God's Lamb For You (John 1:29-41)

Text: John 1:29-41

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of the most confusing parts of the Bible are the Old Testament stories of the sacrifices that were made by the Hebrew people.  Yes, the Old Testament stories of sacrificing lambs, bulls, and so forth have often caused modern readers to scratch their head and frankly obtain a squeamish stomach.  As a result, these sacrifices and the stories that surround the sacrifices, can at times, be diminished as things that are irrelevant for a sophisticated twenty-first-century.  Indeed, these sacrificial stories are often diminished because of their so-called irrelevance and they are often suppressed because they are deemed as detrimental to evangelism; what would a person who is considering Christianity for the first time think about this subject?  With all that said, let us not be too quick to dismiss these Old Testament sacrifices and catalog them underneath the title of ‘irrelevant,’ for they are not irrelevant, but extremely important for us to understand in regard to our salvation; salvation, may I remind you, that was bought for us at the price of blood, blood of a Lamb.  Therefore, let us take a moment to consider several of the sacrifices in the Old Testament! 

Probably one of the most unsettling stories in the Old Testament is the story of Abraham being called to sacrifice his son Isaac.  Abraham’s faith was tested in such a way that we can barely comprehend.  God said, “take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”  However, as is told in this story, right before Abraham was going to bring his knife down upon his son, the angel of the Lord called out to Abraham to stop and then provided a ram, a male sheep, to take the place of Isaac as the burnt offering.  Yes, God provided the sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac.

We are further impacted by the story of sacrifices when we consider the story of the plagues that came against the nation of Egypt in the book of Exodus.  If you can recall, the Hebrew people were in slavery in Egypt and through Moses, God was bringing down plague after plague upon Egypt.  These plagues were directed at the Egyptian gods in order to mock these weak and imposturous gods, as well as implemented to ‘break’ the Egyptians and allow freedom to the Hebrew people.  More specifically, during the last plague, the Lord promised that death would strike all firstborns in the land; He would come to destroy by bringing forth death.  However, the Lord also granted a solution, an antidote if you will.  He called the people to choose a Lamb without blemish, kill it, and then place the blood of the lamb over the door posts.  Thus, the shed blood of an innocent lamb without blemish would be a sign to the Lord and death would pass over the household, as they ate a meal together.  Yes, the blood would prevent death from striking.

Probably the most interesting of all the sacrificial stories in the Old Testament has to be the sacrificial system laid forth in the book of Leviticus.  In Leviticus, the people are instructed to take lambs and bulls, lay their hands upon these animals, confess their sins upon the animal, and then kill the animals in their place.  Consequently, the blood of the animals was then placed on what is called the mercy seat.  The mercy seat was placed on the top of the arc of the covenant.  Inside the arc of the covenant were the Ten Commandments.  Above the Mercy Seat God would meet the people.  Therefore, the blood of an innocent animal was placed over the Ten Commandments and beneath God; the blood made payment on behalf of the people who broke the Ten Commandments and a Holy and Just God. 

Now, you may be wondering why this is important for us to consider and why it is extremely relevant to each and every one of you.  It is extremely important for us to consider because of what John the Baptist says about Jesus in our Gospel reading from today.  In our Gospel reading, John says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  Did you hear that?  Jesus is the Lamb of God.  He is God’s Lamb!    Considering the whole context of the Old Testament sacrifices that we just covered, there is no doubt that John sees Jesus as the culmination of this whole sacrificial system.  Yes, the whole sacrificial system is a shadow of Jesus.  The Old Testament lambs, the sacrifices, the shed blood, and so forth are echoes or waves in the Old Testament of Jesus who broke into time and history in the first-century. Seeing what we know from the Old Testament it is no wonder why John says to his two disciples to behold.

The word ‘behold’ that John uses is in the imperative mood.  In other words, John is saying with a great deal of force for his disciples to “LOOK!”  Yes, look, it is the Lamb of God.  They are to perceive, see, comprehend, and know that Jesus is the Lamb of God.  John is saying, “look here; I want to show you something!” 

