Jesus told a parable of man who owned a vineyard. He had a hired vinedresser. In his vineyard was a fig tree. Over the course of three years, day after day, in season, the man went to the tree looking for fruit. He never found any. He told his man to cut it down; “Why should it use up the ground?”

To the man, this tree was a waste of space and resources. He let it live and grow for three years, hoping that it would produce fruit—that it would do what it is supposed to do. It never did. Why should this tree continue to take the time and land away from some other tree or plant that would actually produce fruit? Why should the man bear with it any longer waiting for this fig tree to do the thing for which it was planted.

But the vinedresser had another idea. Give it another year. He would dig a trench around it and fill it with fertilizer. He would pay it some extra special attention, give it some extra care. And if, at the end of that year of more and better care it still did not produce fruit, cut it down. The vinedresser told his master, “Let it alone this year also.”

Now, this seems like an odd text to bring up when you’ve just heard of the Passion of Jesus according to St. John. As you know, however, Jesus spoke seven times from the cross before He died. John gives three of those words. The other four come from Matthew and Luke. The parable of the fig tree is related to the first word: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Now, I could go into how characters are related. On the outset, the man who owned the vineyard would be the Father and the vinedresser would be the Son. That connection can be made, despite Jesus at one time referring to the Father as the Vinedresser because when He did so, He called Himself the vine, so for the sake of this parable, the characters are different than in that I AM from St. John’s Gospel. (cf. John 15:1ff) In the parable of the fig tree, the man in righteous wrath wants to cut down the tree, but the vinedresser pleads the case for the tree. That would mean that the tree is representative of those for whom Jesus prayed on the cross.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the parable and it’s relation to the first of Jesus’ seven last words is that when the vinedresser said, “Let it alone,” he used the same word in Greek as Jesus did from the cross when He begged, “Forgive them.” The plea for mercy is the same in both cases.

So, when the vinedresser pled for mercy, he sought to stay the wrath of the owner of the vineyard. Likewise, when Jesus pled for mercy, he sought to stay the wrath of the Father against those who were crucifying Him.

It’s an odd request, if you really think about it. First, that Jesus would beg the Father’s forgiveness for those who are crucifying Him, putting to death an innocent man, convicted in a sham trial—this punishment only had the appearance of being proper and righteous. Such an act would most certainly draw the ire of God the Father. Yet, it had to be done. That God would use such an evil act—a murder—is a mystery, apart from the need for shedding of blood toward the remission of sins. (cf. Hebrews 9:22)

Did Jesus’ executioners know what they were doing? I would say not. Jesus said as much. I’m sure they had no idea that they were playing a part in their own salvation, and that of the world. I suppose, however, that Jesus’ words meant more than they didn’t know that they were pawns in the execution of an innocent man, even including those who knew that His trial was a sham. Jesus once told his opponents that they were children of the devil, and they would not hear it. (cf. John 8:44) These knew that they were doing that which was evil, but I’m of the mind that they believed they were doing it for some greater good, even if they only had to convince themselves that what they were doing was right, even if it involved an evil act. In short, they were deceived, so they didn’t know what they were doing, and Jesus pled for mercy.

And Jesus shed His blood and gave His life in order that they would receive mercy. Who knows, maybe some of them repented and received that which was spoken before Pilate: “His blood be on us and on our children.” (Matthew 27:25) Leave it alone, the vinedresser begged. Perhaps in a year the tree will bear fruit. Who knows about Jesus’ executioners, right? But this I do know, had any of them repented and confessed the faith, the angels and the whole company of heaven rejoiced over him. (cf. Luke 15:7, 10)

Doesn’t it seem like it would be a good thing if Jesus’ prayer as He hung on the cross could be extended to you? After all, you do find yourself afflicted by times of doing things that, in hindsight, you know you ought not to have done, sometimes even things which you didn’t even think evil or sinful in the moment—you did not know what you were doing You know that God, in His holiness and righteousness, ought to exact His wrath against you. So, the desire for mercy makes sense.

The good news, dear hearers, is that Jesus Christ is your shield, your sure defense. In giving His life on the cross, Jesus received all the wrath due you, because He placed Himself between you and the wrath of the Father. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for many, including your ransom.

So, He has pled on your behalf. He implores the Father for you, as the vinedresser did the owner of the vineyard, to have mercy on you because you are one for whom He has died. “Father, forgive them, let them be…” And you are—you are forgiven for all of your sins.

On this night on which the Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed, on which He instituted the Supper of His body and blood, it would do well to review Lutheran doctrine as it regards the Lord’s Supper.

I’ll begin simply with what the Sacrament of the Altar is. As just said and heard, in fewer words, “it is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.” What Luther taught here is confirmed in the words of Christ Himself. Again, these are words you have been taught, the primary text of the Sacrament, and which you hear every Sunday:

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When you eat and drink the Sacrament of the Altar, you are eating and drinking Christ’s true body and blood. But these are still bread and wine, and this St. Paul teaches: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16) The cup—the contents thereof—is a participation or communion in the blood of Christ and the bread of the body. The bread and body of Christ are united in a way incomprehensible to fallen man—participation or communion St. Paul called it—likewise the wine and blood of Christ, so that when you receive the Lord’s Supper, you are eating bread and body in one bite and drinking wine and blood in one sip. This is exactly why another name for the Sacrament is Holy Communion.

Why eat and drink Christ’s body and blood? Because there is life there, the life of God, eternal life. Jesus Christ gave His body to death and shed His blood as a propitiation for sins—the wages of which is death (cf. Romans 6:23)—so that men would not perish, but have eternal life. (cf. John 3:16) His body He gives you to eat and His blood to drink that you would remember Him, and, as St. Paul put it and you’ve been repeating all Lent, to proclaim His death till He comes again (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:26), and that you may have the forgiveness of your sins. Taste and see that the Lord is good (cf. Psalm 34:8); He gives you His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. These words, “for the remission of sins,” St. Matthew recorded Jesus saying as He instituted His Supper. (cf. Matthew 26:28) So, you eat and drink the Sacrament, recalling and proclaiming the sacrifice of Jesus for your forgiveness, and you eat and drink the forgiveness of your sins. “And where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”

Those words from Matthew, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes them, and why doubt them since Jesus said them, has exactly what they say: the forgiveness of their sins.

Now, there are those who want to make the Sacrament compulsory. The intention is well-and-good, but doing so turns the Gospel into the Law. Jesus gives His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and commands and invites you to receive Him in His Supper. His command and invitation should be enough; there is no need for the church to add anything to that. Furthermore, when Jesus says, “Do this,” there is no “or else,” attached to it, much as there almost is with Holy Baptism. Therefore, there is no place for His Church on earth to compel the members of Christ’s Bride to receive the Sacrament.

As my old professor often liked to quip, “The opposite of an error is an error in the opposite direction.” As much as the church cannot force members to receive the Sacrament, it cannot force them not to take it, except in cases of manifest, unrepentant sin, or where the proclamation of the Lord’s death differs between person and congregation. This is the error in the opposite direction of compulsion, and it is exactly what happens in those places which reduce the number of times the Sacrament is offered to once a quarter, certain Sundays, or every other week. In essence, this practice tells the communicant, “You may earnestly desire Jesus today in His Sacrament, but you will not receive it.”

