Category: Sermon Page

Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 19, 2023

“Jesus Opens Your Eyes–and Your Tongue” (John 9:1-41)

The Holy Gospel for today is John chapter 9, the story of the man born blind. But he doesn’t stay blind, once Jesus comes along. Jesus does several things for this man: He opens his eyes physically. He opens his eyes spiritually. And he opens the man’s tongue, as well. And the good news is, he does these things for you also. And so our theme this morning: “Jesus Opens Your Eyes–and Your Tongue.”

First, Jesus opens the man’s eyes physically. Now that is really something, isn’t it? Maybe we gloss right over it, because we’ve heard so many stories of Jesus’ miracles. But it really is quite remarkable. Jesus gives sight to a blind man! And not only was the guy blind, he was born blind, blind from birth! He had never had any sight at all his whole life long. There is no question that this is a mighty miracle.

Jesus gives sight to a man born blind. This is a remarkable, miraculous healing. A restoration of creation, back to the way it was in the beginning, before the fall into sin, and ahead to the way it will be when Christ comes again. This healing is a sign of the ultimate healing Jesus will bring: A new creation, restored humanity. The restoration in this case comes ahead of time, as a foretaste, a preview, of what’s in store in the age to come.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came to bring the kingdom of heaven here on earth. He came to bring life and wholeness to fallen man and sin-damaged creation. He did this by going to the cross for the sin of the world. And in his ministry, Jesus showed forth, ahead of time, what the results of his saving work would be–as in this giving of sight to a man born blind. These restorative works of our Lord give us encouragement and hope while we wait for what is not yet here. It’s like saying: “Here’s what’s coming. In fact, I’ll give you a sneak preview.” These miracles thus are signs, signs pointing to who Jesus is and what he came to do and what’s in store for all of us.

Do you realize this? This is the sort of thing that is in store for all of us! Most of you know that last year I had cataract surgery on my eyes. It made my eyesight a lot better. I don’t need glasses anymore to drive. But I still need reading glasses and a lot of light for small print. Plus, I’m 70 years old with creaky knees and various aches and pains. This old body has had its share of wear and tear, and if you are not there yet, you will be. The point is, these bodies of ours only last so long before they stop working entirely.

But Jesus gives us hope for the future–our eternal future! There will come a day when we won’t need glasses of any type anymore. There will come a day when our knees won’t ache and our bones won’t break. There will come a day when the weakness and weariness we experience now will be gone for good. That day is coming, the day when Christ comes again. On that day, our bodies will be raised imperishable, full of vigor and life for eternity.

Jesus gives a sign of that coming wholeness by giving sight to the man born blind. He opens his eyes physically. Jesus puts some mud on his eyes and tells him to wash. He specifies a certain place to wash, the Pool of Siloam. When Jesus attaches his mighty word to ordinary means, great things happen. The man goes and washes and comes back seeing.

You know, we think of John chapter 9 as the story of Jesus healing the man born blind. But the healing itself is taken care of in the first 7 verses. The rest of the chapter, the next 34 verses, is about the investigation into the healing. It’s about coming to faith, in the face of unbelief. It’s about confessing Christ in the face of intimidation.

So there’s more sight still to come. Besides opening the man’s eyes physically, Jesus will open his eyes spiritually. And he will do that as he opens the man’s tongue. The man is placed in situations where he has to speak about what happened to him. He begins to reflect on his experience and who the man might be who gave him sight. This will lead to a second encounter with Christ, when Jesus gives him the gift of faith, spiritual sight.

So the man is healed, and people are curious. How can this be? Is this even the same fella we knew before? This isn’t a scam, is it? No, it’s the same guy. OK, then, what happened? Who healed you? The man tells them. He restates his experience in a straightforward manner: “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” Yeah, straightforward. The magnitude of the miracle speaks for itself. No need to spice it up. The man simply gives witness to what Jesus did for him.

Then he’s hauled before the Pharisees, who are investigating the case. He repeats the same story: “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” This infuriates the Pharisees. They hate Jesus, because he had been going around exposing their hypocrisy. But there’s no denying the power of this miracle. They can’t deal with this. So they channel their rage to the nearest target, namely, the man whom Jesus healed. “What do you have to say about him?” they ask. The man replies, “He is a prophet.” Well, at least he’s on the right track. He knows that Jesus must have power from God. Soon, though, the man will discover that Jesus is even more than a prophet.