As we read this passage we too are captured by this imperative, especially during this Epiphany season!  BEHOLD Jesus is the Lamb of God.

At this time, do you get it?  Do you see it?  Behold, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!  Yes, as God provided a male lamb to take the spot of Isaac on Mt. Moriah, God also provides a Lamb for you, a Lamb to be sacrificed in your place on Mt. Calvary!  Look here! Just as the blood of the Lamb covered the door posts in Egypt so that death would pass over the Hebrews, the blood of Christ was shed for you and covers your lips and mouths as you partake not of the Passover but of the Lord’s Supper. This is so that death passes over you.  Yes, eternal death has no power over you, for you have received the body and blood of the Lamb that was shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Behold!  Just as sins were confessed upon the animals in Leviticus and as these animals were slaughtered in the place of the people of Israel, Christ bore your sin as His own, was slaughtered in your place, and His blood makes payment for you.  Yes, His blood stands between your violation of the 10 Commandments and a Holy God as a sufficient payment. 

My friends, contemplating that Jesus is the Lamb of God is not just a theoretical exercise.  In other words, all this talk of sacrifices is not for the sake of a history lesson. Rather, we must keep in mind that Christ’s sacrifice is something that happened in a real place, in real time, and for real people… people like you.  Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Yes, Jesus was sacrificed for you, to take away your sins.  This is huge! 

The objective reality of Jesus is that He gathered the stench of sin into one disgusting mass of evil.  This includes “all the wars and murders and rapes and thefts.  It includes all the sinful thoughts, words, and deeds that anyone at any time has ever had.  It includes the sinful nature that we were born with.  It includes all our gossip, complaints, grumbling and worry.  It includes every lie we have ever told to our parents, our teachers, our spouses, our children, our pastors, ourselves, yes, even the lies we have told to God.  It includes the thoughts we had as our eyes lingered a little too long on that member of the opposite sex.  It includes everything putrid and vile that you, I, or anyone else has ever thought, done, or said that flew in the face of God’s holy law and earns us eternal damnation. ”[1]  Yes, Jesus gathered this disgusting mass of evil; He gathered it together so that He could take it away from you.  He took it away from you so that He could take it upon Himself.  Yes, He lifted it off of our records; took it away from us to the Cross.  At the Cross, God’s Lamb was sacrificed, not you.  There at the Cross, Jesus provided Himself as a sacrifice for you.  There at the Cross, Jesus consumed your sin, drank your cup of suffering, and bled to cleanse you.  There at the Cross, the one act of Jesus removed for all time the damning power of your sin.  At the Cross this happened because Jesus is God’s Lamb, a Lamb given and sacrificed for you.

Behold, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  He is your Lamb.

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

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[1] James T. Batchelor, Second Sunday after the Epiphany Sermon (www.pericope.com, Accessed January 18, 2014)

Jesus Stands With Sinners (Matthew 3:13-17)

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today we shift from the Christmas Season, where we found Jesus in a manger and as a child in a house in Bethlehem, to Jesus at the age of about 30 years old.  Yes, we take a big jump in time from the Christmas story to the baptism of Jesus; some 30 years have passed.

As we think back to our Gospel reading from today, we heard that Jesus traveled out to John the Baptist where hundreds of baptisms were taking place in the Jordan River.  If you can recall, John the Baptist was sent out into the desert away from the synagogues and away from the temple where the religious system of Jerusalem had been corrupted by a man-centered theology.  He was called out to the wilderness to carry out his ministry of preparing people for the Messiah.  John the Baptist was out by the Jordan River calling people to repent of their sins and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.  Thus, hundreds of people were gathered around the Jordan River; people of everyday life, as well as many religious leaders.

