Category: Sermon Page

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 23, 2022

“What Jesus Has Been Anointed and Sent to Do” (Luke 4:16-30)

Here’s a question: What did Jesus come to do? Today Jesus himself tells us. He’s at church, and he stands up to read the Old Testament Reading–well, actually, they were all Old Testament readings at that point. He reads it, and then he says, “This is about me.” Boom! Mic drop. Jesus’ ministry, described in a few short lines. Oh, and you’re included in this text. So listen now, as we hear “What Jesus Has Been Anointed and Sent to Do.”

The situation is this: Jesus has been baptized in the Jordan, and now it’s some weeks later. He’s come back to Galilee, back in his hometown of Nazareth. “And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.” Jesus unrolls the scroll and finds the text he’s going to speak on. It’s from Isaiah 61, and this is what he reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

This text from Isaiah 61 describes perfectly the ministry of Jesus Christ, the great messianic office he was called to carry out. This is what he was anointed to do, this is what he was sent to do, for you. Your very salvation is described in the words of this text.

This prophecy from Isaiah is written as coming from the mouth of the Messiah. That it is the Messiah, the Christ, is clear from these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me.” In ancient Israel, certain kings and priests and prophets were anointed. They literally had oil poured over their heads–that’s what it means to “anoint.” This anointing marked them out, set them apart, as God’s choice. God was pouring out his blessing and power upon them. The Lord was pouring out his Spirit to empower them to carry out their office. Remember how young David was anointed for his office as king.

Well, God had promised King David that one day one of his sons, one of his descendants, would sit on his throne as the great once-and-for-all king for God’s people, to reign forever over an eternal kingdom of blessing. This promised son of David, the end-time king who would undo all the woes and miseries that we suffer–this promised deliverer that God’s people looked forward to became known as the Messiah, the Christ–literally, the Anointed One. The question was, who would he be and when would he come?

Now in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus is reading this messianic prophecy: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me.” Okay, the people are thinking, he’s reading about the Messiah to come. Fine. But when Jesus finishes the reading, he says, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” What does he mean by that? “Fulfilled in your hearing”? “Today”? Yes, that’s what he said. But how can Jesus say that it’s fulfilled today here in Nazareth, in this synagogue? Is Jesus claiming to be. . . ?

The Messiah? Yes, Jesus is saying that he is the Messiah! That’s the point. That’s why he’s quoting this Scripture and saying it is now fulfilled in him. As astonishing as it must have sounded, it is absolutely true. Remember what happened when Jesus was baptized. The heavens were opened, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, and the Father’s voice said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” You see, Jesus’ baptism was his anointing into his messianic office. And so now Jesus says, quoting Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me.” The Father was sending forth his Son to do his will, to be the divine deliverer sent to rescue us from our misery. That’s why Jesus says, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus is declaring that he is the Messiah. But he is not anointed to hold an office just to hold an office. Jesus is the Christ not for his own sake, but for yours. His anointing has a purpose. It’s stated right here in what Jesus reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” “To proclaim good news to the poor”: That’s what he came to do. Jesus has good news to proclaim. And the people he comes to proclaim it to are the poor.

What does it mean to be “poor” in this sense? It’s not necessarily talking about your bank account. But the poor are those who realize their poverty before God. The poor are those who recognize they have no resources of their own to rely on when it comes to their standing before God. It’s like Jesus says in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Are you poor? Do you realize and recognize your lack? Do you sense your need for a righteousness you don’t have in yourself? Do you feel your need for forgiveness? This is a need only God can supply. You have no righteousness of your own to boast of before God. Is there an emptiness in your soul that only God can fill? The gas tank is on empty, the bank account shows a negative balance–that’s what it means to be poor before God.

Is that you? Then I have good news for you today: Jesus of Nazareth has good news for you today! Jesus has been anointed to proclaim good news to the poor, and that’s you! He has a blessing to confer upon you today. Jesus is proclaiming, today in your hearing: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” Then the text goes on to say the same thing in several different ways: “He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” “He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives.” This recalls the Babylonian Captivity. The people of Judah had been conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar and were taken captive to Babylon. They were hauled off to live there as exiles. Finally, Babylon itself was defeated by Persia, and their king, Cyrus, issued an edict that the captives were now free to go home. Back to Judah, back to Jerusalem, back to the Promised Land! What a joy and relief that Edict of Cyrus must have been! “To proclaim liberty to the captives”!

