Good Friday 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Vicar Kaleb Yaeger
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O Lord, have mercy. O Christ, have mercy. O Lord, have mercy. This has been the fervent prayer of the church since she first began. We have always cried out to God for mercy. Mercy is the foundation of the faith. God is merciful. He does not repay evil with evil, but repays evil with good. He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. It is no wonder, then, that you cry: O Lord, have mercy!
But have you considered the price of mercy?
O Lord, have mercy. O Lord, you pray, do not deal with me according to my sins. O Christ, have mercy. O Christ, you pray, do not deliver me over unto death. O Lord, have mercy. O Lord, do not let your just and holy wrath come against me. With this three-fold cry, you beg that God would not come against you in righteous anger, but in peace. You get down on your knees and beg that God would not do justice to you. That God would not give you what you deserve. O Lord, you cry, have mercy!
But have you considered the price of mercy?
Mercy is when someone does not get what they do deserve. Mercy is shown to a man on his knees. Mercy is the opposite of justice.
God is just. God is righteous. In His justice and righteousness, God is wrathful against sin. He may be slow to anger, but His anger does come. In the end, justice must be done. It is to this just God that you cry for mercy. O Lord, do not deal with me according to your wrath. O Christ, put my sins away. “O Lord, have mercy”
But have you considered the price of mercy?
Consider it now. Your king stands before the crowd. He is clothed in purple. Dark streaks of blood stain the fine fabric. The crown He wears is made of thorns. His face is covered in crimson streaks. Already, His body is striped with wounds. Wounds that He does not deserve. The wounds He bears in His body are your sins. The thorns that crown His head are your sins. The blows that the soldiers lay upon Him are your sins.
Yet this is not the full price of mercy.
The crowds get their way. Jesus is delivered to be crucified. He staggers under the weight of the cross. He staggers under the weight of your sin. He carries the cross on His wounded back. He comes to the place of the skull, the place of death. Your king is laid on the cross. A Roman soldier places the nails. You hammer them in with your sins. Every evil thought. Every wicked word. Every vile deed. With every strike, the Lord of all cries out in pain.
Yet even this is not the full price of mercy.
The Son of Man is lifted up. Raised high on the cross. Suspended by nails. A slow death by suffocation. Every breath is a labor. Below the cross, the Roman soldiers cast lots for His garments. Jesus suffers there for some time. His body is in immense pain. The wounds on His back scrape against the rough-hewn cross. The nails in His hands and feet hold Him in suspended suffering. Jesus hangs on the tree of the cross.
Yet even this is not the full price of mercy.
His physical suffering is immense. His spiritual suffering is beyond understanding. God the Father looks down on Jesus. All He sees is sin. Your sin. God’s wrath falls on His Son, His only Son whom He loves. On the cross, Jesus drinks the wine that has become vinegar. With it, He drinks the cup of God’s wrath, down to the dregs. The full punishment for sin is laid upon Jesus. From the sin of Adam to the sin of the last man who will ever live, Jesus bears it all.
When all was accomplished, Jesus said:
“It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Behold the price of mercy.
It only cost Him everything. The Son of God laid down His life for you. He has drunk the cup of God’s wrath and left it empty. The debt is now paid. Justice is done. The wrath of God against sin is satisfied.
Jesus bore all of your sins to the cross and when He is buried in a stranger’s tomb, He committed your sins to the grave. They are sealed away forever. They are cast as far as the east is from the west. All out of nothing but love for you. Your sins are what drove Him to the cross. His love for you is what held Him there. Behold the love of God! Behold the price of mercy. Cry out, cry out with the whole Christian church on earth,
Palm Sunday 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Pastor Kevin Jud April 2, 2023 Zechariah 9:9-10, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 21:1-11
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Matthew 16:13–18 (ESV) 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
There is great confusion about who Jesus is and what He has come to do. Peter seems to get it as to the who, but then right after Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God Jesus tells the disciples for the first time the what. … Matthew 16:21 (ESV) 21 From that time 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 rejects this and tells Jesus, Matthew 16:22 (ESV) 22 … “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Even Peter does not understand what Jesus has come to do.
Jesus tells the disciples a second time Matthew 17:22–23 (ESV) 22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
Now, down in Jericho, Jesus tells His disciples for the third time, Matthew 20:18–19 (ESV) 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Jesus is down in Jordan valley, on His way to Jerusalem traveling with His 12 disciples, a crowd of people, two formerly blind men that He just healed, and likely Zebedee’s wife, Salome, the mother of James and John. It is a hard, 18 mile desert wilderness hike from Jericho to the Mount of Olives going from 800 feet below sea level to 3,000 feet above. The Good Shepherd likely leads this strange parade through Wadi Qelt also known as the Valley of the Shadow of Death on His way out of Jericho.
Jesus walks the 18 miles up hill to the top of the Mount of Olives and then he gets a donkey to ride downhill into Jerusalem. What sense does that make? Well, riding the donkey is not about transportation, riding the donkey is about fulfilling the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 (ESV) 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
This is a ridiculous looking spectacle. A full grown man is riding a small donkey down a steep hill covered with clothing and palm branches. He then rides the little donkey through a gate into the holy city of Jerusalem. What must be going through Jesus mind? He alone knows all of what is coming that week and along the way there are little signs of what is to come. On the back of the donkey there is a pattern of dark hair in the shaped of a cross. As Jesus rides down the Mount of Olives He rides past the Garden of Gethsemane which, on Thursday, will be the place of His passionate prayer and betrayal and arrest. Jesus rides His little donkey down the hill from the east and likely enters the city through the Eastern Gate; the Golden gate into the temple grounds. This is the gate spoken of in Ezekiel’s prophecy of a new temple, Ezekiel 43:1–2 (ESV) 1 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.”
Surely now the people of Jerusalem clearly know who Jesus is and what He has come to do. They will know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He is the King of the Jews coming to be crowned. He is the Savior coming to be the sacrifice for sin. Surely they will see and they will know.
Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the King of the Jews. He tells this to the people. He shows this to the people in His miracles and signs. He basically declares, I am the Christ and I am now fulfilling prophecy. And the people welcome Him by waving palm branches as a sign of victory and shouting, Matthew 21:9 (ESV) 9 “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Hosanna means, “Please Lord, please save us!”
Surely now the people of Jerusalem clearly know who Jesus is and what He has come to do. They will know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He is the King of the Jews coming to be crowned. He is the Savior coming to be the sacrifice for sin. Surely they will see and they will know.
Matthew 21:10–11 (ESV) 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” As the disciples reported earlier, “some say He is a prophet.”
Jesus is showing and telling His disciples and the crowds who He is and what He has come to do, but they do not understand. People are confused. After Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey colt as Messiah and King the people think He is just a prophet from Nazareth. The week will continue with confusion. Jesus teaches that tax collectors and prostitutes have faith because they believed John the Baptist’s teaching about Jesus. He teaches that the religious leaders have rejected John’s teachings and they have rejected Jesus. .
Jesus teaches the crowds and warns the religious leaders but confusion continues. What would it take for people to understand who Jesus is and what He has come to do. Jesus does what He said He would do. He goes to Jerusalem, He suffers many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, He is killed. On the third day He is raised from the dead. Surely, this will be such a clear sign it will cause all to believe. But, tragically, so many people are so caught up in their own situations, their own power and money and control that they miss Jesus. The busyness of life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke out their faith in Jesus. This is so much of a problem today in our world…in our lives. There are so many forces pulling for your time and attention and money that Jesus can be bumped from being Savior and Lord, down to a holiday tradition, down to helper, down to buddy, down to jewelry accessory, down to irrelevance, down to an enemy. The devil, the world and your sinful nature conspire to rob you of faith in Jesus as your Savior and King. This evil triad works to confuse your understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for you.
