The Church Season of Lent,
Judica,
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (March 25, 2012)
Gen. 22:1-14
Hebrews 9:11-15
John 8:42-59
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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen
The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 8th chapter of St. John, especially the following verses.John 8:42-59 (ESV)
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but He sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” 48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit
One week from today we approach the gates of Jerusalem once again to enter upon that Holy Week when our Lord Jesus suffered death and, as the writer to the Hebrews says, “tasted death for everyone.” It wasn’t for killing that He was killed. It wasn’t for theft or robbery, or adultery or insurrection. What was it that got Jesus killed? It was the claims He had been making about himself.
John tells us, Jesus really began to say some incredible things about himself. That’s also when the Jews began their plot to murder him, because they were suspicious of His claims and rejected His words. All of Jesus’ claims about himself can be boiled down to this: That He had come to give life to a world of dead sinners, and that He was the only one in the entire universe who could do it. Jesus said, “I am He,” and the Jews said, “Oh, no, you’re not.”
So what you see in our Gospel is a war of words. Jesus had been making these bold claims, “I am the true bread that came down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He spoke of His Father who had sent him into the world on a mission to redeem it from sin, and claimed that those who would not believe in him as the life-giver, sent from the Father, would die in their sins.
But the Jews wouldn’t believe, and Jesus asks them, “Why? Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?” In other words, if the Scriptures support my claims and the miracles support my claims, then, what? But, they weren’t interested in arguing about the facts with Jesus especially if He was going to quote scripture or discuss doctrine with them. “We don’t like what you say. Period. Don’t bother us with the facts, or with Scripture, or with doctrine. We condemn you and that’s that.” It’s the same thing you hear today.
So since they refused to give any valid reasons why they rejected Jesus’ claims, He tells them why they wouldn’t believe. “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” When a person hears the Word of Christ and responds, “No, I don’t believe that,” or “ Yes, But…” or “I don’t know what the Bible says, but…” they show that they have no part with Christ, and therefore, with God. You can’t pick and choose which claims of Jesus you’ll believe and which ones you’ll deny. To deny His words is to deny Him and the one who sent Him.
But the Jews won’t admit it. They fight back. “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” And Jesus goes on making His bold claims. He claims that His Father will judge everyone who fails to glorify His Son Jesus.
So, Jesus makes this bold claim: “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Now, what does it mean to “keep the word” of Jesus? To keep His Word is to accept as true and rely on the bold claims Jesus makes for Himself as the One sent from God to give life to the world. To keep His Word is to hold fast that promise of Jesus in the heart, so that when the devil comes and accuses, when the conscience condemns, when death itself approaches and terrifies, and admits, “I am a sinner, and I should surely die. But the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who promised me life, and nothing in heaven or on earth can make His promise fail.”
Such a person with such a faith in the Word of Jesus will never see death, will never taste death. That doesn’t mean your body won’t wear out and stop working and turn back into dust. It will, unless Christ returns first for the final judgment. But to see death, to taste death is to experience the horror of death, is to feel the wrath of God and the abandonment of God and the eternal punishment of God.
The bold claim of Jesus is that the one who keeps His Word will never, ever, ever taste death in that way, even when the body gives out. Of course, Jesus’ Jewish opponents couldn’t believe that Jesus would make this kind of bold claim, to have power over death.
But more than that Jesus tells them, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” And for them there was no longer any question. Jesus was claiming to be, not only the greatest prophet who ever lived, not only Abraham’s promised son, but Abraham’s God – the very same God who appeared to Abraham and spoke with Abraham, who had created the heavens and the earth, who wrestled with Jacob and renamed him Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave the Ten Commandments in the first place. Jesus was claiming to be the very eternal God – Yahweh – whom the Jews claimed to worship – one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Either Jesus’ bold claims were true and they should bow down before Him in reverence and fear – or Jesus’ claims were lies, for which Jesus would have to die.
We know where the Jews came down on that one, don’t we? They picked up stones to kill him right there, that very day, but it wasn’t time yet for Jesus to die..
The words of today’s Introit are the Messiah’s plea for God to step in and show His enemies that His bold claims were true: “Vindicate me! – Prove me right, O Lord! Defend my cause against an ungodly people; from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!” Most of Holy Week looks like a vindication of Jesus’ enemies. But, on Good Friday, it certainly looked like God was siding with them in rejecting Jesus’ bold claims. But you have to follow Holy Week all the way to the bitter end, and to the sweet beginning of the new week. In reality, God’s true vindication of the Messiah would come on Easter Sunday.
And there you see the wisdom of God and the grace of God. The very claims that got Jesus killed were vindicated by His death and then by His resurrection. He claimed to be God’s chosen servant to save Israel, and by His death on the cross He became the perfect high priest before God and the atoning sacrifice for Israel and for all. He claimed to be God, and by His resurrection was proved to be God. He claimed to be able to keep those who keep His Word from tasting death, and by tasting death for everyone and rising back to life, He saw to it that no one who keeps his Word will ever have to taste death or be stung by it ever again.
Trust in the bold claim of Jesus Christ, that He has come to give life to a world full of dead sinners, and that he is the only one in all the universe who can do it. Trust in his claim to be present with his life-giving body and blood in the Sacrament. Jesus said, “I am He,” and the Jews said, “No, you’re not.” The world still says, “No, he’s not.” But the Scriptures say, “Yes, he is!” Easter Sunday proclaims, “Yes, he is!” And by the power of the Gospel, you, too, confess, “Yes, he is!” Keep his Word, and keep it close as the world and Satan rage against you, even more brutally than they raged against Christ, with one argument after another for why the Word of Christ cannot possibly be true. Holy Week was Jesus’ vindication. It’s your vindication, too. In it, you will find that Jesus is every bit the God and Savior that He claims to be for you. Amen.
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