In an even greater way, this is what King Jesus came to do. He has an edict of his own to issue. Jesus has defeated the powers that held us captive–sin, Satan, death, and hell. Jesus won the victory over our enemies by his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. Our Babylonian Captivity is over! Jesus proclaims liberty to the captives, and now we are on our way home, heading for the Promised Land of heaven.

Our text continues–Jesus continues: “He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” All this is the good news Jesus proclaims to the poor, each phrase expressing the same wonderful reality, each with its own shade of meaning. “Recovering of sight to the blind”: When Jesus opens our eyes, we begin to see straight. We now can view God aright. We see that he is our merciful and loving Father. We even can see our neighbor as God sees him, which is, as someone to love.

“To set at liberty those who are oppressed”: Are you broken and crushed by all the grief and misery we experience in this world? Sickness and sorrow, conflict and confusion, death and dysfunction–they all press down upon us. Jesus comes to set us free from our oppression, free from all the misery we endure in this vale of tears. God’s mercy meets our misery in the person of Jesus Christ. There is refreshment now. There is healing and wholeness and complete restoration on the way. We will experience it in full on the day when Christ returns.

Jesus wraps up the reading from Isaiah by saying he was sent “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” This language recalls the “Year of Jubilee” in ancient Israel. Every fifty years, all debts were canceled, all slaves were released. Everyone got a clean slate, a fresh start. It was the year of the Lord’s favor, the time when his grace set everything right. The Year of Jubilee pointed ahead to what Jesus would fulfill. In Christ, all your debts are canceled, your slate is wiped clean, because of the forgiveness won for you by Christ on the cross. Jesus brings in the year–the unending years–of God’s great grace and favor.

Dear friends, today we have heard what Jesus has been anointed and sent to do. His entire ministry is summed up in the words he reads from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” These marvelous words of grace are coming from Jesus’ mouth today straight into your ears. And what makes them so marvelous is that Jesus actually accomplished the things he set out to do. And now he delivers them to you for you to receive and rejoice in. Therefore I can say to you today, with full confidence: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Second Sunday after the Epiphany
January 16, 2022

“The Sign of the Water into Wine at the Wedding” (John 2:1-11)

“This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory.” It was a sign. The thing about a sign is, you need to be able to read it and know what it means. A sign points to something beyond itself. So, what does this sign point to? What does it tell us? Let’s find out now, about “The Sign of the Water into Wine at the Wedding.”

The sign that we’re looking at today is Jesus changing water into wine at the wedding at Cana. It tells us about who Jesus is. It points to his character, his identity as the Son of God, and his office as the Messiah. It tells us about his mission, what he came to do for us men and for our salvation. It tells us about the kingdom Jesus inaugurates and how he’s going to bring it about. So this, the first of his signs, is “significant” in the truest sense of the term. It tells us about who Jesus is and what he came to do and what this means for us.

Most of us are familiar with the basics of the story itself. There’s a wedding going on at Cana. Jesus’ mother is invited, as are Jesus and his disciples. The wedding feast is going on, but they run out of wine. Empty shelves. I guess there was a problem in the supply chain there too! Jesus’ mother intervenes. She asks her son for help. He agrees. What he’s about to do will demonstrate why he, the Son of God, has come from heaven to earth. It will be a sign pointing to his purpose and mission. So Jesus tells the servants to fill some large jars with water and then draw some out and take it to the man in charge of the feast. They do what Jesus says, and, lo and behold, the water is turned to wine. And not just any old wine, but the very best quality wine.

That’s the story in bare outline. Clear enough. Jesus has the authority and ability to do some pretty impressive stuff. He has power that only God could have, or someone sent from God. It’s like he’s the Lord of creation. Which he is! This sign does tell us that much. But is there more? Does it point to anything else about who Jesus is and what he came to do? I think it does. The nature of the miracle, the setting, the circumstances of how it takes place–these tell us some wonderful things about Jesus.