So, what is the church to do? Teach the Sacrament in all of it’s purity. Jesus invites you to eat His body and drink His blood for the forgiveness of sins. Teach the people how much they need Jesus, and the forgiveness that He won on the cross and gives in Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion. And offer the Sacrament often, “every Lord’s Day,” as the saying goes, and even on other occasions—often.

What Luther preached regarding the Sacrament of the Altar, as recorded in the Large Catechism, speaks volumes in this regard:

“If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows are every moment aimed at you, you would be glad to come to the Sacrament as often as possible.” The Sacrament is defense and antidote against these knives, darts, and arrows. There, Jesus gives you Himself, who overcame the assaults of the devil and conquered him who would throw these knives, darts, and arrows at you. So, then, if Jesus gives Himself to you and has overcome and conquered the devil, then you can be assured of this: you are forgiven for all of your sins—that is the “you” you put yourself into.

YHWH met with Moses on the mountain where He gave him the Ten Commandments. Moses could have taken the dictation in several ways. He could have written it on a papyrus scroll; after all, he just came from the land of papyrus, so the Israelites could have possibly had some. He could have written on clay tablets; clay isn’t a difficult resource to come by. He could have even written it in the sand as a means of helping him to memorize what God had said. But he didn’t record the Ten Commandments on paper or clay or even in the sand; they were carved in stone.

That phrase “carved in stone,” should give you pause. It conveys a kind of permanence. Stone represents endurance, so something written in stone—carved in stone—is longer-lasting than something written on paper, clay tablets, and sand. Something carved in stone is supposed to last. That’s what Job was saying when he spoke about his redeemer living:

Consequently, when you carve something in stone, it conveys an importance because of its permanence. The Ten Commandments are carved in stone.

This is God’s everlasting covenant with His people. His people will obey His will and keep these commandments. These laws are not only for His people, however, but for all mankind, as they are all His creation.

When Moses came down from the mountain, He found the Hebrews worshiping an idol. He dashed the stone tablets in their presence, an object lesson in the people’s brazen denial of God’s Law—they had broken God’s everlasting Law. No, that didn’t mean that the Law wasn’t permanent; it was, and it is—Moses would get a second set of stone tablets. First or second, it doesn’t matter, the Word of the Lord endures forever (VDMA), whether it is actually carved in stone or not, and that includes His Law.

The Law was given, and God expects you to follow it. God expects you to stand upon these stone tablets as your own will—this you will do and not do. You are to stand on these stone tablets because they are important—they are the will of God—much like you should build your house on a stone foundation, and not sand. (cf. Matthew 7:24-27) Do you, though?

Well, not really. Instead you write your will on lifeless and fragile paper, you take your finger to sand and write one thing while you say another and do yet something else. The winds change, and so does your will except for one point: that which God had carved in stone is to be avoided. This is your bound will: enslaved to sin and bound in chains.

So, what would you expect God to do? He who is greater than you, mightier than you, holier than you, reveals His will to you and you would rather do something else. What’s God to do? Well, right along with revealing His will, He also reveals what He will do: “…I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me…” (Exodus 20:5) Throughout the Word of God, you can find God speaking of His wrath, and even showing it, to those who sin again Him, and the result is always the same: death.

Jesus stood on a stone pavement—Gabbatha, it was called in St. John’s Gosel (19:13). He stood there before the Roman governor. As He stood there, He was bound and bloodied, having been captured the night before as He prayed in the garden. That night, He stood before the Sanhedrin whereat He was accused of all manner of evil. The next day found Him before the governor, where accusations were made against Him again. He stood on stone, being accused of not standing on the stone tablets which came down from Sinai. The chief priests and elders, speaking on behalf of the people—on behalf of you—accused the Son of God of sinning, and He didn’t respond one word, just as it was before the Sanhedrin, just as it was prophesied of Him: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)

Oh yes, you were right there along with those despicable priests and elders. Remember, your will is bound—that which God declares as holy, that which He tells you is His will, you are at work to contradict and countermand. God’s Law says, “Do this,” and your will says, “Hell no!” And your bound will delights in accusing the Son of God of lies—just as is the will the father of lies, the devil. (cf. John 8:44) Your sinful life—your sinful nature—is in contention with God, and it is that which was standing with the crowd before Pilate accusing innocent Jesus, standing on Stone Pavement, of breaking the Law carved into stone tablets.

So, you see, while you accuse Jesus of sinning through the voices of the priests and elders, they were speaking your evil against Him. And Jesus’ silence spoke volumes! He received the guilt and the shame—your guilt and shame—without a word. He received it because He was becoming your substitute. He who became one with you in His conception and birth—a man in every respect as you are, except without sin—stood before the Sanhedrin and Pilate and received your sins and the sins of all into His perfect flesh. He who once stood in your place in the Jordan River, to fulfill all righteousness with John (cf. Matthew 3:15), has also stood in your place before the Sanhedrin, receiving the sinful accusations due you.

Listen closely to His silence, dear hearers, because the Great Exchange is happening right before your ears!

Or, as St. Paul put it, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) He stood at Gabbatha becoming your sin for you, but He wouldn’t remain at Stone Pavement for long. Later that day, He would be led to Place of a Skull—Golgotha—and there become the sacrifice for sin. Like the goats at the Temple on Yom Kippur, He would shed His blood as a propitiation for many—as your propitiation—and die with your sins for your atonement.

At Sinai, the Law was given on stone tablets. At Gabbatha, the accusations were made and the guilty verdict pronounced. At Golgotha, the sentence was carried out. Jesus, with every one of your sins and every bit of your sinfulness, gave His life, crucified in your place, your substitute, died the death that the Law demanded for sins. And for His sake, you live.

Gloriously, however, His stay in death did not last long. His agony and forsaken-ness lasted only three hours; his death spanned across only three days. Dead and buried, on the third day, He rose again from the grave. Jesus is victorious over death, and as much as His death is for you, He gives you the victory too. Death is swallowed up in victory! (cf. Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:54)

There was another goat present on Yom Kippur—the scapegoat. Here is the goat upon which the sins were confessed, and, despite that confession, it is allowed to live. Yes, in the Yom Kippur ritual, it was led out into the wilderness and abandoned. In so doing, the sins of the people were removed from them as the scapegoat was led out of the camp and into the wilderness. Yet it lives for the sake of the sacrificial goat.

In one sense, Jesus is the fulfillment of the scapegoat as He removes sin from you as far as east is from the west. (cf. Psalm 103:12) But there is another sense in which to understand the scapegoat: it lives, despite it sinfulness, because of the goat that is sacrificed for sins.

That day before Pilate, Jesus stood on Stone Pavement as the sacrificial goat, but there was another goat, too. Jesus stood before the governor, having done no wrong, and accepts all guilt and blame on your behalf. But, as was the custom of Pilate, he presented a criminal to the people, one he thought would surely be considered a worse offender than Jesus, in order to release Jesus, for His custom was to release a man of the people’s choosing at this time of year. But, Old Adam’s hatred for the Son of God won the day, and Barabbas was set free.

He was allowed to live for the sake of Jesus. He was cast back out into the wilderness while Jesus was sacrificed in His place. Jesus’ cross might have been meant for Barabbas, to be crucified right between his compatriots. Dear Baptized, you are Barabbas! For the sake of Jesus and His sacrifice, you are allowed to live, despite having committed the sins. Jesus died for Barabbas, and He was redeemed. Jesus has died for you, and you are redeemed.

