Category: Sermon Page

Third Sunday of Easter
April 23, 2023

“On the Road and at the Table with Jesus” (Luke 24:13-35)

The painting I’m holding in front of you–and you can see it on your bulletin insert–is called, in German, “Gang nach Emmaus,” or in English, “The Road to Emmaus.” It’s by a 19th-century Swiss artist, Robert Zünd. And it’s one of my favorite paintings. Imagine putting yourself into this picture and getting to walk alongside Jesus as he opens up the Scriptures! And then when you get to Emmaus, to be right there at the table with Jesus! What a day! What an experience! “On the Road and at the Table with Jesus!”

First, though, let’s set the scene. It’s a Sunday–in fact, it’s the Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. But the two guys who set out from Jerusalem to go to Emmaus that day–they don’t know that. They don’t know that their master, Jesus of Nazareth, has risen from the dead. Oh, they had heard this crazy report that some of the women brought back that morning. The women said that they had gone to the tomb, the tomb was empty, and an angel told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. Yeah, right. Who can believe that?

These guys had been in Jerusalem for the Passover, which is supposed to be a joyous festival. But for them it turned out to be a heart-breaking disappointment, a crushing blow. Their master, Jesus, had been betrayed and arrested and put to death. Death on a cross–crucified, like a common criminal! And he was the one they had been pinning their hopes on! Jesus was the one they thought was going to make Israel great again! They thought he would be the Messiah, who would deliver Israel from the hands of the Romans. Restore the nation to its former glory. A new David! The long-promised King of Israel! But now this. He’s dead. And all their hopes have died with him.

They explain all this to the stranger on the road. They hadn’t noticed him catching up to them, but there he is. He should look familiar to them, but something–or someone–is keeping them from recognizing him. The stranger asks, “What have you guys been talking about?” They stop and look at him. They’re amazed that this guy hasn’t heard the big news about what happened in Jerusalem just a couple of days earlier. “You mean you haven’t heard what happened to Jesus of Nazareth? Surely everyone who was there has heard about it. It was the talk of the town!”

So they fill him in: “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” And then they tell him the wild talk from the women, that nonsense about Jesus rising from the dead.

But at that, the stranger tells them: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And they’re thinking: “Who is this guy? Who gave him the right to call us ‘foolish’ and ‘slow of heart to believe’? And what’s this strange idea he has, that the Messiah must suffer first? Are you kidding? We were expecting a glorious Messiah! This suffering and death business–a Messiah who is rejected and killed? This doesn’t make sense! It doesn’t fit our paradigm!”

But then the stranger starts explaining this as they walk along: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” What a Bible study this must have been! Jesus has the whole Old Testament to choose from as he explains about a Messiah who suffers. So, what are some of the Scriptures Jesus could have used to teach them this? Let’s think of a few.

“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets.” So let’s begin with the First Book of Moses, Genesis. Right away, right after the fall into sin, there is the first promise of a Savior. He’s called the “woman’s seed,” who will stomp on the head of the devil. But what will happen to him as he does that? The serpent will strike him in the heel. Think of how Jesus would be nailed to the cross. Already we have a suffering Christ, right out of the box. But that’s how he will reverse the curse and win the victory over sin and death–through suffering.

Think of how Adam and Eve tried to cover up their shame with fig leaves. That didn’t work. But God covered them with skins of animals. Meaning, someone had to die in their place. Adam and Eve should have died that day, but God provided a substitute.

Or think of the exodus from Egypt. Death should have struck the homes of the Israelites, but God provided the Passover lamb, whose blood on the doorposts spared them from death. Or think of all the animal sacrifices at the tabernacle and temple. Blood was shed, sacrifices were made, to cover the sins of the Israelites. These all pointed ahead to Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Yes, a suffering Christ, whose perfect sacrifice atones for your sins and mine. As St. Peter writes, in the Epistle you heard today: “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” Brothers and sisters, God has set you free, he has redeemed you from sin and death. How? By the blood of Jesus Christ, the holy Lamb of God.

A suffering Christ. A righteous sufferer. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22, the psalm most vividly portraying the crucifixion of Christ. You see, the suffering Christ was right there in their Scriptures all along, but these Emmaus guys hadn’t gotten it, nor had the rest of the disciples.

