Trinity 5
Dear friends in Christ. Today’s Gospel reading is a glorious text in which we hear Jesus telling Peter and the others: From now on you will catch men [literally: become a fisher of men]. What a beautiful object lesson: although they had worked all night under the proper conditions, these fishermen—Peter, James and John—caught nothing. But when Jesus tells them to go out again to the deep part of the lake and to let down their nets He gives them a promise: for a catch [of fish]. And of course, Jesus is faithful to His promise and they catch so many fish that their nets break. That serves as the object lesson for these fishermen who would now be fishers of men: the Lord Christ would bless the work of these men He was appointing as His apostles. Through their work, Christ would bring many people into His kingdom, the Church. Through their work, Christ would build His Church.
Luther notes on this account: As if He had said to Peter, now you have the office of a fisherman; but I will commit to you another, that you will sail on another sea, and catch people, and fill up heaven with fish, and so fill up my kingdom, as the fish are filling your little ship. For such a draught of fish I will give you another net, namely, the Gospel, with which you will catch the elect, that they will be baptized, believe, and live eternally.
Like all things in our Lord’s earthly life and ministry, this was not a fluke or random sign. It is something already established in the Old Testament; something already prophesied so that by it, people would recognize Jesus as the long promised Savior and His Church as the Church in which alone is the forgiveness of sins and salvation. That’s exactly what we find in today’s OT reading from Ezekiel, in particular, the last verse: Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. Here is a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus’ call of these fishermen—Peter, James and John: From now on you will be fishers of men.
So vital is this call of the Apostles to be fishers of men, that not only here at the beginning of His earthly ministry, but also at the end—after His death and resurrection, shortly before His ascension—Jesus repeats this miracle, when Peter and crew caught 153 large fish, again breaking their nets [John 21.1-14]. A glorious reminder and confirmation of their call: From now on you will be fishers of men.
Our text is part of a vision that the Lord had given the prophet Ezekiel to see. In short, the vision concerns the great deliverance/ rescue that will be found in the Messiah, Christ Jesus—that He Himself will bring about—and in His Church. In the previous chapters Ezekiel writes of his vision a description of the temple and what goes in it. But because of the non-literal measurements and symbolism, it is clear that Ezekiel is not describing that physical, literal temple that would be built by Ezra and Nehemiah; or even later of the expanded temple by King Herod. Nothing fits together. A non-literal, idealized temple is described.
And then in our text we see something else that’s really quite different and strange. The Lord Himself in this vision is showing Ezekiel around this idealized temple and then Ezekiel sees water coming from the temple. Our text:Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side. Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.
Do you see what’s strange? The water begins as a trickle and then the further they get away from the temple, the deeper the water gets. First a trickle, then ankle-deep, then knee deep, then waist deep and then too deep to pass through.
At first glance, it may not seem too odd. Mighty rivers start out as little creeks somewhere and get bigger and deeper. But the reason for that? Along the way, other creeks, steams and rivers flow into it. But here that’s not the case. It’s just the water that is trickling out of the temple. Again, the image here is not literal but is clearly meant to symbolize something. So what are we to make of this?
Again remembering the simple rule of understanding Scripture, namely, that Scripture interprets Scripture, we look elsewhere in Scripture for help—the clear passages of Scripture shed light on the difficult passages. And what do we come to? One passage of Scripture [John 2.13-21] we come to is right after Jesus cleanses the temple the first time kicking out the money changers and driving out those selling animals, the Jews come up to Him and ask Him for a sign of His authority for doing this. And what does Jesus say? “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and You will raise it up in three days? But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Notice Jesus’ body is the temple. Applying that here to Ezekiel, the temple that he is shown and describes, that non-literal temple that is to represent/ be a picture of something, is a picture of/ represents what? The Savior, the Messiah—Jesus Christ: Destroy this temple… He was speaking of the temple of His body.
Okay. So in the vision of Ezekiel, the idealized temple that he sees is to represent the Messiah. But what about the water flowing from it that flows and gets deeper? Here, too, Scripture sheds light on this. Here again we find Jesus in Jerusalem at a festival and we read [John 7. 37-39]: Jesus stood and cried out saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Jesus promises that believers receive the Holy Spirit—but only after He is glorified. So, when is Jesus glorified? He tells us—in His crucifixion [John 12.23-27]. First Jesus was glorified at His holy and innocent suffering and death for the sins of the world; after Jesus finished His work and returned to the Father He then fully poured out His Holy Spirit on His Church at Pentecost and continues to do so.
