Category: Sermon Page

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 13, 2022

“Plain Speaking: Blessings and Woes” (Luke 6:17-26)

Our text today, from Luke chapter 6, begins with these words: “And he came down with them and stood on a level place.” Who is the “he,” who is the “them,” and where is he coming down from? The “he” is Jesus, the “them” are his twelve disciples, and where Jesus is coming down from is a mountain. He had been up on that mountain all night, praying. In the morning, he came down and gathered together the twelve, along with a whole bunch of his other followers. Having come down from the mountain, he now stood on a level place, a plain, and began to teach this large group of disciples. The teachings that follow in Luke are very similar to those known as “the Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew. But because on this occasion Jesus is standing on a level place, the teachings here in Luke are known as “the Sermon on the Plain.”

What? Similar teachings, but in Matthew, Jesus is on a mount, and in Luke, he is on a plain? What, did Matthew and Luke get their stories crossed? Are they contradicting one another? No, no need to jump to that conclusion. Even if they were talking about the same event, it would not mean they got something wrong. Even if Jesus were on a mountainside, he could still find a level place to stand and address a crowd. But the other possibility is, as any teacher can tell you, if you teach the same content on different occasions to different groups, a lot of your teaching is going to sound pretty much the same. The wording will be very similar. So this “mount” vs. “plain” problem is really no problem at all.

The problem, if you will, is in us receiving and believing what Jesus has to say. For he says some very challenging things. Indeed, when you compare what Matthew includes with what Luke has, something jumps out at you right away. Matthew has the Beatitudes, of course, those “Blessed are” statements. And Luke has them, too. But Luke also includes their opposite, a number of “But woe to you” statements. They’re the opposite of beatitudes. We might call them “Woeitudes.” They are tough and harsh. But Jesus gives it to us straight. Here in the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus is speaking truth to us, whether we like it or not. And so our theme this morning: “Plain Speaking: Blessings and Woes.”

First, Jesus gives us the Beatitudes, the “Blessed ares.” But even here, we’ll find some things we don’t like to hear. It’s in the first half of each beatitude. Take the first one, for instance: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” We like the “Blessed are you” part–that’s nice. And we like the promise in the second half: “for yours is the kingdom of God.” But it’s who Jesus says is blessed–that’s the part that troubles us.

“Blessed are you who are poor”: We don’t like that. We don’t like to be poor. Now I know, in Matthew it says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” and one can be poor in spirit without being poor in cash flow. But here in Luke it just says “poor.” And there is something to be said about the blessedness of being poor, poor in pocketbook. Because when you’re that kind of poor, then you have to rely on God to take care of you. There’s a reason Jesus spoke elsewhere of how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Because when you’re rich and you can get anything you want, there’s a special temptation to not rely on God. You can become very content with your life here on earth. All the pleasures you can desire are yours. And so, what do you need God for? Or so you think.

But when you’re poor, and especially when you’re poor because you follow Christ, that can be a blessed place to be. You realize that this life is not all so wonderful. You look to God to supply your needs. And if you’re poor in part because you’re a Christian. . . . And Christians have been deprived and discriminated against economically in times of persecution. Also, Christians may not have as much disposable income as the unbelievers do, since we give a greater percentage of our income away–giving generously to our church, for instance, to support the ministry of the gospel.

So, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor.” Oh, we may not have a lot of money. But what we do have is worth so much more. Infinitely more. Our Lord Jesus tells us what we have: “for yours is the kingdom of God.” The kingdom of God–what could be more valuable than that? “For the kingdom of God,” as Paul says in Romans, is a matter of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” To have righteousness, right standing before God, to have peace with God, to have a joy that goes deeper than your circumstances–I wouldn’t trade those gifts for all the money in the world!

Next beatitude: “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.” Again, we don’t like the hungry part. It means that nothing in this life can fully satisfy us. We realize something is lacking, something is missing. Our life is not perfect, it’s not complete. Not in this life, that is. But we have a future to look forward to, a future when all will be put right. You will be satisfied, Jesus assures us. Jesus himself is going to come and fix all things. You have his word on it, and he is the one you can trust.

