Easter 4—Cantate
Dear friends in Christ. As we noticed in last Sunday’s Gospel already, our attention is now being turned toward Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost. Like all of the Gospel readings this latter part of the Easter, our text today is taken from Jesus’ farewell discourse with His disciples on Maundy Thursday evening. The mood of the disciples that evening is captured in our text as Jesus says: But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. The disciples are full of grief, extreme grief that leads easily to despondency.
What a contrast to the joy—our joy—we have in the season of Easter. Easter is a season of joy and that is picked up in names the Church has given these Sundays in the Easter season. Today is called Cantate, the Latin command meaning “Sing!” It comes to us from the first word of today’s psalm: Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! That’s what Easter is all about, and, in fact, not just Easter but our whole lives as Christians—singing that new song to the Lord.
The new song that we sing is not one that is incessantly newly invented each week that we sing and then is discarded the next; it’s certainly not discarding the great hymns and music of the Church for some new, quickly devised ditty for the day played by guitar and drum. Instead, a “new” song is one written for a new occasion, containing new content. The new song is the song for which the Gospel message; the song for which the birth of the long promised Savior, Jesus, God’s Son; the song for which His holy sinless life and innocent suffering and death; the song for which His victory over sin, death, devil and hell give the reason/ occasion/ content. In other words, the “old song/ way” was one of trying to appease God by all our works, trying to do enough good things to merit, earn, and weasel our way into heaven. The new song, the content of the new song that we sing is all about God’s work, in Jesus saving us from our sin; it’s all about His bringing us to faith and keeping us in the faith—faith that receives His work, His gifts, His blessings, His forgiveness, life and salvation.
Luther comments on this “new song”: All…are called upon to serve God and worship Him because He judges and reigns in righteousness and truth; He delivers from sin and everything that sin brings in its wake—death, hell, the devil’s power and all evil. This is the new song of the new kingdom, of new creations, of new people, not brought into being by the law and works, but born of God and the Spirit...
The new song that we sing is a song of praise for God’s salvation. The good news about Jesus and forgiveness of sin, life and salvation we have in Him calls for a new song from us who have received His blessings. And here’s the tie-in with our text: because Jesus has brought about for us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life by His holy life and innocent suffering and death, He has sent the Holy Spirit to work faith in us so that we believe and receive the gift of forgiveness and salvation and so in faith sing that new song of praise to God for His gift of salvation to us.
1. In our text, Jesus tells the disciples of His ascension. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ And then He tells them of the day of Pentecost, when He would send the Holy Spirit: I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. How sad the disciples were that they would no longer see Jesus, have Him with them, walk with Him on those dusty streets of Palestine, hear His teaching, see His miracles, and enjoy His protection. Of course, sorrow has filled [their] heart. But His presence with them, His teaching and His miracles were not the only reason for His coming. The purpose of Jesus’ coming was to set up a new, a spiritual kingdom, His NT Church. All of His teaching the disciples, preaching to the crowds and confirming that teaching with miracles was just a part of/ preliminary to setting up His kingdom, the Church. The main work of setting up His kingdom was soon about to happen—within hours Jesus would be betrayed, arrested, put on trial and condemned. Then, precisely then, in His suffering and death on the cross Jesus would set up His kingdom.
All through His earthly life, beginning when the Son of God took on human flesh and blood in His conception in the womb of Mary, from the first moment of life, Jesus was living a holy and sinless life for us. As Jesus, went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil [Ac 10.38], as St. Peter says, that was part of His saving work. The holy Law of God had to be fulfilled if we sinners were to be reconciled to the holy God, if there would be Christ’s kingdom, the Church.
So, yes, Jesus, by His holy life did/ fulfilled/ brought about what we lack/ what we fail to do. God’s holy Law was kept as He demands. But what about our sins that we commit? Our sins that are an affront to God’s holiness and against which His righteous anger burns? Our sins by which we earn hell? Our sins cannot just stand unpunished. That’s why Jesus’ suffering and death. He took our sins on Himself; was charged with the sins of the world and there on the cross all of God’s holy and righteous wrath over sin—yours, mine, all people—was poured out on Jesus fully and completely. Now, in Jesus, God’s wrath over sin has been appeased. In Jesus we sinners are reconciled to God and heaven stands open to us.
For us, with 20/20 hindsight, Jesus’ words of our text are glorious and lead us to sing that new song of salvation: But now I am going to him who sent me. These are great words of comfort to us because the way back to the Father meant that Jesus had to first go the way of suffering and death on the cross; and then here is the glorious promise that Jesus’ way would not end there on the cross—because He was returning to the Father. This means that He would be raised from the dead; He would live!