And this, by grace, you believe and receive. Therefore, as St. John wrote, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12) You are Barabbas, the Son of the Father as His name means, spared death and given life for the sake of the only-begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ. From the manger to the cross, to Gabbatha and Golgotha, to the grave and the right hand of the Father, Jesus Christ is your atonement, standing on the Stone Tablets and Stone Pavement, hanging on the cross, and seated in glory for you; therefore, you are forgiven for all of your sins.

If you’ve broken one, you’ve broken them all. That’s what St. James taught. (cf. James 2:10) A reverse of sorts is also true. If you’ve broken any of them, you’ve broken the first.

Luther taught,

• You shall have no other gods.
  We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

So, how does that work? If you look at how Luther taught all of the other commandments, they all begin, “We should fear and love God so that…” By doing this, he intended to remind you of the First Commandment. Furthermore, he is teaching that every commandment is a requirement—a do not do this, do that instead—which gives you a method by which you can fear, love, and trust in God above all things. In other words, how do you fear love and trust in God above all things?

2. Do not misuse His name, but use it properly, as in prayer, praising, and giving Him thanks.
3. Remember the Sabbath by not despising His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.
4. Do not despise or anger your parents or others in authority, but honor, serve, obey, love, and cherish them.
5. Do not hurt or harm your neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.
6. Lead a sexually pure life in what you say and do; husband and wife love each other.
7. Do not take your neighbors possessions or income, but be of service to him in keeping and improving it.
8. Do not tell lies about your neighbor, nor betray, slander, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.
9. Do not scheme to get your neighbor’s inheritance or house, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.
10. Do not entice or force away your neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, but urge them to stay and do their duty.

Now, why would you do all of these things? Well, simply put, it is God who created you and still takes care of you. This is His Law. So, if the One who made you, and can probably take you out of this world, tells you not to do something or tells you to do something, you best not do what He tells you not to do and do what He tells you to do. This is nothing new. Parents have been telling their children something like this for ages in an attempt to keep them in line: “I brought you into this world, I can bring you out of it.” Well, for God, this is most certainly true.

Of course, He also says as much: “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Luther taught it, thus:

• God threatens to punish all who break these commandments. Therefore, we should fear His wrath and not do anything against them. But He promises grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments. Therefore, we should also love and trust in Him and gladly do what He commands.

So, not only does God say, “Don’t do this,” and, “Do that,” but He also promises grace and every blessing when you don’t do what He says not to do and do what He tells you to do. If that’s not reason enough to love and trust in Him and gladly do what He commands, I don’t know what is.

So, what gives? Why is it that every time you hear any of these Commandments explained, you are reminded of times when you didn’t do what was expected? Why is it that these Commandments chiefly show you just how much you don’t fear, love, and trust in God above all things? Well, why is it that no child is perfectly obedient to their parents? Apart from the child psychology answers, mainly because there is a little rebellious streak in everyone such that when you are told not to do something, your first thought is of doing it, or when you are told to do something, your first thought is of doing the opposite.

There’s that little part of everyone that just likes to show the authority figure just how in charge you can be instead. “Your rules be damned; I can get by just fine without them!” Try as you might, you just can’t quell this voice which tells you to, “Go for it, because one time won’t hurt,” or, “This time won’t make things any worse,” because, “You’ll be just fine, anyway.” Ever since Adam and Eve took that bite of forbidden fruit, man has been grazing of the fruit of that tree—which breeds all kinds of lawlessness—and suffering the consequences. As God told Adam (who in turn told Eve), “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17b) Therefore, as St. Paul instructs, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a) “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,” He says, “punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me…”

Elsewhere, Luther taught, “We daily sin much and surely deserve nothing by punishment.” That little rebellious self—the Old Man which is always at work to set himself up against God, your Creator—is going to get you killed because by him you earn God’s wrath and punishment. If only there were some way that you could keep the Commandments and earn God’s grace and blessing.

You see the thing about the wisdom and knowledge of God—of His grace, mercy, and blessing—is that He is fully aware that you are completely, perfectly incapable of keeping His Commandments. So, He has given them chiefly to show you your sin and need for a Savior. So He has revealed by way of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans:

It is that Savior by whom you then have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.

For, at just the right time, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. (cf. Galatians 4:4-5) God Himself assumed flesh like yours and subjugation to His own law in order that He would perfectly keep it, as only God could, and also suffer His own wrath for every sin against it and yet live again, as only a Man who is God could. So, this Jesus kept His Law perfectly…for you. And, this Jesus suffered the full wrath of God…for you. And since the full wrath of God was suffered for you, then there is none left for you, unless you want to snatch it back from Him. On the other hand, the love to the thousand generations is shown to you for the sake of Christ. He perfectly loved the Father and kept the Law of God on your behalf, and you reap the benefits: forgiveness, life, and salvation.

As St. Paul put it in the letter to the Galatians, you receive the adoption of sons. You are all sons of God by way of your baptisms into the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Therefore, you are all heirs of God’s grace and mercy. For He made Jesus who knew no sins to be sin for you, that you might become the righteousness of God in Him. And if you are the righteousness of God—that is the perfect law-keeper in Christ—then that means that you are forgiven for all of your sins.

The season of Lent is coming to its conclusion, and as has been done throughout the season, you are being confronted with your own mortality and new life, whether you realize it or not: the temptation of Jesus, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the man born blind. This time, you see your mortality in the events of the little town of Bethany. The wages of sin is death, and Lazarus has received payment; he was lying in the tomb, his body rotting and decaying as the physical effect of sin took its toll—lying there four days, a bad odor had no doubt formed.

Yet, it is not only Lazarus’ life that flashes before your eyes. Jesus was nearing the end of His life on earth. As chapter 10 of St. John’s Gospel comes to a close, the Feast of Dedication had just taken place—Jesus was in Jerusalem for Hanukkah; it was December by today’s calendar. In about three months, Jesus would return to Jerusalem to be “delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.” (Matthew 20:18b-19a) He went to fulfill the will of His Father, Who desires all men to be saved (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4), and die as the once-for-all sin offering.

As I’ve been saying, in the death of Lazarus and the sacrifice of Jesus, you see your own mortality. Like Lazarus, you are sinners, and the wages of sin is death. One day, these bodies will return to the dust from which they were created. Following that, you are confronted with the gut-wrenching truth that the sin which will claim these mortal bodies is the same sin that condemned Jesus to death. Jesus bore the full wrath of God for you, in your place, on your behalf—however you may want to word it—so that you would not have to.

Still, there is hope, because Jesus is present. There is hope because of who Jesus is! And that was the case in Bethany, too.

After spending some time in the wilderness where John used to baptize, Jesus made His way to the little town of Bethany. He was met on the way by Lazarus’ sister, Martha, who heard that He was on His way. What she said is astounding: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” It’s sounds like a round-about or sugar-coated way of asking for a miracle—a resurrection. However, I would suggest that she was praying a portion of a petition of the Our Father? “Lord, you could have kept Lazarus alive, but your will be done!” Or, fast forward to the night in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” (Mark 14:36) “Lord, I wish you could have been here to keep Lazarus alive; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Here’s the hope since Jesus was present—these words of Jesus: “Your brother will rise again.” And Martha, who was once concerned that Mary was not helping her serve a meal (cf. Luke 10:40), understood what He was saying, though not completely: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Recall that Jesus had previously told His disciples, “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.” No, Lazarus will not only rise at the last day, but He would be raised back to life that day, to the glory of God the Father and God the Son.

