What's Going On?

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My sermon is entitled What’s Going On Here? and my focus is our Gospel (John 2:13-23). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Have you ever come upon a situation and asked, “What’s going on here?” Perhaps you entered a space where your children or grandchildren were playing raucously and rambunctiously. Maybe you were coaching or teaching a group of high school students and wondered if they were paying attention to anything you just said. I’ve walked into hospital rooms and asked parishioners, “What’s going on?” We can also apply it to our Gospel passage today. Without citing any books, movies or songs, with the exception of a Marvin Gaye classic, let’s ask what is going on with John’s Jesus? What’s going on in our lives as Church.

First, what is going on with John’s Jesus? Our passage today treats Jesus’ attitude towards the Temple. It has parallels in Mark (11:15-19, 27-28) and Matthew (21:12-17, 23-27) which occur not long before Jesus’ death. The accounts do not contradict one another, but a closer look helps us understand what’s going on with John’s Jesus.

The differences between John and the Synoptics include not only timing, but also motive. At the end of Matthew’s and Mark’s narratives on Jesus’ public ministry, the chief motive for Jesus’ arrest is what he said and did in the Temple. In those, the witnesses during the trial falsely testify that Jesus said that He would destroy the Temple sanctuary. In John, the scenes are combined and placed early in Jesus’ ministry. The chief motive for Jesus’ arrest in John was not what He did in the Temple, but culminated after what He did at the tomb of Lazarus (11:45ff.).

Why does the cleansing appear at the beginning of John? Why did Jesus act this way on His first trip to Jerusalem during Passover? Does it have anything to do with His last Passover? Does it have anything to do with the structure of John?

A key figure early in John’s Gospel is John the Baptist. Those of you who were here on January 14, may recall my sermon on John the Baptist’s role in this Gospel. The Baptist fulfilled the first clause of Malachi 3:1, “I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.” The second part of that verse is fulfilled in our Gospel today. The words are, “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.”

The language John uses – the Passover of the Jews – indicates a hostility to this feast which is replaced by Jesus Himself. The Temple precincts were the outer court of the Temple or the Court of the Gentiles. This is where Jesus came upon people engaged in selling animals for Temple sacrifice. Note that only John states that oxen and sheep were being offered.

The people engaged in these activities made a living exchanging coins and selling animals for sacrifice. Roman money had to be changed to Jewish money to pay the Temple Tax. In itself, exchanging money is not a sinful act. Today, if you don’t want to take your coins to the bank, you can have a machine sort and count your coins for a fee. If you have travelled outside the US, you know that there is always a service charge for exchanging money. If you don’t have the local currency, the shopkeeper may tack on a convenience fee.

 Seeing all of this, Jesus made a whip out of cords, a sign that no weapons, including sticks, were allowed in the Temple area. Weapons could violate the sacred space. With his whip, Jesus expelled the animals, spilled the money-changers’ tables, and scolded them for replacing the house of God with a marketplace.

In response, the Jews, here meaning the chief priests, scribes, and elders, demanded a sign. A sign was a miraculous apologetic proof requested by unbelievers. Elsewhere, Pharisees, Sadducees and Herod demanded a sign (Mt. 12:38-39; 14:14; Lk 23:8). Jesus never obliged unbelievers who demanded signs.

Jesus’ response was simply, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Of course, we know that Jesus was speaking metaphorically about his body and not the building, but the phrase “to raise up” can refer to a building or to the resurrection of a body. Destroy did not mean, “I will destroy.” Rather, it is an imperative for a condition, “If you destroy …” It is an ironic statement found in the prophets. In Isaiah, we read, “Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered; give ear, all you far countries; strap on your armor and be shattered; strap on your armor and be shattered.” (8:9)[1] In other words, Jesus challenged them to “Go ahead, be evil. You will be shattered.” As one scholar noted, it means, “Go ahead and do this and see what happens.” However you phrase it, Jesus’ words put the burden on the Jewish authorities.

Jesus’ action was not an outburst of anger, but the energy of righteousness against religious leaders to whom religion had become a business, a way to make a good living. If you read Psalm 69, which Jesus uttered in the Temple, you will see that it is a lament, a complaint in which the psalmist is unjustly accused of theft and appeals to God for justice. He seeks salvation from the injustice and perjury of his enemies. He has been alienated from family and community. Why? Because, unlike his accusers, the psalmist had zeal for God’s house.