After hauling in the man’s parents, too, the Pharisees are stuck. They cannot get around the fact that Jesus really did this miraculous deed. They can’t stand it that people will conclude that Jesus is the Christ. So they bring the fellow back in a second time. They’re grasping at straws now, trying to find something to use against Jesus. But the man stands his ground. He’s not intimidated. He knows what happened to him, and he’s sticking to it: “I don’t know much about this Jesus. What I do know is that he healed me. Now you guys, the religious experts, you ought to be figuring something out here. Only God can heal blind people. Jesus healed me. Therefore God must be with him.”

As the man is testifying to the Pharisees, at the same time the light must be beginning to dawn for him. Jesus opened his eyes physically. He has opened his tongue to speak boldly. And now Jesus is beginning to open the man’s eyes spiritually.

The Pharisees throw the guy out. Jesus hears about this and finds him. He’s got something more to give him. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” Jesus asks. The man replies, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus answers, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” And the man declares, “Lord, I believe.” This is the even greater miracle. Jesus speaks, and great things happen. Faith is created in the man’s heart. His eyes are opened to see who Jesus is. To see what Jesus has come to do: to restore creation and make right what has gone wrong with humanity and the created order. Jesus came to fix all that. This healing is a sign of it. Jesus came so that the blind would see, really see.

You and I have been given this spiritual eyesight. We see Jesus for who he is: one greater than a prophet; the Christ, come from God. Come with healing in his wings. Come to restore humanity, restore creation, restore us poor sinners back to God. Jesus speaks, and great things happen. He has the words of eternal life. He speaks his creative, powerful word to you today: “I give you new life. I give you eternal life. I will give life to your mortal body. I will raise you up at the last day.” Jesus has attached his mighty word to water and applied it to your body. In Holy Baptism he washed you and made you whole, saving both your soul and your body. Jesus attaches his mighty word to bread and wine and gives you his body and blood, blessing you with forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Jesus does all this by dealing with the root cause of all the disability and death in this world, namely, our sin. Oh, not that you can draw a one-to-one correspondence between this particular sin and that particular disability. The disciples tried to make that move at the beginning of the story, but Jesus said you can’t jump to such a conclusion. Indeed, Jesus turns it around: He says that this is an opportunity for him to work, to do his good work of renewing creation. Jesus says he has come to bring light into this sin-darkened world.

But he will do it in a way that seems strange: by taking the sin upon himself. All the hatred and hostility of men who shake their fist at God–those who think they can see but are really blind–Jesus takes all that rage against God and lets it hit him. Those who hate Jesus get him nailed to a cross. And on top of that, at the same time, Jesus takes all of God’s wrath against sinners and lets that hit him too, in our place, on the cross, with the sky turned dark.

But Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. To a man born blind, and to all of us men born blind in sin, Jesus opens our eyes. Now we see the light. And Jesus opens our tongues, too, to confess our faith, even in the face of opposition and intimidation. Now we are bold to tell the world what Christ has done for us: “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

Third Sunday in Lent
March 12, 2023

“The Woman–and the Man–at the Well” (John 4:5-30, 39-42)

Acceptance is a big idea in our culture these days. Every weird subgroup wants to be accepted as normal. More than that, they demand to be celebrated and approved, even if what they’re proud of is really something to be ashamed of. And if you don’t approve, if you don’t celebrate them, then you are a bigot and some sort of “-phobe,” and you need to be canceled.

So the challenge is how to accept people in love without approving of what they’re doing that’s wrong. And our Gospel reading today is a good example. It’s the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, from John chapter 4. “The woman at the well,” she is often called. But our story today is not as much about her as it is about him–Jesus, that is. And so our theme this morning: “The Woman–and the Man–at the Well.”

OK, so, acceptance. It’s natural to want to be accepted. We want people to accept us for who we are. But from time to time we all experience a nagging sense that we are not accepted. There’s this a sense of alienation–whether from others, from God, or maybe even from ourselves. We want to be accepted, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we can find some things in our character and our behavior that are really unacceptable. “I want to be accepted, but if people really knew me for who I am, why would they accept me?” It’s like Groucho Marx once said: “I wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would have me for a member.”

The big question, though, is this: Does God accept me? I mean, really? With all my sins and doubts and selfishness? That’s a good question. And we find the answer in our text. The answer is found in Jesus himself, the man at the well. Jesus does all things well. And he accepts this Samaritan woman, without approving of her sinful behavior or her wrong beliefs. If he can do that with her, he can certainly accept you and me.