And so, because you are aware of all the forces working against true faith, you come here each week to confess your helplessness, to remember your baptism, to receive the gift of forgiveness in Jesus’ words, and in His Body and His Blood. You come here because you know the truth. Jesus is your King. Jesus is your Lord. Jesus is your Savior from sin. Jesus is who He says He is and you are His cherished treasure. He went to Jerusalem riding on the colt of donkey to sacrifice Himself… for you.
Today you remember Jesus’ entering Jerusalem to the waving of Palm Branches in victory and shouts of Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest! As the week ends with Jesus on trial, sentenced to death and crucified you will see more clues to His true identity. He is crowned, He is given royal robes. Pilate declares Jesus of Nazareth to be the King of the Jews. As Jesus breathes His last the Roman centurion and his guard witness the earth shake and all that is happening and they are filled with awe and declare, Matthew 27:54 (ESV) 54 …“Truly this was the Son of God!”
And even this clear confession is still a bit confused because, as we will see next Sunday, it is not that He “was the Son of God!” Jesus is the Son of God. He is the resurrected Son of God from eternity to eternity and He has given you eternal life with Him. Amen.
Lent 5 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Pastor Kevin Jud March 26, 2023 Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:1-11, John 11:1-53
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Unless you were paying close attention, you would have missed it. Jesus’ first sign in the Gospel of John is done very quietly. At His mother’s request He turns 120 gallons of water into wine at a wedding in Cana a few miles north of Nazareth. Jesus does the miracle discreetly. Only Mary, the disciples and the servants know what happened. It was the first of Jesus’ signs of who He really is, but He does not make a big deal out of it.
His identifying signs become less discreet as He interacts with the Samaritan woman at the well and tells her all about herself and she shares it with her whole village. Then, back in Cana, Jesus heals the son of an official from Capernaum. Down in Jerusalem on a Sabbath, Jesus heals a crippled man at the pool of Bethesda and the man tells the Jewish leaders it was Jesus who did it. Up in Galilee Jesus feeds 5,000 and then walks on water. In our Gospel reading last week Jesus heals a man born blind in Jerusalem causing a great stir among the people and the religious leaders. The number of people following Jesus grows, and the opposition to Jesus grows. There are plans to arrest Jesus and plots to kill Jesus, especially in the areas around Jerusalem. It is a tense situation. Despite the danger, Jesus visits Jerusalem for the winter Feast of Dedication, which is now called Hanukkah, and while He is there the Jews pick up rocks and are ready to stone Jesus to death but He escapes and goes down across the Jordan where it is calmer and safer.
Jesus starts out discreetly doing signs, now He is going to do a sign with audacity. Jesus is going to take bold risks. At Jesus’ first miracle in Cana He tells His mother, John 2:4 (ESV) 4 … “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” Now, Jesus’ hour has come. He is across the Jordan at the place John had been baptizing. He is hunkered down with his disciples. People come to Jesus saying, John 10:41 (ESV) 41 … “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” Into this riverside place of peace and safety comes a messenger from the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. Jesus’ friend Lazarus is sick. His sisters, Mary and Martha, want Jesus to come and heal Lazarus. The disciples must really tense up to think they will have to return to where Jesus was almost killed. They don’t understand that it is now Jesus’ hour. Jesus is going to be audacious and He strategically sets everything up just right. He delays their return to Bethany by telling the disciples, John 11:4 (ESV) 4 …“This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” It sounds like they are staying put so the disciples relax. Two days pass and then Jesus announces John 11:7 (ESV) 7 … “Let us go to Judea again.”
The disciples had been relieved, but are now concerned and protest, John 11:8 (ESV) 8 … “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” It is kind of cute how the disciples, just like us, feel the need to remind Jesus of the “reality” of the situation as they second guess his decisions. Jesus declares that it is time to act while it is day and that Lazarus is asleep and Jesus will go awaken Him, and then has to explain to the disciples that when He said Lazarus is asleep, He meant…Lazarus is dead. Thomas, knowing the risks of Jerusalem, bravely declares to the twelve, John 11:16 (ESV) 16 …“Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Jesus and the disciples go to Bethany and meet Lazarus’ sister Martha on the road. Martha is distraught with grief over her brother who has been dead for four days. She is upset that Jesus was not there to save Lazarus, but still retains faith in Jesus. John 11:21-22 (ESV) 21 Martha [says] to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”
John 11:23-24 (ESV) 23 Jesus [says] to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha [says] to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Martha has good, solid faith in God. She knows, perhaps better than many Christians today, that the dead will be raised on the last day. What she doesn’t know is she has the resurrection standing in front of her.
Jesus is truly audacious. He confronts death and declares, 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. Do you believe this?”
Jesus is the resurrection and He declares victory over death right there in Bethany to grieving Martha with Lazarus lying dead nearby in a tomb. Jesus declares authority over death and now He will demonstrate that audacious authority in front of a crowd of witnesses so there will be no denying what He has done.
Martha goes to get Mary, and Mary quickly gets up and departs and the Jews at the house follow her and they all meet Jesus on the road. Mary is crying, the Jews are crying, everyone is torn up by the death of Lazarus. Death is tragic. Death is the enemy. Death is not part of God’s original plan in creation but is a result of sin. Jesus is deeply moved and troubled by death and asks to be taken to the grave and then Jesus weeps. Even knowing what is about to happen, death troubles Jesus; death saddens Jesus.
I think this is an important point to remember when Christians mourn the death of loved ones. There is some social push lately to not have a funeral or memorial service but instead have a celebration of life. I fear that this can make folks feel guilty that they are sad at the death of a loved one; as if their grief is somehow denying the resurrection of the dead. Jesus shows us here how there is absolutely a resurrection of the dead, and, at the same time, death still brings tears.
There is murmuring in the crowd as there was with Mary and Martha, “Why didn’t Jesus keep Lazarus from dying?”
Jesus, Mary and Martha, and the crowd of Jews go to the tomb and Jesus, with great audacity, demands that they take away the stone from the front of the tomb. And at this point Martha, dear, practical Martha, really must protest. Okay, all this raising of the dead talk is fine and dandy, but this is real death, there is a real dead body in that tomb, and it has really been in there for four days, and real dead bodies decompose and start to smell like…well, they smell like death.
Jesus, however, is not worried about the reality or stench of death because Jesus has real authority over death and with great audacity John 11:40 (ESV) 40 Jesus [says] to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” Jesus’ audacity is greater than practical concerns about the stink of death and they roll away the stone. Jesus prays out loud so that people will hear him and know that Jesus is the one sent by God the Father. And then Jesus does something so audacious it is really ridiculous. Jesus yells at a corpse. Jesus gives an order to a dead man. John 11:43 (ESV) 43 … “Lazarus, come out.” How stupid is it to yell orders at a dead man? It is ultimately stupid, unless…unless…you are the resurrection and the life…unless, you have authority over death…unless, you are God in flesh.
The dead man obeys Jesus’ command and Lazarus comes walking out of the tomb wrapped in grave clothes. Jesus orders that he be unbound and freed.
In front of a crowd of onlookers Jesus raises a man from the dead who has been dead for four days. The people are amazed by what they see. Some believe that Jesus is the Christ sent from God. Others are horrified, because Jesus is their enemy, and they run off to the Pharisees to report what has happened. Jesus purposely does an audacious miracle that cannot be explained away or ignored, and the Jewish leaders are stirred to action. Jesus must die. He must die as soon as possible. The Jewish leaders lament, John 11:48 (ESV) 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.” You just can’t let someone live who is audacious enough to command dead people to live and they obey. It is time for Jesus to die. Jesus’ hour has come.