A song of praise and thanksgiving in God’s house is greater than the sacrifice of an ox or bull, as vv. 30-31 in Psalm 69 tell us. “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.”[2] Heaven and earth praise God (v. 34). So, Jesus goes to the Temple during Passover to praise God, and what does He find? Zeal? No. He finds apathy. Jesus found religious leaders and marketeers involved in sacrifices whose attitude towards praise was indifference and indolence, listlessness and laziness. He saw no enthusiasm or energy, no vigor or vitality. And so, he shouted, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” Not has consumed me, as the psalm reads, but will consume me.

Allow me to step outside of Scripture for a moment to talk about zeal. Zeal is not a word that we use very often. The Latin word for zeal is zelus, and the Greek, zēlos. Zeal is great enthusiasm or interest in pursuit of an objective or a course of action.

Don’t confuse zeal or enthusiasm with emotionalism. Some people feel a particular emotion when they hear certain kinds of music. Attend a political rally or any sporting event today, and you will find an array of music that gets people in the mood for the main event. Whoever is choosing the music is trying to whip the people into an emotional momentary frenzy.

Jesus had zeal. Jesus had a great enthusiasm for His Father’s will. Enthusiasm, the Greeks would tell us, is a divine inspiration. The Greeks also thought that one who was enthused was possessed by a god. That’s because the word enthused is a combination of two words. En means in, and theos means god. Recall that on the first Sunday of Lent, when we heard of Jesus’ Baptism and the Temptation in the wilderness, it was the Holy Spirit that drove Him into that confrontation with the devil. The text does not say that Jesus went into the wilderness. It reads, “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness” (Mk 1:12). Jesus was possessed by the Holy Spirit. That is why zeal, properly understood, is a key to understanding John’s Jesus. Back to our text.

Zeal would consume Jesus because this was His Father’s House. His personal identification with God as His Father would eventually lead to His death because each time He said it, the Jews became more intent on killing Him. In chapter five, after Jesus healed a man lying on a mat on a Sabbath in order to display His Father’s power working in Him, He answered His persecutors with, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” (5:17) In John, the Father’s power is Jesus’ power, and He could use it whenever He saw fit. So, speaking of God’s works as His, and speaking of God as His own Father, and making God His equal, is why unbelieving Jewish authorities sought to kill Jesus.

Because God the Father’s power resided in Jesus, worship of God through the Son of God, Jesus, could take place anywhere. People no longer needed to come to the Temple. People did not need to exchange coins or purchase overpriced animals. All of that meant bad financial news for the people who worked at the Temple.

The religious leaders should have seen this coming. Jesus’ actions were “like that of the prophets of old against the profanation of God’s house and a sign that the messianic purification of the Temple was at hand.”[3] Jewish institutions were not only being cleansed; they were being replaced. Now, there is a lot more to say about the heightened animosity between Jesus and the Jews in John, but I will save that for another time.

Allow me to move from what was going on with Jesus in the Temple to what is going on with us? I mean, if Jesus arrived on the scene here, what would happen? What’s going on here? What would he see? Would he see zeal? To answer that, I step into my time machine and travel back four years.

When I arrived to meet people from Mt. Olive in April 2020, there were four or five people (some wearing masks) in the large social hall at the other building. Our first weeks of worship were during the Sundays of Easter when most of you viewed by Facebook. By Pentecost, we opted for in-person worship, and our gatherings numbered between 15-25. It stayed like that for about a year.

In all honesty, I had serious doubts about the survival of this congregation. I was working other jobs and gigs just in case we would fold, because that is what I heard every Sunday. Today, we average 50 worshippers, give or take a few depending on the Sunday. We’re not going to return to glory days. In my experience, we will remain a small congregation. That is not a bad thing. There are many small congregations across our land and in our Synod. And the District has a plan to help small congregations thrive. I have no intention for bigger and better activities or ministries. I have no ambitions to build or expand. My days of professional fundraising are complete. My intention is to remind you and myself of one thing: Be faithful to Christ’s teachings and how we interpret them through the Book of Concord.