Jesus accepts the Samaritan woman. He accepts her in spite of some rather significant obstacles. There were racial and religious barriers, moral and social barriers, that stood in the way.

Jesus accepts her even though she is a Samaritan. The Samaritans were a mixed bag, both racially and religiously. Ethnically, they were not a pure breed. They were a mixture of Jewish and Gentile elements. And that showed up in their religious beliefs and practices. As a result, the Jews looked down on the Samaritans and would not associate with them. But Jesus did. He, a Jewish teacher, strikes up a conversation with this Samaritan woman. He even asks her for a drink, which means he would have to receive water from her water jar.

Jesus accepts the Samaritan woman. But he’s able to do so without compromising the truth. He never expresses approval of the faulty teachings of the Samaritans. In fact, he begins to correct them: “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we Jews worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.” But that doesn’t stop Jesus from accepting the woman herself. Not only does he accept her, he also points her in the direction of the truth. Because the Truth is sitting right there in front of her. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He himself is the salvation that comes from the Jews.

Now how about you? Does Jesus accept you? Yes, he does! He accepted the Samaritan woman, in spite of her faulty theology that needed correction. And he accepts you, even if you don’t have all of your theology perfectly straightened out yet. Some of your personal beliefs and practices need correction, even though you belong to a church that teaches the gospel in its truth and purity. You may have doubts and uncertainties. Nevertheless, take heart. Jesus accepts you, and he will guide you in the way of the truth. Jesus is as committed to you as he was to the Samaritan woman.

Jesus accepts the Samaritan woman even though her racial heritage was mixed and her religion need correcting. Furthermore, Jesus accepts her even though she has led a sinful, immoral life. This woman was living with a man outside of marriage. She was “shacking up” with a guy. And she had had five marriages before that, all of which apparently had failed. So this woman has a load of sin and guilt as she stands there before the Son of God. She knows it, and Jesus knows it too. Yet he accepts her.

At the same time, just as he did not approve of her wrong theology, so Jesus does not approve of her immorality. It wasn’t like he said: “Divorce? Adultery? Living in sin? Oh, that’s OK.” No, no, on the contrary, by telling her that he knows all about her sin, Jesus is leading her to repentance, so that she will see her need for forgiveness. His acceptance of the woman does not mean that he ignores her sins. Instead, he confronts them, so that she will be led to repentance.

How about you? Are you a sinner? Do you bring a load of guilt before God? Then take heart. Jesus accepts you. “This man welcomes sinners,” it says elsewhere in the gospels. “Jesus sinners doth receive,” we sang at the start of this service. And he does something better than tolerating your sin or excusing it. He forgives it.

Now when the Samaritan woman is confronted with her load of sin and guilt, perhaps she wonders where she can go to have her sins forgiven and her guilt removed. The Samaritans said that their mountain, Mt. Gerizim, was the place to go to make sacrifices and sin offerings. The Jews said that it was Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, where the temple was–that was the place to go to get your guilt taken care of. “So which is it, Jesus? You obviously are a prophet sent from God, so you must know.” But Jesus doesn’t send her to either place. For the solution to her dilemma is sitting right there in front of her. Jesus himself, the man at the well–he will remove her guilt from her.

You see, Jesus not only accepts the Samaritan woman, he does something much more. He dies for her. This same Jesus will go to Calvary’s holy mountain, where he will make the atoning sacrifice for her sins. And not for her sins only, but also for your sins and mine and the sins of the whole world. As it says in Romans: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Again, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ died for us sinners. His holy precious blood cleanses us from all our sins. That’s why he forgives us.

Here, make the connection: This man at the well, tired and thirsty at about the sixth hour? There would come another day, also at about the sixth hour–only now this man is on a cross. Once again, he is tired and thirsty. He says, “I thirst.” Friends, Jesus suffered that thirst for you, so that you and I might never be thirsty.

Jesus satisfies a thirst that water from a well can never quench. “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,” he says. Where do you look to quench your thirst? People look in many places to try to satisfy their thirst. The Samaritan woman bounced from one man to the next, trying to find meaning and satisfaction in her life. Where do you look? So many people look in all the wrong places–sex, alcohol, drugs, the new boat, a bigger house–always trying to satisfy their thirst. But nothing seems to fill the bill and do the job. In the end, all you’re left with is a dry and dusty taste in your mouth.