Next: “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” This life is a vale of tears, isn’t it? We have experienced that once again just this past week, with the death of Pastor Reeder. You and I weep, we mourn, at the constant stream of death that surrounds us. And one day that stream will come and sweep us away. Or our sons or daughters, our parents, our friends and relatives and neighbors. There is so much to make us weep in this life. But the day is coming when we can put all that mourning and sadness behind us.

Our Lord Jesus has overcome the sting of death. He took all our sins upon him, into his own body, and he paid the price for our iniquity on the cross. Now your sins are forgiven. The death sentence has been served, but you didn’t have to pay it. Jesus did it for you. And because he is the holy Son of God, death could not hold him. He rose victorious from the dead. And all those who trust in him as their Savior, who are baptized in his name–Jesus shares his resurrection victory with us. We await that day with sure hope. And then, in the resurrection, our tears will turn to laughter, in a joy that never ends.

One more beatitude: “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.” We don’t like to be left out. We don’t like to not be liked. And hopefully, we’re not disliked because we’re being a jerk. But there is a dislike we incur precisely because we belong to Christ. The world hates Jesus, and therefore they hate his followers, too. Get used to it. It comes with the territory. And the world, our current culture, is becoming increasingly more hostile toward Christians. So don’t be surprised when you feel the brunt of it. Now we don’t go looking for persecution or martyrdom. But when it comes, it comes. And when it comes, take it as a badge of honor. You belong to Christ, and someone doesn’t like that. Oh, well. Our Lord calls us blessed, and that’s what counts, and so we are. “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.” The glory we will enjoy far outweighs the grief we experience.

So those are the Beatitudes as we have them in Luke. But here in our text, we also get a set of woes–the “Woeitudes,” as I called them. It’s plain speaking here, remember. Jesus is holding nothing back. And these “Woeitudes” are simply the direct opposite of the Beatitudes, stating them in the reverse: “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”

You think you’ve got life easy now? You think you don’t need God? You’re rich, you’re full, you’re happy, you’re popular? Everything’s going your way, and so you think you’re fine on your own, as you are. Well, guess what? You’re not. Your good life could be gone in a moment–in a tornado, in a car wreck, in a heart attack. You have no guarantees. Wait, there’s one thing I can guarantee you: You will die. All your stuff will do you no good then, when you stand before the judgment seat of God. And what will you do then? All your supposed goodness–all your relative goodness over the really bad people–all of that will not amount to a hill of beans, and you will be heading down the highway to hell.

So Jesus is speaking very plainly here. Why? Just to scare us? No, to warn us. Jesus speaks this plainly with these woes as his way of saying “Whoa!” Whoa! Stop and take a look in the mirror! Do you have what it takes to overcome sin and death and hell on your own? No, you don’t. No one has.

Only Jesus Christ can give you what you need. Only he has the righteousness and the life and the gift of heaven to bless you with. Here in the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus makes it plain: He warns you with the woes, and he freely offers you his enormous blessings.

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 6, 2022

“Catching Men Alive” (Luke 5:1-11)

Last week we saw Jesus’ authoritative word in action: proclaiming good news to the poor, proclaiming liberty to the captives, setting at liberty those who are oppressed. We saw his authority in doctrine, his authority over demons, his authority over disease and death. This week we see Jesus’ authoritative word in action again, this time persuading fishermen, catching fish, and using the witness of sinners to be “Catching Men Alive.”

Our text is the Holy Gospel for today, from Luke chapter 5. Jesus is teaching people the word of God as he’s standing by the Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Gennesaret. There are so many people pressing in to hear him, that he’s having trouble being heard. So he sees some fishermen with their boats there by the shore, and he has an idea. He asks Simon Peter if he could get in his boat and teach from it, since if Peter pushes out a bit from the shore, Jesus will be heard better by the crowd. Peter agrees, and that’s what happens. Jesus gets in, Peter pushes out, and Jesus teaches from the seat of Simon Peter’s boat.