In a few months, Jesus would return to Jerusalem to give His life as a ransom for many. Like Lazarus, He would be wrapped in linens and perfumed. Like Lazarus, He would be placed into a rock-hewn grave. Like Lazarus, He would be sealed in His grave by a large stone laid across the entrance. But as you well know and will no doubt be reminded of again in two weeks, Jesus did not remain dead and in the grave. Like Lazarus, the Son of God would be raised to life. The Son of God would be raised back to life and give hope to all who believe on His name!

So, what can be said of His glory? To quote Him: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” So, what Jesus asked Martha can be asked of you, as well. “Do you believe this?”

It’s time for some personal honesty. One can easily become discouraged, even to the point of despair, doubt, and unbelief; to the point of hopelessness. “Do you believe this?” The trials and events of the sinful life can lead you to the point when you say, “I’m not sure anymore,” or, frightfully, “No.”

One need look no further than right here, in the church., in this congregation There are many Sundays and especially Wednesdays here that the congregation could fit comfortably in a building half this size…or smaller. You can look at all the empty seats and wonder if there must have been a time when many more of them were filled—and some of you may remember when there were regularly fewer empty seats There had to have been a time when there was a need for as much room as this.

What's the reason? Well, I'd be lying to you and myself if I even assumed to have the answer, for there are almost certainly many reasons. But these could be but a few of them: older members die and there just aren't the number of youth that there used to be because they have moved away, left the church, or simply because families are smaller these days than just 50 years ago. It is certainly easier to stay home an extra day—sleep in two days a week—given the hectic work week many people have these days. There is unresolved conflict between a member and the pastor or a previous pastor or another member and the member refuses to come to worship as a result. Illness and infirmity can also have an effect. The list can, undoubtedly, go on an on.

Of course, the effects of this are easy to see. It becomes more and more difficult to fill council positions. Constitution and by-laws may need to be overlooked and amended with regard to term limits just to keep positions filled. Offering numbers decline as attendance declines. Sunday school classes are combined, or may have already been reduced to one or none. Ultimately, the congregation may have to close. And before anyone here succumbs to PLOM disease—poor little, ol’ me—I’m not singling out this congregation or trying to predict the path down which this congregation will be going; these are issues facing a great number of congregations, within and without the LCMS. Consequently, you should draw some consolation from that.

And it is certainly not only church matters that can cause one to become discouraged. Look at the political and moral climate of the country…of the world. Or there are personal setbacks such as the loss of a job, the loss of a family member or friend, or the loss of your health. With the loss of so much, it is easy to lose all hope, and once again, your own mortality becomes all the more apparent.

You live in a world torn apart by sin, and you struggle with that sin all the time. On your own, that struggle is un-winable.

But there is hope. Jesus lives; He may have been crucified, dead and buried, but on the third day He rose again from the dead, and He lives and reigns to all eternity! He is present here, right now, in this place. There may be more empty seats than filled today, but there are still two or more gathered in His name. His Word is faithfully proclaimed in its purity here, God help us. His Sacraments are administered in accordance with the Gospel here. Since all of that is true, and Jesus is truly present in these means of grace, then He is truly present here and now, and He’s present for you!

It is the by the grace of God that the Word of God was proclaimed to the dead man—“Lazarus, come out"—and he was raised to life. And it is by the grace of God that the Word is proclaimed to men dead in sin—“I forgive you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—and where there is this forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

By the grace of God, the Word of God was proclaimed to the dead man in the tomb—“Lazarus, come out”—and he was given life. By the same grace of God, the Word of God is proclaimed to the dead men in the font—“I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost”—and they are raised to newness of life.

By the grace of God, the Word of God called to His friend for whom He will die—“Lazarus, come out”—and he received the Life of the world. By the same grace of God, the Word of God calls to His friends for whom He died—“Take and eat…take and drink...”—and they receive the very Body and Blood of the life of the world.

Jesus is alive; He is risen, and He is among you! He is come to bring forgiveness of sins and life and salvation. He is come to bring hope to a hopelessly discouraged people. What is that hope? He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” In other words, “Yes, the wages of sin is death and you are mortal, but I come that you may live, for I have conquered death and given you the victory. Though you may die, yet shall you live by grace through faith.” He therefore asks, “Do you believe this?” By the grace of God, despite the worries and sorrows which can discourage, you can answer with Martha, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” He has come and is come to give you hope and peace, peace which the world cannot give, for He has forgiven you or all your sins!

Six days; so are counted the days, in the beginning, when God did His work of creating. And on the seventh day, He rested from all the work that He had done. (cf. Genesis 2:2) Notice that Moses never says that God stopped working; as the creator of the universe, He is also the One who maintains and sustains it. He, most simply put, took six days to create everything, and on the seventh, He stopped His creative work. All that ever was was created in those first six days. Everything that exists now had a kind that was created in those first six days, but on the seventh day, God rested from creating.

He hasn’t picked up the creative mantle since. Again, that doesn’t mean that God stopped working, but that He is no longer creating. Everything that exists had a kind that was created in those first six days, and in that creative work, God gave those kinds the means to change—to adapt and expand and contract, etc., not to evolve into something new, lest I be misunderstood. A cow is still a cow, but it’s possible that the cow that Adam first called cow looked different, if familiar, than the animal that is today called a cow—but they are both cows!

His creative work finished, God called it very good, and rested. He blessed the seventh day as a day to rest, a day to marvel at His work and rejoice over what He had done, more for you as His ultimate creation than for Him as your Creator. The Sabbath was created for you, not the other way around, that you may enjoy the rest of God and His work of caring for and sustaining you.

What began as a day of rest—and don’t be fooled, you are created to take a day off from your work once a week—is also now the Day of Rest, the day set apart to be given to by God for your Redemption.

Luther taught,

• Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
  We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

How is the Sabbath kept holy? By remembering that it is the day that God set apart to rest in His care and providence. How do you rest in His providence? By holding His Word sacred and gladly hearing and learning it. This happens wherever His word is proclaimed, as the Holy Spirit works by that Word to give you exactly what it says: forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

It bears mentioning that in so doing, you also make proper use of the name of God. This is not simply the case because these two commandments are being treated together tonight, but because much of what God does is tied up in His name and flows from that. Therefore, in highly prizing the preaching of God’s Word, holding it sacred, and gladly hearing and learning it, you also properly use the name of God.

Luther also taught,

• You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
  We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.

Cursing, swearing, lying, deceiving by God’s name, and especially using satanic arts are all contrary to the name of God. On the other hand, calling upon God’s name in every trouble, praying, praising, and giving Him thanks are exactly how He wants you to use His name, and are done as the Sabbath is remembered.

First, what is the name of God? There are many by which He is known, and I don’t mean this to say that there are many religions who all call upon the true God by different names, but that God has revealed Himself by different names and titles in His Word: God, Father, Elohim, YHWH, among some others, but these are the ones by which He is most often addressed.