First, the miracle takes place at a wedding. That is significant. Weddings back then, as now, can be big, elaborate affairs. People pull out all the stops for a wedding feast. No expense is spared. I can bear witness to that: My daughter Anna just got married! For a wedding feast, you want only the best. Top quality. Everything’s got to be just right.

That’s the way it is with Jesus. Only the best. “You have kept the good wine until now,” it says. Jesus brings the best stuff. It’s the real deal. It does not come cheap. Oh, it does come free, for us. But it does not come cheap. The blessings Jesus bestows come at great expense. His own. Christ has redeemed me “not with gold or silver, but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death.” The cost was precious, full of great price. God’s own Son shed his blood for us on the cross. Nothing could be of greater value than that. Jesus providing the best wine at the wedding points us to that fact.

A wedding is as joyous an event as we have in this world. It signals the start of a new life together for the couple. It promises new life to come in the hope of children, a new family that is forming. A new future, great joy–these are the hopes that come with a wedding.

That’s the way it is with Jesus. This sign tells us that too. Jesus brings great joy, the highest joy we can imagine. He gives us new life. Hope for the future. Everlasting life. Even death will not part us. Jesus puts us into a new relationship with God. He puts us into a new relationship with one another, by bringing us into his family, the church.

It’s no accident that Jesus does this sign at a wedding feast. The Bible uses the image of a wedding banquet many times to describe what God has in store for his people. Jesus often compares the kingdom of heaven to a wedding banquet. The Book of Revelation talks about the marriage supper of the Lamb in his kingdom, which will have no end. And Jesus gives us a foretaste of that feast to come right here in his blessed Sacrament.

The sign of the water turned to wine takes place at a wedding feast. What this sign points to, then, is that Jesus pulls out all the stops, he spares no expense, to bestow his gifts on us. This sign points us to the great joy that Jesus brings and the new life and the new family that he creates. A wedding feast is the best event in this life to convey pure joy. So Jesus chooses just such an occasion to tell us something about what he has come to do.

That’s where the wine comes in. Wine is a drink common to all cultures, and it has the universal meaning of joy. Wine gladdens the heart, the Bible says. Again, that’s the way it is with Jesus. He brings real joy to our souls. The very best joy, even as Jesus provides the very best wine. “You have kept the good wine until now.”

But there’s even more going on here with the sign of the wine. For by it, Jesus is fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the arrival of the messianic age. For example, Joel 3:18: “And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine.” Amos 9:13: “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when . . . the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.” Isaiah 25:6-8: “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever.”

These Old Testament prophets were saying that the days were coming when there would be an inbreaking of the messianic age into our world, a time of great blessing, and with it victory over death. And what would the sign of its arrival? A great abundance of wine.

Well, guess what? Here it is! The sign of the wine is announcing that. The messianic age has arrived; the Messiah is here. Remember, this is at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry; it was his first sign. The Messiah signals his arrival by providing a superabundance of wine. Six big water jars, filled to the brim, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. That comes to 120-180 gallons! A superabundance of wine, just as the messianic prophecies predicted. Jesus is saying by doing this sign, “Today those Scriptures are fulfilled in your presence.”

But that leads us to one more thing about this sign. It’s about those six stone water jars. Six stone water jars “for the Jewish rites of purification,” it says. Now, why does John tell us that detail? He didn’t have to. Why does he?

Well, think about it. It fits with a theme of Jesus replacing and surpassing the things of the Jewish religion. He replaces and surpasses the Old Testament tabernacle. Jesus is the Word made flesh who “tabernacles” among us. He replaces the Old Testament sacrifices. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus replaces the temple: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up,” he says, talking about his own crucified and risen body.

So also here, with these six stone jars for the Jewish rites of purification. Jesus himself replaces and surpasses those means of purification. For the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin. Note that Jesus says, “My hour has not yet come.” But it will come, that hour when he sheds his blood for our cleansing. His hour will come, the hour of his suffering and death. Do you need cleansing? Do you need purification? You have it in the blood of Christ! By faith in Christ, wash your robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb! There is your cleansing, there is your purification, my friends!