Or consider the most direct prophecy of a suffering Messiah, Isaiah 53, the Suffering Servant: “He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” There it is, right there in their own Bible! But these fellas had not put two and two together. Nobody had. They had not figured out that this was exactly what Jesus did, that this was who Jesus was. Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, suffering and dying for the sins of the people, for our sins as well. By his stripes, with his holy wounds, we are healed. This is the Savior we need! Jesus is the righteous one who suffers and dies for us, to take our place and suffer the judgment we deserve, so that God’s judgment will not fall on us.

Well, Jesus could have gone on, explaining these things. But the road to Emmaus is only seven miles long. These disciples wished it was seventy times seven! They don’t want the stranger to leave. They want to hear more. So they invite him into the house. “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” And when they sit down at table to eat, the guest starts acting like the host! “He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.” Now their eyes are opened! Now they recognize him! It’s Jesus who has been teaching them. It’s Jesus who is breaking bread with them. It’s Jesus, risen from the dead! He really is alive! Now it’s all starting to come together for them. And with that, Jesus vanishes from their sight. And they say to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

Friends, on the road to Emmaus, and at the table in the breaking of the bread, our risen Lord Jesus Christ sets the pattern for his church for all ages to come. It’s Sunday, the first day of the week, the day when our Lord rose from the dead. And so every Sunday becomes another Easter, because on this day Jesus meets with his church. He opens up the Scriptures to us. He opens our minds to understand the Scriptures, that it’s all about him, a Savior who loves us and suffers and dies for our sins and rises from the dead. Now we are forgiven. Now, baptized in his name, we will share in his resurrection. This is what it’s all about.

Brothers and sisters, every Sunday Jesus joins us on our journey through life, on our own Emmaus road. And when we reach our final destination, there we will see our Lord face to face. There he will be our host at his heavenly banquet, the wedding feast of the Lamb in his kingdom, which will have no end. We receive a foretaste of that feast to come in the Lord’s Supper, as Jesus invites us to his Table every Sunday.

On the road and at the table with Jesus: Friends, you don’t have to walk to Emmaus to experience this. No, Jesus comes right here to us. Abiding with us. Opening the Scriptures to us. Hosting us at his Table. Dear fellow Emmaus disciples, our risen Lord Jesus is with us, on the road and at the table! And it’s a beautiful picture indeed!

Second Sunday of Easter
April 16, 2023

“Quasimodogeniti: Like Newborn Infants” (1 Peter 1:3-9; 2:2-3)

Today is the Second Sunday in the Easter season, which means it’s the first Sunday after Easter itself. Like many of the Sundays in the church year, this one has an old and traditional title. The name of this Sunday, in Latin, is Quasimodogeniti. Sounds like the character Quasimodo in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” doesn’t it? That’s because Quasimodo was named after the day he was adopted as a baby, Quasimodogeniti.

The word, Quasimodogeniti, is actually several words strung together: Quasi, meaning, “like” or “as”; modo, meaning, “just now”; and geniti, “those having been born.” Quasimodogeniti, “like those just now having been born.” These are the opening words of the traditional Introit for this Sunday, Quasimodogeniti infantes, “Like newborn infants.”

Why is this passage used on the first Sunday after Easter? Why is “like newborn infants” fitting on this day? Because this was the first Sunday a pastor would be speaking to the new Christians who had just been baptized and brought into the church on Easter Day. Now he addresses them as “newborn infants,” just recently having been born again in Holy Baptism. Often catechumens would be instructed during the time leading up to Easter. On Easter Eve they would be baptized, and on Easter morning they would partake of the Lord’s Supper for the first time. In that context, then, how appropriate it would be for them to hear these words the next Sunday: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation–if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

You see? The new Christians are encouraged to grow up in their salvation. They have just been given the new birth in baptism. They have just tasted for the first time the goodness of the Lord at his Table. Now they are encouraged to grow–like the newborn Christians they are, to long for the pure milk of God’s word, and so grow up in Christ.