But why did Jesus come out to the Jordan River?  The answer is that this is the place where Jesus’ ministry, as we know it in the scriptures, begins.  After 30 years of silence, the baptism of Jesus serves as the starting point of His ministry.  Many people have pointed to this event of Jesus’ baptism as His inauguration, ordination, or installation, if you will.  The baptism of Jesus marks the start of Jesus’ public ministry, a ministry that would last for about 3-4 years and conclude with Jesus dying on the cross.  This is a place where God’s redemptive plan was really set into motion; it was the starting point of Jesus’ victorious campaign over sin, death, and the devil.

But why is the baptism of Jesus important for us to consider today in 2014?  What is the significance of it for the here and now?  Sure, it is the starting point of Jesus’ ministry.  But is that all it is?  No, there is so much more for us to consider in the Gospel reading.

My friends take a moment and ponder this.  Who was being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River?  What was John calling the people to be baptized for?  Was his baptism for those who considered themselves morally good and only considered themselves as needing a bit of improvement here and there? Was his baptism for those who made mistakes and had sorrow over their job performance? Was his baptism for those who lamented over bad investment decisions, poor parenting skills, and a lacking marriage? No, John was not calling people who had worldly sorrow to be baptized but he was calling forth for Godly sorrow.  Keep in mind that John the Baptist’s message was not a message of repentance for people to succeed in avoiding sin and then do righteous things, though this is very good.  Rather, his message of repentance was deeper, it was a delivery of the Word to bring about confession of sin; confession that the people had sinned, that they continued to sin, and that they cannot stop sinning, and that they actually like to sin because of their sinful nature.  To be sorrowful about one’s sinful longings and the inability to fix the problem of sin by one’s own strength is at the core of John’s message of repentance.  Therefore, the baptism of John was for those who lamented over their sin in light of a Holy God and an approaching kingdom.  It was a baptism for those who confessed and knew that they were poor miserable sinners by nature; sinners who sinned against God in thought, word, and deed.  John the Baptist’s baptism was for sinners only.  Self-righteous and pompous people were not allowed; those who did not consider themselves to be sinners were not admitted.

Now, with that said, we see that Jesus arrives on the scene and He approaches John the Baptist and seeks to be baptized by John. Is this not crazy?  It seems crazy and certainly is unexpected; however, as backwards as it might seem to us it is extremely significant for us to consider.  Just what is Jesus going to enter into when He asks to be baptized by John?  When He was baptized, what did he enter into?  Jesus entered into the waters of the Jordan, water that was polluted by Israel’s sin.  This is shocking!  Jesus, who is the sinless Lamb of God, submits Himself to the baptism that sinful Israel was undergoing.  Jesus, who is the Mighty Savior and the one who will execute justice on the last day, steps into the Jordan River, a river and water contaminated by the idolatry, profanity, rebellion, murder, hate, adultery, lust, theft, dishonesty, lying, betrayal, and  coveting of Israel.  It makes perfect sense why John did not want to baptize Jesus.  If you were in John’s shoes, wouldn’t have you felt the same hesitancy?  In our Gospel reading, John the Baptist tries to change the mind of Jesus by saying, “Whoa… I need to be baptized by you!”  In other words John is saying, “Why on earth do you Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, need to be baptized by me, a sinner and especially in a baptism of repentance of sin?  What sin do you have to be sorry for Jesus?  Jesus, it is not you who should be baptized by me, John the Baptist, but you, Jesus, should baptize me!”

