From the Pulpit

Duccio di Buoninsegna – Christ Before Pilate Again

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Daniel English
March 11, 2026
Sermon – Lent 5 – Midweek Wednesday
Isaiah 53:4-7; Matthew 27:1-26;

Like Barabbas: Guilty but Freed by Christ

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“When morning came.”[1] In case we would forget as we turn the page from the 26th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel to the 27th, these words remind us that Jesus has been struck, spit on, slapped, and mocked all night. After the Last Supper with His disciples the night before —the Last Supper before His death— Jesus is betrayed and arrested —falsely arrested— while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.[2] Jesus is beaten and abused by Caiaphas and his council after they conduct a sham trial and falsely convict Him.[3] Jesus is betrayed by one… and abandoned by the rest of his disciples, including, finally, by Peter.[4] Jesus has had a very long night. This is where our Gospel reading begins. Morning breaks and the Son of Righteousness rises to be bound, and led away, and delivered over to Pilate in order that He be sentenced to death.[5]

As the light of day exposes the sinful works of man, God’s Word gives us three, negative examples from which we can learn. Three examples of what NOT to do. First, the betrayer, Judas, who is in deep despair over his sins to the point of taking his own life. Judas is sorry for his sins —he has contrition— but he does not have faith in God’s mercy and forgiveness. Second, the governor, Pontius Pilate, who denies justice and rejects the truth for the sake of his own personal safety and success. Pontius Pilate does not believe that Jesus is guilty or deserving of death —he has conviction— but he lacks the courage to do what is right. Third, the chief priests, the elders, and the crowds who demand that Jesus be crucified. They are envious and wrathful. They are blind to who Jesus is and blind to their own sin. The actions of these three, Judas, Pontius Pilate, and the crowds result in the release of a notorious criminal, Barabbas, while our Lord Jesus Christ is sent off to die. But what these three meant for evil, God meant for good.

There isn’t much good at all that can be said about Judas Iscariot. He is an unbelieving[6] thief[7] who agrees to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.[8] Even Jesus calls him “a devil.”[9] Judas receives his plan to betray Jesus from the devil himself.[10] But even Judas, when he sees that Jesus is condemned, is filled with regret. He doesn’t even want the money he received as a reward. As he tries to return it he says, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”[11] Judas has contrition, but he doesn’t have faith. The reformers knew very well that proper repentance consists of two parts: contrition and faith (Ap XIIa 1).[12] It is not enough for a person to know and regret his sin. In his Meditation on Christ’s Passion, Luther writes, “After man has thus become aware of his sin and is terrified in his heart, he must watch that sin does not remain in his conscience, for this would lead to sheer despair… Therefore beware, lest you do as those perverse people who torture their hearts with their sins and strive to do the impossible, … [to] get rid of their sins by running from one good work … to another… if you … presume to still your conscience with your contrition and penance, you will never obtain peace of mind, but will have to despair in the end.”[13] And this is exactly what Judas does. He is in such despair that he takes his own life. When you are convicted of your sin, don’t wallow in your guilt like Judas. This only leads to despair. Instead, look to Jesus in faith and see His loving heart. Martin Luther continues, “We know God [rightly] when we grasp him not in his might or wisdom… but in his kindness and love. Then faith and confidence are able to exist, and then man is truly born anew in God.”[14]

Pontius Pilate is the governor of Judea. He is a Roman ruler serving under emperor Tiberius in an area predominately populated by Jews. Judea is a difficult province to govern. Various Jewish sects: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots, the Yahad, and the Hellenized Jews are all in tension with one another,[15] not to mention conflict with the Samaritans and Gentiles in the neighboring regions. Now the Jews seemingly come together in agreement: Jesus is causing problems, and he needs to be killed. Pilate is amazed by Jesus’ silence in response to the false charges brought before him,[16] he understands that Jesus has been delivered up out of envy,[17] and he doesn’t find Jesus guilty of any crime deserving death.[18] Jesus is innocent, and Pontius Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent… but he doesn’t have the courage to stop his crucifixion. To prevent Jesus’ death would risk public unrest that could mean the end of his political career or even his life. Foolishly, Pontius Pilate fears those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. His encounter with the Word made flesh does not yield fruit, but —like a sprout with no root or choked out by thorns— he chooses to declare himself innocent in one moment, then scourges Jesus and delivers him over to be crucified in the next.[19] It is true, we are not justified by our good works, and so Pilate having courage wouldn’t have saved him, but we can’t “imagine a kind of faith that can exist and abide with, and alongside of, a wicked intention to sin and to act against conscience. But after a man has been justified through faith, then a true living faith works by love (Ep III 11).”[20] Instead of cowering like Pilate, we are to hold fast to the faith and encourage one another to love and good works.[21]