“This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” Can you read the sign? This sign manifests, it shows forth, three glorious things about who Jesus is and what he comes to do. First, it happens at a wedding feast, an occasion of great joy, befitting the joyous nature of his kingdom. Second, Jesus supplies a superabundance of wine, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies and bringing in the messianic age of blessing. Third, Jesus replaces and surpasses the old rites of purification with the new wine that he provides, his holy precious blood for our cleansing and purification.

Oh, and there’s one more thing that this sign says: The banner over this banqueting house says, “FOR YOU!”

The Epiphany of Our Lord/ The Baptism of Our Lord
Sunday, January 9, 2022

“Epiphany, Baptism, and a Tale of Two Herods” (Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 3:15-22)

Every year, the Epiphany of Our Lord always falls on January 6, which was this past Thursday. The Gospel reading for Epiphany is the visit of the wise men, from Matthew 2. On the first Sunday after the Epiphany, which is today, we always observe the Baptism of Our Lord. And this year the Gospel reading is the account from Luke. This past Thursday, we had to cancel our Epiphany service. So now today, I decided to combine the readings for the two services, the Epiphany of Our Lord and the Baptism of Our Lord, into one message around a common theme: “Epiphany, Baptism, and a Tale of Two Herods.”

Two Herods? Yes, there is a Herod mentioned in both readings. In Matthew, it is Herod the Great. In Luke, it is his son, Herod Antipas. What they have in common is, they both are nasty dudes, powerful rulers who don’t like having their authority challenged. Both Herods will squash any opposition, even if it means killing them. Like father, like son.

First, Herod the Great, who ruled at the time of Jesus’ birth. Soon, wise men from the east come to Jerusalem, and they have a question for Herod: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews.?” Well, probably not the wisest question to ask the current king. “Where is the guy who’s going to replace you?” This does not sit well with Herod. He wants to eradicate this threat to his power. So he comes up with a scheme that will lead him to this upstart usurper, so he can get him out of the picture. He will use the wise men to locate the child for him, on the pretense that he too wants to go worship him. Of course, what he really wants to do is to kill him. Look, the powers of this world do not like it when their authority is threatened. They will go to extreme lengths to snuff the threat out.

And so the wise men set out to find the one born king of the Jews. The prophecies say the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, and to Bethlehem they go. They are guided by the star God provided to lead them to the place where the child was. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Notice, it doesn’t just say, “they rejoiced.” It doesn’t just say, “they rejoiced exceedingly.” Not even, “they rejoiced exceedingly with joy.” No, it says, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Why such exceedingly great joy? Because the star is leading them to an exceedingly great Savior! The prophecies of the Messiah tell of one who will be king not only of the Jews but of Gentiles also. These wise men, visitors from pagan lands to the east, will be included in his kingdom of blessing. They find the infant king. They fall down and worship him. “Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Costly gifts. Gifts fit for a king.

This child, the Christ, is the world’s true king. The powers of this world think that they are in charge, and so they want to get him out of the picture. That’s what Herod tried. But God had other plans. The wise men were warned not to return to Herod. So then Herod tried plan B. He had all the baby boys in Bethlehem slaughtered, figuring he’d get the one born king of the Jews in the process. But that didn’t work either. God had other plans.

Well, that was the first Herod, Herod the Great. Now we fast-forward about thirty years, and we come to his son, Herod Antipas. This Herod was no better than his father. He took his own brother’s wife to be with him, and he did a whole lot of other nasty deeds besides. So what did John the Baptist do about this? As a true and fearless prophet of God, he called Herod on it. John spoke truth to power, and it cost him. Herod threw John in prison.

But before John was arrested, he had time in his ministry to point people to a greater king: “He who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” John is talking about Jesus, of course. Jesus is the mightier one, who comes bringing both salvation and judgment with him–salvation for those who take refuge in him, but end-time judgment for those who refuse to repent, who think they don’t need a Savior. And that judgment will fall even on the most powerful rulers of this world.