This verse is taken from 1 Peter, and that’s appropriate for this Easter season. This epistle reads like a pastoral letter to the newly baptized. It has that feel. Many biblical scholars think that may well have been its original purpose: an encouragement to grow for those who have been given the new birth in Holy Baptism. The first verses of 1 Peter 1, the Epistle reading for today, sound that note: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

“God has caused us to be born again.” “Like newborn infants.” This is baptismal language that Peter uses. Newborn, new birth. Jesus speaks this way in John 3: “born again by water and the Spirit.” Paul, in his epistle to Titus, says that God saved us “through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Baptism is that new birth, the washing of water with the word done by the Holy Spirit. Baptism washes away our sins. It gives us new life, the always-being-renewed life the Spirit works through the word. It joins us to the life of Christ. Baptism makes us children of the heavenly Father.

Peter says all this at the start of his epistle. “According to his great mercy” God has given us new birth. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t deserve it. God gave it, as a gift. As little as a baby decides to be born, so little do we decide to be born again. God does the birthing.

What is this a new birth into? It is a new birth “to a living hope.” Before we had no hope. Our lives were hope-less. We had no future to look forward to, only death and the grave. Our sins had wiped out any hope for the future. Only the grim prospect of an eternity spent under God’s judgment. No hope, according to our old birth into this life of sin and death.

But now we have been given a new birth, and it is a birth into hope. A living hope. A life of hope. The hope of the life to come. An always-alive hope, never flickering out. A lively hope, enlivening our days, quickening our steps, lifting our hearts. This is the living hope we have, that God has birthed us into.

It is a living hope “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Easter hope. Resurrection hope. Jesus hope. Our new birth into hope is through the resurrection of Christ. If Christ had not been raised, we would have no hope. But now has Christ arisen. He is risen from the dead. Proof that God has accepted his death as the sacrifice for our sins. Proof that it all has been paid for by his death on the cross, in our place. Christ is risen. Sin has been atoned for. Death has been defeated, once and for all. Christ is risen, and he is the sure hope of our resurrection. Because he lives, we shall live also.

Our baptism joined us to Jesus in his death and resurrection. Baptism is our tomb and our womb. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Sin and death–buried with Christ in that watery tomb. Life and hope emerge from the waters, now that we’re connected to Christ. That’s what you’ve been given in baptism. Now we are Easter people, new-life people, living-hope people. We Christians crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s word, and we receive the life of Christ in the sacraments.

God has given us new birth to a living hope and “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” There is no probate court where this inheritance will come into dispute. Your inheritance cannot be challenged. There is no death tax or estate tax on this inheritance. It’s being kept safe for you, in heaven.

And you are being kept safe, in preparation for that day–you, “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” You have this inheritance waiting for you. You all are co-heirs with Christ. His inheritance is yours. You have God as your Father. You have the rights of sons. You will inherit the riches of heaven. All this is yours, baptized believers in Christ.

So this is the new birth you have been given. New birth to a living hope. New birth to an inheritance in heaven. Now, Peter tells us, as newborn infants in Christ, “long for the pure spiritual milk.”

But this milk–what is it? Our translation calls it “spiritual” milk, but the word “spiritual” doesn’t actually appear in the original text. The Greek word has the idea of “logical” or “reasonable” or “appropriate,” depending on the context of what’s being talked about. In this case, the milk is that which is appropriate for these newborns. And, since we were born again through the word of God, that is the milk that’s suitable for us–God’s word. His gospel word, which not only gave us birth, but also is the milk that nourishes us. The word of God is that “pure spiritual milk.” And so preaching, teaching, the sacraments–these are the means, this is the milk, we need in order to live and flourish. The good news of the mercy of our God–this is the refreshing milk that leaves such a good taste in our mouths. This is the milk that builds us up in the faith, growing us into strong Christians.

Do you remember those commercials by the milk industry that were on TV some years back? The commercial would open with a kid, maybe 10 or 12 years old, saying, “Now I may be short and scrawny, but I’m drinking my milk, and in a few short years. . . .” Then you would see the same kid at about the age of 18 or 20, tall and strong and healthy. And the tagline at the end would say, “Milk: It Does a Body Good.”

Well, the milk of God’s word will certainly do your body good, as well as your soul. With this milk, your soul will grow strong in the faith, and your body will receive the one thing it needs to have eternal health and salvation. And that is very good indeed.