Once that’s done, now Jesus is going to teach Peter something about fishing. Huh? Come again? Jesus is going to teach Peter about fishing? That doesn’t make any sense. Jesus didn’t grow up in a fishing village. His father was a carpenter, not a fisherman. And Jesus is some sort of an itinerant rabbi. What does he know about fishing? On the other hand, Peter is a professional fisherman. He makes his living by catching fish. His boat and his nets are his livelihood. Peter and his partners know these waters better than anyone on the planet. And Jesus is going to give Peter advice on how to catch fish? Good luck with that!

But Jesus goes ahead anyway. He says to Simon Peter: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter is thinking: “Okay! Here is a guy who knows nothing about fishing, and he’s telling me how to do my job! I’m sure he means well, but. . . .” So Peter says: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” In other words: “Look, if there were any fish to catch, we would have caught them. The conditions were just not right last night. And they’re certainly not right now.”

But then there’s this matter of Jesus’ authority, of his word. Jesus speaks like he’s got a direct hotline from heaven. Which he does. Peter had heard Jesus teach, and his teaching certainly has the ring of divine authority. So, against his better judgment and years of experience as a commercial fisherman, Simon Peter goes along with what Jesus says. He answers Jesus: “But at your word I will let down the nets.”

“But at your word.” That’s always a good thing to say when you hear the word of Jesus. Even when it looks like it will be a giant waste of time to do what Jesus is telling you, do it anyway. When he tells you to forgive the brother who has wronged you, go ahead and forgive. When Jesus tells you to love your enemies and help your neighbor in need, go ahead and do it. Even if it looks like it will cost you, go ahead and do what Jesus says. “But at your word.” Jesus’ word will never steer you wrong.

So that’s the first miracle that Jesus’ authoritative word accomplishes in our story today. Jesus persuades a professional fisherman to go against everything he knows about fishing and to put out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch.

Which leads to the second miracle: the miraculous draught of fishes, as it’s traditionally called. The fishermen put out into the deep, and they let down their nets. The result? A huge net gain! At a time when there should not have been any fish to catch, instead, there are so many fish that the nets are breaking and the boats are beginning to sink. It’s amazing! How was Jesus able to know that that’s what was going to happen? It’s like he’s the Lord of creation or something. Well, not “or something”: He is the Lord of creation! Jesus put all those fishes in the deep blue sea, so he knows where to catch them.

Simon Peter sees all this, and he’s never seen anything like this before in all his years of fishing. Peter knows there’s something different about this man Jesus. Which makes him all the more aware of his own inadequacy. Peter knows he’s in the company of a man sent from heaven. God’s power, God’s authority, is in this man Jesus. And in his presence, Peter feels his own unworthiness. He falls at Jesus’ knees and humbly confesses: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Is there anyone here today who could not make this same confession? I know I could. I know that I am a sinful man and that therefore the holy Lord would be entirely justified to depart from me and to leave me in my sins. I have broken God’s commandments. I have not loved the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I have not loved my neighbor as much as I love myself. That is sin. And that is what alienates me from God and brings me under his just judgment. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” I can say that with Peter, and so can you.

But thank God, that is not what the Lord does. He does not depart from us. Instead, he suffers and dies for us. He goes to Calvary’s cross, and there he bears the weight of all our sins and the sin of whole world. Christ lets himself be caught and captured and crucified. All for your sake, so that you will never die under God’s judgment. Jesus took it for you. Your sins are forgiven. Christ’s holy blood cleanses you from your guilt, and his authoritative word announces your absolution.

Jesus does not depart from you. He dies for you. He rises for you, showing that what he has done gives you life in place of death, eternity instead of futility, hope in place of despair. Christ’s authoritative word has baptized you and brought you into God’s family, the church. And now together as church, our Lord has given us good and rewarding work to do as his people. It’s like he told Peter: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

Peter the apostle, and we as the apostolic church–this is what we do. We catch men. Peter had been a fisher of fish. Now he’s got a new vocation. He will be a fisher of men. Now isn’t this amazing? Jesus will use an admittedly sinful man like Simon Peter–and Peter messed up a lot–Jesus will use the witness of this weak and sinful man, full of flaws, and through his gospel witness, Christ will draw many more men into the net of the church. That’s how you got here today. The Lord used the apostolic witness to bring you into the boat, along with millions of others around the world. Jesus even uses the ministrations of your poor, sinful pastor to forgive your sins, to preach the gospel to you, to give you the very body and blood of your Savior. How can I do this? Because the power does not rest in the person of the pastor. The power rests in the almighty, authoritative, life-giving, life-changing word of Christ.