Baptized saints, the baptism of Jesus not only marks the beginning of His ministry, but it shows us perfectly how Jesus will save people from their sins; how He saves you and me.  The baptism of Jesus shoes how the kingdom of heaven and God’s plan of salvation works.  The baptism of Jesus shows us that Christ enacts God’s saving plan for mankind when He Himself literally stands with sinners.  Yes, by receiving from John the Baptist this baptism that sinners receive, Jesus is not only standing with sinners but He begins His ministry where He takes the place of sinners.  This is absolutely awesome, for this is a bold picture of God’s love for you and me as sinners.  Indeed, Jesus steps into the pollution of sin, stands with us, receives a baptism that sinners receive, and then ultimately heads towards His trial, condemnation, and crucifixion; all of which He does for you and me.  Indeed, Jesus gives His life as a ransom for many, for you.  It is fitting for Christ to be baptized in the Jordan, for His whole ministry is one where He identifies and dies for sinners.[1]

Martin Luther, in a letter to Friar George in 1516, comments on the idea of Christ standing and identifying with sinners.  He says,

Therefore, my dear Friar, learn Christ and him crucified.  Learn to praise him and, despairing of yourself, say, "Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, just as I am your sin.  You have taken upon yourself what is mine and have given to me what is yours.  You have taken upon yourself what you were not and have given to me what I was not."  Beware of aspiring to such purity that you will not wish to be looked upon as a sinner, or to be one.  For Christ dwells only in sinners.  On this account he [Christ] descended from heaven, where he dwelt among the righteous, to dwell among sinners.  Meditate on this love of his and you will see his sweet consolation . . . you will learn from him that just as he has received you, so he has made your sins his own and has made his righteousness yours...

My friends, Christ identifies with us; He identifies with you.  For your sake, God made Him who had no sin to be sin for you, so that in Him you might become the righteousness of God. (1 Corinthians 5:21)  You are not only forgiven in Christ, but you are counted as perfectly righteous for you are washed not in polluted waters, but the water of God;  water that bears the name Father, Son, Holy Spirit; water that washed you, marks you, and names you as one of the Father’s own.  You are God’s Own Child, for you have been baptized into Christ.

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

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[1] Jeffery Gibbs, Concordia Commentary: Matthew 1:1-11:1 (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 181.

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Christ, Revealed To You For Your Salvation (Matthew 2:1-12)

Text:  Matthew 2:1-12

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

In our Gospel reading from today it said that the wise men followed the star in the sky until it stopped.  When they saw the star in the sky stop above a house, they rejoiced. 

Now, before we go any further, we must go down a brief rabbit trail in order to make sure that we are all on the same page.  For those of you who have seen manger scenes set up in front of churches or even in pictures, you will often see the wise men inside the manger with baby Jesus. I don’t mean to be overly nit-picky, but this is not correct.  The wise men never came to the manger to see Jesus.  Now please don’t worry, your salvation is certainly not in jeopardy if you have placed wise men in a nativity set as I have in the past.  However, maybe simply take the wise men out of the manger and place them in another room for they were still journeying towards the manger when Jesus was born.  It wasn’t until several months after Jesus was born that the wise men arrived in Bethlehem to see Jesus who resided in a ‘home’ with Mary and Joseph. 

We now travel back to our Gospel text.

Our Gospel reading also told us that when the wise men came into the house of Mary and Joseph that they knelt down and worshiped. 

Finally, our Gospel reading from today told us that the wise men offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

The reason why I mention the actions of the wise men is that I want us to take note of the range of their emotions and the intensity of their emotions.  When the star stopped and they came to the end of their journey from the east, it says that they were ‘overwhelmed’ with joy.  In other words, their response was not a subtle happy feeling, but it was an uncontrollable excitement.  They most likely were jumping up and down with an aggressive display of joy.  When they came into the house they literally fell down to ground in reverential worship.  Finally, it says that they offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

Yes, it is rather remarkable to see the actions of the wise men: jumping; falling; worshiping; exuding joy; gratitude; and so forth.  But what produced these reactions?  Why the overwhelming joy, the reverential worship, and the offering of gifts?  It was because they encountered something; actually, not something, but someone. 

Today, we celebrate Epiphany Sunday.  The word ‘epiphany’ means ‘manifestation’ or ‘revelation.’  It is a word that communicates a sudden appearance or a showing forth. It is a word that communicates that something has been presented.