YHWH, a name which can roughly be translated as I AM. It stems from the interaction between Moses and the burning bush, where God told him that he should tell His people that “I AM has sent me to you.” (cf. Exodus 3:14) It points to the fact that God is eternal, without beginning and end. As a result, it brings to mind the fact that God is the creator of everything that exists, because only He is eternal; therefore, He is the source of all things.

Elohim, a name which is translated as gods. It is the plural form of the word in Hebrew, and is used, in context, to refer to the One who is the true God. Majestic plural or a nod to His trinitarian nature—that He is one God in three Persons—they both indicate that God is no mere person, as one would think of an individual, but is He who is to be honored, respected, and worshiped alone.

Father, a name by which the Son revealed God to mankind. It is often used to refer to the First Person of the Trinity, but also reflects that God has children. First, there is the only-begotten Son, who took on flesh and became your Brother and Redeemer. Second, you are a child of God by way of baptism into the death and resurrection of the only-begotten Son. As your Father, God cares for you as a father should: He gives you what you need to support this body and life as fathers are to supply the needs of their children, but He also gives you what you need for the life to come, namely the only-begotten Son into whose death and resurrection you have been baptized.

God, a name which indicates that God is, well, a god (and there is only one who is true). A god is anything in which you put your trust. This is not merely like trusting a friend to be a friend from time to time; this is a trust in greater things—such as righteousness—from the one in whom there is trust. Some people trust in themselves, that they are righteous in and of themselves. Some trust in money as a means by which to acquire righteousness or a measure of one’s righteousness. Some trust in God as the only giver of righteousness for Jesus’ sake.

To call upon God by any of His names in every trouble, to praise Him, to pray to Him, and to give thanks to Him is right worship. It is to acknowledge Him as your Creator and Redeemer. It is to confess what God says of Himself in His Word.

There is another name by which God reveals Himself: Lord. To call God your Lord is to acknowledge that He is the one who rules over your life, not as some despotic ruler, but as a kind and caring lord who has sought to add you to His kingdom. He has gone out of His way to graft you to Himself, so He will also go out of His way to keep you to Himself. That is what it means to call God your Lord, and remember, no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except in the Holy Spirit. (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3)

So, it is by the Holy Spirit, and the faith that He has given you, that you say, “Jesus is Lord.” It is in the Holy Spirit that you cry out to God, and even in those times when you can’t find the words, it is the same Spirit who speaks on your behalf. And this Spirit brings you all that the Son, by His death and resurrection, won for you. For those times when you trust in yourself instead of God, the forgiveness of your sins. For those times when you misuse God’s name, the forgiveness of your sins. For those times when you would not rather rest in the care and grace and mercy of God, the forgiveness of your sins. For those times when you do not hold God’s Word sacred and gladly hear and learn it, the forgiveness of your sins.

Think about it, if you were blind, you wouldn’t be able to see to be distracted by anything, and if you had been born that way, you could never have seen and be distracted. At least, you would never be distracted by what can be seen, yet there would still be the other ways to be distracted. All the same, I wouldn’t want anyone to take for granted the gift of sight. Man was created with the ability to see, and even this was called very good; so far be it from anyone to denounce that which has been given by God, to call not good what He has called good.

But, that brings up another point. Yes, all that God created He called good, culminating, of course, with very good on the sixth and final day of creation. Since the fall, however, man gazes upon creation and has a hard time seeing or refuses to see the Creator behind it. The world gazes upon this wonder and says it happened by chance. Fossils found on the peaks of these Colorado mountains is proof for them that the mountains formerly were sea bed, pushed up slowly over many thousands of years by tectonic forces. Similarities between man and primates prove that there is a common ancestor from which both evolved. In fact, the worlds and stars were all formed by the amalgamation of materials that happened to be floating in proximity in space. The complex order in which everything moves and flows happened only by chance, according to the eyes blinded by sin. See what I mean about other ways to be distracted?

It is as was heard from Isaiah this morning: “He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear.” (Isaiah 42:20) Because of sin, one has eyes but cannot see and ears but cannot hear.

And that’s the point I was trying to make earlier. Do you think the lack of sight would be blinded by sin. Would it be at all different to have one fewer sense so affected by sin, other than the outright loss of it, of course?

It is, after all, Adam’s fall into sin that impares all, and in which everyone still participates. It turns that beautiful gift of sight into blindness. Oh, sure, physically you may be seeing, but you have, as it is, scales over your eyes that blind you to the fullness of the truth. It’s like you’re wearing spiritual shades through which you cannot see the full glory of God, as it was intended that one would see walking in the Garden in the very spiritual and physical presence of God.

Case in point, as Jesus and His disciples were leaving the temple, they passed by a man who was blind from birth. Seeing him, the disciples began to wonder: “Did he sin so greatly as to be born blind? Well, that doesn’t make sense. Maybe his parents sinned so greatly that he was doomed to blindness; though, that seems unfair.”

Isn’t that the way it always goes? It’s so easy to blame the wrongs that you suffer as being a result of the sins you committed or some imaginary level of sin. And it goes with this sinful sight in the opposite direction, too; after all, as it has been said, “The opposite of an error is an error in the opposite direction.” And so, many will say that you didn’t get the blessing you were hoping for, praying for, longing for because you didn’t believe hard enough or you didn’t pray well enough. It all comes back to these senses being negatively impacted by sin, in this case getting sin, suffering, faith, blessing, and prayer all wrong.

So, seeing this blind man and wondering among themselves, the disciples asked Jesus.

Oh, you poor, blind disciples. It’s not that he sinned or his parents sinned that he was born blind, but that the works of God should be displayed in him. This blind man became an object lesson. Though He doesn’t explain here the wrongs suffered by mankind, He does give a little glimpse into why. That is to say, it wasn’t that the blind man sinned or his parents sinned that he was born blind, but because of Adam’s sin by which he and all were born sinful. His blindness and all the wrongs suffered by mankind are not the result of any sins they committed but because of the sinfulness with which they are infected.

And so, the works of God were to be displayed in this blind man. What are the works of God? Well, recall that it was God who, in the beginning, created the cosmos out of nothing. Then, out of the dust of the earth, God created man and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. (cf. Genesis 1:1—2:7) God’s work is to create and recreate, or regenerate. So, God-in-the-flesh spits into the dust to form some mud, places it on the blind man’s eyes and recreates his sight—you could even say he creates sight for this man where there was none.

There is some amazing imagery going on here. You have Jesus’ saliva, and in that you should see water combined with the Word of God, and the regeneration that comes from Holy Baptism. It was propelled to the dust by his breath, and there you should see the Spirit of God at work in creation and recreation. And you have the dust, the very particles of creation from which man was formed. And these are being applied to the blind man. Here you have signs of creation and regeneration, and the blind man sees!

It all goes to the way that God works in this sin-filled world. Recall that I compared this sin-infection as wearing shades that prevents one from seeing the full glory of God. And it’s a good thing, too; at least, in one manner of speaking. It’s not only the senses that are negatively impacted by sin, but the whole being. If, in your sinfulness, you were to see the full glory of God, it would kill you. (cf. Exodus 33:20) So, God, in His infinite mercy, does not work in ways that reveal His glory in this sin-fallen world. His glory is hidden, but His work is true. So, given man’s condition, it is better to say that it is a good thing that God hides His glory in His work.