Finally, the chief priests and the elders with the crowd they persuaded to destroy Jesus. It would be hard to believe that this crowd could be the same people who just a week ago on Palm Sunday shout, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”[22] Whether fickle followers of Jesus or a hand-picked crowd by the Jewish elites[23], we see a disturbing showing of the depths of human evil. It had become a regular custom for Pilate to release a prisoner at the feast of Passover. The crowd is given the choice between Jesus, an innocent man, and Barabbas, a notorious criminal. The crowd presses for Barabbas to be released, and for Jesus to be put to death. “Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’ And all the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’”[24] The irony. “His blood be on us and on our children.” If only the crowds understood the power of Jesus’ blood they would cry out instead, “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.”[25] The chief priests, the elders, and the crowds present at Jesus’ trial before Pilate are spiritually blind. They are spiritually dead. They are the final negative example set before us in today’s reading, and they choose a criminal Barabbas to be released instead of the perfect Lamb of God. But what they meant for evil, God meant for good.

The Scriptures in many places invite the reader to imagine himself as part of the Biblical narrative. Maybe you see yourself in the Israelites as they are rescued by David’s courageous and decisive victory over Goliath, fearful and reticent the Israelites wait on David to do what they are unable to do[26]… just as we wait on the Lord Jesus Christ to do what we are unable to do. Maybe you see yourself in the unnamed disciple with Cleopas on the Road to Emmaus as Christ unveils Himself in the Old Testament, slow to understand and believe the two disciples feel their hearts burning within them as they learn from the Lord until they finally come to know Him in the breaking of the bread[27]… just as our understanding and faith deepen by the Power of the Holy Spirit working through the Word and is sustained and strengthened at the Lord’s Supper. Maybe in Joseph’s brothers as they receive forgiveness from Joseph so surprising that they can hardly believe it is real… just as we hear from Pastor an absolution of all our sins that sounds too good to be true, but it is true. In today’s reading, I invite you to see yourself in Barabbas… a sinner… imprisoned, unworthy, and guilty. And yet, Christ suffers death on the cross and Barabbas is released, free and uncondemned.

Luther calls this the “wonderful exchange.” “That is the mystery which is rich in divine grace to sinners: wherein by a wonderful exchange our sins are no longer ours but Christ’s, and the righteousness of Christ is not Christ’s but ours. He has emptied Himself of His righteousness that He might clothe us with it, and fill us with it. And He has taken our evils upon Himself that He might deliver us from them… in the same manner as He grieved and suffered in our sins, and was confounded… we rejoice and glory in His righteousness.”[28]

Be sorry for your sins, but don’t stop there and despair. Have faith in Jesus for deliverance… Believe in the righteousness, and innocence, and blessedness of Jesus, but don’t stop there. Have the courage to live out your convictions in love toward God and one another… Do not be spiritually blind, refusing to see your own sin or to know who Jesus is, but repent and believe the Gospel.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”[29]

We all are like Barabbas… guilty… but freed by Christ. In Christ, we are innocent and free.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Matthew 27:1a

[2] Matthew 26:20-29; 26:36-55;

[3] Matthew 26:57-68

[4] Matthew 26:69-75

[5] Matthew 27:1-2

[6] John 6:63-64

[7] John 12:4-6

[8] Matthew 26:14-16

[9] John 6:70-71

[10] Luke 22:1-6; John 13:2

[11] Matthew 27:4

[12] McCain, Paul Timothy et al., eds. Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions; A Reader’s Edition of the

Book of Concord. 2nd ed. St. Louis: Concordia, 2006.

[13] Martin Luther, “A Meditation of Christ’s Passion,” in Luther’s Works, Vol. 42: Devotional Writings I, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Helmut T. Lehmann, and Christopher Boyd Brown (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969), 6–14.

[14] Ibid. 