So, since today is Epiphany Sunday, what has been presented and revealed?  What has been shown; what has appeared?  Our Gospel reading for today answers this by telling us that Jesus appeared to the wise men some two thousand years ago; wise men who were gentiles after all.

Now, it would be easy to preach this text to you from the perspective of the wise men’s actions and emotions.  It would be easy for me as a pastor to focus you on the joy, worship, and the gifts of the wise men and say, “Are you joyful today?  Are you worshiping Jesus like the wise men?  Are you giving your gifts to the king?”  The responses of the wise men are indeed very remarkable and indeed very good.  However, for us to focus solely on their responses is to miss the central epiphany of our text, that is, what is causing their responses?

My friends the word joy not only describes the reaction of the wise men but it is also the same word that the Apostle Paul used in Galatians chapter 5 when he talks about the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Thus, joy is a response or a fruit of the spirit.  Let me explain, if you find yourself lacking joy or you run into someone and they are joyless, the worst thing you can do is say something like this, “Be full of joy.”  The reason being, Joy is not something that we conjure up within ourselves.  Rather, joy is a response, a fruit, a gift; it is something that happens as a person encounters, sees, and hears the good news of Christ.  Beloved Saints, you don’t need to be told to be happy, but you need to hear, see, and receive the Gospel.  You need to see the Cross, for at the cross, your sins, your despair, your hopelessness have been crucified.  You need to see and hear the words, “By the blood of Christ your sins have been atoned for and you are cleansed by the blood of the lamb.”  Yes, the wise men’s joy came after they saw the house where Jesus was.  Our joy comes about after we hear and see Christ.   Furthermore, your joy does not validate the Gospel in anyway; it is a response that comes forth from the message that Jesus is for you; that Jesus died for you, that Jesus lived for you, that Jesus rose for you, and that Jesus is coming back for you.  Joy is an assurance that your soul has been made right with God through Christ.  Joy knows that the circumstances of life may not improve, but in the midst of your circumstance that you have the certainty that Christ has been revealed to you and for you in the Word and Sacraments.

The wise men also worshiped the Christchild too.  They dropped and bowed in worship towards Jesus.  Worship my friends for us as Christians is always done in a response to seeing, hearing, and receiving the Gospel.  Pagan worship is always the opposite.  Pagan worship teaches us that one must worship a god in order to receive blessings or to see some sort of epiphany.  The wise men saw Jesus, then they worshiped.  The same is true for you and I right here and right now. 

Yes, Christian worship is always done in the context of being given to first.  Christ was revealed to the wise men some 2,000 years ago, and today—and every Sunday—the Gospel is revealed and delivered to you from the Bible and the body and blood of Christ.  Thus, your worship of God does not initiate God to work in your lives.  God does not need your effort in worship.  Rather God does the effort in coming to you and me.  We don’t worship in order to receive the Gospel and God’s gifts.  We don’t worship in order to get God to reveal Himself to us.  No, we worship because Christ became flesh.  We worship because we have been given to.  We worship as we pray, as we sing, and so forth because of the Son of God who came for us!

It is exactly the same thing when it comes to the wise men giving gifts.  The gifts of the wise men were not an admission price to get a glimpse of the King of Kings; the Christchild.  The gifts were not an appeasement offering in order to obtain a sneak peak of Jesus.  No, they saw the Savior; they were led to the Savior, and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were a response to the epiphany of Jesus. 

Even though our Gospel reading today seems to focus a lot on the wise men and their actions, the real focus on this text is the Christchild and the fact that the Christchild was not hidden, but revealed to the wise men; revealed to gentiles.  Indeed, Jesus was revealed as a savior to all the nations. The visit of the shepherds to Jesus was the first revelation of Christ to the Jews.  The visit of the wise men was the first revelation of Christ to the gentiles.  Indeed, you and I have a Savior that was revealed to all nations, and continues to be revealed with you here in this church through the blessed Word and Sacraments.

Christ is for you my friends.  He has been revealed to you for your salvation and the salvation of the world.

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