God's Word at Work

AN UNWELCOME PROPHET
Luke 4: 16-30

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this mornings meditation is the Gospel lesson appointed for this day, recorded in the Book of Luke, chapter 4 verses 16 through 30, particularly these words: ‘And Jesus said to them, ‘Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country.’” And he said, ‘Truly I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that they might throw him down headlong. This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. Let’s just SUPPOSE this morning. Let’s think of ourselves as living somewhere around the year 30 A.D. This is a small community where every one knows everybody else, And there is a great feeling of civic pride in our community and the people who live in it.

Now suppose that one of the children of our community grows up and becomes famous. When they return to our city — what do we ask them to do? Of course, we would ask them to do for us, that which has made them famous. If they are actors, we would ask them to star in a local play. If they were musicians, we would ask for a concert. If they were pastors, we would ask them to preach. We would want them to perform their specialty before the hometown crowd.

It was the same for Jesus back in the city of Nazareth. Jesus came home, he worshiped in his home church, and while there he read their minds, saying, “This is what you are thinking, “What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do also here in your own country.” The people had heard of Jesus miracles at Capernaum and now they wanted to see him work a few miracles, right here in Nazareth.

When Jesus said, “No prophet is acceptable in his own country,” What he was really saying was, “I just told you that the Scriptures I read were being fulfilled right here today, but unless I do some miracle for you, you are not going to believe that I am God’s promised messiah.” The people of Nazareth were a lot like many people today, “I’LL BELIEVE IN GOD IF HE WILL PROVE HIMSELF TO ME.” Certainly, Joseph and Mary’s son might be a good teacher and preacher all right – but certainly he is not the promised Messiah.

The atheist today says “I cannot accept God because a loving God would not allow war. OR A just God would not allow 10,000 children to be brutally beaten by their parents each year. OR a caring God would not let millions suffer starvation and malnutrition, after suffering through an earthquake in Haiti. Some people try to make God fit the standards they themselves set for him.

And sometimes, Christians act very much the same way. Can’t you just see the school child sitting down at his desk, ready to write the answers to a test, and he prays to God, “If you’ll help me pass this one — I’ll study for the next one.” How often are we like the people of Nazareth, asking God to prove himself, by working some miracle for us? How many times do we try to bargain with God — “we’ll do this for him — IF he will do that for us?

We need not test God. We can not bargain with God, because we have nothing of our own that He needs or that is not already his. God is God without having to prove himself to us. Jesus is the promised Messiah, without having to prove to the hometown just who he is.

The people from Nazareth were asking for a sign. But sometimes, in HIS almighty wisdom, God says NO to our requests. Sometimes God has ideas which are different from our own. It was true in Nazareth and it is true today. Jesus was in the midst of a devoted crowd of fine Jewish people. These were people who were proud of their religious background. They were God’s chosen People. They were special. And the rest of the world was barbarian or Gentile. They had pride in who they were and what they had done – pride in the wrong things.

But Jesus told them that God views people differently. It was a widow of Sidon, and not a Jewish Widow, where Elijah stayed during a 3 and a half year famine. And it was a Syrian and not a Jew who was healed of Leprosy by the prophet Elisha. God’s grace reached out to all people, not just a select few. Jesus work was not to impress the people of Nazareth with his magic tricks, but to fulfill what the prophet Isaiah had foretold, “he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

What about us? Are we looking for a God who meets our criteria? Are we looking for a God who will prove himself with signs and wonders? Jesus proclaims the good news of forgiveness to the poor in spirit who grieve over their sins. Jesus proclaims liberty to those who are held captive by a guilty conscience. Jesus, the light of the world, brings light into the lives of those blinded by sin. Jesus sets at liberty those who are oppressed because “by his stripes,” by his wounds, “we are healed.” And he proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor at the eternal banquet table of heaven.

Is Jesus what we need in a Savior? Or do we need signs and wonders so he proves himself to us? The people of Nazareth certainly didn’t like Jesus’ answer to them. It was clear that they wanted more than what they saw in Jesus. So they took Jesus out to a cliff and were ready to throw him over the edge. They rejected him completely! “A Prophet, a savior, is not accepted in his own Country”, Jesus said.

I’m afraid there are times when we are all guilty of about the same thing – there are times when we reject our Savior’s love for us and look for more: a miraculous healing, a special sign from heaven, a voice telling us what to do. Any of these would prove God’s guidance and God’s care for us in our special need. Remember Paul, three times he asked God to relieve his suffering from that thorn in the flesh. But God told him that the grace Paul had received from God was sufficient. What more could we ask for than forgiveness of sins? What more could we ask for than a stronger faith? What more could we ask for than eternal life in heaven as God’s chosen people? This we have in Jesus Christ our Lord. All of this, and many other gifts he gives, is purely by grace out of His love for us!

Jesus never promised his followers an easy life! Instead he told them, “If a man would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me.”

Jesus was an “unwelcome prophet” in Nazareth! Is Jesus an unwelcome Savior in your heart? I certainly hope not! Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem for you! Jesus Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate for you! Jesus Christ died on a cross for you! Jesus Christ arose from the dead, so that you too might rise to eternal life. He is your Lord. He is your Savior.