So, then, combining these thoughts to understand the image of our text: Jesus is the temple and the Holy Spirit is the water. And as we ponder this a bit we see this image literally happening at the cross. What happens when Jesus is glorified, dies on the cross for the sins of the world? After He died, we read, one of the soldiers pierced [Jesus’] side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. Notice, using the imagery of Ezekiel’s vision—that trickle of water flows from the temple. So, yes, blood and water literally come from Jesus’ side and by that Ezekiel’s vision is being literally fulfilled—water flowing from the temple.
The water of the Holy Spirit coming from Jesus, the temple—at first, seemingly small and insignificant—a trickle—but then getter deeper. Jesus sends His Holy Spirit—as He promised—into the world and covers the world with the water of the Holy Spirit: for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.
What blessing results with the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son! The Holy Spirit came on a special way upon the apostles and strengthened them for carrying out the work the Lord called them to do—establish the NT church. He caused them to remember correctly all that Jesus had taught. He caused those Apostles to write the exact words that He wanted them to write so that what they wrote was not the word of man but the word of God. He preserved some of the writings of these Apostles down to us today in the NT. The Holy Spirit, that living, water flowing from the temple, Christ Jesus, is now filling the world as that saving word of Christ first proclaimed by the Apostles is spreading throughout the world. St. Paul writes of the work of the Apostles [Rom. 10.18; Col. 1.5-6]: Their voice has gone out to all the earth and their words to the ends of the world; and to the Colossians, he writes: the word of the truth of the Gospel…has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit.
This is the marvelous thing—the Holy Spirit coming forth from Christ, the water flowing from the temple—goes throughout the world from age to age, starting very small with the small group of disciples—that trickle—then expanding throughout history and from one nation and continent to another—that water ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep and until finally the world covered by the Gospel; and where the Gospel is, there are believers. That’s the Church growing by the work of the Holy Spirit in the word and sacraments; that’s Christ building His Church.
Notice from our text the work of the Holy Spirit. And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.” The water flowing is the Holy Spirit; it is the spread of the Gospel. And it flows into the Arabah, that’s a dry, waterless region by the Dead Sea and, in fact, the water enters the sea, that is, into the Dead Sea. And then what happens? The opposite of what should happen: when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. Normally when fresh water empties into salt water—like the Dead Sea is—the salt contaminates the fresh water. But here the [salt] water will become fresh, or more precisely translated: “will be healed.” The deadly saltiness is healed/ reversed/ becomes a place once again for life. That’s precisely the work of the Holy Spirit! He brings spiritual life as He comes to us in the holy Word and Sacrament. Our text: And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.
Look at the language here: every living creature that swarms will live. It sounds like the original creation [Gn. 1.20-21: Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures… So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves with which the waters abounded. And it should sound like the original creation! Because where the Holy Spirit comes in word and sacrament, wherever the river goes, there He brings life. There we are re-created! For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.
When the Holy Spirit comes to us—as He has to all Christians—He heals us of the deadly saltiness of death, spiritual death; He brings us to spiritual life and as He continues to come to us in the gospel and sacrament, He continues to give us life and strengthen us. He comes giving us the forgiveness of sin; He creates a new self in us, one that works with Him and fights against sin. The glorious thing is that the Holy Spirit does not just come to us once in holy baptism, giving us life, and then leaving us to fend for ourselves. Instead, He continues to come to us each time we read/ hear Scripture; He comes to us in the absolution; He comes giving us Christ’s body and blood in the Blessed Sacrament. Each time He comes, He is that life giving/healing water coming from Christ giving us the gifts and blessings Jesus won for us on the cross.
Jesus appointed His apostles to be fishers of men and through them and the word they preached and wrote His Holy Spirit was going into all the world bringing people to faith and spiritual life. So abundant is the work of the Holy Spirit in the word and Sacraments that with the net of the Gospel, the apostles and all faithful proclaimers/ sharers of the word are fishers of men, gathering people into the Church. Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. So rich and abundant is the life giving and healing water flowing from the temple, the Holy Spirit proceeding from Christ! He has come to us and given us life. INJ