And not only would Jesus live but He would return to the Father having finished the job He had come to do—bring about the salvation of the world! But now I am going to him who sent me. What glorious words for us: Jesus came from the Father, faithfully and completely carried out His work to save the world from sin—even though it would take Him through cross, death and grave—and then with His glorious ascension 40 days after Easter returned to the Father. Jesus’ kingdom, the NT Church, was set up/ established.
2. Now notice that Jesus again emphasizes: Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away. Why? For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. Here our attention is turned to the day of Pentecost, the day that the risen and ascended Jesus pours out His Holy Spirit on His apostles, on His infant Church. Through the preaching/ teaching and writing of the holy apostles and Evangelists the Holy Spirit has spread the Church, bringing saving faith in Jesus throughout the world and down through the ages and will continue to do so to the very last day.
The Holy Spirit could first come and work faith in Jesus and His work in people’s hearts so that they receive these gifts and blessings Jesus won for all only after Jesus finished it. Without Jesus’ death and resurrection what does the Holy Spirit have to work with to bring people to true saving faith in Jesus? With Jesus’ ascension into heaven with the work of the salvation of the world finished, He then sends the Holy Spirit so that people may receive the benefits of His work. The Holy Spirit’s gracious work of saving sinners is grounded on Jesus’ saving work. First comes Jesus’ saving work and then the Holy Spirit’s gracious work.
And then we hear what Jesus says next about the Holy Spirit’s work: And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Here we see the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. His first work sounds rather “ungracious”—to convict. The simple reason for this—how can the Holy Spirit comfort sinners, how can the Holy Spirit bring the blessings of forgiveness of sin, how can the Holy Spirit comfort the sinner with the good news of a Savior from sin if the person doesn’t first realize he/she is a sinner who needs a Savior from sin, who needs the forgiveness of sins, who doesn’t realize that they are on the path leading to hell? So first the Holy Spirit comes to convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
So what is this convicting? Jesus first says: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. This is the ultimate sin—rejection of Jesus. A person could live an ever so outwardly decent life and be well spoken of by all but still commit this greatest sin: not believing, that is, trusting in Jesus for forgiveness of sin and eternal life. This is the greatest sin because it calls God a liar; it says that I am good enough for heaven; it rejects the one way that God has given for salvation—through faith in Jesus and His saving work. This is the great sin because a person is not moved by Jesus’ suffering and death—either by being moved by seeing what our sins earn and deserve each of us, God’s wrath and damnation, or by seeing the love, mercy and grace of our holy Triune God toward us sinners. By convicting the person concerning sin, because they do not believe in [Jesus], the Holy Spirit shows a person their dreadful spiritual condition and that they need a Savior from sin.
The next convicting that the Holy Spirit works is: concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer. Here the Holy Spirit convicts a person that Jesus alone is righteous/ righteousness. Left to itself, the world wants nothing of Jesus’ blood and righteousness but prefers its own self-righteousness; the world considers itself righteous apart from Jesus. But when the Holy Spirit comes and convict[s] the world concerning…righteousness, He shows the world that it is not righteous but that Jesus alone is the righteous one. And the very fact that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended bodily into heaven proves that He alone is righteous—all the rest of humanity is not righteous and needs a Savior from their sin and that they need another righteousness and Jesus is that righteousness. Only when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our lack of righteousness, can He comfort us with Jesus who is our true righteousness, our righteousness before God in heaven. Because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer, the comforting and proper work of the Holy Spirit is then to point us sinners, lacking any of our own true righteousness, to Jesus. His going to the Father takes Him to the cross and tomb and so His sacrifice on the cross takes away sin and death and brings us life and leads us into a life of faith and good works. Here by the work of the Holy Spirit, we receive the righteousness of Jesus and by the Spirit’s power leading us and strengthening us we begin, be it ever so feeble, to live a life of righteousness.
The next convicting the Holy Spirit works: concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. All who reject Jesus are under the sway of the devil and they are convicted because they follow one who is condemned and they will end up with the same verdict/ judgement of condemnation as the devil. Jesus has already judged and condemned the devil and it will become known on the Last Day. But the one the Holy Spirit convicts here, He also comforts by giving them Jesus’ victory over the devil, rescuing them from the devil’s kingdom. Now all the devil can do is watch his defeat as by the Holy Spirit’s work souls go to heaven instead of hell.
What great cause we have to sing to the Lord a new song. He has done great things for us. Jesus brought us salvation; He has returned to heaven and sent His Holy Spirit whose gracious work is to save us—first by convicting us and then by comforting us. INJ Amen.