Listen, are you thirsty? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Jesus gives you what you need. He gives you what he gave the woman at the well. He gives you living water. “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Eternal life. The new and abundant life that Jesus freely gives. And it will last forever. “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Jesus gives the Samaritan woman the gifts of God: acceptance, forgiveness, living water, eternal life. The gifts he gives her are so great that it changes her life. It’s so exciting that she leaves her water jar there at the well and goes back into town and starts telling others about the man at the well. Her testimony leads others to believe, to receive the same gifts from God. So it is with us. You and I have received living water from the Savior, and we too want to tell others and share our joy with them. There’s plenty of living water to go around.

My friends, I have good news for you today. The man at the well, Jesus Christ, is here right now, here at this hour. And he is giving you what we all so desperately need: acceptance, forgiveness, living water, eternal life. So, like the Samaritan woman, we also have a testimony to share with our friends and neighbors. For we know that this man Jesus, the man at the well–“this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Second Sunday in Lent
March 5, 2023

“Born Again, Born from Above, Born of Water and the Spirit” (John 3:1-17)

As most of you know, I’ve got a big birthday coming up this week, a milestone birthday, on March 7. But I have an even more important birthday coming up later this year, on September 10. Because it was on that date that I was “Born Again, Born from Above, Born of Water and the Spirit.”

Let me explain. I was born physically on March 7, 1953. That was my birthday according to the flesh. But I was born spiritually on September 10 of that same year. That was my birthday according to the Spirit. That was the day I was baptized. And that’s my more important birthday, because unless you are born again, born from above, born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

So says Jesus in our text, the Holy Gospel from John chapter 3: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” To be able to see and to enter the kingdom of God is the best thing that can happen to you. And that is the “re-birthday” present you receive when you are baptized.

John 3 opens with the visit of Nicodemus to Jesus at night. Nicodemus was a prominent religious leader of the Jews, and he comes to Jesus at night. Perhaps it would not look good for him to be seen with this controversial figure Jesus in public. But Nicodemus is curious, so he comes anyway, even if it’s a bit risky. He wants to find out more.

“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus has been doing some remarkable things, like turning water into wine at Cana and other signs as well, healings and so forth. And Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus must have some sort of authority from God. But for now Nicodemus can only recognize Jesus as a rabbi, a teacher. He does not yet see what those divine signs are pointing to.

This is why Jesus responds: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus does not see, he does not recognize, Jesus himself as the one who brings the kingdom of God into our midst. He will need to see that reality about Jesus if he is to see and know the truth about the kingdom of God.

Same with everybody. It all comes down to “Who is this Jesus fellow?” People may say some nice things about Jesus, that he was a prophet, that he was a good moral teacher, that he was a fine example of holding up under unjust suffering, and so on, and so on. But none of those evaluations goes far enough. Like Nicodemus, we need to have our eyes opened to see the full truth about Jesus.

“Unless one is born again”: That phrase in the Greek could also be translated as “unless one is born from above.” “Born again,” “born from above”: Either translation works. Jesus is saying that this second birth he’s talking about is not simply another earthly birth. No, you need a heavenly birth, one that comes from God. God has to do it. You can’t do it. Look, you didn’t even decide your earthly birth. You didn’t “decide” to be born. How can you decide your heavenly birth? You can’t. In fact, you were dead in your trespasses and sins. Only God can bring you to life.

Your coming to faith in Christ is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. It even says as much in John chapter 1, about those who believe in Christ: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” “Born of God,” “born from above,” “born again”: That’s the birth that you need.

But Nicodemus doesn’t get it yet. He thinks Jesus is talking in riddles: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” It sounds ridiculous to Nicodemus.

So Jesus presses home the point: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Whoa! Now Jesus adds another dimension to what he means by being “born again.” He equates it to being “born of water and the Spirit.” And note, these are not two different acts, like being “born of water” is one thing and being “born of the Spirit” is something else. No, there are some who think that, but they need to look at the Greek a little more closely. Because there is one preposition “of” that governs both of the two nouns, “water” and “the Spirit.” It’s being “born of water and the Spirit” together, in one divine act of God.

Hmm, where else in the Bible do we see water and the Spirit joined together like this? Well, to start with, in the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth. “The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters,” when God spoke creation into existence.