And this life-giving word of Jesus is still doing its job today. Oh, it may not look like it anymore. It looks now like the world is walking away from Christ and his church. We feel like saying, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” People are not flocking into the church like they used to do. Numbers are down all across the country. And it isn’t just the coronavirus. It isn’t just a cold and snow-covered weekend. This is a downward trend that has been going on for a long time.

Headline, from December: “About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated: Self-identified Christians make up 63% of U.S. population in 2021, down from 75% a decade ago.” “The secularizing shifts evident in American society so far in the 21st century show no signs of slowing,” the article states. “Currently, about three-in-ten U.S. adults (29%) are religious ‘nones’–people who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or ‘nothing in particular’ when asked about their religious identity.”

My fellow Christians, these “nones” are your friends and neighbors, they are your co-workers, they may even be your family members. But they are drifting in darkness, lost in their sin, and heading for hell. They don’t know they need Jesus. But they do. Oh, more than anything else, they need Jesus!

Friends, these are the fish that our gospel nets will catch! We have Jesus’ word on it! We have Jesus’ word with which to do the job! Christ will use even our weak and shaky words to deliver his authoritative word to people who need it. What Jesus told Simon Peter he says to his church today: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

Oh, and one more thing about this “catching men” business. The Greek word here is a very interesting and unusual word. It literally means to be “catching men alive.” And that’s fitting, isn’t it? For when Jesus catches us in his gospel nets, it’s not to kill us and condemn us to death. No, Christ catches us and lifts us to life, new life, everlasting life. For Jesus and his church are in the fishing business, and we are catching men alive!

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
January 30, 2022

“Jesus’ Word Possesses Authority” (Luke 4:31-44)

In last week’s Gospel, from the first half of Luke chapter 4, we heard Jesus say what he was anointed and sent to do. He quoted these words from the book of the prophet 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.”

Now in this week’s Gospel, from the second half of Luke chapter 4, we see Jesus do those things he said he was sent to do. He puts his words into action. If Jesus says he’s going to do something, he will do it. You can count on it. Jesus does what he says.

Jesus said he would proclaim good news to the poor. Today we see him doing that. Jesus said he would proclaim liberty to the captives. Today we see him doing that. Jesus said he would set at liberty those who are oppressed. Today we see him doing these things. He is faithful to his promises. Jesus’ words are trustworthy and true.

And his words are powerful and effective. They do what they say. His words are not mere empty syllables. No, Jesus’ word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. His word is powerful. It is effective. His word called creation into existence. He, the Son of God, upholds the universe by the word of his power. When Jesus speaks, things happen. His words bestow the very gifts he offers. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” And so our theme today: “Jesus’ Word Possesses Authority.”

As it says in our text this morning: “And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.” “His word possessed authority.” We will see that authority being demonstrated today in three directions: 1) His word possesses authority in doctrine. 2) His word possesses authority over demons. And 3) His word possesses authority over disease and death.

So first, his word possesses authority in doctrine. The word “doctrine” simply means “teaching.” In our text, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. And the people there could tell that there was something different about this man’s teaching. “His word possessed authority,” it says. And the people were astonished at that. They were used to their rabbis speaking in a qualified manner, basically just quoting one another: “Rabbi Shimei says thus and such.” “Rabbi Hillel says we should do this or that.” Well, here comes Jesus, and he doesn’t sound anything like those guys! He speaks like he knows what he’s talking about! He speaks with the ring of truth, divine authoritative truth!

Jesus’ word possesses authority to this day. By his teaching, Christ establishes the doctrine of the church. He determines what we believe, teach, and confess. What he says, goes. His word has normative authority for what we preach and teach. For instance, when Jesus says, “This is my body, this is my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins”–when he says these things about the Lord’s Supper, we take him at his word. We believe, teach, and confess that this “is”–not just “represents”–this is his true body and blood. And we believe, teach, and confess that this Sacrament actually delivers, bestows, the forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ word possesses authority in our doctrine.