John 11:49-50 (ESV) 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “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 is more right than he knows. Truly, truly it is better for one man to die to save the people. This is what Jesus has come to do. This is Jesus’ mission that will soon bring Him in front of Caiaphas to be questioned, found guilty, turned over to Pontius Pilate, flogged, crowned with thorns, paraded through the streets, and crucified at Golgotha, the place of a skull. Jesus’ audacity in raising Lazarus from the dead leads to Jesus’ crucifixion and death and burial in a tomb. Jesus trades places with Lazarus. But Jesus has authority over death.
It is with great audacity that even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death you fear no evil. In the face of the death of a loved one; in the face of your own death, you are saddened, but you do not grieve as those who have no hope. You have great hope. You have Jesus.
This is quite an Easter Gospel reading here in the middle of Lent. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus can raise the dead. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Jesus Himself is raised from the dead, and Jesus will raise you from the dead.
And so it is with great audacity that each week you confess in the creed that you believe in the resurrection of the dead. You believe in the resurrection of your body on the Last Day. It is with great audacity that at funerals we declare Jesus’ words, 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. …”
It is with great audacity that even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death you fear no evil. In the face of the death of a loved one; in the face of your own death, you are saddened, but you do not grieve as those who have no hope. You have great hope. You have Jesus.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. You have the audacity to believe that you have eternal life, and you know it is true, because that is what Jesus has promised you. Amen.
Lent 3 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Pastor Kevin Jud Exodus 17:1-17, Romans 5:1-8, John 4:5-26
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Imagine for a moment that you are a pioneer heading west in a covered wagon looking for a good place to live. One night along the trail there is a heavy rainstorm and in the morning you look out from your wagon and see huge puddles of water. You say to yourself, “This is it! I have found the right place. Look at all this water. There is plenty for me, and my family, and my animals, and my crops.” Sounds good? What’s wrong with your assessment? These are just puddles. This water will dry up and be gone. You need living water…moving water. You need a creek or a river or a lake with water flowing in and out. Or, you need to be able to tap into moving water underground by digging a well.
Water is life. You don’t want to live somewhere where there is no living water. We see this in the Old Testament lesson where the children of Israel on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land are grumbling against Moses and God because they are camping in the Sinai wilderness where there is no food or water. God promised to care for them, but their thirst overwhelms their trust.
Water is a big deal. In Israel, most of the country is a dry, rocky wilderness incompatible with human life. Water brings life.
Our Gospel reading today is set at Jacob’s well. Jacob is the son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham. Jacob’s well in Samaria taps into a deep underground stream and the water, brought to the surface by buckets and jars, brings life to the people and animals and crops. Jacob’s well is 135 feet deep, dug by hand. I cannot imagine the courage and perseverance and hope that it took to keep digging that far down into the earth with hand tools and oil lamps.
To get to groundwater here you only have to dig down about 10 feet. Here at Immanuel we sit atop flowing water just below the basement floor. Last Sunday, with all the rain, the water level rose above the basement floor and began to seep into the building. We sit atop underground waters on the edge of the Great Miami buried valley aquifer that runs from Indian Lake up north of Bellfontaine, Ohio down to the Ohio River along the route of the Great Miami River. Just downstream from us, the city of Hamilton taps into the aquifer to produce the best tasting tap water in the world. Maybe we could figure out how to bottle the water flowing into our sump pit instead of pumping it out to the creek.
Water is life. Living, moving water is life. You don’t want to get your drinking water from a puddle.
Jesus and His disciples are on their way from the Judean countryside in the south traveling north to Galilee. On their way, they stop at a Samaritan town called Sychar where Jacob’s well is located. It is lunch time and the disciples head into town to buy some food while Jesus waits by the well in the heat of the day. Hauling water a quarter miles from the well back to town is hot work and done mostly in morning or the evening when it is not so warm. But one woman comes to the well at high noon. It seems she is an outcast in town. She is considered a lowlife, corrupted woman and she faces the scorn of the people of Sychar and so she does not want to encounter others and have to deal with their derision. She would avoid the well altogether, but water is life and eventually she has to go to the well when her thirst overcomes her shame. She sneaks out with her jar at noon when no one else would be there.
But there is someone there. There is a Jewish man sitting next to the well. She would wait for Him to leave, but her thirst is great. She needs water. She is thirsty, and so is the Jewish man at the well. He breaks all conventions where Jews do not talk to Samaritans and men don’t talk to women and He says to her, “Give me a drink.”
John 4:9–10 (ESV) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
Living water? Right, moving water…flowing from its source…that is the kind of water in Jacob’s well, water flowing into the well from a deep underground stream. John 4:11 (ESV) 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?”
Then the man says something very confusing. John 4:13–14 (ESV) 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” What is going on here? Is He still talking about the water in the well?
Then this Jewish man at the well tells the woman all about her life and her five husbands and the man she is now living with who is not her husband. The woman realizes this man must be a prophet. They discuss where to worship; on Mt. Gerizim where the Samaritans worship or in Jerusalem where the Jews worship. He says all that will change and those who worship God will worship in spirit and truth. This is so much for the woman to take in. What is this guy talking about? Who is this guy? Maybe when the long promised Messiah finally comes He will get all of this straightened out and she tells this to the man.
Water is life. Jesus’ Living Water is eternal life. Jesus is the only source of eternal life. Living Water flows from the source and the source is Jesus. Anything else is just a puddle that will soon dry up.
John 4:26 (ESV) 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the one promised from of old and He is gives this sinful woman the Living Water of eternal life.
The Living Water that Jesus gives to the woman at the well is the same Living Water that He gives to you. Living Water is faith in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This living water is poured out in the waters of baptism, in the words of absolution, in the Body and Blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.
Water is life. Jesus’ Living Water is eternal life. Jesus is the only source of eternal life. Living Water flows from the source and the source is Jesus. Anything else is just a puddle that will soon dry up.
Everyone gets physically thirsty quickly. To remain healthy, you need to drink plenty of clean water every day and even more when it is hot or you are doing physical work. If you do not have water you will soon feel the effects, and if you go without water long enough you can die of thirst. You need water to live.
You also need spiritual water to live. Even if they do not want to admit it, all people realize that there is something more to this life than just merely existing day to day. Everyone gets spiritually thirsty. Tragically, so many spiritually thirsty people are being deceived by the devil and are drinking from puddles instead of from the Living Water flowing from the throne of God. So many are drinking from a muddy puddle that pretends to be living water, but it will soon dry up and leave them dying of thirst. So many drink from the puddles of made up religions; Scientology, Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism. So many drink from puddles of heretical religions that deny Jesus is the way, the truth and the life such as Islam, Judaism, and liberal church bodies. So many drink from ancient false religions promising a better next life based on this life such as Hinduism and Buddhism. And so many now drink from the puddle of secularism where it is taught that truth is found inside of you and anyone teaching a truth from outside of you is preaching hate because it contradicts your feelings. So many thirsty people drink from muddy puddles thinking they have living water but they have been deceived and are drinking to their own eternal doom.
You have Living Water flowing from the throne of God to you through the font, the altar and the Word of God. You have the living water of the Holy Spirit flowing to you from the source, Jesus Christ, whose life, death and resurrection are for you.