And that same combination of water and the Spirit and the Word happens when God calls a new creation into existence. In Paul’s letter to Titus we read: “[God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” “The washing of regeneration”: “Washing” is a water word; it happens when water is applied to someone. “Regeneration” is a fancy way to say “rebirth,” being born again. And “renewal of the Holy Spirit” means the Spirit is making someone a new creation.

Now let’s put on our thinking caps and think about where and when all that happened together in your life: the washing of water with the Word, the Spirit, new birth. . . . Hey, I see lots of light bulbs appearing over your heads! Yes, that’s right: In your baptism!

In Holy Baptism, God has given you the new birth you need to enter his kingdom. To be baptized is to be born again, born from above, born of water and the Spirit. Through this blessed sacrament, God has raised you up from death to life. God has washed away your sins. He has made you his children. He has given you faith in Christ your Savior. He has sealed you with the Holy Spirit. You are a new creation in Christ!

You and I need this new birth of water and the Spirit. Otherwise, we could rise no higher than our natural birth, and that would surely be a dead end. As Jesus says: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

According to our natural birth in the flesh, we are born sinners, doomed to die. We have inherited the original sin nature passed down from our parents. Like Adam and Eve, who were driven out from the garden, so we would not be able to enter the kingdom of God. God needs to intervene in our lives if that is going to change!

And so thank God that he has! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Listen, God has had mercy on us poor sinners, and he sent Christ Jesus to do the job we could not do. Jesus died the sacrificial death that pays for all of our sins. Jesus was lifted up on the cross, so that everyone who looks to him in faith will be rescued from eternal death and raised to everlasting life. This is for you!

And then all the gifts that Jesus won for you on the cross–forgiveness, life, resurrection, eternal salvation–all these blood-bought gifts are delivered to you in and through the gospel of Christ. God the Holy Spirit did this work on you and in you in Holy Baptism.

“How can these things be?” That was Nicodemus’s question. And it’s our question too: How can this baptismal washing with water do such great things? The “how” is because of who God is. He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. And the “how” is because of what God’s mighty, creative, powerful Word does. His Word is efficacious; it does what it says. His Word delivers what it promises. And when God attaches his creative Word to the water of Baptism, a miracle happens: Dead sinners are raised to new and eternal life. The Holy Spirit works saving faith in our hearts. Brothers and sisters in Christ, praise God that you and I have been born again, born from above, born of water and the Spirit!

First Sunday in Lent
February 26, 2023

“To Be Tempted by the Devil” (Matthew 4:1-11)

The Holy Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent is always an account of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. This year it’s the account from Matthew chapter 4. Today we will see how the devil operates, and we’ll see how Jesus overcomes his schemes. This has relevance for our lives, because the devil comes at us with the same sorts of temptation. And so now let’s see what it’s like “To Be Tempted by the Devil.”

Our text begins at the beginning of Matthew chapter 4. Obviously, right before this is the end of Matthew chapter 3. And there we have the account of Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit comes to rest on Jesus, and the Father’s voice comes from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Then in the very next verse, here at the start of chapter 4, it says: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Notice that: The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness . . . in order to be tempted by the devil! Well, that’s a little weird, isn’t it? But here’s the reason: By Jesus now being tempted by the devil, God is finally going to have an obedient son who stays faithful and successfully overcomes the devil’s temptations. Adam didn’t do it; he failed the test. Israel didn’t do it; they failed the test. But Jesus will do it; he will pass the test, and with flying colors. So now the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness for that purpose.

Jesus was led “into the wilderness” for this test. Adam and Eve were in the garden when the devil tempted them. They failed the test and fell into sin. The nation of Israel was coming through the wilderness when they failed their test. As a result, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years.

So now Jesus is going to do a “re-do” and get it right. For Israel, it was forty years in the wilderness. For Jesus, it will be forty days: “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

“He was hungry.” Adam and Eve were tempted through food. They were tempted to eat of the fruit of the tree from which the Lord had told them not to eat. Even though God had given them all the other trees from which to eat, the devil tempted them to eat from that one tree they weren’t supposed to eat from. But it looked so good for food! It seemed so delightful and desirable!

The nation of Israel, likewise, was tempted through food. They kept grumbling and grousing about not having the food they had back in Egypt. And they grumbled and groused about the food that the Lord was supplying them with there in the wilderness.