So, if Jesus would enter our doors, He would see zealous worshippers of God the Father. As I said earlier, zeal or enthusiasm is not emotionalism. Jesus would not see the emotionalism that he would at a worship service where rock bands replace traditional Lutheran hymns. Jesus would not see four pastors each waiting for a word to speak. He would not see a worship leader cranking up people’s emotions to the point that everyone feels obliged to stand and clap or roll around in the aisles. He would not see emotionalism devoid of true worship and holding no real sustaining substance.[4] What Jesus would see is what He was looking for in the Temple.

To know what John’s Jesus was seeking and what he would see here, we must continue to read the Gospel after He left the Temple. Here, Jesus would see people born of water and the Spirit seeking to enter the kingdom of God (Jn 3:5). He would see baptized believers of Christ freely receiving His gifts of grace (3:25ff.). Jesus was seeking people who worship the Father in spirit and in truth because the Father was seeking such people (Jn 4:23-24). He would see people who believed that the Word of God healed them or their loved ones (4:46-54). I believe Jesus would find that here.

Friends, worshipping God the Father through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit is not something we do only on Sundays, or twice a week, or even every morning. Worship is life. True worship involves absorbing the Word of God into our lives. As an active Lutheran recently told me, “It’s not the pastor’s role to keep me enthused. It’s my own duty by being in the Word every day.”

True worship occurs before, during and after our Divine Worship. True believers have the same zeal and desire for God that David had, like a deer that longs for flowing waters, so must our souls long for God (Ps 42:1). True worship is learning how to live a God-pleasing life, and how to deal with various situations daily. Reading and studying both the Bible and The Small Catechism helps us do that.

We are not to be simply students of God’s Word, but more importantly, doers of the Word (Jas 1:19ff). I believe that in this congregation, Jesus would see people living according to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He would see how we manifest love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). And if He would not see that, hopefully, He would come in during our time of Confession and Absolution when we are calling to mind our sins and asking God for forgiveness and absolution.

Friends, that is what I imagine Jesus would see. All I ask you to do is help me make that imagination real by seeking God’s will first and forsaking your own. When we do that, pray that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] See also Amos 4:4.

[2] See also Zech 14:21.

[3] Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John: I-XII, Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company (1966), p. 121.

[4] Tony Taylor, “Emotionalism vs True Worship,” The Surrendered Life. www.thesurrenderedlife.com. See also Matt Costella, “Emotionalism: An Enemy of the 21^st Century Church,” Grace Gospel Press (January 14, 2020). www.gracegospelpress.org.

FOLLOW CHRIST

 

Have you ever played Follow the Leader? First, we pick the leader. Then, everyone else lines up behind the leader. The leader then moves around and all the followers have to copy the leader’s actions. Anyone who fail to follow or do what the leader does is out of the game. When only one person other than the leader remains, that player becomes the leader, and the game begins again with all players joining the line once again.

Have you ever played Simon Says? In this game, one person is Simon and tells the others to do something, like jump in the air or stick out your tongue, but you only follow the commands that begin with “Simon Says.”

If you follow a command where Simon does not say “Simon Says,” you’re out. If you do not follow a command immediately after he says “Simon Says,” you’re out. The winner is the last player who has successfully followed all of the given commands.

Our Gospel gives us a choice to play Simon Says or Follow the Leader. Peter is playing Simon Says and Jesus is asking people to Follow Him, the Leader.

If we choose to do what Simon says that may be easier, but it won’t lead us to our Father in Heaven. If we follow Jesus, it may be harder, but only that will lead us to our Father in Heaven.

A lot of people choose what’s easier and fewer people choose what’s harder, but more rewarding. I am hoping you always choose to follow Jesus.

With that, let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless these and all children, and give their parents the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Christ's Cross and You

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My sermon is entitled Christ, Cross and Christians, and my focus is our Gospel (Mark 8:27-38). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

I divide my sermon on the Gospel into three parts. First, the Christ (verses 27-32a); next, the Cross (32b-34); and finally, the Christian (35-38).

Undoubtedly, the Passion prediction narratives are the crux of the synoptic gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. And while each of them varies slightly, they convey the same message. Jesus asks his disciples who others think he is before asking them. Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ and a moment later the two of them exchange rebukes. The conditions of discipleship are laid out before Jesus takes Peter, James and John with him to the mountain where he is transfigured. While this passage in Mark is indeed the gospel’s crux, I go to my first point, Christ before speaking of Cross and Christian.