Jesus gives Living Water to the woman at the well who is ashamed to be around others and then she runs into town to tell those others about Jesus. Jesus gives Living Water to you, a natural born sinner and gives you faith, and as we learn from Jesus in… John 7:38 (ESV) 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” The water flowing from Jesus is a spring of water in you that wells up to eternal life.
You do not drink from a puddle. You have the Living Water of Jesus; you will never be thirsty again. Amen
Lent 1 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Pastor Kevin Jud February 26, 2023 Genesis 3:1-21, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11
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Us men, we are simple creatures. It doesn’t take that much to make us feel good. As a husband it is such a great feeling to have Jeannette hand me a jar of pickles to open, or ask me to kill a bug. It is good to be the hero. Makes you feel like a man. Now, one of the highpoints of life as a husband and homeowner is being able to fix something so you don’t have to call a repairman. A man dies a little inside when he has to pick up the phone and call the plumber. A wise Canadian once said, “If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.”
I had a recent victory when our dryer stopped producing heat. I turned to the man’s secret weapon in cases like this, YouTube videos. I found a good one about Whirlpool dryers that do not produce heat. I was able to follow the instructions. I properly used a multimeter to check the 240 outlet and to check resistance on three thermostats after removing the back cover of the dryer. One of the thermostats had no resistance which indicated it was broken. I found the part number, ordered it on Amazon, installed it two days later and ta-da!! The dryer was again working. Makes you want to grunt like Tim Allen on Tool Time.
Not all home improvement videos are do-it-yourself. Later, I was looking into how to install a transfer switch on a circuit box and the videos recommended hiring a qualified, licensed electrician. Don’t do it yourself. Get qualified, expert help.
In our Gospel reading today we find Jesus after His baptism. Matthew 4:1–2 (ESV) 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” The devil tempts Jesus three times and Jesus easily resists each test by responding with words from Scripture. Jesus defeats Satan and sends him away.
So…is this a do it yourself lesson, or is this a lesson about getting qualified, expert help? Jesus, true man, is hungry, weakened by a long fast and yet able to stand His ground against the Father of Lies. Matthew 4:3 (ESV) 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Matthew 4:4 (ESV) 4 But [Jesus] answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Jesus is quoting this from an address of Moses to the children of Israel before they go across the Jordan River into the Promised Land after 40 years in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV) 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Jesus is recalling how Israel failed to resist the devil’s temptations.
Then the devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem and quotes scripture from Psalm 91 to Jesus. Matthew 4:5–6 (ESV) 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
Matthew 4:7 (ESV) 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” This is from earlier in Moses’ address to the people in Deuteronomy 6:16 (ESV) 16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” Moses is recalling an incident from Exodus 17:3 (ESV) 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
Matthew 4:8–10 (ESV) 8 Again, the devil took [Jesus] to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Jesus again quotes from Moses’ sermon to unfaithful Israel who built a golden calf to be their god. Israel was in the wilderness for 40 years and failed to be faithful to God. They did not trust God’s promises. Israel failed.
Adam and Eve were in paradise, at harmony with God in the garden. He had given them clear instructions, but when confronted by the Prince of Darkness in the form of a serpent they listened to that liar and gave up on trusting God. They were unfaithful. Adam and Eve failed.
You are not going to fight the devil because for you fights the valiant one, whom God Himself elected. And you ask, who is this? Jesus Christ it is. Lord of the heavenly armies. He holds the field victorious. You do not need to fear the devil because you have Jesus.
The devil went after Jesus but was easily defeated. He couldn’t defeat Jesus so he is going after you. The devil tried to kill Jesus and he thought he had won as Jesus died on the cross, but Jesus rose from the dead. The defeated devil has been thrown down to the earth and he is angry. Revelation 12:17 (ESV) 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus…” Jesus defeated the devil so the devil is going after you and the devil far more powerful than you. Like Adam, like Eve, like the children of Israel in the wilderness, you are outmatched and you if you try to go it alone you will fail. But you are not alone. You have Jesus. You are a baptized child of God. You do not face the devil relying on your own strength. This reading is not a do-it-yourself how-to lesson about battling with the devil. Jesus temptation in the wilderness shows you how the qualified expert defeats Satan with no difficulty. Jesus easily defeats Satan and the Good News is that Jesus is on your side. Jesus is your secret weapon against the devil.
When the devil tempts you to ignore God. When the devil throws your sin in your face and tells you that you are not good enough. When the devil tempts you to become self-righteous you tell the devil that you are not going to fight him. Do not give in to the devil’s lies and his shaming of you; instead bring out your secret weapon. Rebuke the devil and look to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life.
You are not going to fight the devil because for you fights the valiant one, whom God Himself elected. And you ask, who is this? Jesus Christ it is. Lord of the heavenly armies. He holds the field victorious. You do not need to fear the devil because you have Jesus.
Even though the devil and his demons are all around wanting to devour you, you do not tremble, you do not fear, they will not overpower you. The world’s prince may scowl fiercely, but that is all he can do. He cannot harm you. He is already judged. Already defeated. The deed is done. One little word can fell the devil. We talked about this one little word at Carolyn Hunter’s funeral because the verses she chose were all about God being her fortress, her strength and her shield.
One little word can push back the devil when he comes after you with his temptations and deceptions. One little word repels him when he tries to convince you to build your house on the sand of your own achievements and righteousness instead of the solid rock of Christ. One little word wins when the devil tries to get you to reject Jesus and the Bible and follow your feelings — one little word can fell him. One little word. Liar!!
The devil is the father of lies from the time when he whispers to Eve, “Did God really say…..? To when he whispers to you, “Did God really say…”, or “it’s no big deal, everyone is doing it”, or “you deserve to indulge your every desire.” When the devil whispers you respond with one little word.” Liar!!
We like to do things ourselves and for projects around the house that is fine for many things. Salvation, however, is not a do-it-yourself project. There are no YouTube videos to show you how to successfully defeat the devil on your own. When it comes to battling the devil you need a qualified expert and there is only one devil defeater. There are no videos, but there is a book that tells you about who has defeated Satan for you. It is Jesus Christ, God’s Son, your savior. He suffered, died and rose again for you. You are in Christ. You have been baptized into Christ. You have died with Christ. You will rise with Christ. You have put on Christ. You are safe from the devil.
Remain in Christ. When the devil tells you that you need to fight him, tell the devil what he is. Liar!! Jesus has already defeated the Evil One for you. Amen.
Transfiguration 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Vicar Kaleb Yaeger February 19, 2023 Exodus 24:8-18, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9
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The season of Epiphany is all about Jesus revealing Himself to the world. Little by little, when He begins His ministry, He starts doing miracles. He starts teaching about Himself. He shows everyone – the crowds, the disciples, even the scribes and Pharisees – who He really is.
Just last week, we heard Jesus redefining the law, with His “You have heard it said… but I say to you” statements. Jesus teaches as one having authority. This leads a lot of people to question His authority. Sure, He’s a rabbi and a teacher, but to speak like that about the word of God? Who is this Jesus guy, anyway?
That is exactly the right question; and the question our gospel text answers this morning.
Jesus takes the first of His disciples, Peter, James and John, up to a mountain by themselves. Jesus is always going up into mountains to pray, to get away from the crowds and to rest. You can imagine the disciples, happy that Jesus has invited them to His prayer time. They go up onto the mountain. Things are peaceful. The beauty of God’s creation surrounds them as they look down on the land of Israel.
Then, abruptly, Jesus is transfigured before them. His face changes, shining as brightly as the sun. His clothes become white as light itself. This is an awe-inspiring sight. Peter, James and John are seeing Jesus as no-one has ever seen Him before. They see Jesus in His glory, in his majesty, in His awesome power. A wonderful vision of God, given as a gift to the first of His disciples.