Well, the devil figures: “It worked with Adam and Eve, it worked with Israel, so now I’ll try tempting Jesus with food.” Remember, after fasting, Jesus was very hungry. The devil comes to him and says, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

Now, as the Son of God, Jesus was certainly able to turn stones into bread. It was within his power to do so. In fact, think of it: Later on, Jesus will have no problem turning a few loaves into enough bread to feed thousands of people. But in the feeding of the multitude, there would be nothing wrong with Jesus’ doing so. Here, though, in the temptation in the wilderness, it’s a different story.

And here it has to do with the question of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Notice that the devil starts out by saying, “If you are the Son of God.” Now I should point out something about this “if” clause, “If you are the Son of God.” There are a couple of ways to do an “if” clause in Greek. One way would be to write it so that it means, “If you were the Son of God, which you aren’t, you could turn these stones into bread.” But that’s not what the devil is saying. There is a way to write it in Greek with that meaning, but this isn’t that. The devil is not denying the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. No, he’s conceding the fact that Jesus is God’s Son. After all, Jesus had just been affirmed as God’s Son by the Father at his baptism: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

You see, the devil’s approach is rather subtle. It goes something like this: “OK, Jesus, you just heard the Father call you his beloved Son. But if you’re so ‘beloved,’ then why is he letting you starve out here in the wilderness? You deserve better than that! Look, you’re the Son of God! Use that! Go with that! You know you can change these stones into bread. What would be so wrong with doing that? Food is good. And you know you need it. So go ahead, turn these stones into bread. You are God’s Son, after all.”

The devil is crafty and cunning in his temptations. He doesn’t usually take a head-on approach. More likely, he comes at things from the side. He wears down our resistance little by little. It’s a more subtle approach that the devil prefers. So here the temptation is for Jesus to use his status as God’s Son for his own benefit, to his own advantage. The temptation is to satisfy his own desires, rather than to do the will of his Father. “If you are the Son of God” is more like “Since you are the Son of God, go ahead and do whatever you like.” “If you are the Son of God”: “Okay, your Father says you’re his beloved Son. But then why is he letting you be deprived like this?” That’s how the devil operates.

How does the devil work on you? What does he whisper in your ear? I’m guessing he doesn’t usually come right out and say, “Hey, listen, renounce your faith, curse God, and come join me in hell for eternity.” No, that would be a little too obvious. Instead, the devil comes at us kinda soft and smooth-like: “Listen, Christian, you’re God’s child, aren’t you? And God must want the best for his children, shouldn’t he? So if there’s something you want to do, something you want to have–well, you should be able to get it or do it. Oh, within reason, of course. No big sins. No, just be able to satisfy your desires, that’s all. Look, God is in the forgiveness business, isn’t he? So just go ahead and do you want. And if it’s a little on the sin side, then you can repent later on. God will understand. God will forgive you. After all, you’re God’s child, aren’t you?”

Yeah, that’s how the devil operates. Subtle and crafty. Not an all-out frontal assault. More from the side. An incremental breaking-down of barriers. Friends, if you’re like me, you know how often we fall for the devil’s tricks and traps. We’re like Adam and Eve. We’re like the children of Israel. Unfaithful, disobedient. If we continue down that road, we will wind up being driven out of the garden and die in the wilderness.

But thank God, Jesus came and rescued us from that dead end. Jesus came as our Champion, taking on the devil in mortal combat. And Jesus prevailed. He carried the day. Tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread, Jesus replied: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” And so on down the line, through all the temptations. Jesus is the one faithful Son who gets it right.

You see, the devil is trying to divert and distract Jesus from carrying out his mission, which is to go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. If the devil can stop Jesus right at the outset, he’s got it made. That’s what this temptation in the wilderness is about: to see what kind of a Son Jesus will be. Will he be the faithful and obedient Son? Or a Son who uses his power for his own benefit, instead of doing the will of his Father? Because if Jesus did that, he wouldn’t go through with the suffering the cross would entail. And then we would be lost forever.

Thank God, Jesus passed the test. And he would continue faithful, all the way to the cross. For instance, when Jesus told the disciples he would be going to Jerusalem to suffer and die, Peter objected, “No, no, Lord! Certainly nothing like that for you!” But Jesus told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!”–the same thing Jesus had told Satan here in our text! And when Jesus was hanging on the cross, people were taunting him with words just like the devil’s: “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” But no, Jesus would not yield to that temptation, either. The cross was what Jesus was sent to do, and he would not be diverted. Instead, he was determined. Jesus is the faithful Son of God, the one who does his Father’s will. Yes, brothers and sisters, Jesus is the very Son of God, who shed his blood for your forgiveness! Now you will not die forever, but rather you will have eternal life!