Jesus did not suffer from an identity crisis. His identity was absorbed into and defined by his mission. He was quite sure of who he was. Unfortunately, no one else was.[1] Yet, he still asked his disciples what others were saying. And it’s interesting to note that Jesus asked this question in Caesarea Philippi, the center of the Canaanite Baal cult and pagan religions. Amidst all these false gods, the true God revealed Himself.

In this setting, the first question was comfortable enough, but the disciples’ answers as to what others were saying showed that people were blind to who Jesus was. Humans never considered Jesus as Messiah, and the disciples’ answers were identical to those offered by the audience of Herod’s court after he executed John the Baptist (6:14f). Those answers made sense since 1^st century Jewish expectations varied widely on how the agent of God would usher in His Kingdom. Hence, people saw Jesus as a prophet, messiah, teacher or charismatic holy man.[2] Because the disciples’ responses were no more insightful than those offered by Herod’s court, Jesus asked the disciples a more troubling question.[3]

Now, Peter is the spokesperson of the Twelve, representing both insight and blindness. That he blurted out, “You are the Christ!” is an amazing answer because Christ was not a title used by Jews during Jesus’ time. His answer was like that of the blind man (8:22-26) to whom Jesus restored sight in that he partially saw people that looked like trees; and so, Jesus had to fully cure his blindness and that of his disciples.[4]

Folks, everything in the Church, including its mission then and today depends on who Jesus is. For the disciples, everything, including following him on the way, depended on their recognition of his identity.[5]

We don’t know why Jesus ordered his disciples not to tell anyone about himself at this point in the gospel. It seems strange to command this after he went around Galilee announcing the Kingdom of God, expelling demons, curing the sick and feeding the hungry. This is not the type of behavior expected of someone who did not want anyone to know about him.[6]

There was no or little expectation in early Judaism that the Messiah would come and suffer. Hence, Jesus’ first prediction of the Passion which included the idea that the Messiah was to suffer was in complete contrast to Jewish expectations.[7]

When Jesus spoke of his Passion, he referred to himself not as Christ or Messiah, but Son of Man. If you were here on January 14, you may remember my sermon on this title. It is a confusing title because it meant that Jesus saw himself either as a typical human or the figure in Daniel (7:13-14). While Son of Man expressed both suffering and glory, Jesus used it in a paradoxical way to refer to himself as the lowly, disreputable, rejected messenger of the powerful kingdom of God assured vindication in the future.[8]

Jesus used this phrase earlier in Mark when he healed the paralytic. In the presence of the scribes and others, Jesus said, “‘That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’— he said to the paralytic — ‘I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home’” (Mk 2:10-11). He also used it when he and his disciples walked through fields picking grain (2:28).

To better understand Jesus as Son of Man, we look to Philippians (Phil 2:6-11). Paul wrote that when Adam rejected his role as co-creator and grasped for immortality, he could no longer claim full humanity as God intended. Jesus reestablished full humanity by accepting the most basic human limitations, which is to suffer and die.[9] All of Jesus’ references to his own suffering and death reflect not only the particular manner of death and his acceptance of it, but also his understanding that He would serve as a ransom for us (Mk 10:46).

Jesus was very clear about his message, and made three predictions. If you have read Mark, you know that there are indications that Jesus’ life would end with passion. The Pharisees and Herodians plotted to destroy him (3:6), and those conflicts continued not only with them but also with scribes and demons (3:23; 7:1-13; 8:11-13)[10]

So, his announcement was not a prediction in the common sense, but a pastoral teaching to open his disciples’ eyes because while they accepted Jesus as the Christ, they did not accept his Passion and Resurrection as Son of Man. In short, there was a serious problem with their attitude, and he planned to open their eyes as well as their minds and hearts. In short, Jesus accepted the title of Christ but did not want it announced because his identity could be grasped only by true disciples. That said, we move from Christ to Cross.