God’s work these days is done “under the opposite,” as the sainted Dr. Norman Nagel once said. Look no further than today’s text: in order to see, Jesus told the blind man, “Here’s mud in your eye.” And Scripture is replete with God working “under the opposite,” not the least of which is the way in which God is the Savior of the world. For He made His Son who knew no sin to be sin for you. He saves the world from Death by giving His Son over to death. He brings sinners into life through drowning in the waters of Holy Baptism.

Christ on the cross appears so inglorious, but that is the way God, in His mercy, completes His work. He hides His glory but completes His work, so that you may live and not die. As it is written, “‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live…’” (Ezekiel 33:11a) And, to say it another way, despite what you see on the cross, Christ’s death there, as inglorious as it appears, completed the work for the forgiveness of sins. For there, Christ took all sin upon Himself and died with it, destroying Death, and winning for all forgiveness and life!

“I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,” God said through Ezekiel, “but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” Then He sends His Son to take on human flesh, hiding His eternal, divine glory in that flesh from your sinful eyes, lives a completely sinless life without drawing any attention to Himself, takes all sin upon Himself and dies with it in order that you would be turned from your evil ways and live! “[He] by His death hath destroyed death,” the Easter Proper Preface states, “and by His rising to life again hath restored to us everlasting life.” I’ll get to that second part in a bit.

As it happened, the formerly-blind man was kicked out of the synagogue for confessing that Jesus was sent by God. Jesus, hearing of this, went to the man. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” the man asked. "You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you,” Jesus replied. “Lord, I believe,” the man exclaimed!

Up to that point, the formerly-blind man had not seen Jesus. Jesus put mud in his eyes and sent him to the pool to wash. When Jesus returned to talk to the man, that was the first time the man laid working eyes on Him. And so, when Jesus identified Himself to the man as the Son of God, His first words are, “You have seen Him.” You have seen Him! You who were once blind have seen the Son of God before!

The Word of God has a miraculous effect on people. It gives sight to the blind. Jesus is, after all, the Light of the world that opens eyes and gives sight. And so it was with this man who had never seen Jesus before, let alone seen anyone, that after His first encounter with the Word of God, had seen Jesus.

That’s you, dear Baptized, for you, too have had an encounter with the Word of God, and now you too have seen Jesus. For when you were brought to the waters of Holy Baptism, the scales that blinded you were removed from your eyes. There, in those waters, you were, as the opposite goes, drowned, and a new man came forth to walk before God in righteousness and purity forever. There, your eyes were opened and you were given sight, much as the Gentiles to whom St. Paul was sent, as he recounted his own eye-opening experience to King Agrippa: Jesus said to him, “ [I am ]delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:17-18, emphasis added) Physical sight or blindness…there is no difference, for when the Word of God is received, it creates sight to see the Son of God.

Now, you come into His presence wherever two or three are gathered in His name. You come into His presence whenever His Word is proclaimed. You come into His presence whenever you receive His body and blood. Yes, He is still hidden in these means. He does not reveal His full glory to you, for you are still saints struggling with sin, living in a world filled with sinfulness, where you are still tempted to doubt the truth by the blindness of sin. But, you see Him with eyes “de-blinded” by faith. You see Him, and you know He is there.

Yes, dear hearers, as it is taught, you are simul justus et peccatur, at the same time justified and sinner. Likewise, you are simul vides et caecus, at the same time seeing and blind. As much as you are sinner-saints, you are blind-seers. It’s the beautiful paradox of now-not yet.

So, as you will one day live in the fullness of your sainthood, there will come a time when you will see Him in the fullness of His glory. One day, the Christ will return in judgment, as He said in today’s text, wherein the sinfulness will forever be destroyed and God will set about His task of creation and recreation again, building a new heaven and a new earth. There, you, dear hearers, who have received faith, will be in the fullness of the glory of God. For, as it is written, “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever,” (Revelation 22:5) and, “[The] city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:23)

There will be restored to the faithful everlasting life. There will the curse of exile from Paradise be reversed. For as Adam once walked in the very spiritual and physical presence of God in the Garden, you, dear Baptized, will walk in the very spiritual and physical presence of God in Paradise, and it will have no end—everlasting Light and life, all for the sake of Jesus the Christ who is the Light and gives the light of life. Even the curse of physical blindness will be cured, as Job proclaimed, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” (Job 19:25-27a)

Jesus said in St. John’s 8th chapter, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12) You, dear hearers, by faith are followers of Jesus, like the formerly-blind man in today’s Gospel. Like him, you once were blind, but now you see. You have a place in the new heavens and new earth, prepared for you by the Light of the world; He is your light, your light of life, and you will be where He is and see Him with your own eyes, in the fullness and brightest of His glory, because you are forgiven for all of your sins.

This is the mid-way point in this treatment of the Ten Commandments, and as the treatment of the second table ends tonight, it is done as the first three commandments on that table are considered. What began with looking at covetousness, which leads to and encapsulates sins against all of the commandments, then moved to looking at the relatedness between lying and stealing, will now conclude as you hear of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Commandments.

Luther taught:

• You shall not murder.
  We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.

and

• You shall not commit adultery.
  We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.

On these two you might think that Luther’s teaching sounds similar to Jesus’ from the Sermon on the Mount.

Both taught that murder and adultery is much more than unjustly taking another’s life and sleeping with someone who is not your spouse, respectively. To keep these commandments is also not to be unjustly angry or insulting your neighbor, and even to defend him in his body—whether that is as little as a clump of cells beginning their division or as near the end as the person a breath away from dying, and everyone in between—and to be pure in thought, word, and dead with regard to sexuality, in such manner loving and lying with only your spouse.

Much like stealing, these two commandments are easy to understand, if only a little more complex.

So, I want to focus on the Fourth.

• Honor your father and your mother.
  We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

As much as the sin of covetousness is the gateway to all other sin and vices, so all other sins against the Commandments on the Second Table begin with a breach of the Fourth. How does that work? Because righteous living—that is, living as an honorable citizen and member of society—begins in the home. Father and mother instruct their children in the ways of proper attitude and behavior, and children, when they obey their parents and heed their instruction, honor their parents. That obedience and honor extend, therefore, to those who fill—even in some small part—the role of a parent, such as a teacher, police officer, governor, or other earthly authority.

As to loving and cherishing them, as Luther taught, that is to be done because these are the gifts that God has giving to every person. Everyone comes from a father and a mother. Everyone lives under some sort of authority, even kings have and do. As St. Paul wrote,

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:1-2)

All authority is derived from God; not only that of the government of a country, but also that of the government in the home. Father, mother, and all authorities are established by God; therefore, not to obey them—except in matters contrary to the Word of God—is to sin against God. “We must obey God, rather than men,” St. Peter declared (Acts 5:29), and God did give the Fourth Commandment by which He instructs you to obey those who are in positions of authority over you.

The Law contained on the Second Table finds repetition in the laws of man, especially in the codes and statutes under which all men are subject by way of a governing authority. God declares it a sin to take unjustly the life of another. Governments call it illegal to do the same. In many places, there are equivalents in the laws of nations to the Law of God. Sin carries with it the punishment of death, as such is the wages of sin. (cf. Romans 6:23) The breach of the codes and statutes of man carries with them anything from fines and levies to incarceration and death. Therefore, in honoring father and mother, and the instruction one receives in the home to obey those in authority, you find a curb against breaking the laws of man and falling under the due punishment for the same, and in so doing, a curb against breaking the Law of God as found on the Second Table.

