The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
Luke 7:18-28 (29-35)
The One
Third Sunday in Advent, 16 December 2012
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
LCMS First Vice President Mueller writes: “We live in a
world in which Satan thrashes about, seeking to destroy God’s good creation. He’s
an enemy defeated, for Christ is Lord! But he still tries to take people down
with him. Pray that the love of Christ for the world, the comfort of the Gospel
and the sure promise of resurrection in Christ will prevail, also here. He is
the one who tells us, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last and the Living
One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death
and Hell.’ (Revelation 1:17-18). All is in His hand.”
About the Cover: Jesus wasn’t acting like the Judge
whom John had foretold. John sends some disciples to sort out the puzzle: “Are
You the one who is to come?” Jesus lets Isaiah’s prophecy provide the answer as
they witness what they saw and heard: healing and restoration, the dead raised,
good news preached to the poor. John would need their witness before the
end—what comfort to go into death knowing Jesus raises the dead!
‘‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for
another?’ How does Jesus answer this
question? If He were as judgmental as many in this world are, He could have
said, “What do you mean you don’t believe in me? Get out of my sight!” But no,
our Lord has compassion upon those who are weak in faith so that their faith
will be strengthened. As Isaiah 42:3 says, “a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth
justice.”
Jesus does not answer with words first, but with deeds. He
heals and preaches and then says, “Go and tell John what you have seen and
heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and
the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to
them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
This is how Jesus handles weak faith. Lack of faith is
another thing entirely. Some have said that a preacher’s work is to afflict the
comfortable and comfort the afflicted. That’s true as long as the Law and the
Gospel from the Holy Scriptures are rightly distinguished and used for those
important tasks. The Law of God is preached to those who are comfortable in
their unfaith, sin, or lack of compassion and good works. The Holy Gospel is
proclaimed to all who burdened by their sins, and flee for refuge to the Lord’s
infinite mercy.
Those with weak faith are in danger of falling away from
faith completely. In our day, many people have been raised in Christian homes.
They have been taught that Jesus is The One to come, yet they search for
another. You have seen it happen.
Work is good and salutary. But when providing for one’s
family means a work schedule where one hardly sees that family? Is it really
worth it? What about when work conflicts with weekly opportunities to hear the
Word of the Lord, receive His gifts, and offer Him our offerings and sacrifice
of praise? How can we as adults model this so that our young people can say,
“I’m sorry, but I can’t work Sunday mornings.”
Sports and physical activity are good ways to train and
discipline the body, as well as support your community. How many times do we
just sit there and watch instead of engaging in physical activity ourselves?
How many times do we forget that a game is just a game? When sporting events
conflict with Divine Service, how many times does a ball become a Baal, an
idol, a false god?
Name the person, place, or thing, and under the right
circumstances, it can become a false god to someone, replacing the one, true
God. ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ Many were
taught that Jesus is The One, but now look for someone or something else.
In the Large Catechism, Luther writes, “You shall have no
other gods. What this means: You shall have Me alone as your God. What is the
meaning of this and how is it to be understood? What does it mean to have a
god? Or, what is God? Answer: A god means that from which we are to expect all
good and in which we are to take refuge in all distress. So, to have a God is
nothing other than trusting and believing Him with the heart. I have often said
that the confidence and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol. If
your faith and trust is right, then your god is also true. On the other hand,
if your trust is false and wrong, then you do not have the true God. For these
two belong together, faith and God (Hebrews 11:6). Now, I say that whatever you
set your heart on and put your trust in is truly your god.”
Do you believe that Jesus is The One who is to come, or will
you look for another?
24 When
John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John:
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What then did you go out
to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in
splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. 26 What then did you go out
to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is
written, “ ‘Behold, I send my
messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
The book of the prophet Malachi (3:1) is the source of this
prophecy. John prepared the way for the Lord Jesus. What did the people go out
to see? A prophet and more than a prophet. This has much to teach us about how
to choose a church.
Look for good, faithful, Biblical preaching and teaching.