In the ancient world, crucifixion on a cross was the cruelest form of capital punishment. It was reserved for slaves, rebels and violent criminals, and carried out in public to serve as a powerful deterrent. The condemned person was forced to carry a crossbeam (picture an 8x8) to the site of the execution, where it would be fastened to the upright beam. Then the victim would be nailed or tied to the cross and left to die, which sometimes occurred only after days of torment.[11]

When Jesus spoke about the cross, he did so frankly and clearly. He is Christ and Son of Man. He is eternal God and mortal man. He accepted his mortality, and gave his life for others. In turn, the disciples would be called to do the same.

Unwittingly, Peter, serving as Satan’s tool, did not want Jesus to continue teaching this way for the sake of the disciples. When he took Jesus aside, he did not think that he was tempting the Lord but protecting the disciples. Peter rejected what the Passion implied not only for Jesus, but also for the disciples.

And when he took Jesus aside, he literally turned Jesus’ body away from the disciples so that Jesus’ back was towards them when he turned around and fixed his eyes on them. Bluntly, he warned the disciples not to be tempted by Peter.[12]

Jesus’ command has two meanings. He could be saying “Get out of my sight!” or “Get in line behind me!” His rebuke is severe because the temptation is profound. Jesus knew where God’s path for him led – suffering, rejection, death and resurrection – and he was sorely tempted to follow Peter in departing from this path and taking with him these disciples, but He persevered through the straight and narrow in spite of this temptation.[13]

The next words were directed not to those who did or did not confess Christ, but to those who followed and those who did not. The cost of the cross to followers was shame that was great and public. And, that, my friends, brings me to my third point, Christians.

Before we were known as Lutherans, we called ourselves Evangelicals, a Greek word meaning good news. It was John Eck who labeled people who identified with Martin Luther’s theology as Lutherans. He meant it as an insult. We wear it as a badge of honor. Before we were called Christians, we were known as Nazarenes or People of the Way, while many Church members referred to themselves as saints, meaning people dedicated to God. It seems to me that People of the Way took root in Mark’s Gospel because he used the phrase “on the way” multiple times. Today, as Christians, we are still people on the Way, following behind Jesus carrying our crosses as well.

Now, before we determine why the cost of the cross is so extravagant, we must determine what it is and what it is not. Here, Jesus is not talking about ordinary, or even extraordinary, human burdens that we sometimes bear, yet have no direct connection with discipleship to Him. I thought that when I was the primary care-giver of my mother during the last year of her life that this was my cross to bear. I was gravely mistaken. An illness may be a thorn in the flesh, but it is not our cross to bear. A difficult relative or a troublesome friend may be a problem, but it is not our cross to bear. Cross-bearing as a follower of Jesus means nothing less than giving your whole life over to following him. And here comes another surprise. This is the way to total freedom.

Keep in mind that Mark strengthened the faithful in times of suffering. He reminded Christians that Jesus did not insist that followers lose their lives but did insist that they deny themselves and be prepared to die if that meant remaining true to Him. So, what does it mean for me to follow Christ?

First, deny yourself. Place yourself totally at the disposal of Jesus Christ. Second, take up your cross. Join Jesus in offering your life for others. Third, follow Christ. Commit yourself to be with Jesus on a life journey characterized by self-renunciation.

To see this in a teaching lived out by a Lutheran martyr, I quote a few words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor known for his staunch opposition to the Nazi dictatorship, Hitler's euthanasia program and the genocidal persecution of the Jews.

Bonhoeffer once wrote, “Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble;

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man … true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: ‘ye were bought at a price,’ and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”[14]

Folks, if the words of a Christian martyr and Jesus do not persuade you, here is a final reason for denying yourself, taking up the cross and following Christ. Jesus ended His teaching with this: “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”[15]

Friends, there are persecutions more overt and covert than those of ancient Rome, Nazi Germany or Communist China, but no less a threat to Christian discipleship. How often are we pressured to tailor our words and behavior to win approval and avoid derision from our woke, cancel culture? How often are you tempted to soft-pedal Law and Gospel in order to conform with today’s political correctness? The danger of refashioning Christ and Christianity into something safer and securer is summed up in Jesus’ rebuke of Peter. Over the centuries, millions of believers were martyred for their faith, and yet, the famous axiom holds true: “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.” (Tertullian, Apology 50.13)[16]

Jesus did not insist that you embrace martyrdom but He did insist that you accept His cross. Recognize Jesus as your messiah and master, your glorious Lord and humble servant. Embrace and lift high the cross. Follow Christ daily, and wherever you find yourself on the way, know that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Meier, JBC, 1323.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Witherington, 240.

