgiveness.  At first, turning to other gods, and incurring his wrath, such that even the temple was destroyed and the ark of the covenant lost.  The people were exiled.  The Davidic line was broken, because they had broken the covenant.

And yet, God is merciful.  That Old Covenant was good for a time, and it really did deal with sin, but it was incomplete, insufficient.  It was, ultimately, only a shadow of greater things to come. 

One of our great hymns puts it this way:

Not all the blood of beasts,

  On Jewish altars slain,

Could give the guilty conscience peace,

  Or wash away its stain.

But Christ, the heavenly Lamb,

  Takes all our sins away;

A sacrifice of nobler name,

  And richer blood than they.

It’s not that the sacrifices of the Old Testament didn’t DO anything, they did.  They were given for the forgiveness of sins.  They made atonement for sin.  They made the unclean to be clean, etc. But they didn’t do it in and of themselves.  They didn’t do it because there was any inherent worth or value in the blood of bulls and lambs.  They were a shadow, a sign, of greater things to come.

And now we have in fullness what they received as a precursor.  We have in clarity what they saw through murky shadows.  We have Christ the very lamb of God, his suffering, his cross, and even his resurrection.  We see him, the very image of the eternal God, made flesh, like us in every way yet without sin.  And we see him fulfilling everything – the laws we couldn’t and the sacrifice that we can’t.  We see him as the one to make atonement for not just the Israelites, but for all people of all times and places.

The Jews observed the Passover in remembrance of God’s deliverance from Egypt.  It was more than just a mental exercise of remembering, but more of a re-living, a re-enactment of the lamb that they sacrificed to avoid the death of the firstborn, and the hasty escape they would make from slavery. 

But Jesus establishes this New Covenant in his blood, the true Lamb of God, the one greater than Moses, who delivers us not from slavery in Egypt but from bondage to sin.  Not from oppression by a pharaoh but from the clutches of the devil.  His body and blood, given and shed on the cross, are given to us in the New Covenant as a gift, guarantee, and pledge of forgiveness, life and salvation.  Rescue from death and the devil.  And a promise of eternal life as our blessed inheritance.

And doing this in remembrance of him is also more than just a mental exercise, or a ceremony to honor his memory.  “In remembrance of me” means this sacrament is established as an ongoing gift, to be kept and observed long after Jesus’ departure.  In so doing, Jesus establishes this new covenant not only with the 12 in the Upper Room, but with all his people, even those yet to be born, all Christians of all time and place.

The covenant at Sinai was only a shadow of what was to come.  What Jesus gave those disciples in the upper room, and what he there also gives us, is a New Covenant in his blood.  The covenant of Sinai has been fulfilled in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the lamb who once was slain, but now lives forever. 

As we receive this precious gift again today, come in repentance and faith, for God has made his covenant with you, by the blood of Christ.  “I will be your God, and you will be my forgiven people, redeemed and rescued for eternal life.”  Take and eat, take and drink, a believe in Christ who gives us such precious promises, and such a blessed gift.

Sermon - Palm Sunday - John 12; Luke 23; Revelation 7

 

This Sunday is unusual, in that it has two names. First, commonly, called “Palm Sunday”, it marks one week before Easter, and we remember the day when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to inaugurate Holy Week. But because it is also the last Sunday before Easter, it is also observed as the Sunday of the Passion. The idea is, that on this Sunday, we would recall ALL the events of Holy Week, and of Christ’s Passion, including (and especially) Good Friday. You might say then that this Sunday has sort of a split personality. Trying to fit all this in, can make us feel a little bit crowded. Crowds…. Hmm.

It’s also common on this Sunday to point out the 2 crowds we meet in the 2 events. The crowd of Palm Sunday, and the crowd of Good Friday. It’s not uncommon to consider the contrast between the shouting crowd of Palm Sunday and the shouting crowd of Good Friday.  We’ll do that today, and then we will also see a third crowd.

Perhaps you’re like me, not a big fan of crowds. Even a few too many people in the elevator bugs me a little. I’ve never understood those people who go to Times’ Square, New York for the New Year’s celebration every year. Or amusement parks with long, long lines – cranky kids and crabby adults – I just don’t really like crowds. People bump into you, you have to wait, they slow you down – and on top of it all, they can be loud! The crowds we see today are loud – shouting, even – but it’s more than noise.

Today’s first crowd is the The Palm Sunday Crowd – “Hosanna!”

shouted…’Hosanna to the Son of David’!

The electricity is in the air – with the arrival of the Messiah.

Long expected, Long awaited, could this be the one?

His miracles spoke for themselves. He healed, he fed, he even raised the dead! He had quite a following, and his teaching had its own authority.

Rumors may have spread about his lineage – descended from David, born in Bethlehem. Look – he’s riding a donkey, just like David and his sons did. It’s a sign of peace – not a horse of war – could he bring us such peace? Could he be the one? The Messiah, the Savior?