Satan was very crafty with his “If you are the Son of God” approach. But Jesus will not use his status as Son in a way that will take him away from his mission. He’s got a job to do, which is to be the Savior of all the people here in this room. And of all the people in the world. Jesus knows his identity. He’s secure in his sonship. And nothing will shake him from his course.

And now you, dear Christian, you who hear me today: Rejoice that you have such a Savior! Take refuge in him. Realize who you are in Christ. Your identity is wrapped up in him. You are a baptized, beloved child of God. You have life in Jesus’ name. And because you do, you will find strength to resist the devil when he comes whispering in your ear. Remember who you are, and whose you are. In Christ, you are God’s beloved child. And so you can tell that old devil: “Be gone, Satan! Get lost and leave me alone! My Lord Jesus Christ has already defeated you, and I take refuge in him.”

The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Sunday, February 19, 2023

“The Transfiguration Transition” (Matthew 17:1-9)

Today we’re celebrating the Transfiguration of Our Lord, that day up on a mountain when our Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured, that is, his appearance was changed. This event marked a transition–a turning point, a pivot point–in our Lord’s ministry. And that’s why this Transfiguration festival today marks a transition–a turning point–in the church year, as well. The Transfiguration of Our Lord comes as the climax of the Epiphany season, and at the same time it serves as a transition into the season of Lent, which begins on Wednesday. In this way, the church year mirrors the life of our Lord. Thus our theme for this morning; “The Transfiguration Transition.”

Our text is the Holy Gospel, from Matthew 17. Today we’ll see how the position of this event in the context of the entire gospel narrative–and therefore the position of this festival in the context of the whole church year–serves to lead us from the Epiphany season into Lent. And, dear friends, today you’ll see how all of this works for you, to strengthen your faith in your Savior, who is transfigured in glory before he heads to the cross.

First of all, let’s start with the event itself in the life of Jesus. Jesus has been at his ministry for some time now, and he takes three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, up on a high mountain. Suddenly, Jesus’ appearance changes–that’s what the word “transfiguration” means, a change in appearance. “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” Listen, this is no mere earthly glory that Jesus is manifesting. This is heavenly glory, the light of Christ’s divine majesty and purity shining forth.

Next, there appears with Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Why those two? Why Moses and Elijah? These are two important figures from Israel’s past, and God is bringing them back for this special occasion. Moses and Elijah, the two most outstanding prophets from Israel’s history. Moses, from the section of the Hebrew Scriptures called the Law. Elijah, from the section called the Prophets. As Paul says in Romans, “The Law and the Prophets bear witness to the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ.” And so here are Moses, from the Law, and Elijah, from the Prophets, bearing witness to God’s righteousness in Christ by appearing with him at the Transfiguration.

Moses and Elijah: Each of them had had their own mountaintop experience in which they caught a glimpse of God’s glory. Now Peter, James, and John are having that same type of mountaintop experience, as Jesus is transfigured before their eyes. This is an epiphany, a brilliant manifestation of Christ’s glory as the holy Son of God.

What happens next is a further attestation to Jesus as God’s own Son. A bright cloud overshadows them, the cloud of God’s glory. A voice comes from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” God the Father is bearing witness to his Son. Peter, James, and John are to know, beyond a doubt, that their teacher is none other than the Son of God: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” These are the same words that the Father spoke at Jesus’ baptism. And now he adds: “Listen to him.” The disciples are to know–and we are to know–that the words of Jesus are words to listen to and take to heart. “Listen to him.”

Peter had wanted to put up three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses, one for Elijah. But this is to be no triumvirate of three equal parties. One is here who is greater than Moses. One is here who is greater than Elijah. The disciples are to know that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of Israel’s history. Jesus is the one whom Moses and Elijah were pointing ahead to. And so, in a moment, when Peter, James, and John lift up their eyes, they no longer see Moses and Elijah. They see no one but Jesus only. As Hebrews says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”

So that is the Transfiguration event itself. Now how does it fit into the context of the gospel narrative, and into the context of the church year? And how does all of this benefit us?