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation–if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” The milk of God’s word is what we need to grow up as strong and healthy Christians. Not that we will ever grow out of longing for the pure spiritual milk. No, we always will have that eager desire. But with that milk, constantly being nourished on God’s word, we will grow strong and healthy in our faith. Our lives as Christians will be enriched and strengthened in every way.

How we need the word and the sacraments–constantly, regularly–to keep us alive and healthy in our Christian faith and life! So, brothers and sisters, long for the milk! Long for God’s word! Eagerly desire it, earnestly long for it, crave the pure milk of God’s word. Don’t let anything stop you. Run after it. Seek it out. Your pastor is here to give you the pure milk of God’s word. Go for it! Go to the Bible classes–we’ve got a new one starting up this Tuesday on Romans. Go to the services of God’s house! Discover the riches in the liturgy. Listen carefully to the sermons. Take God’s word to heart, and let it reshape your life. Run to this altar! Be refreshed here in the Lord’s Supper, and taste that the Lord is good. Be strengthened in faith toward God and in fervent love toward one another. This kind of hunger and thirst is the healthiest craving you will ever have. So yes, milk does do a body good. The pure milk of God’s word will do this body, this congregation, more good than anything else you can imagine.

“Like newborn infants”: Quasimodogeniti. Does the name ring a bell? Sure it does. On this day we are encouraged, “like newborn infants,” to long for the pure spiritual milk of God’s word. And I have a hunch you’ll be back to do just that.

The Resurrection of Our Lord: Easter Day
Sunday, April 9, 2023

“Alleluia! Christ Is Risen!” (Matthew 28:1-10)

“Alleluia! Christ is risen!” (“He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”)

“He is risen indeed!” Why such a joyful response? Because of the glorious good news that Christ is risen from the dead. This good news of the resurrection of our Lord brings joy and gladness to troubled, weary hearts. His resurrection calls forth our joyous response. On this Easter Day, then, the whole church on earth–all across the earth–hears the good news, “Christ is risen,” and we respond, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

But first comes God’s word to us: “Christ is risen.” That’s what the angel said to the women at the tomb: “I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” This great fact of the resurrection is stated in such simple yet profound words. The reality of the resurrection itself is the first thing that grabs our attention. Jesus really did die, he was buried, and he lay in the tomb since Friday. Now on Sunday morning he is alive, risen from the dead!

On that Sunday morning, there was a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on! First, there was a great earthquake, an angel came down, and the stone was rolled away. Then the guards who were assigned to guard a dead man–they started shaking with fear and became like dead men! This was truly an earth-shaking event!

Listen, Jesus Christ is the destroyer of death. He is the Lord of life. By his resurrection, Jesus is declared to be the Son of God in power. Death could not hold him. The grave could not keep him. Our Savior broke the chains of death, and by his resurrection he has brought life and immortality to light.

“I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. . . . He has risen.” This announcement by the angel brings together the two key events at the heart of the gospel: Christ’s death and Christ’s resurrection. On the cross, Jesus finished the work of our redemption. Now his resurrection shows the result of his saving work. The resurrection testifies to the astonishing effect of his atoning sacrifice. You see, on the cross Christ made the perfect sacrifice for all the sins of the whole world.

This is good news for you: The holy precious blood of God’s own Son saves you. God has acted to save you from your sins and the death you deserve. God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, was crucified for you! This is how much God loves you! What grace! What a gift! As a result, God is now at peace with you! God is reconciled to us sinners, because of the sacrifice of his Son. Easter shows that Good Friday did the job. There’s nothing left to be done. It is finished, complete. Christ’s death paid for all our sin and overcame death itself. The crucifixion and the resurrection go together, and they declare the glory and grace of our God. We hear it in the words of the angel: “Jesus who was crucified . . . has risen.”