Does the pastor use a lectionary, a system of readings? That can help prevent
preachers from coming up with their own agendas. John prepared the Lord’s way
by preaching the Word of God. Look for a pastor who takes his ordination vows
seriously, and teaches in accord with the Lutheran confessions—not just what
people tell him to say.
Any compromise of what God’s Word says is a reason to flee.
On numerous occasions the confirmands have been taught to avoid false teachers:
(Say it with me.) “Run. Away. As fast as you can. And never go back.”
Christians are not to choose a congregation based upon the
personality of the pastor, the way he or the people dress, how friendly the
congregation is, the style of music, the programs the church offers, a
convenient location, the amount of parking, how good the coffee is, or what
time the service is. We are to look for God’s truth and a faithful servant of
the Word. To be sure, people may be turned off by a great number of things, so
we must take care not to offend someone in an unnecessary way. We must always preach
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God.
John preached and administered a baptism of repentance for
the forgiveness of sins. Jesus commends a hopeful, humble, repentant faith. He
calls to repentance those like the Pharisees. The Pharisees rejected a baptism
of repentance because they wrongly thought they had no sins to repent of. They
went through the motions of piety without faith. It is the lack of faith that
condemns.
31 “To
what then shall I compare the people of this generation, [Jesus continued,] and
what are they like? 32 They
are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you
did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
Much of so-called “Contemporary Worship” is similarly
childlike, with religious songs where the emotion that the music creates
in the “audience” is, in practice, more important than what the words say. This
is psychological manipulation at best, and unfaithfulness in the worst cases.
People are subtly taught by their experience that emotion equals being
spiritual, and being spiritual means you have to have an emotional response. If
you don’t have an emotional response, they begin to believe, then they doubt if
God can really be present.
We hold to God’s promises. We know that God is present where
He has promised to be, even if we don’t feel it. Our emotions can lead us astray.
God’s promises will not. He promises to be with us where two or three are
gathered in His name. We don’t need to worry about any other numbers other than
loving concern for those who neglect to receive the Lord’s Gifts on the Lord’s
Day in the Lord’s House. God has promised to deliver the forgiveness Jesus won
on the cross in Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion. He has given
us the sacraments so that we would be forgiven.
If God said, “People of Immanuel Lutheran Church. Hear me!
When you eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I will forgive your sins,”
wouldn’t you run right out and eat that peanut butter and jelly sandwich? That
some would argue about what kind of bread, crunchy or smooth peanut butter, and
what fruit the jelly is made out of is missing the point.
To put it another way, some may say, “I already know my sins
are forgiven ‘cause I asked for that in the Lord’s Prayer. Why do I need
baptism or communion?” Remember grandma’s Christmas tree? Rejecting Holy
Baptism and Holy Communion after being absolved of your sins is like saying,
“Grandma, thanks for the underwear. But I don’t need those other gifts from you
that are still under the tree.” Does that make sense to anyone of any age? God
has good Gifts for you in Christ Jesus. It is to your benefit to receive them
by faith. It is only to your detriment to reject them—that’s unfaith.
The people didn’t want to follow John or Jesus. They wanted
to do whatever made them feel good. They didn’t want to follow John’s rules and
they didn’t like it when Jesus freely associated with sinners in order to bring
them to repentance and faith. People then were scandalized and offended by
Jesus. It’s no different today. The clothing, food, and government have
changed, but not the darkness of human hearts apart from faith in Christ.
CPR [Modified] An article in the September 5, 2005 issue of Newsweek magazine, entitled,
“Spirituality in America,” reported that over one thousand Americans were asked
the following question: “Can a good person who doesn’t share your religious
beliefs attain salvation or go to heaven? Approximately 79 percent of the
respondents answered yes [, showing how little they knew the Christian
Scriptures]. One has to wonder how many of them are scandalized or offended by
Jesus when He speaks so clearly in John’s Gospel: “I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (14;6). It should be
noted that the margin of error for the Newsweek
poll is 4 percent, give or take. Unfortunately, there is no margin of error
when it comes to eternity and faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for
another?’ Jesus does not answer with words
first, but with deeds. He heals and preaches and then says, “Go and tell John
what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have
good news preached to them. 23
And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
We know Jesus to be The One. Blessed are you who are not
offended by Him. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