“Save us!” they shouted, “Hosanna!”. They knew they needed a savior. But they didn’t know from what. They waved their palm branches. They knew they were oppressed, but they didn’t know by whom. They spread their coats before him. It wasn’t the Roman tyrants, but Sin and Death were the real enemies. And Jesus would indeed save. He was David’s Son and David’s Lord.

How many Christians today get caught up in the shouting, the singing, the praising, and yet somehow miss the true cause of our joy? Not just that God is powerful and righteous and holy – though all that is true. But it means nothing to us if He is not our Savior! HOSANNA! SAVE US! Save us from our sins, Lord, Save us from the wages of our sin. Save us from guilt for our iniquities. And rescue us from death and hell. Let us join our voices with those of the Jerusalem crowd. SAVE US! HOSANNA!

They knew Why Jesus had come – to save them. They just didn’t know how he would do it.

And then there’s that other crowd.  The Good Friday Mob.  Singing a different tune.  Shouting a different shout.  “Crucify!” is all their breath.

A crowd that has gathered early to see a spectacle – a trial. Perhaps some of the same people waving palms a few days before, perhaps not. Either way, they too become a part of the plan, unknowingly, perhaps. They too serve a purpose, speak a message, teach a truth. That truth is just this – Jesus must die.

It may have seemed to all of Jesus’ disciples that his arrest, trial, suffering and execution were a terrible miscarriage of justice, but in reality is was God demonstrating his own justice. They might have thought this was incredible misfortune, but there is purpose here. God is in control, directing the events. Jesus went willingly, to his arrest, to trial, to death. Even the call of the crowd would mean nothing had he not permitted their riotous threats to sway Pilate.

And what about that crowd? Stirred up by the enemies of Christ. Were they paid? Were they trying to earn the favor of their leaders, or just star-struck by those influential priests and holy men? Were they simply a bunch of bored travelers seeking some excitement while away from home- and who doesn’t like to see a blasphemer get his come-up’ns?

Or were these some, maybe many, of the Hosanna crowd – who were perhaps impatient or disappointed with the “supposed” Messiah. He wasn’t doing any saving. He wasn’t over-throwing the Romans – in fact, they had him in custody. Perhaps they felt betrayed, or let down by a false Messiah – and in vengeance called for his death.

Don’t we sometimes become impatient, frustrated with God – for not being the kind of savior we desire in any given situation? We know we can turn to him for help – but when that help doesn’t seem to come, or at least the way and in the time we want it – do we turn on Him just as easily?

Whatever the motives of the crowd – vengeance, boredom, currying the favor of the Jewish leaders – whatever their agenda or agendas – their cry was prophetic. They participated in the pre-ordained plan of God for the salvation of all. In spite of themselves, they called for the one thing that was needed. Blood. The blood of Christ.

They even said, “His blood be on us and on our children” How ironic. How prophetic. They meant it as a statement to take long-term responsibility for the death of one man. But his blood on us, and on our children, is the only thing that removes from us the responsibility of our sins – and of an eternal death sentence.

Crucifixion was the worst death imaginable in that day, and perhaps even since then. But by it, Jesus saves us from a death beyond imagination. He saves not just us, but the world – all the crowds of history – born and yet unborn, by his blood.

The “Crucify” crowd knew how Jesus would die – by crucifixion. They just didn’t know why.

IV. A Great Multitude –“Salvation!”

A great multitude that no one could count…wearing white robes, and holding palm branches…cried out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God…and to the Lamb” -Rev. 7:9,10

Sometimes we are a part of both the “Hosanna” and the “Crucify” crowds. But of all the crowds gathered in scripture I could think of only one other that shouted. It’s not part of the Passion week narrative, or any other passage we might hear in church this time of year – unless, that is, we are at a funeral.

Revelation 7, a passage often used in the Order of Christian Burial – speaks of this other shouting crowd. A large group, a “Great Multitude” of white-robed people. They too, waving palms, like the Hosanna crowd. They too, well aware of the blood and death of the Lamb. And they too, a crowd of which we are a part!

John sees them as part of his vision, a crowd so great that “no one could count”. They come “From every tribe, nation, people and language”. Someone asks John who they are, but John doesn’t. Then John is told, “These are they who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb!” In other words, this crowd is the church. All believers in Christ from all times, all places and races, all gathered before the throne of God in heaven. The crowd, that by our baptism and in accordance with our faith – includes you and me!

And that crowd in heaven shouts, cries out, sings – with a loud voice. They complete the sermon of the three crowds by proclaiming, that “Salvation belongs to our God… and to the Lamb!” It is an accomplished fact. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world, the Lamb who once was slain, but who now is alive and reigns. You can see why this is a favorite passage for funerals.

What a crowd of crowds we have seen today. And what a message they bring. And in as much as we belong to each of these crowds, we can hear our own loud shouting:

Admitting our need for saving. Acknowledging the need for His blood. And joining all those who are cleansed by his blood. The great multitude of believers destined for, and already there. All that is worth shouting about. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sermon - Lent 5 - Luke 20:9-20

 

“Let's get rid of Jesus,” they said. The Pharisees were out to get him, and he knew it. To them, he was a threat.. To their people, their way of life, their religion.  And so, they rejected him.