Just as suddenly, Jesus and the disciples are no longer alone. Two men, who the disciples recognize as Moses and Elijah, are talking to Jesus. Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents the prophets. Jesus fulfills them both.
Peter, realizing what a great privilege he and James and John have been given, says
“Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Peter wants to stay on the Mt of Transfiguration. He wants to see the awesome beauty of Jesus as He speaks with Moses and Elijah. But God has other plans.
While Peter was still speaking, as though God was interrupting him,
behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Suddenly, the disciples realize what’s going on here. Suddenly they understand why Jesus brought them up on a mountain. They remember a mountain. A cloud. A voice speaking from the heavens themselves. Everything clicks into place. This mount of the transfiguration is very much like another mountain from Israel’s history.
Mt. Sinai stands over the landscape. A cloud covers it. God’s voice thunders out, shaking the very foundations of the world. The people of Israel are told to stay away from the mountain. They are not even to touch it, lest they die.
Here, on God’s holy mountain, the law comes. God chisels every word into tablets of stone. Here, God speaks the Ten Commandments. You shall, you shall and you shall not. These echoes of the past ring in the disciple’s ears. Here they are, on a mountain, with a figure shining as brightly as the sun. God the Father’s voice ringing from the heavens. This mountain of the transfiguration and Mt. Sinai are not so different. The disciples begin to understand.
With understanding comes fear. Peter, James and John were content to bask in the glory of God. But now, they have realized what that means. Now, they have remembered the mountain of God’s law. They remember the Ten Commandments. They remember Jesus’ words “But I say to you” It all rings against them like hammer blows. God’s standard is clear and by it, so is their sin. The disciples are not worthy to stand in the presence of the most holy God. They desired to be in God’s presence, but now realize they cannot stand it.
So what do the disciples do? Try to make excuses? Try to justify themselves before God so that they can stand on His holy mountain? To look for loopholes in the law so that God will not smite them where they stand? No, they fall to the ground with their faces in the dirt. Terrified, they cast themselves entirely on the mercy of God.
The disciples lay there, cringing, lying in the dirt. They’re terrified that they have come to God’s holy mountain to be destroyed. But then, the disciples feel someone touch them on the shoulder. Jesus speaks to them. Not in rumbles of Sinai thunder, but in gentleness and in peace. The voice ringing from the heavens told the disciples to listen to Jesus. What does He say?
“Rise, and have no fear.”
This is what the Son of God says. The same Son of God who sharpened the law, expanding it until it was clear that no man was righteous. This is the same Son of God who spoke the law with His own authority. He says to those disciples, the ones who realized their complete and total unworthiness:
“Rise, and have no fear.”
The disciples rise. There is no-one else around. Just Jesus. His face does not glow. His robe is no longer white as light itself. Jesus appears like any other man. Together, they come down off the mountain.
Now, the first of the disciples truly understand who Jesus is. They understand He is the Messiah, the Christ, God Himself coming to visit His people once more. Even so, they still don’t have the whole picture.
The season of epiphany is all about who Jesus is. But that’s only half the picture. Jesus is God. What the disciples don’t know yet is what Jesus came to do. In the moment, they are overjoyed. They have seen God and lived. But Jesus did not come simply to show Peter, James and John His glory.
Jesus walks down from Mt. Sinai. He walks down, out of the glory cloud and down into the world. Down, and then up again. For Jesus’ destination is another mountain. Not a mountain of glory, but a mountain of suffering. A mountain with no cloud covering it. A mountain where Peter will not say “It is good Lord, to be here.” Jesus walks down off Sinai so He can ascend Mt. Calvary.
As the disciples came down from the mountain, they probably wanted to shout for joy, to sing Alleluia, the song of gladness. But Alleluia cannot always be our song while here below. Neither can it be Christ’s.
Alleluia, our transgressions will make Christ for a while forgo all the glories of Mt. Sinai. He will come down off that mountain, exchanging the glory of Sinai for the glory of Calvary. The cross is Christ’s true glory. The mountain of transfiguration is the clearest statement of who Jesus is. The mountain of Calvary is the clearest statement of what Jesus came to do.
Jesus came to suffer. He came to die. We are those who follow Christ. We follow Him and behold His Sinai glory. But Christ does not stop on that mountain. Peter builds no tents there for Jesus. So we follow Him down, off of Sinai and up into the mountain of suffering and death. Holy suffering. A holy death.
Jesus has words for us as He comes down off the mountain. The same words He had for His disciples, because He knew what they would soon face.
“Rise, and have no fear.”
Rise and have no fear, dear Christian, because I took the punishment for your sin. Rise, have no fear of the wrath of God, for it has been poured out on Me. Rise in the face of your suffering. Have no fear in the face of your death. Suffering and death are not signs I have abandoned you. Suffering and death are the very things I came to do. Even I did not remain on the mountain of My glory. So rise, dear Christian, and have no fear. Rise, and follow Me through the sufferings of life. I will not fail you. Have no fear, for I give you no reason to fear.
So we rise and, having no fear, we follow our Lord. We follow Jesus, down off the mountain of the transfiguration. We leave Sinai glory behind with our Alleluias. We follow Christ to Calvary through the dark season of Lent. But even though we walk through the darkness, even though we go down to suffer for Christ’s sake, we fear no evil. Christ has walked this road before us. He will take us to its end.
Epiphany 6, 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Pastor Kevin Jud February 12, 2023 Deuteronomy 30:15-20, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Matthew 5:21-37
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Today’s Gospel reading is a continuation of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus opens with the beatitudes; blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are those who mourn and seven more. He declares that you are salt and light to the world, and that He is not abolishing the law, but fulfilling it. Then, Jesus begins to address how to live as salt and light in the world. The first three issues he addresses are murder, adultery and divorce.
Now, it is pretty easy to keep the commandments as long as you think only of the strictest letter of the law, keep open lots of loopholes, and are able to adjust the commands as needed. You shall not murder? I can do that. As long as I can still hate people and tell them what I think about them, and punch them in the nose if they make me mad. As long as I don’t actually kill someone it is all good. And if need be, I can even redefine murder and call it women’s health care or medical assistance in dying. As long as you redefine killing properly, then it’s not murder and you are keeping the commandment.
Do not commit adultery. No problem. As long as I don’t actually go all the way with someone else. I can stare, I can gawk. Just because I am reading the menu doesn’t mean that I am going to order. I can joke. I can be crude. I can indulge my fantasies online. I can go to a gentlemen’s club. I can flirt with that lady from work. And what if I do give in and cheat — a little, it’s no big deal. Everyone is doing it.
Do not get divorced. Well, let me tell you. There are a lot of good reasons why divorce is necessary. Sometimes it just isn’t going to work and I deserve to be happy.
It is easy to keep the commandments – as long as you get to define what they mean. But here, on the hillside near the Sea of Galilee, Jesus declares what He means about murder, adultery and divorce.
Matthew 5:21–22 (ESV) 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; …”
Matthew 5:27–28 (ESV) 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Matthew 5:31–32 (ESV) 31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Jesus, the Son of God, God in flesh, is making authoritative declarations. Jesus declares these truths and unfortunately our reaction is too likely to say, “I hear what Jesus is saying… but….what about this situation or that situation?” We immediately look for loopholes and excuses and justifications and redefinitions to be able to justify ourselves. What about righteous anger? What if I cannot help my lustful thoughts? What if a divorce is just necessary?