In other words, perhaps the threat of punishment by civil authorities would be enough to hinder man from breaking the Law of God and risking eternal damnation. This would be especially true for those who do not know God in this life, if only keeping the Law were a means of earning salvation. Sadly, laws and threats of punishment are never enough to prevent crime. Despite laws and the Law of God, people still murder other people, still commit adultery, still lie and cheat, and still covet the things which belong to their neighbor. And more and more, as per the observation of many, the obedience and honor to father and mother seems to grow less and less with each passing generation.

So, if salvation were to be found in the keeping of the Law, no one would be saved—not even among those who would be counted among the elect. For, just as the Law of God may be easily explained in the simplest understanding, there are facets in each Commandment which make them more complex. Do not unjustly take the life of your neighbor, but be of service to him in defending him and helping him in every physical need. So, you may not have taken his life, but you might as well have by not helping him to preserve it in whatever physical need he has. And the list of charges goes on and on, with each Commandment.

Nevertheless, out of great grace and mercy, there was One who was perfectly obedient to His Father. For this One, the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, obeyed the Father’s will and gave His life as your ransom. Where you have transgressed the Law of God, He kept it perfectly, doing everything that was demanded of you and even submitting to the punishment you deserve for your sin. Furthermore, in honoring and obeying His Father, He was made subject even to the rules, laws, and statutes of men, under which He was tried, convicted, and crucified—He stood silently against the accusations of crimes and sins which you in your own flesh have committed and for which you should die.

But the Son of God, in His great grace and mercy, having assumed your flesh, took into that perfect flesh every sin and crime you have committed and suffered the punishment for the same, dying the death sentence for the crimes against man, and shedding His blood as the propitiation for the sins against the Law of God. He did it for you, and the sentence against you is fulfilled. Therefore, instead of death, you receive life for the sake of Christ.

This is your hope and trust: Christ, the life of all the living and the death of death, your foe, has conquered death and given you life. He has kept the promise made to the serpent in the garden, and his head is crushed. And since his head is crushed, he has no dominion over you. Let him accuse all he likes, you are covered in the propitiatory blood of Christ. By His sufferings, death, and merit, you eternal life inherit. Christ the crucified, risen, and ascended now sits on the throne of your renewed heart, and you are forgiven for all of your sins.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus had finished talking with Nicodemus—one must be born of water and the Spirit in order to see the kingdom. From there, He went into the land of Judea and baptized (though really, His disciples were doing the baptizing)—He made of sinners righteous co-heirs who will see with Him the kingdom. But His time in Judea was short, as it is written before today’s Gospel lesson starts that, “He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.” (John 4:3-4)

He needed to go through Samaria, not around like other Jews who traveled to Galilee, because there was someone else He needed to talk to. He needed to talk to a Samaritan woman—unheard of on two accounts: being Samaritan and being a woman. And she was not any Samaritan woman, but a woman who, it would seem, was looking for love in all the wrong places, having had five husbands (and most likely being divorced from them, otherwise, she would probably be referred to as a widow) and living with a sixth man who wasn’t her husband.

She was the outcast in the village of Sychar, definitely among the women, but probably among most of the men, too. So much so that she wouldn’t go to the well at the regular time, but would go at noon. She would rather have borne the load of carrying her empty jar to the well and the water home under the heat of the day rather than under the heat of the other women of the village.

On this particular day, however, she was in for a lesson. She arrived at the well and was surprised to see a Jewish man sitting there. He further shocked her by speaking to her: “Give me a drink.” “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked.

Dear woman, this is no ordinary Jewish man speaking to you. If only you knew who it was asking for a drink, you would have asked Him for a drink instead. His water is no ordinary water, much as He is no ordinary man, but it is water combined with the Word of God, much as He is the Word of God with a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. (cf. Athanasian Creed) Whoever drinks ordinary water will thirst again, Jesus explained, but whoever drinks of the water that Jesus gives will never thirst again. Furthermore, the water that Jesus gives becomes a fountain in the man that springs up into everlasting life. No, the water Jesus gives is no ordinary water, but living water.

Here is some theological math for you. Last week, you heard Jesus tell Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5) A little bit later in John’s Gospel, after feeding 5000 men, Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63) So, it should follow, then, that Spirit + water = living water. What Jesus had talked to Nicodemus about is the same thing He offered to the adulterous Samaritan woman. It is this living water that is necessary to enter the kingdom of God, this water combined with the Word of God.

Nicodemus and the adulterous Samaritan woman—in Jesus’ time, you probably couldn’t find two more opposite types. Nicodemus, you will recall, was a member of the Sanhedrin. He was a Pharisee with great responsibility and was, therefore, highly respected in his community. He bore the title “Teacher of Israel.” He was, as a result, most likely looked upon as a leader of the people, even among those not of his community…say, a Samaritan. The woman in today’s lesson, however, was every bit an outcast, within her community and without—a Samaritan, a woman, and an adulteress. Yet Jesus’ words are essentially the same to both of them.

As much as it should be clear from last week’s and today’s epistle that justification comes by grace through faith apart from works, it should be clear from the sequence of events in John 3 and 4 that living water is necessary for all in order to enter the kingdom. He said this to a reputable man, saw to the task of baptizing, and said as much again to a woman of ill repute. Reputation is not a qualifier—in fact, there are no qualifiers—for the need of living water. All have need, regardless of reputation, age, race, sex, or anything else. For, as St. Paul says, “[A]ll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” (Romans 3:23) All have sinned: man, woman, child, Asian, African, Caucasian, homeless guy, billionaire…everyone! And, as the wages of sin is death (cf. Romans 6:23), all deserve death; and, therefore, all have need of living water to see the Lamb in His kingdom which will have no end.

Why? This living water changes people. Sure, they remain what they are as regards age, race, and sex, and usually reputation, but they are changed from the walking dead to the living. This is what Jesus meant when He referred to the living water producing a spring up to eternal life in the man who receives it.

Now, it must be said, such a thing is never easy, especially for one who can hear and understand his faults. The Law must first always have its way. Jesus confronted the Samaritan woman with her sin—she was an adulteress. Yes, He even confronted Nicodemus with his—“Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?” (John 3:10) The Law of God must kill the old, hard heart to make room for the Gospel to bring forth a fountain that springs up to eternal life. And this, not just once, but daily, and every moment of your lives. As you have been taught, receiving this living water “indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” (Small Catechism, Baptism, Fourth)

That’s not to say that it is any less difficult for one who receives living water at a young age, an age at which one may be able to hear but not understand his faults. Recall that all have sinned, and this includes the young, and so they, too, need living water in order to come into God’s kingdom. They, too, need to hear the Law of God so that the old, hard heart in them can be killed to make room for the Gospel to bring forth a fountain that springs up to eternal life. And again, this, not just once, but daily, and every moment of their lives, because even for them, receiving living water “indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.”