The rulers of this world assert their power, and they persecute those who worship the Christ. They make their plans and their schemes, but in the end they will not prevail. As the psalmist says: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

Even so, even though they will not triumph in the end, the powers of this world will lash out at those who belong to Christ. We seem threatening to them, because we do not bow the knee to their supposed superiority. The god of this world right now, at least in Europe and North America, is secularism, which means, living without particular religious beliefs and practices. “Organized religion” is seen as the great enemy. That’s a put-down, by the way. “Oh, I don’t believe in organized religion.” See, it’s okay to be “spiritual,” whatever that means, but “religious”? That’s right out.

So Christians, because we make church a priority . . . because we believe in moral standards of right and wrong and call sin “sin” . . . because we do not worship the gods that the world worships, false gods like money and entertainment and pleasure . . . because we believe that Judgment Day is coming and there is only one Savior who can help us on that day, and that is Jesus Christ–for these reasons, the world hates us and wants to at least marginalize and mock us, if not outright kill us. By our very existence we are challenging their authority. Like the wise men, we worship and bow down only to one king, Jesus.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the king who is greater than all the kings of this world. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the only king we worship. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Friends, take refuge in the Son of God. He will protect you. The world will do its worst, but Christ Jesus will do his best for you.

Think of what Jesus has already done for you! The wise men called the one they were looking for the “king of the Jews.” When will he be called that again? The one born king of the Jews will die “king of the Jews” also. That’s the title Pilate placed over Jesus’ head when he was crucified. “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” On a cross. You can find this king hanging on a cross, wearing a crown of thorns. There you will see your Savior, shedding his holy blood to win your forgiveness and your salvation.

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” You can look in a tomb, but you won’t find him there anymore. Our king is alive and reigning forevermore. And he will share with you, all you who believe in and are baptized into Christ–he will share with you his resurrection unto eternal life.

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” Today you can find him right here, in this church and at this altar. Here he gives you his very body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. And “where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”

That’s something to rejoice over, isn’t it? The wise men, when they saw the star, “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Likewise, when we see all that God has done and will do for us in Christ, we too rejoice exceedingly with great joy.

The Herods of this world will do their worst, but Christ has done and will do his best. The world will label us with all sorts of nasty names: “religious kooks,” “weirdos.” But God will call us his own dear children, and I’m okay with that. The world will say we’re “out of step with the times.” Well, okay, I’ll take that too. I’m glad I’m out of step with the times! Christians will always be out of step with the world’s values. It comes with the territory. Get used to it.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, by acknowledging and worshiping the one true king, Jesus Christ, we present a challenge to all the false kings that the world worships. They feel threatened by it, but we feel greatly comforted. And, like the wise men, we rejoice exceedingly with great joy, for God’s grace is shining like a star, shining with the light of life, leading us to where our true king is.

Brothers and sisters, by calling sin “sin” and speaking truth to power, like John the Baptist we put ourselves at risk of ridicule or even worse. But let those Herods do their worst. Our king is Jesus Christ. By his epiphany, by his baptism, by his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, by his Word and Sacraments through which he strengthens us and gives us life, and by his coming again on the last day to save us and raise us up–our Lord Jesus has done, is doing, and will do his very best for you.

Second Sunday after Christmas
January 2, 2022

“Mary and Joseph, Did You Know?” (Luke 2:40-52)

Every year when the radio stations start playing Christmas music–like, when, around November 1? And then they stop playing Christmas music right on Christmas Day, when the Christmas season is just beginning, when there are eleven more days of Christmas still to go. But I digress. So, when the radio stations start playing Christmas music, there’s a song you will hear–oh, about 157 times–called “Mary, Did You Know?” And every time I hear it, I want to shout back at the radio, “Yes, of course she knew! The angel Gabriel told her!” Well, yes and no. Mary did know some things. But other things she probably did not know. So the question is, what exactly did she know and when did she know it?

The song says: “Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?” Well, yeah, Mary did know those sorts of big-picture things, because the angel Gabriel did tell her. Gabriel had said about the son she would bear: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” “The child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.” So, yes, Mary was told and she did know that Jesus is the very Son of God in the flesh and that he’s the Messiah who would have an everlasting kingdom. Mary did know that much.

But other things, certain particular things of what Jesus would do–maybe Mary did not know. She may not have anticipated how exactly his divine nature and his messianic mission would play out in the specific. For example, the song says, “Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?” Well, unless her baby boy was standing up on top of the water when she was giving him a bath in the sink, Mary may not have known that. “Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?” Again, while knowing that he had a divine nature and that he came to bring blessing to mankind, Mary may not have deduced that Jesus would give sight to a blind man.