What’s more, the angel says, “He has risen, as he said.” As he said! Jesus himself had foretold his resurrection. Not only had he predicted his passion–his suffering and death–but with it he promised that on the third day he would be raised to life. The disciples didn’t understand it at the time, but Jesus had told them. Thus the resurrection attests to the truthfulness of all of Christ’s teachings. His words, all of them, are true and trustworthy. They are sound and sure. Indeed, his words are Spirit and they are life. There is nothing more trustworthy for you to rely on. You can stake your life on the words of Christ. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Listen, you may be facing a lot of uncertainty in your life. Health uncertainties. Economic uncertainties. Uncertainties about relationships, about your family. But there is one thing you can be absolutely sure of. And that is the completed work and the trustworthy word of Jesus Christ. Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Amid all the uncertainties of life, we have this solid rock to stand on. Our Lord has promised that he forgives our sins, he gives us eternal life, and he will come again and raise our bodies to live with him forever. This–all of this–is most certainly true!

Friends, you can depend on what Jesus says. Follow him, keep following him and listening to his voice. He will teach you what it means to be his disciple. His words are trustworthy and true, as his resurrection so powerfully demonstrates. “He has risen, as he said.”

Now you would think the angel’s proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection would elicit nothing but pure joy. But our text says that the women “departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy.” Their joy was great, but so was their fear. They weren’t sure what to make of all this, how to put it all together.

But Jesus meets these frightened women and calms their fears. “Greetings!” he says. “Be of good cheer.” Jesus reassures the women with the sound of his familiar voice. He greets them with a word of well-being. And happiness and joy certainly come to these women, now that they see their Lord before them and hear his voice.

And Jesus gives them even more reassurance: “Do not be afraid.” Fear not. The perfect love of Christ drives out our fears. The fear of punishment, the fear of God’s judgment, the fear of death–all these fears are overcome by the comforting voice of our Savior.

Jesus speaks these same words of reassurance to you today: “Greetings! Do not be afraid. I have risen from the dead. I have conquered the grave. I hold the keys of Death and Hades. They are a defeated enemy. Listen, I am not angry with you. God is not angry with you. I have good news for you! You are forgiven. You have life with me. I give it to you freely. Be reassured by my resurrection.”

So great is the grace of our risen Lord! And now he gives the women a message to relay: “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” “Go and tell my brothers.” This he says in reference to his disciples–those same disciples who had deserted him and denied their Lord, in his hour of trial, just a few nights earlier.

Yet Jesus calls them his brothers. Jesus here is speaking pardon for their lack of faith. Jesus is restoring them to his fellowship. Instead of saying, “Forget those guys, they blew it! They were faithless when it came to crunch time”–no, instead of that, Jesus says, “Go and tell my brothers.”

Christ restores his disciples to fellowship. And he does the same for you. Have you wandered from the faith? Have you absented yourself from the fellowship of Christ’s church? Today Jesus is restoring you. He’s calling you back to himself, back to his family, back to his church. Jesus calls unreliable disciples like you and me–he calls us his brothers.

What riches are ours as a result! Martin Luther writes: “If now Christ is our brother, I would like to know what we still lack? Brethren in the flesh have common possessions, have together one father, one inheritance, else they would not be brethren. So we have common possessions with Christ, and have together one Father and one inheritance.”

Brothers and sisters, in Holy Baptism you and I were united to Christ. We were made God’s children. And so we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Our Lord’s resurrection, then, is the guarantee of our own resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection life has been delivered to you in the waters of Holy Baptism.

On this Easter Day, my fellow baptized, take hope in the victory over death that Jesus gives you. You have been raised with Christ to newness of life even now. And, when Christ returns, we will share in his bodily resurrection and the life that lasts forever.

And notice, Christ’s resurrection is a physical, bodily resurrection: The women come up, it says, and take hold of his feet. Ghosts don’t have feet you can grasp. So, likewise, our resurrection at the last day will be a physical, bodily resurrection. Our mortal bodies will be raised and made whole and glorious, never to die again.

Dear friends, today the Lord’s messenger announces the good news of Easter to us: “Jesus who was crucified . . . has risen, as he said.” Today our risen Lord himself cheers us with his presence, his comforting voice speaking his reassuring, restorative words: “Greetings! Do not be afraid. I call you my brothers and sisters.” Hearing these words, what other response could we have but one of joy and worship? This is why we say: “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Today we are joining with all our fellow Christians around the world in one big, joyous Easter worship.