And Jesus’ word possesses efficacious, life-giving authority to give you the very gifts he promises. His word delivers the goods. So when Jesus says “for you” for the forgiveness of sins, he means it. In his speaking, he is giving you the gift, by his authoritative word. His word does what it says. And so, Jesus proclaims good news to the poor.

That’s the first point. Jesus’ word possesses authority in doctrine, in his teaching. Now the second thing we see in our text today is that Jesus’ word possesses authority over demons. We don’t think about this much in our modern, Western world. We are generally not aware of the spiritual warfare going on around us. But there is a battle for the souls of men. Satan and his minions are out to get you, to do your harm in body, mind, and soul.

There seems to have been an upsurge in this activity during the ministry of Jesus. We read in the gospels about demons, unclean spirits, afflicting people in body and soul, causing them torment. For example, in our text today: “And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon.” But Jesus comes, and, true to his word, he proclaims liberty to the captives. Jesus rebukes the demon and says, “Be silent and come out of him!” And the demon comes out of the man, having done him no harm. The people are amazed. They say: “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Jesus’ word possesses authority over demons.

Friends, Satan is real. He is the old evil foe, who means to do you woe. Take him seriously. But do not fear him. He is a defeated foe. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. By his blood shed on the cross, Christ has won your forgiveness and your freedom. Your risen and ascended Lord holds the keys of Death and Hades. Jesus Christ descended into hell to proclaim his victory even there. And now, every day, God sends his holy angel to be with you, that the evil foe may have no power over you. Fear not, for Jesus’ word possesses authority over the devil and his demons.

And now, third, in our text today, Jesus demonstrates his authority over disease: “Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.”

Jesus’ word possesses authority over disease. Notice, he speaks to the fever, he “rebukes” it, our text says. Earlier, Jesus had rebuked the demon: “Be silent and come out of him!” Later, he will rebuke more demons. But now he rebukes a fever. Jesus is the Great Physician who heals all our diseases. He sets at liberty those who are oppressed.

A lot of us have been oppressed in recent months, having fevers, even high fevers. Some of our countrymen have died, maybe even some people we know. We have no guarantees that a virus or a variant or even a vaccine itself might not lay us low or take us down. But here’s one thing you can count on: The Alpha and the Omega is greater than the Delta and the Omicron. In other words, God Almighty is greater than those diseases.

And so, even if we die, we have our ultimate healing guaranteed in the blood of the Lamb. Christ will raise us up whole and full of life on the day of resurrection. Our bodies–your body–will be free from all disease and from death itself. Christ has redeemed you in both body and soul. You are baptized. Therefore, you will share in Christ’s resurrection. In Holy Communion, you take into your body the very body and blood of Christ. Your sins are forgiven. And where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

Jesus’ authoritative word raised up Simon Peter’s mother-in-law from her fever. Jesus’ word raised up Jairus’s daughter who had died: “Talitha, cumi,” “Little girl, I say unto you, arise!” Jesus’ word raised up Lazarus’s dead body: “Lazarus, come forth!” And Jesus’ word will raise you up also. He will raise you to everlasting life and perfect health on the day when he returns. Jesus’ word possesses authority over disease and death.

Brothers and sisters, today we have seen that Jesus does what he says. He puts into actin the promises he gives. And he does it through his mighty word. He proclaims good news to the poor, teaching the truth of the gospel. He proclaims liberty to the captives, casting out demons. He sets at liberty those who are oppressed, healing a woman with a fever. Jesus does what he said he would do.

And then at the end of today’s reading, Jesus says, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” Indeed, today Jesus has come to these towns, to Bonne Terre and De Soto. He has come here to preach the good news of the kingdom to us. Today Jesus is here, speaking his living, life-giving gospel into our ears. And Jesus’ word does what it says. His word possesses authority, authority in doctrine, so that you can know the true teaching that alone gives life. His word possesses authority, the authority to overcome all the works of the wicked one, the devil, so that you need not fear. The life-giving word of Jesus possesses authority, authority over disease and death itself, so that now you have the sure hope of everlasting life: perfect health and wholeness in both body and soul, in Christ’s eternal kingdom.

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!”