Sometimes the Pharisees are cast as having petty motives. As if Jesus was winning the high school popularity contest, and they didn't like losing. But there was more to it than that. Jesus preached a message – that was the real scandal to them. It was a different religion. They were true believers in their religion, and so they saw Jesus as a liar, blasphemer, and a dangerous agent of Satan.

Their was a religion of good works. Where a man could please God by his actions. It's actually a pretty common religion, going by many different names, and sometimes no name at all.

It's all religion of the law. Sometimes the window-dressing changes, but the point rarely changes – you have to earn God's favor.

Oh, maybe you can do it by following rabbinical law like the Pharisees did. Or maybe you can do it by meditation and good karma. Or maybe you can do it by saving the environment and going green. Or maybe you can do it by being nice and tolerant and non-judgmental. Maybe you can be “spiritual but not religious”. Or maybe you can do it by just keeping your nose clean – no major commandment breaking. Or maybe you can do it by one big moral or spiritual achievement – “look what I've done for you, God”.

Or, maybe not. No, let's say definitely not. Not according to Scripture anyway. God's demand of perfection takes all of these off the table. His just law reminds us there is no one that is righteous, not one. Religion of the law, the religion of good works, is a man-made religion, oh and Satan's got his thumb in the pie too. It is a self-deception, a foolish and dangerous approach to God that gets it absolutely backward. We see man-made, religion of works for what it is: a fraud. No matter how much we tell ourselves our goodness measures up, it always falls short. No matter how hard we try, we always fail and fall. We sin, and sin, and sin some more. Man-made religion can't stop it. Man-made religion won't do.

What about God-made religion? What about that other religion that Jesus was preaching? Simple. Repent and believe. Repent of your sins, and believe in Jesus for your salvation.

Is it really that simple? That I can admit and confess my sins before God, simply ask to be forgiven, and he grants it? No strings attached? No fuss, no muss? It seems too easy. It seems so simple. Shouldn't it be harder than that? A little effort involved? Does God really give away his riches like a fool on a spending spree?

Think on this, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also give us all good things?”

The religion of God is the Gospel. It's the good news of Jesus – that by his death on the cross and his rising from the tomb, yes, your sins are forgiven. Yes, your eternal life is secure. Yes, you are pleasing in God's sight, and yes, you live by his Holy Spirit – growing in faith and righteousness. It's all about God's work, not yours. It's all about his promises, not your pipe dreams of self-sufficiency.

But it doesn't happen without Jesus. And that's why people who want to have the religion of the law have to get rid of Jesus.

In the parable, the tenants of the vineyard had this idiotic idea, “if we kill the son, the vineyard will be ours!” Clearly Jesus knew what the Pharisees were up to, and what they would eventually do. His parable shows just how twisted their reasoning was. They really thought they could kill the author of life. They really thought this would solve the problem, and everyone could go back to their nice happy little self-deceptions. Another heretic swept into the dust-bin.

Except - getting rid of Jesus, by seeing him condemned and crucified – it didn't work at all. Death cannot contain him. He rose victorious, and paves the way for the resurrection of his faithful people. The cross only fulfilled his plan. Unwittingly, they had taken part. They truly knew not what they did.

They had rejected the stone, that is, Jesus, but instead of landing on the pile of refuse, he becomes the cornerstone. And a whole church is built upon him. He, Jesus, builds his church. He establishes his people, and the gates of hell will not even prevail against us. Connected to him, built on him, we are solid and sure and strong.

And with this chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, one of two things happens. Either you fall on him, or he falls on you.

If you fall on him – you are broken to pieces. That is, you are brought to repentance and forgiveness. “a broken and contrite heart” is bound up and healed in him. It's not always the cake-walk some think it to be. And it means the pain of giving up the old ways, breaking the old life, burying the old sins. But it means life. It means blessings. Behind the suffering there is great joy and unspeakable peace. The Christian is quite content to be broken and rebuilt by the architect of our faith, Jesus Christ.

And it's far better than the alternative. For if the stone falls on you, you are crushed – pulverized, even. And this is what awaited the tenants who killed the Son. This is what awaited the Pharisees who killed the Christ. And this is what happens to all who reject the one who came as Savior but will come again as king and judge.

He will judge. His justice and wrath will be poured out on the wicked. He will separate sheep from goats, believer from unbeliever. And woe to those who seek to fall back on their own good works, rather than Christ's good work for them. On that day, the religion of man will be exposed as a sham. On that day, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, as the wicked are rejected by God for eternity.

But you and I – we fall - by faith - on Jesus. We trust in him for salvation. We repent of our sins, and turn to him for mercy. And he grants it.

May we never, ever, “get rid of Jesus”. By rejecting him outright or by pushing him to the side. By neglecting his word or doubting his promises. May we never trust in our own works, our own religion, or our own false righteousness. May we always rest strong and secure on the Church's One Foundation, Jesus Christ our Lord. For he is the only sure place to stand. And in him, the inheritance is ours forever! Amen.