Jesus Christ, our crucified Savior, is risen from the dead. He is here with us now, as we are gathered in his name. Our response? We rejoice. We worship him. We give our Lord the highest honor and praise. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” “Therefore let us joyful be and sing to God right thankfully loud songs of alleluia!”

“Alleluia! Christ is risen!” (“He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”)

Palm Sunday/ Sunday of the Passion
April 2, 2023

“Flourishing Palms” (Psalm 92)

At the start of today’s service, with palm branches in our hands, we sang, “All glory, laud, and honor to You, Redeemer, King.” Today we’re like the crowd that greeted Jesus on his way into Jerusalem: “They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’”

These palm branches befit the praises with which we hail our coming King. Today these palms are fresh and green, just as our worship today is strong and vigorous. But my question this morning is this: How do we keep these palms fresh and green? What’s to keep them from drying out and dying? These palm branches will not stay fresh and green for long, cut off from their source of vitality. Soon they will be dry and dead, and only good for burning into ashes. What’s to keep the same thing from happening to us, spiritually? How do we Christians keep on as “Flourishing Palms”?

Oh, there is an apparent flourishing, a phony flourishing, that the world knows. We read about it in Psalm 92: “The wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish.” This flourishing is that of the wicked, the evildoers. They oppose God and his ways; they reject his word and live for themselves. And these people may prosper. They may do quite well, in fact. A successful career, a nice home, all the trappings of the good life–except that it is life without God. The success of the wicked can seem very appealing to us. After all, the grass is always greener on the other side.

But looks can be deceiving. The psalmist says that the wicked “sprout like grass.” That’s a good comparison, because when the grass appears in Palestine in the spring, its growth is rather rapid. But when the hot weather comes, then the grass dries up and dies. So it is with the wicked. They may flourish for a while, but they will die in the end. “Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever.” Drying and dying, doom and destruction–that would be our destiny apart from God’s grace. The green grass of our self-serving success dries up, and we die under the scorching sun of God’s judgment.

The judgment of God is a fearful, terrifying thing. Look what happened to Jesus. After his triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, Jesus was in a very different type of procession on Friday. On Palm Sunday, he was led into Jerusalem with great honor and glory. On Friday, he is led out of town in disgrace and shame. On Sunday, there were palm branches to greet him. On Friday, there is a crown of thorns for him to wear. On Sunday, there was a large crowd shouting, “Hosanna!” On Friday, there are women wailing and weeping for him.

But as he is being led along the street known as Via Dolorosa, “The Way of Sorrows,” Jesus turns to these sorrowful women and says, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” Why? Because the time is coming when something much worse will happen to you. “For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” In other words, if sinless, innocent Jesus is suffering like this, what will happen to wicked, guilty Jerusalem? If the green tree is getting it, what will happen to the dry wood?

Well, we know what happened to dried-up old Jerusalem. They continued to reject the gospel. They failed to heed Jesus’ warning, and thus they fell under God’s judgment. In the year 70, the Romans leveled the city.

The judgment of God is a fearful, terrifying thing. Thank God that Jesus took that judgment for us! That’s what we especially remember during this Holy Week of our Lord’s Passion: How Jesus went to the cross and died for us, to take the punishment that you and I deserve. “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” For sinners like you and me, Jesus prays for forgiveness. For sinners like you and me, he promises paradise. For you, for me, this righteous man Jesus dies that we might live.

On the tree of the cross, Christ atoned for our sins and gives us his righteousness. Through faith in him, we are counted as righteous before God. Now what the psalmist said of the righteous applies to us: “The righteous flourish like the palm tree.” The palm tree knows a flourishing that the grass does not know. The grass springs up only to die under the hot summer sun. The palm tree continues to flourish all year round. So it is for those who are righteous in Christ. Not only will we survive, we will thrive. Throughout our lives, and even beyond this life, we will flourish forever.

The psalm goes on to say that the righteous “grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” The cedars of Lebanon were renowned for their beauty and their strength. In fact, these were the trees chosen for building the temple in Jerusalem. So when the psalmist says that the righteous will grow like a cedar of Lebanon, I think of two things. One, that the growth God gives us will be a thing of beauty and strength. And two, that this growth happens in the temple, that is, in the place where God gathers his people to live in fellowship with him. So it is that here, in the church, where God is dwelling with his people–this is where God is growing us into those strong and beautiful cedars of Lebanon.