[4] Ibid.

[5] LaVerdiere, 26.

[6] Ibid.

[7] RSV fn 8:31-32, 1225

[8] Meier, 1325.

[9] LaVerdiere, 28.

[10] LaVerdiere, 27.

[11] Healy, 168.

[12] LaVerdiere, 33.

[13] Witherington, 241f.

[14] Healy, 172.

[15] Mark 8:38.

[16] Healy, 171f.

WHAT JESUS DID

 

How many of you have ever seen a WWJD bracelet? Can any of you tell me what the letters WWJD mean? The letters stand for "What Would Jesus Do?" WWJD bracelets were popular many years ago. Many people wore them. Maybe your parents wore one. When a person was tempted to do something wrong, the bracelet was to remind him to ask, “What would Jesus do?”

I saw some people do naughty things while wearing WWJD bracelets, but, the most important thing is not what I THINK Jesus would do. The most important thing is -- WHAT DID JESUS DO? If we want to know what we should do when the devil tempts us, we should read what Jesus did when the devil tempted him.

Jesus was tempted by the devil just as we are. One time Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days.

We heard that Jesus did not eat for 40 days. Satan said to him, “If you are really the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.”

The devil took Jesus to a high place and showed him the kingdoms below, and said, “All of this belongs to me. If you will bow down and worship me, I will give it to you.”

Next, the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and led him up to the highest point on the temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. God will send his angels to rescue you.”

Each time, Jesus quoted Scripture, and the devil gave up! The next time the devil tempts you to do something wrong, remember: Do What Jesus Did...answer him with Scripture!

With that, let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless these and all children, and give their parents the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lent and Temptations in Life

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My sermon is Lent, Temptation and Life and my focus is our Gospel (Mark 1:9-15). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Today, I examine Lent, Mark’s account of how Satan tempted Jesus throughout his life, and how this relates to us. Lent is a solemn religious observance that begins on Ash Wednesday and covers a period of approximately six weeks or 40 days before Easter Sunday.

In Latin, Lent is referred to by the term Quadragesima, meaning fortieth, referring to the fortieth day before Easter. In English, the word Lent initially meant spring, from the Germanic root for long, because in spring the days visibly lengthen.

The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, and repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial. During Lent, our worship assumes a penitential character. The color for the season is purple, a color associated with penitence. By omitting the Hymn of Praise and Alleluia, we distinguish Lent from the rest of the year, and form a powerful contrast with the festive celebration of Jesus' resurrection when our alleluias ring loud and clear.

The Lutheran perspective of “giving up something for Lent” is a matter of Christian freedom. Our church has no law requiring members to “give up something,” since the Scriptures do not require this. If a Christian wants to give something up for Lent as a way of remembering and personalizing the sacrifice Christ made on the cross for our sins, then he is free to do so, as long as he does not judge others who opt not to do this.

The penitential character of Lent is not its sole purpose. In the ancient Church, the period leading up to Easter was a time of intense preparation for the candidates being baptized at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. This time is appropriate for Baptism because of the relationship between Christ's death and resurrection and our own in the sacrament (Rom 6:1-11). This suggests that Lent serves as a time to meditate on the suffering that Christ endured on our behalf, and an opportunity to reflect our own Baptism and what it means to live as a child of God. I encourage you to read Be Gracious to Me, Portals of Prayer, LWML’s Mustard Seed devotions or the Lutheran Hour Ministries devotions.

We base our 40-day Lenten observance on Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness. In Mark we read, “He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan.” (Mk 1:13) Though Mark’s account of Jesus’ temptation is brief, if we interpret it without referring to Matthew or Luke,[1] we taste Mark’s fuller flavor. We also see that Satan tempted Jesus throughout his life and even onto the cross.

Before his wilderness experience, John baptized Jesus. It may initially appear problematic that Jesus accepted John’s baptism. After all, it called for a change of heart in view of the forgiveness of sins. How could Jesus, who was not a sinner, have accepted such a baptism? I will save the answer for later.

As Jesus emerged from the baptismal waters, the heavens tore open and the Spirit descended on him like a dove. This is a response to Isaiah’s prayer that God “rend the heavens and come down” to bring his flock up from the sea, put his holy Spirit in the midst of his people and guide them in a new exodus (Isa 64:1).