[15] Bryan Stecker, “Episode Three – Understanding the Jewish Religion with Jacob Benson,” November 13, 2023, YouTube video, 0:42:59, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z_HzijjDq4.

[16] Matthew 26:14

[17] Matthew 27:18

[18] Luke 23:4, 22

[19] Matthew 27:24-26

[20] McCain, Paul Timothy et al., eds. Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions; A Reader’s Edition of the

Book of Concord. 2nd ed. St. Louis: Concordia, 2006.

[21] Hebrews 10:23-25

[22] Matthew 21:9

[23] Maier, Paul L., “Commentary: The Most Overlooked Verse in the Bible,” Reporter, February 5, 2007, https://reporter.lcms.org/2007/commentary-the-most-overlooked-verse-in-the-bible/.

[24] Matthew 27:24-25

[25] Psalm 51:14

[26] 1 Samuel 17

[27] Luke 24:13-35

[28] Luther, Martin. Werke (Weimar, 1883), 5:608

[29] Romans 3:23-26

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Lent 5 2026
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
March 22, 2026
Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:1-11, John 11:1-45

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:    bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

            Survivor is an interesting show.  People voluntarily endure miserable conditions, lack of sleep, severe lack of food and primitive hygiene.  Why do they do it?  In hopes of a $1 million prize.  It is said that everyone has their price.  Normally you would not do something, but for enough money you would. 

            What would it take for you to give up eternal life with Jesus?  How much would be enough?  After Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, the chief priests and the Pharisees are faced with this dilemma.  John 11:47–48 (ESV) 47 …“What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him…”  

            A little earlier, in Jerusalem, Jesus restored sight to a man born blind, but there was some confusion as to what took place, Jesus made mud with saliva and anointed a man’s eyes, and that man went off to wash and someone came back who could see, but did it really happen?  The religious leaders sowed confusion and doubt.  But now Jesus has raised a man from the dead who has been dead for four days.  And this was not done quietly, there was a crowd of people standing outside the tomb when Jesus had the stone rolled back and He shouted at a dead man, “Lazarus, come out!”  And Lazarus came out.  Jesus has authority over blindness, and also over death.

            What Jesus has done will cause many to believe in Him and Jesus has taught repeatedly that whoever believes in Him has eternal life. John 3:16 (ESV) 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:36 (ESV) 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life…  John 6:40 (ESV) 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”  Just before raising her brother Lazarus, Jesus told Martha, John 11:25–26 (ESV) 25 … “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die…” 

            Word of Jesus’ promise of eternal life to all who believe in Him has certainly made it to the Jewish leaders.  That with the fact that Jesus just healed a blind man and raised a man from the dead is causing great anxiety.  While they do not want to accept it, the Jewish leaders know that Jesus has the power of God.  What would be so valuable to them that they would choose it over Jesus and the promise of eternal life?

            John 11:47–48 (ESV) 47 …“What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”  Caiaphas and the others are afraid that if more people believe in Jesus it could cause trouble and the Romans will replace the Jewish leaders with others friendlier to the Romans.  They are worried they could lose their jobs.  Their jobs…or eternal life?  They are likely not thinking about it in quite that way, but that is what is at stake.

            Jesus has been warning the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders to repent and follow Him.  When the Pharisees come to Galilee to question Jesus and His disciples about breaking their handwashing rules Jesus rebukes them.  Matthew 15:7–9 (ESV) 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”  Now, Jesus has come to Jerusalem and He is causing no end of trouble and everything seems to spinning out of control.  Wiser heads need to prevail.  Someone needs to restore calm.  Caiaphas declares to the Jewish leaders… John 11:49–50 (ESV) 49 …“You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”  Caiaphas thinks he is going to kill Jesus in order to save his own position, but what Caiaphas is doing as High Priest is selecting the final sacrificial Lamb to die for the sins of all people.  Caiaphas’ words as High Priest are in line with the will of God.  Indeed, it is better that one man should die for the people rather than all the people perish. Caiaphas declares this not just as a leader, but as God’s High Priest.  Now, Caiaphas rejects the Messiah, he has forgotten God’s mercy, he teaches that salvation is through following hundreds of rules, but he still holds the office of High Priest.  As High Priest Caiaphas prophesies John 11:51–52 (ESV) 51 …that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”  Caiaphas may also be prophesying God’s truth when he announces to the Jewish leaders who reject Jesus, “You know nothing at all.”