We hear Jesus’ statements and we want to come up with loopholes and excuses. We want to redefine what Jesus is saying to make it easier on us. Our sinful nature wants to demand of Jesus — “Who are you to try to tell me what to do?!?” “Who are you to try to tell me what to do?!?” And this gets us to the root of the matter. Satan wants you to distrust God and trust yourself. Satan wants you to take charge so that you can be like God. Satan wants you to decide for yourself how you should live.
Autonomy is a hallmark of our secular society. It’s all about me, me, me; mine, mine, mine, my, my, my, my choice, my life, my body. You might think that our atheistic culture doesn’t realize who these statements really come from, but then, this last weekend, some cultural elites showed us their cards.
When I was in high school there was lots of talk about satanic influences in music. It was said that if you played Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven backwards on a turntable it would say, “Here’s to my sweet Satan.” It really wasn’t very clear. Was it real, was it not. Was the music satanic?
Last Sunday, at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, there was no rumors of secret backmasking but rather a full on celebration of Satan. Two men who say they are not men presented a theatrical homage to the Evil One with a song called, “Unholy,” complete with red lights and flames and cages and erotic dancers and Sam Smith dressed as Satan himself.
Before the event Sam Smith tweeted, “This is going to be a special Grammys,” to which CBS, which broadcasted the Grammys responded, “You can say that again. We are ready to worship!”
I guess the Grammys did not want there to be any confusion about who they worship. But the thing is that they don’t worship Satan. Satanists do not worship Satan. Satanists don’t believe in the Evil One.
Blanche Barton, a former Church of Satan high priestess, said on Wisconsin Public Radio about Satan worship, “The idea of worshiping Satan is ridiculous. We worship ourselves first and foremost, and we use the Satanic as a metaphor for calling forth the powers within ourselves that we find enriching or enlivening. Satan has always been a metaphor of defiance, fortitude against all odds and self-determination in whatever guises he is represented.”
This is the root of the battle for the souls of the world; for your soul. There is the fear, love and trust in God alone, and there is worship of self.
Your self-worshipping, old Adam demands of Jesus, “Who are you to tell me what to do?!?” But your faithful, new creation, baptized child of God, new Adam is mortified. Not only have your broken God’s commands but you have been tempted to worship yourself and set yourself up as god. Listening to Jesus teach, you know that you are broken. You have not lived up to Jesus’ instructions. You have been angry, you’ve been lustful, you have looked at marriage as something of your own design that you can control. You have failed to live up to Jesus’ standard. And you know that God is God and you are not and you have broken God’s commands. You are not good enough. You are spiritually bankrupt.
But remember…Jesus is God…His word is authoritative. What did He say at the beginning of the Sermon? “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus comes for those who are not good enough. Jesus dies for those who are spiritually bankrupt. You are a baptized child of God born again of water and the Spirit. You are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. You live under the reign of God. Jesus is your Lord and Master.
Do not rewrite God’s commands to fit your earthly life because you do not belong to the world. God has rewritten your status. He has washed you in the blood of Jesus and declared you to be His child, perfect and holy, blessed for eternity.
You know who Jesus is. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is your Lord. When Jesus speaks, don’t say anything, just listen to Him. At Jesus’ Transfiguration God the Father says, Matthew 17:5 (ESV) 5 …“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Listen to Jesus. Silently meditate on His words knowing it is the Word of God. Jesus calls you, a broken sinner, to live a holy life in a broken world because He has forgiven you all your sins, washed you clean, and given you the Kingdom of Heaven.
This is a hard lesson. These are difficult teachings. These show your sin. You will not be able to perfectly follow Jesus’ teaching. So, confess your sins, but do not change the teaching. Live out your “poor in spirit” life listening to Jesus. Matthew 5:3 (ESV) 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
Epiphany 5 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Pastor Kevin Jud February 5, 2023 Is. 58:3-9a, 1 Cor. 2:1-16, Matt. 5:13-20
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Do you believe Jesus? Do you believe what Jesus says about you?
Matthew 4 begins with Jesus down at the Jordan River near Jericho after His baptism. He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days of fasting and then to be tempted by the devil. Afterwards, Jesus learns that John the Baptist has been arrested and Jesus leaves the Jordan and heads north to Galilee through Nazareth up to Capernaum by the Sea. There, in Galilee of the Gentiles, the light dawns. Jesus begins to preach, saying, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The reign and rule of heaven is at hand in Jesus Himself; He is the Christ, He is the King. Along the shore of the Sea of Galilee at Capernaum Jesus calls four fishermen to leave their nets and follow Him, and Andrew and Peter, James and John follow Jesus. Matthew 4:23–25 (ESV) 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.”
The great crowds now following Jesus are too big for the synagogues and must make it difficult to navigate in the tight confines of Capernaum or the other cities, so, in order to teach, Jesus goes up on a hillside and sits down and the four fishermen and the other followers come to Him and Jesus begins to teach. Jesus teaches with authority and His teaching is earth shattering. Jesus declares, those who are spiritually weak are blessed for eternity. Those who mourn are blessed. Those who are lowly, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, those who seek the true God, those who make peace, those who are persecuted, are blessed. Jesus declares that those who struggle because of faith in Jesus are blessed with a blessing for eternity. Those who are poor in spirit mourn all the trouble in the world. The powerless are desperate for things to be made right. This is the status and attitude of those who follow Jesus. You are weak, the world is evil, and you want things to be better. Jesus says this is who you are as one of His followers.
The beatitudes are the doorway to be able to grasp the rest of the Sermon on the Mount which shows you how to live as a follower of Jesus. Jesus is giving radical teaching and He reiterates all this in a condensed form in Matthew 16:24–26 (ESV) 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
Advertisers never tell you to deny yourself. Deny yourself and take up your cross is not a message you get from the world. Jesus is teaching a new way to live in love. The nine beatitudes are the doorway to the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches a radical way to live in your new identity as a disciple of Jesus born again with water and the Spirit.
Jesus declares, Matthew 5:13 (ESV) 13 “You are the salt of the earth,” and the way Jesus says this in Greek is emphatic, more like, “You, my disciples, and not others, are the salt of the earth.” Youare that which salts the earth. But if that salt has become tasteless, by what means will the earth be salted. If you lose your saltiness, who will salt the earth? Jesus declares that you, His followers, are the ones to salt the earth. You bring flavor to a bland, joyless world. You preserve in an evil, rotting world. You are the antidote for rottenness. You make the world a better place.
Youare that which gives light to the world. Matthew 5:16 (ESV) 16 … let your light shine before others…” Now this sounds a bit strange from Jesus. Letting your light shine before others sounds like you are showing off how good you are, but letting your light shine is not to bring glory to you. Matthew 5:16 (ESV) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
This is a radical new approach to life. Maybe Jesus is cancelling the law. Maybe… Jesus is getting rid all of the laws and now you are free to live however you want. Indeed, through His sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus cancels the condemnation of the law, but He calls you, the salt and the light of the world to live as a follower of Jesus. You can do what you want. What does a Christian want to do?
In His Sermon there on the hillside Jesus gives new, enhanced instructions for how to live; not just live by the letter of the law, but also the spirit of the law. Jesus teaches that you are to live not with the law as a fence to keep you just outside the world of sin, but live with love as the center of your life so you do not test the limits of the law. Jesus teaches how to live as a redeemed child of God. This is how you are Salt and light to the world. This is how you live your ordinary life in an extraordinary way to salt the earth and bring light to the world. Live by the spirit of the law, not just the letter of the law.