At Jesus’ baptism, the rending of the heavens announced the beginning of the end; and as he breathed his last, the Temple’s sanctuary veil, decorated to look like the heavens, tore from top to bottom, symbolizing that in the end-time, the holy of holies and ancient sacrifices would be no more. The image of the dove, a symbol for Israel, revealed Jesus as the personal embodiment of a new Israel. As the Christ, the Anointed One, Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prayer.[2]

Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit that descended on him drove him into the wilderness, where he was tested as Israel was tested in their exodus wilderness. This 40-day test evoked the days and nights Moses spent with God on the mountain as he received the Covenant (Ex 34:27-38), and called to mind Elijah’s 40-day walk to the mountain of God (1 Kgs 19:8).

Jesus’ 40 days represented his entire baptismal life, ending with his passion. Sent into the wilderness by the Spirit to lead people in a new exodus, Satan tested Jesus. Satan, the adversary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, represented the power of evil. Satan was the obstacle Jesus had to overcome.

The setting for Jesus’ baptismal test was simple. Angels ministered to him while he was among wild beasts, symbolic of the world’s evil forces. The scene evoked numerous Old Testament passages, particularly the story of Daniel in the lion’s den (Dan 6:23), and the primal contest of creation where human beings dominated wild beasts (Gen 1:24-28). Mark also alluded to the Psalms (8:6-8) and Isaiah 13, where we read, “Desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.” (Isa 13:21-22)

As the one anointed by the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ life was an ongoing conflict with Satan, the spirit of evil. It began in the wilderness, but reappeared throughout the Gospel. In the Capernaum synagogue, a man with an unclean spirit engaged Jesus in a verbal skirmish.[3] Here, Mark showed the battle between the unclean spirit that possessed the man and the Holy Spirit that possessed Jesus. In another case, no one was strong enough to bind the Gerasene man possessed by a demonic spirit until Jesus appeared. And after Peter rebuked Jesus, because he could not imagine a Messiah who would suffer and die, Jesus, in turn rebuked Peter as Satan because he too acted as a stumbling block to the cross.[4]

The point is that throughout his life, Jesus battled Satan. Satan was and is a strong man (Mk 3:27). He effected demon-possession and physical maladies, created disorder in the natural world, and snatched up the Word of God sown on the path (Mk 4:1ff). He tempted people to abandon God’s will and inspired them to adopt hearts and minds set on human ways. His activity extended to Jesus’ enemies, the Lord’s followers and Jesus himself. Satan tested Jesus in the wilderness, in Gethsemane and on Golgotha.

Satan’s activity was implicit when Jesus asked God to “take this cup from me.” (Mk 14:36) And when Jesus exhorted his disciples to imitate him by watching and praying lest they enter into a test, the same language used in the wilderness account, this too confirmed the moment was Satan’s test.[5] Bound and hung on the cross, Jesus’ opponents declared he could not save himself – Satan’s final test to abandon God’s will.

Finally, upon his death, Jesus cried out in a loud voice that recalled the cries of those from whom he cast unclean spirits. As he died, the Holy Spirit that descended from a violently torn heaven and possessed Him at the start of the gospel, left His body as the Temple veil tore. The Spirit’s departure implied that it completed its work. Jesus’ death marked victory, not defeat, in His conflict with Satan.

At that moment, the centurion, upon seeing Jesus breathe his last, confirmed His divinity, just as our Heavenly Father declared Jesus to be his beloved Son. Now, instead of rising from the waters of baptism to declare the nearness of God’s Kingdom, his Resurrection from the tomb declared God’s victorious Kingdom.[6]

How does this relate to us? Lent is an appropriate time to remember our Baptism and its relationship to Christ's death and resurrection. It is also a fitting time to meditate on the suffering Christ endured on our behalf and what it means to live as a child of God.

Although Christ broke Satan’s power, God never promised a conflict-free world, but a world in which the risen Christ meets and restores errant followers so that they may imitate him in their struggles against satanic powers, and like him, endure to the end, empowered by the Holy Spirit.[7]

As we leave here, children of God filled with grace, love, mercy and the Holy Spirit, we enter a world of conflict, corruption and evil that both blinds and blind-sides us. Satan’s temptations are open and blatant, as well as secretive and surreptitious.