            The Jewish leaders reject eternal life in order to try to save their positions.  They are willing to kill the one who makes the blind see and raises the dead.  Still today, there is a great temptation to reject eternal life in order to protect something else.  What would be more important than eternal life with Jesus? Some reject eternal life in order to be friends with the world.  People reject the true Jesus and make up their own Jesus in order to fully embrace whatever new perversion comes along that twists God’s good gifts.  People make up a Jesus who celebrates sexual immorality and the sacrifice of unborn children on the altar of sexual freedom.  They make up a Jesus who continually evolves to keep promoting ever-changing immorality.

            People give up eternal life with Jesus in order to pursue, financial success, or athletic success or academic success.  They reject the true Jesus who died for their sins in exchange for a “life-coach Jesus” who helps them build their self-esteem and achieve their goals.  I fear many people have given up eternal life with Jesus because they want to have a lazy Sunday morning.   

            In our easily offended society, there is a temptation to reject belief in the true Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life, and the only way to the Father, in exchange for a Jesus who is at peace with false teachers and false religions.  Their new Jesus is not the way; he is just a way.  People give up eternal life in order to not offend anyone. 

            Folks give up the true Jesus who pays the price for natural born sinners who cannot save themselves, in exchange for a Jesus that has you earn salvation so you can find dignity in your works. 

            There is great temptation to give up belief in Jesus so you can indulge your pride, your lust, your greed, your anger, your right to get even. There is a powerful desire in each of us to mold a new Jesus in our image instead of being conformed to the Word of God.

What would it take for you to give up eternal life with Jesus?         Jesus gives the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe in Him through the Holy Spirit.  You have the real Jesus.  Rejoice in the real Jesus who restored sight to the blind and raised the dead and who delivers to you forgiveness, life and salvation in the waters of Holy Baptism, in the Word of God, in Jesus’ words of absolution, and in the Body and Blood of your Savior in Holy Communion. 

            The world looks at Jesus’ means of delivering grace and scoffs at the humble simplicity of water, words, bread and wine.  You rejoice.  You know that Jesus is the one who died for the people and rose from the dead to conquer sin and death and give you eternal life.

            Caiaphas and the Jewish leaders know nothing at all. You have eternal life in Jesus.  There is nothing… not even life itself, more valuable than that.  What would it take for you to give up eternal life with Jesus?  Nothing. You have the greatest gift ever given. You live the humble life of a repentant sinner who knows you cannot save yourself, and who knows that you have been saved by the love of God through the blood of Jesus. 

            At confirmation I ask the question, “Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?  The confirmands answer, “I do, by the grace of God.”  In the face of the tremendous temptation to give up on Jesus for something else, I ask you, “Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?”  If so, answer, “I do, by the grace of God.”

            You have the greatest treasure possible.  You have faith in Jesus given you by the Holy Spirit. You believe in Jesus.  You have eternal life.  Amen. 

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Lent 4 2026
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
March 15, 2026
Is 42:14-21, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41

Sermons online: 

Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
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itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
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            A couple weeks ago we heard about the Pharisee, Nicodemus, coming to Jesus at night to find out more about this new teacher.  Jesus teaches him about being born from above by water and the spirit and that God loved the world, in this way, that He sent His only son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Jesus concludes His teaching with Nicodemus… John 3:19–21 (ESV) 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” 

            There is darkness and there is light.  Jesus is the light.  John 1:4–5 (ESV) 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

            There is darkness and there is light.  There is blindness and there is sight.  In our Gospel reading, Jesus leaves the temple after the Jews want to stone him for saying John 8:58 (ESV) 58 …“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”  “I am”, is God’s name.

            John 9:1 (ESV) 1 As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.”  Being born blind is a great disability; at Jesus’ time and today. While some progress is being made, still, with all our medical advances, there is no cure for someone born blind.