What did Mary know and when did she know it? The same questions for Joseph. Joseph did know some things. An angel of the Lord had told him in a dream that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph knew that this child named Jesus would save his people from their sins. Joseph knew that Jesus was Immanuel, God with us. The Lord had told him those things. But how exactly that would play out in the specific, Joseph did not know.

Imagine being Mary and Joseph, knowing you’ve been given a very special child, unique, but not knowing exactly how that would play out. I don’t think there’s a Parenting 101 class on “Raising the Son of God in the Flesh with a Messianic Mission.” That would present some very unique challenges. As we see today in the incident of twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple. To which I ask, along with Jesus, “Mary and Joseph, Did You Know?”

But first, let’s get the backstory that leads up to this question. Last Sunday also we were in the temple, but that was when Jesus was forty days old, at his presentation. Now we fast-forward to when Jesus is twelve years old. And in between we’re told: “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.”

And Mary and Joseph have done a good job raising him. As good, pious Jews, they would go as a family from Nazareth to Jerusalem every year for the big pilgrimage festivals, including this one, Passover. And they would typically go in a caravan–no, not a Dodge Grand Caravan, but an actual human caravan, a whole big group of families all traveling together. So they’re there in Jerusalem for the festival, and now it’s time to go back north up to Galilee. Mary and Joseph set out, figuring that their boy Jesus is hanging out with other friends or relatives in the group. But when the day is ended and they look for their boy, they don’t see him. “Oh oh! Where is he?” They search through the whole group, and he’s not there. Panic time for parents! “I guess he missed the group when we set out. He must be back in Jerusalem.” Mary and Joseph turn around and head back there.

They get back to Jerusalem, and guess where they end up finding him? In the temple. Like he belongs there. And he does. Remember how it said that, growing up, Jesus was filled with wisdom? Well, now he’s displaying that wisdom. He’s sitting among the Jewish religious teachers, and they are amazed at the understanding and answers of this twelve-year-old boy! It’s like he knows the word of God better than they do! Which he does, because is the Word of God incarnate, in the flesh!

So Mary and Joseph find him there, and they can’t believe what they’re seeing: their son, sitting there, when he didn’t even bother to tell them that that’s where he would be. Mary and Joseph are thinking: “Didn’t you know, son, that we would be worried about you? We’ve been tearing our hair out, not knowing where you were!” And so Mary says: “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” Jesus, did you not know this?

But Jesus has a “did you not know” question for them: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Now Jesus is not being a snotty brat. Rather, Jesus has let Mary and Joseph go through this, in order to teach them an important lesson: that Jesus’ unique identity, his one-of-a-kind calling, will mean that he will have to do things they will not always enjoy or expect. Jesus has a higher calling than simply being Mary and Joseph’s obedient son, which he was. But Jesus has a heavenly Father, who has sent him on a singular, saving mission. And that will lead him to go places and do things they will not understand at first. This staying behind in Jerusalem will help to prepare them for that.

Mary, don’t you remember what Simeon told you way back at Jesus’ presentation when he was forty days old? “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also).” See, Mary, that’s something you did not understand at first. But you will experience it later.

Mary, your son Jesus will be opposed by many in Israel. By scribes and Pharisees, chief priests and elders. Maybe even some of these same priests sitting here in the temple today. And their opposition will boil and brew into outright hatred. These Jewish religious leaders will plot to put him to death. Jesus will go places and do things you won’t like. He will go to a cross, and there he will suffer and die. And you, Mary, you will see this happen, and it will be like a sword piercing through your soul.

Jesus’ unique, messianic mission–doing the will of his heavenly Father who sent him–this will mean going through pain and suffering, both for you, Mary, and for him. But this is the only way this mission can be accomplished. For Jesus, who is at the same time your son and the holy Son of God–he must die that we may live. It will take the death of God’s own Son to redeem us from our sins. He must shed his holy blood so that we may be cleansed. That’s the only solution that works. Jesus must be true man, so that he can fulfill God’s law as a man on our behalf, both in actively keeping the commandments that we so often break and in his passive obedience, dying under God’s judgment in our place. Our Savior had to be true man to do those things. But he must also be true God, because only God can save us. We poor sinners cannot save ourselves. God must do it.