“They are planted in the house of the LORD,” the psalmist says, “they flourish in the courts of our God.” Planted, we flourish. Planted here in the Lord’s house. That means not just visiting occasionally, when the mood strikes or it’s convenient. But planted. Taking up root and residence. I like what one commentator has said about this verse: “Those whose life is rooted in God’s sanctuary flourish in their nearness to God which is a reality in their lives.” Friend, is your life lacking fruit? Then examine your root. Dig your roots in deep here at God’s house. Nourished on Word and Sacrament, you will grow in your faith and your fruit. This is the place where God’s palm trees and cedars get their nourishment. And nourished, you will flourish.

“They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.” Whether you are young or old, God’s promise is true for you your whole life long. A living faith will bear its fruit in your life. You will continue to produce the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Alive in Christ, you will do the good works that come from faith. Like life-giving sap flowing into leaves to keep them fresh and green, so Christ’s life flows into our lives, keeping us spiritually healthy.

And as we flourish, we declare, “The LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” It is always the Lord who is our righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own, nothing to boast about. But the Lord is upright. He is the one we rely on. He supplies us with all that we need in order to flourish.

So back to these palms. Cut off from their source of life, they soon will be dry and dead. What will keep that from happening to us? The life of Christ, flowing into us through Word and Sacrament! Jesus Christ is the source of our life! He is the ever-green tree who gives you life and keeps you growing, even into old age. Connected to Christ, you will bear good fruit in your life. You will flourish like a palm tree, planted in the house of the Lord.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 26, 2023

“Raising the Stakes, Raising Our Sights, Raising the Dead” (John 11:1-53)

Today we come to another of those memorable chapters in the Gospel of John. So far during this Lenten season, we’ve had: John 3, Jesus and Nicodemus; John 4, Jesus and the Samaritan woman; and John 9, Jesus and the man born blind. Now today we have John 11, Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. But that’s not all that Jesus raises, as we will hear. Thus our theme this morning: “Raising the Stakes, Raising Our Sights, Raising the Dead.”

The chapter opens with Jesus hearing a report about his good friend Lazarus: “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” When Jesus hears this, he says: “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” This may remind you of what Jesus said last week about the man born blind: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” In other words, in both cases, Jesus is saying that this bad situation is an opportunity for him to do the work of God for the glory of God.

So you would expect that now, with Jesus hearing this report about his friend Lazarus, and with Jesus saying that this illness does not lead to death and that he, the Son of God, will be glorified through it–you would expect that now Jesus will rush off to see Lazarus and heal him of his illness. You would think. But no. Jesus does just the opposite. He doesn’t go. Instead, he hangs around and waits.

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” Huh? What? This does not make sense. If Jesus loves Lazarus and Mary and Martha so much, why doesn’t he go to them as soon as possible? Why doesn’t he go immediately and heal the poor guy? Imagine the distress the sisters must be going through. They had sent Jesus an urgent request, but he doesn’t respond. What kind of love is that?

Maybe we feel like that sometimes. “Why doesn’t God answer my prayer right away? Why do I have to wait? Why is this taking so long? What’s going on here? Does God really listen to my prayers? Does God really love me? It sure doesn’t look like it.”

That may have been how Mary and Martha felt when Jesus doesn’t show up and their brother dies. Jesus waits around until Lazarus dies. Then he tells the disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.” And he explains he’s not just talking about taking a nap. No, “Lazarus has died,” he says plainly. But he also says that this is not the end of the story: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” This means that Jesus is going to waken him from death.

But this waiting–it’s like he’s trying to make this miracle as difficult as possible: “When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.” But by waiting that long, Jesus will make it clear that Lazarus truly was dead when he raises him. No one could say that Lazarus had merely lapsed into a coma, and so it wasn’t really a miracle. No, Lazarus really was dead. Four days dead.

So this is the first thing that Jesus raises in this story. He’s raising the stakes on the miracle he’s about to perform. It would have been miraculous enough if Jesus had gone right away and healed Lazarus of his illness before he died. But by waiting and not going until Lazarus was already dead, Jesus is raising the stakes. He’s making what he’s about to do that much more amazing and astounding.