            The disciples do not talk to the man, but they talk about him.  There is a common belief that suffering is retribution from God for specific wrongdoing.  The disciples want to know who sinned, this man, or his parents.  John 9:3–5 (ESV) 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 

            Jesus spits on the ground and makes mud with the saliva and anoints the man’s eyes and tells him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam.” The man does what he is told, he goes to the pool south of the Temple Mount washes the mud off, and comes back seeing. A man, blind from birth, can now see. This is an incredible miracle of God. No one else can make the blind see.  Jesus is the real deal.  Isaiah prophesied, Isaiah 35:5 (ESV) 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened…”

            The formerly blind man is well known.  Everyone has seen him sitting outside the temple begging. Now it is clear that the man who was blind can now see, but, trying to discredit Jesus, they dispute that it is really him. They question the man and he replies, John 9:11 (ESV) 11 … “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” The man can physically see; spiritually his eyes are beginning to open.  He describes the healer as, “The man called Jesus.”

            The man is questioned by the Pharisees who dispute among themselves whether someone who broke one of their abundant Sabbath rules by making a tablespoon of mud could be from God — even though He did a miracle that only God can do.  When asked, “What do you say about Him,” the man answers, “He is a prophet.”  The man is being enlightened.

            After his parents refuse to say how their son was healed, for fear of being thrown out of the synagogue, the Jews question the man again about what happened.  They go back and forth and the man boldly proclaims, John 9:32–33 (ESV) 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”  The formerly blind man’s spiritual eyes are widening and he confesses that Jesus is from God.

            Unable to win on the facts, the Pharisees switch to an ad hominin attack, John 9:34 (ESV) 34 … “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. The Pharisees do not want the truth…they do not want a reminder of the truth… they reject the miracle…they reject the Messiah who showed His authority over blindness… they reject the light.

            John 9:35–38 (ESV) 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.” The man has physical sight and now the man can spiritually see.  He calls Jesus, “Lord,” and he worships Him.  The man was in the darkness, but now he is in the light.  He was blind, but now he sees. 

            John 9:39 (ESV) 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”  The man born blind can now see — physically and spiritually.  He is living in the light of Christ.  He is one of those who do not see who may see.  Who then are they who see who may become blind?  John 9:40 (ESV) 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 

            Jesus answer is a bit confusing, John 9:41 (ESV) 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”  The man born blind initially does not know who Jesus is, but the light of Christ shines on him and he begins to understand, and then understand even more, and confesses Jesus is Lord.  The Pharisees believe they know the scriptures, but they are blind.  They are so corrupted in their understanding that instead of rejoicing with a man born blind who can now see, they obsess over Jesus making mud on the Sabbath, and they kick the healed man out of the synagogue for not condemning Jesus.

            There is darkness and there is light.  There is blindness and there is sight.  Jesus is the light.  The light rescues you from darkness.  As Paul writes to the Colossians… Colossians 1:12–14 (ESV) 12 [give] thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  And to the Ephesians….Ephesians 5:8 (ESV) 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…”  

            There is darkness and there is light.  There is blindness and there is sight.  It is as simple and complex as that.  Jesus is the light.  Jesus rescued you from the darkness and now you are a child of light.  This morning we get to witness God rescuing Johann and Hannah from the darkness and bringing them into the Kingdom of light through water and the Spirit.  They were in darkness, but now they are light in the Lord. They were blind, but now they see.

            Jesus is the light.  Jesus is the only light.  There is no other light.  If you seek a way other than Jesus, you are walking in darkness.  If you seek a way other than Jesus you are blind. 

            Jesus is the light.  The light shines in the darkness.  The light has come to save all people but not everyone believes in the light. Far too many love the darkness rather than the light because their works are evil and they do not want their works to be exposed.  Those doing evil want to stay in the dark.

            We think of light as good, but the light can hurt. When you walk into the brightness of sunlight from a dark room you have to shield your eyes.  Coming out of the darkness of sin, the light of Christ can cause pain.  The light exposes the darkness of your sin.  The light convicts you of your sin.  The light shows that you are, by nature, spiritually blind, dead and an enemy of God.  The light shows your helplessness.  Many reject the light because the light causes them pain and exposes their evil. They reject the light before they can be enlightened as to who Jesus is and what He has done for them. 

Jesus is the light.  The light takes on Himself the darkness of the world and is suffocated by the darkness on the cross.  That dark Friday it seems the light has been extinguished.  But the light dawns again Sunday morning.  The light conquers the darkness by rising from the dead.  Jesus takes your darkness and gives you His light so, with the man who had been blind from birth, you confess, “Jesus is Lord!” and you worship Him. 