And he has! Jesus Christ is our God-man Savior! He is your Savior, dear friends! Jesus kept the commandments for you! Jesus suffered and died for you! Jesus Christ rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will come back one day for you, to take you home to live with him forever! Did you not know this? You do! But it’s good to be reminded of it, again and again, to keep your faith strong and to keep your hope alive.

Brothers and sisters, as now we enter a new year, 2022, not knowing what we will face this year, whether some new virus or variant, know this for sure: The Alpha and the Omega is stronger than the Delta and the Omicron. Omicron is, quite literally, “the little o.” But our hope and our refuge is in the Omega, literally, “the Great Big O”!

And listen, you don’t have to go searching for Jesus. He’s right here in this temple. Jesus is here in this house, doing the things of his Father: forgiving our sins, refreshing our souls, strengthening our faith in God and our fervent love for one another. Every Sunday in 2022, let this be your custom: to find Jesus, doing his thing, right here in God’s house.

And Mary “treasured up all these things in her heart.” And so should you.

First Sunday after Christmas
December 26, 2021

“The Firstborn Son Is Presented in the Temple” (Luke 2:22-40)

Yesterday was Christmas, and now we’re into the days after Christmas. For us, these days mean eating leftovers, returning gifts that don’t fit, and taking down the decorations. But what about for Jesus? What did the days after his birth mean for him? Our text is one the few places we have an account of what happened during that time. It’s the story of what happened forty days after his birth, when “The Firstborn Son Is Presented in the Temple.”

Actually, the first event after Christmas we have is found in the one verse between Christ’s birth and our text today. In Luke 2:21, we’re told that on the eighth day he was circumcised and given the name Jesus. That was on the eighth day, one week after his birth. Then in verse 22, the beginning of our text today, we come to the next event Luke gives us in his infancy narrative. It’s the presentation of this firstborn son, on the fortieth day, at the temple in Jerusalem. That’s how these things were done in Jewish families. After forty days, the mother was purified, that is, she was considered ready to reenter the temple grounds after being ritually unclean after giving birth. And, after forty days, in the case of a firstborn son, which is what Jesus was, that son was presented to the Lord, consecrated to the Lord, at the temple. The purification of the mother and the presentation of the firstborn son both took place on the fortieth day, after the child’s birth. And for the presentation of the firstborn, sacrifices were offered at the temple in Jerusalem.

That’s what’s going on here: “And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.’”

Notice the emphasis on the Law being fulfilled. That’s what Jesus came to do, and he starts doing it even from infancy. The circumcision on the eighth day, when Christ first shed his holy blood. The presentation on the fortieth day, when Christ first entered the temple. Right off the bat little Jesus is busy fulfilling the Law of the Lord in our place. This will continue and reach its climax years later on the cross. But Jesus sets out on his Law-fulfilling work right away, even in his infancy, in the circumcision and the presentation.

There’s some history behind this practice of presenting the firstborn. It goes back to the Exodus and the plague of the death of the firstborn that the Lord sent upon Egypt. That was the tenth and last plague that led to the people of Israel being let go and set free from their bondage. All the firstborn in Egypt were struck down that night, save for the families of the Israelites, whose homes were marked with the blood of the lamb. The angel of death passed over them. The lives of the firstborn of Israel were spared. Therefore, all the firstborn sons of Israel thereafter were to be set apart, consecrated to the Lord’s service.

This law applied to all twelve tribes of Israel. The firstborn sons of all the tribes were to be set aside to the Lord’s service. But there was a substitute clause provided with the law. One tribe, the tribe of Levi, would serve as a kind of “designated hitter” for all the others. The Levites would “pinch-hit” for all those firstborn sons in the service of the Lord. The Levites were the “church worker” tribe, if you will. The men who worked at the tabernacle and later at the temple–the priests, especially–all came from the tribe of Levi. But for the firstborn sons from all the other tribes to “get out of the draft,” so to speak, their parents would offer up a sacrifice at the temple as the price that released their sons from that obligation. That’s what Mary and Joseph are doing for this firstborn son. They’re not from the tribe of Levi but from the tribe of Judah. Tribe of Judah, kings. Tribe of Levi, priests. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. But he is a firstborn son, and that’s why he’s presented at the temple on the fortieth day.