This is how you are salt and light in the world. This is how you live your ordinary life in an extraordinary way. You do the things you have been given to do and make the world a better place because, you, a follower of Jesus, are in the world as salt and light. You fight rot and darkness by living out your identity in Christ.
Not only do not murder, do not get angry with your neighbor. Not only do not commit adultery, do not think lustful thoughts. Do not get divorced for any and every reason. Do not take oaths; just tell the truth and let your yes be yes and your no be no. Do not retaliate. Go the extra mile. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Love those who don’t love you. Do not make a show of your righteousness in order to impress others, so give in secret, pray in secret, fast in secret. Serve God and not money. Trust that God will provide and don’t worry about food and clothing. Don’t make yourself the judge of others. Worry about your own sins first. Do not worry about the speck in your brother’s eye when there is a log in your own eye. Ask God for what you need. Treat others like you want to be treated. Beware of false teachers. Build your faith on the rock of Jesus.
This is how you are salt and light in the world. This is how you live your ordinary life in an extraordinary way. You do the things you have been given to do and make the world a better place because, you, a follower of Jesus, are in the world as salt and light. You fight rot and darkness by living out your identity in Christ.
Jesus’ teaching is radically authoritative because He is not telling you what someone else has said. Jesus has no footnotes from other sources. Jesus teaches from His own authority. He is God in flesh. He is the Christ. He is the Lamb of God ready to sacrifice Himself on the cross to save you.
This call to be salt and light is a difficult message. Jesus does not promise you an easy life. He does not promise you a successful life. He promises you a blessed life even in your struggles. He promises a blessed life for eternity. He promises you eternal life with Him.
For now, He tells you who you are as a follower of Jesus. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. This is who you are. Believe Jesus. Amen.
Epiphany 4 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Pastor Kevin Jud January 29, 2023 Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12
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Advertising is powerful — and it works. The going rate for a 30 second ad during the upcoming Super Bowl is over $7 million; almost a quarter of a million per second. Advertising works. It drives desires. It creates a need and then shows you how to fill it. It creates discontent and promises a solution.
Marketing Christianity is tough. How does the Church attract more people? How does the Church reach out to hurting people to get them to follow Jesus?
There is a great temptation to try to convince people that the church can meet their needs for help with parenting, finances, friendships, therapy, planning and all sorts of things. There is a great temptation to try to put on an impressive show on Sunday morning to keep people entertained and engaged, and to preach “relevant” sermons with practical advice for life. Churches and youth programs often attract people with all sorts of things; a kind of, “Whatever it takes to bring them in,” mentality with the goal of doing a bait and switch. Get them in with this flashy thing and then give them the gospel. The problem is something a wise church leader once said, “What you win them with is what you win them to.” It you attract people with the idea that the church will fix all their troubles, there will be many who are terribly disappointed when they still have troubles and life is still hard even after being fully engaged in church.
Marketing Christianity is tough because Christianity is about the cross, and the cross is not an easy sell. Here, at Immanuel, we strive to be Christ-centered and Cross-Focused. But when you focus on the cross what do you see? The cross of Christ is good news, but it is good news because of the bad news. When you focus on the cross you see Jesus suffering and dying. Why is He suffering? Why is He dying? It is because of your sin. Jesus is bleeding because you are not good enough. Jesus struggles for breath because you break God’s commandments. This is hard news. This is a hard truth to embrace. This is a difficult truth to market to a world that thinks it is doing just fine. The wise of the world do not want to join us on Sunday to get on our knees and plead guilty of being natural born sinners who deserve punishment and hell.
The world wants preachers to preach what their itching ears want to hear. The world wants to hear that they are good enough, but the hard truth of the cross is that your sin is serious and you are not okay just the way you are. Jesus’ and John the Baptist both preached the same short sermon that is still valid today, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Repent! Don’t embrace sin — turn away from sin. The bad news of the cross is that you are a sinner and your sin needs to be punished. This is not a message the world wants to hear.
Focusing on the cross you see your sin and that is bad news, but the cross is not all bad news. The bad news is not the main truth of the cross. The amazing good news of the cross is that Jesus is on the cross because He loves you. Jesus loves you so much that He is paying the price for your sin in order to set you free.
Striving to be Christ-centered and cross-focused may not be good as a marketing strategy but it is the power of God for the forgiveness of sins. St. Paul states this in the beginning of his letter to the church in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 1:17 (ESV) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
The world loves eloquent wisdom. The world has been seeking after wisdom from the beginning; even in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:6 (ESV) 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”
We can be so impressed by wisdom, so enticed by wisdom, so taken in by wisdom, that we can be destroyed by chasing after wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV) 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The world wants success; a good education, a good job, a good family, a good retirement. The world wants affirmation. The world wants to be told that everything is fine. Look in the mirror and tell yourself, “I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing,” or, “I am successful, I am confident, I am powerful, I am strong,” or the classic, “I am good enough and smart enough and doggone it, people like me.” The world wants you to believe that you just need a pep talk to do a little better.
Joel Osteen, who pastors a huge church in Houston and is watched by millions, has a consistent message of the power of positive thinking. If you have a better attitude and have loftier goals, God will open up the floodgates of His blessings. Osteen preaches the wisdom of the world.
The world wants affirmation. The cross brings transformation. The cross does not make sense to the world. How could someone suffering and dying do anything good? What kind of God is stripped and nailed to a cross to slowly die? That is ridiculous. How is that going to help me to lead a better life? How is that going to make me successful? Forget the cross; just tell me what I need to do. Just give me some encouragement. The world wants affirmation. The cross brings transformation.
1 Corinthians 1:21–25 (ESV) 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
Jesus does not affirm you in your sin; rather He transforms you into a new creation. A new creation, born again by water and the spirit. A new creation who knows that you bring nothing to God but your sins, and Jesus takes your sins and, in exchange, gives you His perfection.
The world is chasing after money and pleasure and it rejects Jesus on the cross as some archaic folk tale for simple-minded people. The world is lost in its wisdom, but you know the truth. The cross is the power of God for the forgiveness of sins. Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. You know that the cross is not the end of Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia!
Jesus does not affirm you in your sin; rather He transforms you into a new creation. A new creation, born again by water and the spirit. A new creation who knows that you bring nothing to God but your sins, and Jesus takes your sins and, in exchange, gives you His perfection.
Our gathering together here each week is not a gathering of deeply spiritual people looking to share our wisdom with one another. It is not a gathering to hear an eloquent, poetic sermon to entertain and enlighten you to the ways of the world. You gather here as poor-in-spirit followers of Jesus who are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is your Lord and Master.
Jesus is not your coach. Jesus is not your therapist. Jesus is not your financial advisor. Jesus is your Savior. Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross at Calvary for you. The world says this is foolishness — the world is perishing. 1 Corinthians 1:25 (ESV) 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
Christianity is tough to market because people don’t know they need Jesus. But Christianity has a force more powerful than a Super Bowl ad to convince people. We have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works with the foolishness of words and water and bread and wine to make disciples of all nations — to make a disciple of you. Amen.
Epiphany 3 2023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Vicar Kaleb Yaeger January 22, 2023 Isaiah 9:1-4, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Matthew 4:12-25
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
New York city. It’s full of glamor, city lights, wealth and power. It’s the capital of capitalism. Things happen in New York city. It’s the city that never sleeps. Always lit up bright late into the night and early in the morning. The people who live there are proud of their city. Tourists flood to the city in droves, with about 56 million people visiting in 2022. Tourist traps sell “I heart NY” pins and stickers. You take pictures when you visit there. Just the skyline of the city is recognizable. The Statue of Liberty, symbol of the American spirit, is just outside the Big Apple. NYC truly is the city in America.