There is darkness and there is light.  There is blindness and there is sight.  Jesus is the light.  You are light in Him.  You were blind, but now you see.  Amen. 

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Lent Wednesday 3 2026
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
March 4, 2026
Matthew 26:30-56

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
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            Jesus and the eleven disciples leave the upper room and walk down the east side of Mt. Zion toward the Kidron Valley.  It appears they are headed back to Bethany on the Mount of Olives where they have been staying while in Jerusalem.  On their way, Jesus warns them, Matthew 26:31 (ESV) 31 … “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” He also gives them great hope.  Matthew 26:32 (ESV) 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”  The disciples do not understand what is happening even though Jesus has told them over and over.  Before His transfiguration…Matthew 16:21 (ESV) 21 … Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”  Peter rejected this idea and rebuked Jesus.  Matthew 16:23 (ESV) 23 But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”  In Matthew Jesus tells them twice more what will happen, but as it is happening they do not understand. 

            Jesus has made it clear that He is going to Jerusalem and He will be seized and killed and raised from the dead.  He tells the disciples that they will all fall away that night, but Peter insists, “Not me.”  Matthew 26:33 (ESV) 33 … “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”  Jesus tells Peter that he is going to deny Jesus three times before the rooster crows and Peter rejects this, vehemently.  Matthew 26:35 (ESV) 35 …“Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.”

            As they enter Gethsemane their spirits are high and they are unified in their belief that Jesus may be right about a lot of things, but He is wrong about the disciples falling away and He is wrong about Peter denying Jesus.  Jesus has eight of the disciples sit and He takes Peter, James and John a little ways deeper into the olive grove.  Jesus is sorrowful and troubled and begins to talk like He has never talked before.  Matthew 26:38 (ESV) 38 … “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 

            Jesus then goes a little farther and falls on His face and prays.  Matthew 26:39 (ESV) 39 …“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 

            Jesus knows what is coming…the humiliation, the suffering, the torture, the dying an excruciating death.  But that is not the worst.  Jesus will be left utterly alone.  Already the crowds are gone, the group of followers is gone, one disciple will soon betray Him.  Of the brave disciples who all declared they would die rather than deny Jesus — eight are asleep near the entry to the olive grove, and the three He asked to watch with Him are also asleep.  Jesus goes to sleeping Peter and says, Matthew 26:40–41 (ESV) 40 … “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  The disciples all intend to do well, but are unable.  In reality, there is nothing for them to do.  Jesus prays again, Matthew 26:42 (ESV) 42 … “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”  After praying a third time, Jesus wakes up the disciples and together they go to meet Judas who is coming with a crowd carrying swords and clubs.  Judas betrays Jesus and the crowd seizes Him.  Peter draws his sword to fight back striking one of the men, but Jesus tells him, Matthew 26:52–54 (ESV) 52 … “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”  

            After dinner, Jesus gave the cup of the new testament in His blood for the forgiveness of sins to the disciples and to you.  Now Jesus will drink the cup of God’s wrath, taking upon Himself the punishment for those sins.  He is the sinless Son of God who takes on Himself the sin of the world.  2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) 21 For our sake [God the Father] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus will do it alone.  He has to do it alone.  He is the only one that can pay this price.  In Jesus’ drinking of the cup of God’s wrath, He is forsaken by God the Father.  It is the Father’s wrath inflicted on Jesus to save sinners.  

Jesus bears the penalty for your sin.  Jesus suffers separation from the Father, in your place.  Forsaken by the Father, Jesus suffers the full wrath of God for the sin of humanity.  He alone is the substitute for humanity.  He endures the total separation from God the Father that humanity deserves in order to reconcile God and man.  Matthew 27:46 (ESV) 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

            Jesus praying alone in Gethsemane is the beginning of His utter aloneness being arrested, being before Caiaphas and the Council, being denied by Peter, being beaten and mocked, questioned by Pilate, flogged, crucified, and laid in the tomb.  Jesus is truly all of Israel reduced to one perfect, final sacrifice.  He is abandoned by the crowds, by His followers, by His disciples and then, finally… by God the Father.  It is the Father’s will that Jesus suffer and die alone.

            LCMS President Matthew Harrison wrote this in the Lutheran Witness in June of 2020 in the throes of COVID regarding whether God wills suffering and affliction. 