Even though he’s not from the tribe of Levi, and even though the sacrifice price is paid to get him out of priestly service, there is no “draft-dodging” for this boy. He truly is holy, consecrated to the Lord, as no other son is, whether firstborn or Levite or whatever. Jesus is drafted into the Lord’s service from the get-go, and there’s no going AWOL. Jesus will carry out the greatest priestly service when he offers up his life as the perfect sacrifice for all sin. His body and his blood are the offering, whole and complete and holy.

When Jesus is presented at the temple, this is a foreshadowing of his entire priestly service on our behalf. Years later, on Good Friday, Christ will shed his blood on the cross as the once-and-for-all atoning sacrifice, fulfilling the Law in our stead, paying the price by which our lives are spared. Death passes over us because we are marked with the blood of the Lamb of God. All this gets underway when this firstborn son is presented at the temple.

There are two aged saints at the temple who recognize this. Their names are Simeon and Anna. They see in this baby Jesus the Savior who came to fulfill the promises the Lord had given to Israel. Not only is Jesus the great High Priest, greater than any from the tribe of Levi, he is also the great King from the tribe of Judah. He is the Messiah, the Christ. Simeon and Anna can see this. Oh, it wasn’t as though there was a halo shining around this particular baby’s head, to mark him out as the Messiah. Rather, this was revealed to Simeon and Anna by a special work of the Holy Spirit. They see Jesus, and in him they see the Savior, the fulfillment of what they had been waiting for.

We first encounter Simeon: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God. . . .”

Notice what Simeon was waiting for: the “consolation of Israel.” “Consolation” means “comfort.” Think of that great prophecy from Isaiah 40: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” That’s the comfort, that’s the consolation, that Simeon was waiting for. The Lord had told him that he would not die before he saw the consolation come in the person of the Christ. Now, finally, he does see him, in the little baby being brought into the temple courts. Here is the long-awaited Messiah!

Simeon takes the little baby in his arms and says: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” This song of Simeon has come into the church’s liturgy as the canticle the Nunc Dimittis. We sing this song after Communion, because, having encountered Christ up close and personal, now we are ready to depart, whether that means departing the service or even departing this life. Now we can depart in peace. Through the child he held in his arms and beheld with his eyes, Simeon saw the Lord’s salvation in the person of the Christ. Same with us, brothers and sisters, when we receive Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament. We’re ready to depart in peace.

Simeon says that this child is the salvation God has prepared “in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” But how will this salvation come about? In darkness and in pain. The shadow of the cross is present at the presentation. Simeon says to Mary: “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Jesus will suffer opposition. He will be spoken against by his enemies. They will conspire against him and have him put to death. And the death of her firstborn son will be like a sword piercing Mary’s soul, causing her great grief, as she stands at the cross and sees her son dying.

But there could be no other way. This is the only way salvation could come. It takes the death of God’s only-begotten Son to do the job. Only his holy blood, only his priestly service of offering up the perfect sacrifice, would suffice. And it is more than enough to do the job for you. You are saved from eternal death and condemnation. You are saved for life at peace with God and eternal life forever. This is the consolation Simeon was waiting for and he found in Jesus.

There’s one other saint we want to meet, and that is Anna. It says that Anna was “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” “Redemption” means being set free, liberated. Anna sees her Redeemer, her liberator, in this child. Yes, Jesus Christ has redeemed us lost and condemned persons, purchased and won us from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. He redeemed us by his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. And the redemption he won for us is an eternal home in his kingdom.

Consolation and redemption, salvation and peace–these are the gifts Jesus brings with him when he enters the temple. He is the firstborn son, the infant priest. In the temple, here in this temple, we find the same Christ and receive his same gifts. In him we find our consolation and our redemption. In Christ, we find our salvation and our peace. Here in the temple, the firstborn son is presented for us. And so we sing with Simeon, “Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.”