The Law must be heard by both old and young because both old and young must be shown their sin and, by this, learn that they are completely incapable of saving themselves, a fact that is painfully obvious for the young…and dreadfully scorned by the old—for the young are often incapable of doing anything for themselves, and the old despise having their faults pointed out. However, once the sin is shown and acknowledged by grace, then is seen the need for a Savior, and the Gospel is given which shows, nay gives, the Savior, Jesus Christ.

This happened to Nicodemus. Whether He received the living water the night that He talked to Jesus is not said, but the fruit of having received it is shown in later chapters of St. John’s Gospel. First, when the council started putting Jesus on trial in His absence, Nicodemus spoke in Jesus’ defense. (John 7:44-53) Later, after Jesus had died, it was Nicodemus who helped Joseph of Arimathea spice and bury His body. (John 19:38-42)

This happened to the woman in Sychar. She, only having knowledge of the books of Moses, recognized that the Messiah was to come and tell them all things. I would imagine Jesus ever so gently telling her, “I who speak to you am He,” or as the Greek text says, “The one speaking to you, I am.” From there, she left her water jar, and this outcast woman sought out the men of the village to tell them of Messiah who had come. Many went to Him, and listened to Him, and received from Him living water, saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

“We know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” With knowledge of the Christ comes knowledge of the way in which He is the Savior of the world. With reception of living water comes reception of the gifts He bestows by the way in which He is the Savior of the world. For Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of the world in the way that He took upon Himself the adultery of the Samaritan woman, He took upon Himself the false or knowledge-less teaching of Nicodemus, in fact He took upon Himself every sin these two had committed and the sins of every person in Sychar, indeed every person in the world long dead, living, and yet to come—including every sin committed by the most and least reputable, the oldest and youngest, every male and female, everyone regardless of race, and so on. And He took them to a little mountain outside of Jerusalem called Skull and was sacrificed with them, nailed to a cross with them, destroying them.

And, as proof of His sacrifice, He was run through by a Roman spear, where at once there flowed from His side blood and water—blood, the demand for the forgiveness of sins, and water, the means by which sins are washed away. These are the signs the church has now, the Holy Mysteries left for you and me, the Sacraments, which give what the cross earned, including this living water—the life-filled waters of Holy Baptism, a gift needed by all to enter the kingdom.

For, as has been said, all who are justified by God by grace through faith are made alive by living water apart from works, regardless of reputation, age, sex, or race. These all may be different, but the Jesus is the same Savior to all; therefore, the faith is the same and the forgiveness the same. Reputation, age, sex, and race—these all, more-or-less, remain the same after conversion, but all who are converted are made alive who were once dead in their trespasses and sins, for those trespasses and sins have been taken away from them and remembered no more.

For those who are made alive by grace through faith, this is a joyous thing. It is a joy shared by Nicodemus who stood up for the Christ and spiced and buried His body. It is a joy shared by the Samaritan woman who proclaimed the salvation of God to the people of Sychar. A joy shared by the people of Sychar who heard the Word of Jesus and believed that He was the Christ, the Savior of the world. It is a joy shared by you, dear hearers, for by faith, you have received this living water and have been made alive, though you were dead—that is to say, you are forgiven for all of your sins.

Lie, cheat, and steal—the three seem to go together so well. In light of last week’s sermon, these are the methods often used to get something that belongs to someone else. You lie in order to damage another’s reputation in an attempt to convince yourself and others that they don’t deserve it. You cheat in order to sway possession of an object in your favor. You steal in order to obtain something that isn’t yours.

These are all the active methods you employ to do these things. And in so doing, you have broken two commandments, the Seventh and Eighth.

• You shall not steal.
  We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.

and

• You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
  We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

You are to be defending your neighbor and his reputation, never lie about him. You should be speaking well of him, not spreading gossip or speaking of him in a way that would bring further shame on him. You are to be helping your neighbor to keep and improve his possessions and income, helping him to defend and protect them from any who would want to steal them, and certainly not steal them yourself.

Therein, you’ve heard the passive methods in keeping these commandments, how you are to be in service to your neighbor. If you stand idly by while someone else robs your neighbor or slanders him, you have also broken these two commandments.

This what is meant by asking yourself, with regard to these two commandments, “What have I done and what have I left undone?” On a self-examination handout that I use in catechesis class is asked these questions:

• Have I schemed or tried to get another’s possessions?
• Have I misrepresented goods in selling or trading?
• Have I given regularly to my church? Do I rob God?
• Am I holding grudges?
• Is there anyone to whom I am not speaking?
• Have I listened to or spread gossip about someone?

These questions cover the gamut of doing and leaving undone. “Did I do this?” “Have I not done that?”

The Seventh Commandment is a relatively easy one to understand. If it doesn’t belong to you, don’t take it without permission—no way, no how. Do not outright take it. Don’t scheme to get it. Make as sure as you can that the rightful owner keeps it. If there is something relatively obscure to learn from the Seventh, it’s that God supports the private ownership of property—something belongs to your neighbor or something belongs to you.

On the other hand, there’s that pesky Eighth Commandment. Lutherans seems to have, generally speaking, a faulty understanding of the Eighth, and that translates into a horrible application and use of the Eighth. Someone says something to you with which you don’t agree or which causes you offense, and, true or not, you cite the Eighth Commandment as having been breached because, in your estimation, that something wasn’t explained in the kindest way.

Dear hearers, that’s not what this commandment means. To explain the truth in the kindest way is to give the benefit of the doubt or to make an effort to protect a person’s reputation, not to refrain from causing offense and certainly not to abstain from disagreement. The truth is the truth, and sometimes it is offensive. The Scriptures say that the Gospel is an offense, but that doesn’t make it any less the truth. As such is the case, there may be times when the truth is spoken and you cannot help but be offensive in speaking it. Fortunately, in the case of the Gospel, you do not need to defend that truth, but in speaking of your neighbor, you are commanded to protect his reputation.

So, what to do? Surely in one way or another, you can admit that you have been convicted by the reading of these Commandments. You may not outright stolen, but in thought and word, you are guilty of taking or keeping something that does not belong to you. You also may not have outright told a lie, besmirching someone’s reputation—or maybe you did—but there are certainly times that can come to mind when you did not tell the whole truth, when you didn’t speak as well of someone as you could have. What to do? Repent and believe the Gospel.

First of all, for you Jesus kept these commandments perfectly. He stole nothing and gave everything. He spoke well of all, even when speaking the harsh truth. And for you, He laid down His life and took it up again.

Now, He is at the right hand of majesty from which He gives you all good things—those things which are rightly His, but that He freely gives for your benefit. These are the things that, for Christ’s sake, you can lay claim to: forgiveness, life, and salvation. He also speaks well of you before His Father and yours: “Yes, that one has sinned, but that sin is atoned for, and that one is covered in my blood, they have a rightful claim to my righteousness.” There is no greater truth in love than the words uttered at the throne on your behalf.

There, Jesus reigns as your intercessor, pleading His life, death, resurrection, and ascension for you. The Law says, “Do this”—do not steal, do not bear false witness—and it is never done; therefore, you are a sinner. The Gospel says believe in this—Jesus Christ has redeemed you from the bondage to sin, cleansed and saved you by His blood—and everything is already done! Everything? Absolutely, your life and death is done in the life and death of Jesus Christ. This is what the Christ pleads: “I have died for that one;” therefore, you are forgiven for all of your sins.