            “The answer comes most clearly in Gethsemane. “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). There it is. God the Father wills the suffering of God the Son. Under the pressure of the sins of the world, Jesus seemed to waver. Yet He, “who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15), also did not sin at that tense moment. Jesus said, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18).

So there you have it. God the Father and God the Son willed that the Son should suffer and die. God willed death. God willed suffering. At first, this is disconcerting. Isn’t death a result of sin? Isn’t suffering a result of sin? So, is God the cause of sin? No. God is not the cause and source of sin and death. Yet God Himself makes use of the curse of sin — suffering and death — for His good purposes. In doing so, He most often works in a hidden way. Our life is “hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Just think of it. As Christ was dying on the cross, His followers were terrified, distraught, hopeless, helpless. They thought that God had abandoned Jesus, and them. But it was not so. The Father had abandoned Jesus to death for them. The greatest act in the history of the universe appeared to be the most pathetic, powerless and useless failure.”[1]

            Jesus is sorrowful in Gethsemane because, as He prepares to drink the cup of God’s wrath to save you, He will be forsaken by everyone, including His Father.  This is the Father’s will.  Jesus alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Alone Jesus gives His life to save you.  Matthew 26:42 (ESV) 42 … “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”  Amen.  

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[1]June 1, 2020 / Letter From the President, Print Feature, The Magazine / By Matthew Harrison / COVID-19, Suffering

Painting by Finnish artist Albert Edelfelt (1854 – 1905) Jesus Washing the Feet of his Disciples (1898)

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BULLETIN

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Daniel English
February 25, 2026
Sermon – Lent 1 – Midweek Wednesday
John 13:1-20;

A Mighty Servant Is Our God

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lent is a time when the church conforms her habits to the suffering of Christ. Traditionally, Christians have fasted from various good things in order to devote themselves to Bible reading and prayer and almsgiving. During Lent we pay special attention to the sufferings of Christ. We remind ourselves just how serious our sin is, how it provokes the wrath of an Almighty God, and we remind ourselves that the wages of sin is both temporal and eternal death (Romans 6:23). +++ We remember that the punishment we deserve isn’t simply swept under the rug and forgotten… Instead, our punishment is carried out on one righteous and perfect Man, Jesus Christ. +++ Lent isn’t a time to drum up our emotions, to make our repentance a performance, to disfigure our faces in a great showing of our devotion, or even to relish all of the beautiful, minor key music. And it isn’t just in these 40 days alone that we repent of our sins. But as the Preacher says, “For everything there is a season…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and we use this season of weeping and mourning and fasting to remind ourselves just how much Christ has suffered for us. FOR US. FOR YOU.

This Lententide we will follow Jesus through the last 24 hours before His death, from the Upper Room to the cross. As the Lenten Hymn says, “Ye who think of sin but lightly / nor suppose the evil great / Here may view its nature rightly, / Here its guilt may estimate. / Mark the sacrifice appointed, / See who bears the awful load; / ‘Tis the Word, the Lord’s anointed, / Son of Man and Son of God” (“Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted,” LSB 451:3). +++ When we remember Christ’s great suffering, we begin to understand the gravity of our sin. But we also begin to understand the depth of His love for us.

St. John makes this connection in our reading for today: “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1). Jesus knows that His hour has come. Up to this point He has loved His own, and He will continue to love His own to the end. That end is to be betrayed, arrested, mocked, scoffed at, spit on, struck in the face, and whipped. And at the conclusion of a bogus trial, He will be put to death. Just 24 hours before all of this suffering, Jesus is in the Upper Room with His disciples and He decides to wash their feet.

What does it mean that Jesus is washing His disciples’ feet? It’s hard not to import some kind of modern meaning into an event like this. Maybe you think feet are gross and washing someone else’s feet even grosser. You might think footwashing is an awfully irregular, or important, or intimate thing for Jesus to be doing. The reality is, in Jesus’ time footwashing is nothing unusual. In the Old Testament, when Abraham welcomes the Lord and two angels as guests, he calls for water to be brought so that they may wash their feet (Genesis 18:4). Lot offers the same hospitality to those same guests in Sodom (Genesis 19:2). When Isaac and his traveling companions reach Laban’s house, there is water to wash their feet (Genesis 24:32). Joseph, when he welcomes his brothers back to Egypt, provides water so they can wash their feet (Genesis 43: 24). Footwashing was done regularly by priests during their priestly duties (Exodus 30:19), or by anyone when entering a house or before meals. For thousands of years, from Genesis to the time of Christ, footwashing has been a normal part of hospitality in a culture where one walks around in the dust wearing sandals all the time. Footwashing back then is like taking off your shoes at the front door today.