I may not be tempted to murder, but may be silently complicit over one million children aborted annually. I may not be tempted to break the Sixth Commandment, but may peruse inappropriate material. I may not steal from my neighbor, but may never open a generous hand to feed the poor. I may never swear false testimony in court, but may never speak kindly about others. I may never treat people as God treats me – with kindness, mercy and compassion – but may consider myself a good Christian. As a good Christian, the commandment most difficult to keep is the First: You shall have no other gods. Of this, Martin Luther wrote plainly.

“Many a one thinks that he has God and everything in abundance when he has money and possessions; he trusts in them and boasts of them with such firmness and assurance as to care for no one. Such a man also has a god, Mammon by name, that is, money and possessions, on which he sets all his heart, and which is also the most common idol on earth. He who has money and possessions feels secure, and is joyful and undismayed as though he were sitting in the midst of Paradise. On the other hand, he who has none doubts and is despondent, as though he knew of no God. For very few are to be found who are of good cheer, and who neither mourn nor complain if they have not Mammon. This care and desire for money sticks and clings to our nature, even to the grave.

So, too, whoever trusts and boasts that he possesses great skill, prudence, power, favor, friendship, and honor has also a god, but not this true and only God. This appears again when you notice how presumptuous, secure, and proud people are because of such possessions, and how despondent when they no longer exist or are withdrawn. Therefore, I repeat that the chief explanation of this point is that to have a god is to have something in which the heart entirely trusts.”[8] 

Each week I confess I am a miserable sinner addicted to my things and ways of doing things. As I said last week, I think highly of my bad ideas and overinflated opinions. I marry my feelings and divorce myself from others’ sensitivities. In short, I need to be saved.

The good news is, Christ saved me. Through no merit of my own, He saved me. He who conquered Satan, sin and death saved me from the tyranny of that trio. That brings me full-circle to my earlier question. “How could Jesus, who was not a sinner, have accepted such a baptism?”

John’s baptism of Jesus revealed His humanity and His solidarity with and commitment to sinners. What occurred when Jesus emerged from the water revealed His divinity and His solidarity with and commitment to God His Father.[9]

If I approach life’s challenges in individualistic terms (me against the world), the baptism of a sinless person is senseless because baptism has no meaning beyond the individual who is baptized. If, however, I view life’s challenges in interpersonal terms (we are all in this together), the baptism of a sinless person makes a lot of sense.[10]

Jesus did not have to be a sinner to accept John’s baptism. All he needed was to be in personal solidarity with men and women who are sinners in need of salvation. Jesus’ baptism by John presented him as a person in solidarity with all human beings, and it demonstrated his willingness to bear the weight of our sins on his sinless shoulders.[11]

Friends, as he tempted Jesus, Satan will tempt you until you exhaust your last gasp. You will be tempted to commit heinous sins and victimless crimes. If you rely upon yourself or any power but God to free yourself from his grip, you lose. Satan will bind you. Only Christ can free you … and the Good News is that He has!

Brothers and sisters, you will always have the Holy Spirit to guide you in the wilderness of life just as Jesus did, but as Paul exhorted the freed Christians of Rome, I beg you not to be addicted to yourself and your ways, your ideas and feelings. Forgiven fully by Christ, surrender to the Holy Spirit. Be a slave of the Holy Spirit, an addict of the Third Person of the Trinity and the means of God’s grace. When you are, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.[12] Amen.

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[1] Peter Edmonds, The Way Companion to the Sunday Missal. Oxford: Campion Hall (2014),  77.

[2] Eugene LaVerdiere, The Beginning of the Gospel: Introducing the Gospel According to Mark, Volume 1. Collegeville MN: The Liturgical Press (1999), 34.

[3] Elizabeth Shively, “Characterizing the Non-Human: Satan in the Gospel of Mark,” Character Studies and the Gospel of Mark. Edited by Christopher W. Skinner and Matthew Ryan Hauge. London: Bloomsbury (2014),  139ff.

[4] Shively, 144f

[5] Shively, 146

[6] Shively, 148

[7] Shively, 151.

[8] Book of Concord, Ten Commandments

[9] LaVerdiere, 34

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Philippians 4:7