Receive Him and his forgiveness into your hearts by grace through faith. Feel the peace which he gives to his followers: a peace which the world cannot give. Rejoice in His promises of grace and every blessing. And Rejoice in doing His will in your life. May Jesus Christ be a welcome Savior in your heart, by grace through faith. To God be the Glory! Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

THE LORD’S BAPTISM
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text for this morning’s meditation is recorded in the Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 3, verses 15 through 22–particularly these words:  “When all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven:  ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”  This is our text.

In the name of our Blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. We have now entered the Epiphany season of the church year–and during this season, our Gospel readings are going to be taking a close look at the life and the work of Jesus Christ. Under the three-year lectionary series that we use, we have now left the childhood days of Jesus and are about to embark upon His life as he proclaims God’s message, as he heals the sick, and as he performs miracles that no one but God can do. We are going to see some of those events within his life that lead him right up to Palm Sunday, where he was proclaimed by the crowds as the promised Messiah, A king, the Son of David—and then only short days later, as he stood before Pilot and this time the crowds yelled, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!”

Today we are looking at the first step of Christ’s public ministry. Today we begin where His ministry began — at his baptism by John in the Jordan River.

As we survey this Baptismal scene, let’s look first of all at the people who came out to hear John preach. There was undoubtedly a crowd around John the day that Jesus came out to be baptized. Our text tells us, “The people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ.”

We are told that the people were in Expectation. They were looking for someone special to come. Rome controlled and ruled their country. The people paid heavy taxes to the city of Rome. The Roman soldiers, always present, were at times cruel and demanding. The people suffered under Roman rule.

And so the promises of God to send a King who would rule as David had ruled were once again burning bright in the hearts and minds of God’s people. They were in expectation, looking for this king to come — and come soon. A King to lead them in war against Rome! A King to gain their freedom! A King to establish peace in their land! A King like David!

So the people asked themselves, “Is John the promised one to come?” But John took no credit for himself. In fact, John made it very clear that he was not the promised one and that the people should indeed look for another. In our text for today, John says, “He who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” And at one point in his ministry, John points at Jesus Christ and says, “Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”

As Jesus ministry developed following his baptism the people came out to hear what he had to say, and to learn from him, and to receive the message of God’s love and grace which he proclaimed. They saw him heal the sick, and raise the dead, and preach with authority like no one else could.

And yet Jesus was not quite what they were waiting for. He wasn’t the great military leader they wanted. He wasn’t the great political leader they wanted. Instead, he was just what John had said he was, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

The text in Luke concerning the baptism of Jesus doesn’t tell us a lot about John and how he felt about baptizing Jesus. But the account in Matthew tells us more. Matthew told us, “Then Jesus came to John to be baptized. John hesitated saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, but you come to me?’  But Jesus answered, ‘Let it be so, it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented.

At first John wasn’t too sure about baptizing Jesus. He recognized Jesus as the Christ. He knew that Jesus was the promised Messiah of God. And knowing this, he felt that Jesus should be baptizing him instead.

John did not fully understand what Jesus had come to earth to do. John was just a little bit like the other people — looking for something a little more than what Jesus appeared to be. Maybe that is why later, when he is in prison, John sends two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him, “Are you the one, or do we look for another.”

John may not have understood why Jesus needed to be baptized by him, but he did as Jesus asked, “To fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus explained the why in the Sermon on the Mount, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them.”

John did know that the work of the Promised Messiah would be very important to all people. He knew that that work dealt with all people and their relationship with God. That is why he says in our text, “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

And indeed Christ did become the dividing point between the righteous children of God and the unrighteous. Christ became the center point and all things revolved around him. “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be condemned.” “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but by me.” “Jesus Christ is the only name given among men whereby we can be saved.”

Christ is the dividing post between the “wheat” and the “chaff”. He is the one in whom we, by the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, place our faith, our trust, our hope, our confidence — for there is no other!!

And there was a witness to this fact on the day of Jesus Baptism. For just as Christ was coming from the Water, our text records, “The heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”

God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit giving witness to God the Son. Here we see clearly the mystery of the Triune God, three separate persons, but only One God. Here we see clearly that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Promised Messiah, because God the Father, out of heaven, proclaims him to be, “MY BELOVED SON”

There can be no doubt. Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of all God’s promises to his people. Jesus Christ was that Messiah for whom the people were waiting. Jesus Christ was that Messiah for whom John the Baptist was preparing the way. And now at his baptism, he continues the task for which he was born — His task of fulfilling all righteousness, righteousness that you and I could not fulfill. At this His baptism, he is your substitute and mine. From his conception until he ascends into heaven, everything he does will be done in our stead, in our place, and for our good. He will fulfill God’s Law perfectly for us. He will be falsely accused for us. He will die for us. He will arise from the dead for us. And to this task, the Father gives his blessings saying–“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

This is your Lord. This is your Savior. Trust in Him for your salvation—and Serve Him with all your heart, mind, and soul. To God be the Glory now and always. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