Hamilton, OH, on the other hand, is a little different. I haven’t lived in Hamilton all that long, but I don’t remember seeing any places selling “I heart Hamilton” pins or stickers. Hamilton boasts a unique Skyline, but I haven’t seen any tourists taking pictures of their chili. Unlike New York, Hamilton sleeps. Usually pretty well. It’s not the city in lights, there’s not always something going on in Hamilton like there is in New York. Someone from New York might even look down on we who live in lowly Hamilton.
To the Jews in Jesus’ time, Jerusalem was like the New York of Israel. Jerusalem was where the temple was. Jerusalem was where the prophets preached. Jerusalem had the priests, the scribes and the Pharisees. Jerusalem was where the people came to celebrate the Passover. It was the place where things happened. It was the place with the light of God’s temple. With the light of His Word. They dwelt in high Jerusalem.
Galilee, on the other hand, was a little different. It’s a little closer to the Hamilton, OH of Israel. Galilee wasn’t really a place you would visit on purpose – at least, not back then. There weren’t any pilgrimages to Galilee, because Galilee had no temple. In fact, there were so few Jews in Galilee that it was known as Galilee of the Gentiles. No-one made a pilgrimage to Galilee for the Passover. If there was a light of God in Galilee, it was well hidden. Those in high, bright Jerusalem looked down on those who lived in lowly, dark Galilee.
To top it all off, to give those in Jerusalem just one more reason to look down on those lowly Galileans; when the Assyrians came and took Israel into exile, Galilee was the first to go. That must mean the worst sinners were there. All of Israel had sinned, certainly. But the sins of those in dark Galilee must have piled higher than the rest. Stacked high in a dung heap, a stench before the LORD. So, God took them into exile first. Jerusalem was the city of the worthy, Galilee was the region of the worthless.
It’s easy to feel like you’re dwelling in darkness, and not because you live in Hamilton instead of in New York. No, this is an internal darkness. The kind that eats away at you from the inside. It seems like everyone else has life figured out. You scroll through social media and see the best of everyone else’s life, and you can’t help but compare it to the worst parts of your own. It’s like they’re all living in high, bright Jerusalem, but at the end of the day, you slink off to low, dark Galilee.
Even if they all treat you well, and politely, maybe you’ve convinced yourself that you don’t really deserve their kindness. After all, they don’t know you. They just know the face you let them see.
They just see your mask of polite conversation. You know the truth. Behind your mask, are sins stacked high in a stinking heap. All the things you’ve done, left undone, thoughts, words and deeds.
You might even tell yourself that your greatest lie was convincing everyone that you’re a good person. The truth is, you’re not really from Jerusalem. You’re just an imposter from lowly dark Galilee.
It’s easy to feel that way before others, and it’s even easier to feel that way before God. The words of God’s law are clear. He sees your sin. He sees your thoughts, your words, and your deeds. He sees what you have done and left undone. His holy law condemns your sin. It calls you out, naming you a sinner, lost and condemned. It rips the mask off your dung heap and exposes your sin for what it is. You are a citizen of Galilee. Your sins have piled high so that you dwell in their dark shade.
What does this mean for you, citizen of Galilee? Surely, it means judgment. Surely, God will unmask you before your friends and family, pointing out each and every one of your horrible sins. That is what His law demands. It’s what you really deserve. God should pour out the cup of His wrath on you. Just like He did to Galilee. You should drink the cup of God’s wrath down to the dregs.
So let us hear the word of the LORD to Galilee. Hear what He spoke by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah. Thus says the LORD:
There will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
Thus says the LORD, anguished sinner! God will bring, not His doom and gloom, but His glory!
God will pour out His cup on Galilee, but not the cup of His wrath. The cup of His blessing! He has glorified the first of the exiles. The worst sinners in Israel. Those who once piled sin upon sin in a great and stinking heap He has blessed.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.
God does not let the land of darkness stay dark. He brings light. Light, bright, shining, incredible and glorious. Light into darkness. Light like in high Jerusalem. But not like the light in Jerusalem. New York City could turn on every light in the city. But you wouldn’t see that glow if it was high noon. The day is brighter than every city light.
The day has come to Galilee. To you, lowly sinners who dwelt in darkness. And the day is brighter than the brightest light in high Jerusalem. God’s light, Matthew tells us,
…went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
Jesus, the light of the world, comes first to Galilee. To the land of darkness. To the land of sinners. Not to high Jerusalem. Not to the ones who have life all figured out. No, Jesus comes to poor, miserable sinners like you and like me. This is where He begins His ministry. He comes to the dark land of the Gentiles. There was no doom and gloom on that day for the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, for the LORD, Jesus Christ, had drawn near.
And Jesus knows who He is coming to. He can see through any mask. He knows the heaps on heaps of sin that Galilee piled against Him, a stench before the LORD and yet He comes to them anyway. He knows your sins too. You might be able to fool others, but you can’t fool God.
Jesus knows your sins too. He knows your thoughts, your words, and your deeds. He knows what you’ve done and what you’ve left undone. And He comes to you anyway. He comes to you and He washes you. He makes you clean, taking your sins away from you. He takes your sins and He puts them on Himself. He carries your sins throughout His earthly ministry. He carries them out of Galilee and into Jerusalem. For in Jerusalem, Jesus will be judged.
The law of God is clear. Sin must be punished. Justice must be carried out. The wrath of God must fall. God looks down on the world. He sees all things. Every thought, word and deed. What all have done and what all have left undone. He sees every sin throughout all time that has ever been committed and will ever be committed. And He sees them all on the shoulders of His Son.
Jesus is nailed to the cross. There is a great weight upon His shoulders. A great, stinking heap. A stench before the LORD. The law of God is clear. Sin was punished. Justice was carried out. The wrath of God fell. On Jesus. He drank the cup of God’s wrath down to the dregs. He took the full punishment for sin. On that cross, Jesus was rejected by God. Jesus was punished for your sin. Jesus, who came first to sinners.
The Son of God was not the only thing to die that day. All the sins of the world perished with Him. Every thought, word, or deed. Jesus dragged your sin into the grave. The law of God looked at Jesus and sentenced Him to death. Justice is done. God’s law is fulfilled.
Now, when God looks at you, He doesn’t see your sins. He still sees you for who you are. God does not lie. Instead, He sees the righteousness of Christ. The cross is the great reversal. God looks at sinners and sees righteousness, because God looked at His perfect Son and saw our sin. The great exchange.
The story doesn’t end there, though. Jesus is, after all, the sinless Son of God. God raised Him from the dead three days later. Justice demanded it. All that righteousness and perfection can’t lie in death forever. Which is really good news for you.
When God looks at you and sees the righteousness of Christ, it’s not like the wool was pulled over God’s eyes. He’s not seeing something that isn’t there. You’re not lying to God about your own righteousness. No, Christ’s righteousness actually belongs to you. Jesus was raised from the dead because of His righteousness. Now that righteousness belongs to you. What do you think that means for you when you die? This is why we confess in the Apostles’ Creed that we believe in the resurrection of the body. It’s because Christ’s righteousness was given to us! It’s ours, not by our works, but by His grace.
Yes, it’s easy to feel like you’re living in darkness. It’s easy to feel like a citizen of lowly Galilee. It’s easy to feel worthless. Not like a worthy citizen of Jerusalem. But remember who Christ came to first. Remember that Jesus lived in Galilee. Remember that Jesus killed your sins on the cross. But also remember that He rose again. You have His righteousness. One day, you will join with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven. Until that day, rest in the peace that only God can give.
From the Pulpit 