Well, the Transfiguration event fits into the gospel narrative like this: In the first part of the gospel, Jesus manifests his glory as the Son of God. He begins his public ministry by going about preaching, teaching, and healing. In his preaching, Jesus calls people to repentance, announcing that the kingdom of heaven is now at hand. The kingdom has arrived in the person of Jesus himself. In his teaching, Jesus unfolds the true meaning of God’s law, its intent and its extent, that we cannot hide from the law’s accusing finger. We all need a righteousness better than anything we can muster on our own. Jesus’ words are words of wisdom, words of divine authority. His words have the authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, and calm storms. Jesus calls men to be his disciples: “Come, follow me.” All of his early public ministry points to Jesus as being the Son of God come in the flesh, come to do the will of the one who sent him.

And so Jesus’ early Galilean ministry is what we’ve been tracking through this Epiphany season. Beginning with the Baptism of Our Lord, we’ve been following Jesus throughout this season, hearing his preaching and teaching, witnessing his signs and wonders–manifestations of his divine wisdom and authority. Through the Epiphany readings, we come to know who Jesus is. He is the Son of God. The Epiphany season has made this quite clear.

Notice how this whole season has been bracketed. At the beginning of the Epiphany season, at the Baptism of Our Lord, the liturgical color was white, and in the Gospel reading we heard the voice of the Father say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Now today, at the conclusion of the Epiphany season, at the Transfiguration, the liturgical color again is white, and once again we hear the Father’s voice: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” A perfect inclusio, a brilliant bracketing, at the start and end of the Epiphany season. There is no question who this Jesus is. He is God’s beloved Son.

And that’s what’s so significant for what follows in the gospel narrative and in the church year. For from this point on, Jesus is going to Jerusalem. He’s going to Jerusalem, not to take up a throne, there in the city of the kings, but rather to take up a cross, in the city that kills the prophets. And so that is the shift that takes place now, both in the gospel and in the church year. Lent begins this Wednesday, a season in which the skies will darken, even as the days lengthen. Jesus is on a journey to Jerusalem, there to suffer and to die.

Why is he going there? He’s going there to suffer and die for you. For your sins, the Son of God will take up that cross. Jesus will die on that cross for you and for me and for all the sinners of the whole world. That’s everybody. Dear friends, this is God’s mercy in action: Jesus dying for sinners. Jesus shedding his holy blood to obtain forgiveness for you, to wash away your sins. Gone is the stain of guilt that would accuse you and condemn you. Because Jesus has paid the price for all of that.

And that’s the point. That’s why Transfiguration works so well as the transition from Epiphany into Lent. That’s why the Transfiguration serves as the pivot point in the gospel narrative. In the early chapters of the gospel and in the weeks of the Epiphany season, we see Jesus showing forth his glory as the Son of God. The Transfiguration, then, serves as the culmination, the climax, of Jesus manifesting his glory as the Son of God.

And at the same time, the Transfiguration works to transition us into Lent. Now we know who it is who will go to the cross for us. “Listen to him,” the Father says to the disciples, “listen when Jesus tells you that he must go up to Jerusalem, to be rejected and handed over, to suffer and be killed at the hands of sinful men.” Yes, listen to him! This is not easy to hear, but it is necessary that you know this. This journey to Jerusalem is necessary, it is essential to God’s plan to redeem sinful mankind. There is no Plan B.

This glory that Jesus displays at his Transfiguration–this is the same glory that God’s Son had in the beginning with the Father. And it’s the same glory he will return to, once he has completed the saving mission for which he came. After Christ dies for the sins of the world, the Father will raise up his beloved Son on the third day.

And guess what, beloved? No, don’t guess; know this for sure: You who believe in Christ, you will share in his resurrection. You will be with Christ, sharing eternal life with him. You are baptized. You believe in Christ. You’re trusting in him alone for your salvation. Yes, Jesus only: No one else can do what he does. Jesus, the only Savior for sinners, dying for your forgiveness, rising for your eternal life. Jesus only, God’s beloved Son, with whom he is well pleased. And when you’re connected to Christ, God is well pleased with you, also. Friends, lift up your eyes and, like those disciples, you also will see Jesus only.

Today the Transfiguration serves as the transition from Epiphany into Lent, from Christ’s glory to his Passion. Because it is through his Passion that Christ our Lord will bring us with him into glory.