Jesus raises the stakes. Secondly, Jesus raises our sights. He raises the sights of Martha regarding the resurrection. Now Martha did believe in the resurrection of the dead. She tells Jesus, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Martha was a pious Jew who knew her Bible. And her Bible–the Old Testament–does indeed teach the bodily resurrection of the dead on the last day. The Jews–most of them, at least, except for the Sadducees–the Jews did believe in the resurrection. And that’s what Martha believes. Good for her. She’s right.

But Jesus wants to raise her sights a bit. He wants her to realize that the resurrection is standing right in front of her, in the person of Christ himself. He tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” In other words, “I can make the resurrection happen right here, right now. I can bring the resurrection in ahead of time. I am the resurrection and the life.”

Then he says, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” What a beautiful and mysterious sentence this is! It sounds like Jesus is saying two opposite things. On the one hand, the believer dies. On the other hand, the believer will never die. How can this be? Well, it’s like this. You and I will die. Our heart will stop beating. Our lungs will stop breathing. We will die. And yet we who believe in Christ will live. We will never die a permanent, eternal death. We will not perish. The physical death of Christians will not put an end to the eternal life that Jesus gives.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” And then Jesus adds a question. He asks Martha, and he asks us: “Do you believe this?” Martha answers with the voice of faith, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” Jesus has raised the sights of Martha, so that now she makes the connection: Because Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God come into the world, he has the power to give life to the dead even now.

Which is what Jesus does next when he raises Lazarus. Jesus goes to the tomb and speaks his powerful, life-giving word: “Lazarus, come out.” It’s a good thing he specifies “Lazarus,” or else all the tombs in the area would have emptied out! Christ’s word has that kind of power. Jesus Christ has life within himself, and he has the power to give life by his mighty word. “Lazarus, come out.” And he comes out. Jesus raises Lazarus.

Friends, this is an advance demonstration of what our Lord will do on the day when he returns. Christ will speak the word and call our dead bodies from the grave. The dead in Christ will rise. And we will rise with glorified, perfectly restored bodies, no longer subject to disease and death. Philippians 3 says, “We await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself.” To demonstrate this ahead of time, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Jesus shows forth, in a remarkable way, the bodily resurrection of the dead that he will bring about by his life-giving word on the last day. “Lazarus, come out.”

Jesus raises Lazarus. Many of those who witness this miracle believe in him, but some go and report this to Jesus’ enemies in the Sanhedrin. This angers them, and they step up their plans to get rid of him. Caiaphas, the high priest, tells the Council members, “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” What Caiaphas meant was, “If we kill Jesus, then the Romans won’t come in and squash our nation and take away our power.” But God was using Caiaphas to speak as an unwitting prophet. “He prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only.” Yes, he would die for the whole world. By his sacrificial death on our behalf, Jesus saves us all from our sins and from eternal death. The evil plans of the Sanhedrin will have wonderful results. By the atoning death of Christ on the cross, our slate is wiped clean, our sins are forgiven, we are at peace with God, and the grave will not hold us.

Even as the grave would not hold Jesus himself. The raising of Lazarus foreshadows Christ’s own resurrection soon thereafter. Which in turn is the firstfruits of the resurrection that you and I will experience on the last day. We who believe in Christ, who trust in him for our salvation, we who are baptized into Christ–we will share in Christ’s resurrection. Death will not hold us.

In this story of the raising of Lazarus, we have seen what Jesus raises. He raises the stakes on his miracle by waiting. He raises the sights of Martha–and he raises our sights–by saying, “I am the resurrection and the life.” And he raises the dead by his mighty, life-giving word, “Lazarus, come out.” And by all this, Jesus raises our hopes. He lifts our eyes toward heaven, and we look forward to what our Lord will do when he returns. And this hope will not disappoint us. Our hope is as good and as sure as Christ’s own resurrection. This hope enlivens our hearts and gives us joy. We live life now with a lively, living hope, even in the midst of sorrows and setbacks, knowing that our future is secure in Christ. Death is not the end for those who trust in Christ. Brothers and sisters, the one who raised Lazarus will raise us as well.