In our reading for today, the footwashing is not unusual. What is unusual is… WHO… is doing the washing. “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from the supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:3-5). The footwashing is not what is striking. It is striking that the One through Whom and for Whom all things were created (Colossians 1:16) is acting as a servant.

With this in mind, Peter’s struggle is not so hard to understand. “[Jesus] came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, do you wash my feet?’ Jesus answered him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You shall never wash my feet’” (John 13:6-8a). If anyone has begun to understand who Jesus is, it is Peter. Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:13-20). And now Jesus — the Christ — the Son of the Living God — has come to Peter to wash his feet. Unsurprisingly, Peter responds passionately: “You shall never wash my feet.” The interchange is almost comical. Jesus wants to wash Peter’s feet, Peter basically says, “No way!” Then “Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.’” So Peter says, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” (John 13:8b-9). Oh, Peter… we love Peter. Let’s learn from him. What mistakes does he make? +++ Luther, when he is discussing human nature around the dinner table is quoted as saying, “The world is like a drunken peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side, he will fall off the other side” (Luther’s Works American Edition, Vol 54, pg 111). Peter’s first mistake is pride… and the second is enthusiasm. In his pride, Peter rejects the Word of God altogether. In his enthusiasm, he thinks it’s okay to add to it.

Peter’s pride prevents him from receiving the Kingdom of God as a little child. Our pride makes it an offensive thing to receive Christ’s gifts. Christ wants to be the one to do the washing. Christ does the cleansing. Christ chooses to give the gift freely, and Peter falls off one side of the horse. PRIDE. +++ Jesus makes it clear: “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me” (John 13:8b). If Jesus does not do the work, you have no share with Him. We’re drawn to this same self-righteous pride. Instead of the righteousness of faith given as a gift, we want to play some part in our own salvation. We want to contribute something! It seems only polite, it looks like humility… but it’s pride. +++ What only appears to be humility makes the work of Christ meaningless, and seeks to replace it with works of our own. This pride is called works righteousness, and it is always a temptation. Avoid it! Paul teaches against this error in his letter to the Galatians: “Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? […] You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 3:1b-3; 5:4). +++ You think your sanctification merits you something or that you’re not as deserving of hell as that person over there, or that it makes you better than this person over here. Repent… It’s pride.

Peter is quickly corrected. Jesus says, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me” (John 13:8b). What happens next looks like piety: “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Peter adds to the Word and example of Christ, and he falls off the other side of the horse. ENTHUSIASM. How often are we tempted to leave the clear Word of Christ for something else? But we don’t need anything else. Not councils or popes, not inward affirmations or special revelation. The Word is sufficient. Christ is sufficient. When your emotions, your experiences, or your intellect push you to change or add to the Word of God, as if you have authority over it, repent… It’s enthusiasm.

Thankfully, Jesus is merciful to us, just as He is merciful to Peter. Christ is good to us. He forgives us and corrects us, and sets himself before us as a Holy Example. Jesus says, “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:15). +++ Jesus is given all power and authority by God the Father, and with it He becomes a Suffering Servant to those whom He loves. TO US. TO YOU. You are to do the same: any authority given to you should be used in service to others. Now your works, instead of a prideful distraction from the merit of Christ, become a blessing to your neighbor. You don’t act as though you’re owed anything, you know you’re not capable of earning God’s grace, but you serve one another in all humility. You remember that you have been forgiven much, so you are quick to forgive others. You walk in faith, knowing that Christ loves you and died for you, while you were still a sinner. By His death and resurrection, you are made righteous through faith before God. You are cleansed in Holy Baptism, washed clean. And He serves you His own Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper, which strengthens and preserves you. In Lent, don’t take your sins lightly, but remember that Christ has taken your sins to the cross, and He removed them as far from you as the East is from the West.

Have you been washed? Christ’s Word says, “You are clean.” Don’t reject it. Don’t seek to take anything away from it or add anything to it. Just trust in it. It is enough.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.