What Child Is This?
Luke 2: 40-52

Grace. Mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this mornings meditation is the Gospel lesson appointed for today, Luke, chapter 2, verses 40 through 52, particularly these words:  “After three days, they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Chris, dear Christian Friends. We know very little about the early life of Jesus Christ. We know about his trip down to Egypt to avoid being killed by Herod. We know that Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth after the danger to the child was over. And from today’s text we know that Joseph and Mary were very faithful in their worship of the true God. We know that they followed the laws and the customs of the Jews, because every year, they made the required pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After this instance at the age of 12, we next see Jesus at the age of 30, being baptized by John in the Jordan River. Today’s text is an important passage of Scripture in understanding just who this child is, the Child of Bethlehem, the child of whose birth the Angels sang, this child the wise men sought and worshiped, this child Herod wanted to kill, this child who is God’s son and promised seed of David, by whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

So — who is he? What might it have been like to be a God-boy? What does a God-boy do with the power He has as He plays and associates with his peers? There was a lot of questions like that in the early church. One very imaginative author wrote a book and attempted to fill in these hidden years of Jesus’ early life. His work, known as the Gospel of Thomas (not the apocryphal book of the same name), told of divine powers Jesus used in his childhood: such as, Jesus molds 12 little mud sparrows, and when he is scolded for working on the Sabbath, he claps his hands and they fly away; He causes a child who has run against him to drop dead; he leaps down from the roof of a house and restores life to another child who has fallen off; he reaps a hundred measures of wheat from one kernel which he has sown; He stretches out to its proper length a bed which Joseph had clumsily made too short. All of these stories show an arrogant little wonder boy, little “super-Jesus” if you will, who has a high opinion of himself, uses miraculous powers against all who oppose him, and has the power to escape the consequences of his deeds. This book is an insult to the person of Jesus and His purpose in the world. This is NOT who Jesus was!

So who is this child? At the age of 12, he sits in the temple with the religious teachers of his day and he astounds them with his questions and with his answers. It is one of those mysteries of the Incarnation and of the Holy Trinity. After all, Jesus is God — and God is omniscience — God knows all things. But our text today ends by telling us that Jesus “grew in wisdom.” God who knows all things, grows in wisdom? It is one of those questions which has no answer — But Jesus, as true man, experienced the maturing and growing process like any human being — while at the same time being Omnipotent, Omniscient God. But still, at age of 12, he showed more wisdom and understanding than other children his age, because the teachers of the law marveled at his questions and his answers.

But Mary and Joseph are frantic. They have been looking for Jesus all over Jerusalem. When they finally find him, I’m sure there is a certain relief that he is O.K., but also a certain amount of frustration. Mary’s frustration shows in her question to Jesus, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

Jesus’ answer to his mother tells us who he is. Jesus makes quite a distinction and contrast between “My Father’s house” and Mary’s “your father”, pointing to Joseph. “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” If we translate Jesus’ words exactly, his statement is; “I must be in the things of My Father.” Or that may mean, as some translations state, “About My Father’s business.” But whatever the precise meaning, what is important is that Jesus, in his first recorded words in Scripture, refers to God as his father. Not Joseph — but God! This is not the first, nor the last reference to Jesus as God’s son. Remember the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, “Your son will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.” And at Jesus’ Baptism, the voice from heaven announced, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus consistently referred to God as his Father as in this statement made to His disciple; “I came from the Father and have come into the world.”
Jesus is God’s Son. Therefore he must be about his father’s business — and what business is that? It was more than learning and discussing the Scriptures in the temple in Jerusalem. Luke tells us in our text that Jesus went home with his parents, was obedient to them and that he “increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man. And then Luke continues through his whole book to tell the whole story of Jesus life and ministry. He tells us the whole story — all the way to his death on a cross on Calvary just outside the city of Jerusalem. He dares to do it because he knew that the outcome of Jesus’ activity among men was not defeat but victory. Resurrection triumphed over death and that tremendous fact gave meaning to everything. The business of the Father embraced all the things that went into the redemption of the world.

And of these things Jesus says: “I must be about them.” All through the ministry of Jesus there runs this idea of necessity, this “must,” and on occasion he expresses this compulsion, as when he healed the blind man he said: “We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. The greatest necessity from his father that Jesus assumed was the particular giving of himself on the cross, as when he told his closest disciples; “The Son of Man MUST suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

The whole purpose of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection — the Father’s business that he MUST be about — is our redemption. He has to live the perfect life which we could not live. He has to die an innocent death — a death that we deserved because we were not innocent. He has to rise again on the third day — to be the first fruits of all those, who would also rise to eternal life. The Father’s business, is redeeming you and me from sin, death and the devil; so that we might be children of God. Even at the age of 12, Jesus knows his true Father in Heaven. Even at the age of 12, Jesus is already beginning the road that leads to the cross and the empty tomb. Even at the age of 12, this young boy Jesus, is God’s son –Your savior and mine — saving us from sin, death, and the devil. May we, as God’s children, redeemed by our Savior Jesus Christ, praise our God and give glory to his holy name. In the name of Jesus! Amen.

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