Trinity 11
Dear friends in Christ. Last Sunday’s Gospel brought us to Palm Sunday and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and as we heard that Gospel we heard that as Jesus drew near to Jerusalem He began weeping for Jerusalem over its destruction by the Romans a mere 40 years later. Jerusalem was destroyed because the people rejected Jesus; they rejected God’s mercy calling them to repentance and faith. The second part of last week’s reading shows Jesus cleansing the temple, driving out the money changers and those selling in it. The people thought and acted like the mere act of their going through the motions of offering sacrifices was what God wanted; that they were righteous just because they offered the right sacrifice at the right time. The recognition of sin and the sorrow over sin were missing.
The religious leaders were fostering this wrong idea by their own self-righteousness. That’s what we hear in Jesus’ parable today: In the temple was the religious leader, the Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ Here we see a man living a very exemplary life, but what was he doing? He thought he was pleasing to God and worthy of God’s favor and salvation because he was such a good person; that God owed him.
What does Jesus say of this outwardly righteous man? He did not go back to his house justified by God. This religious leader in Jesus’ parable is a warning to us all. The devil tries to lead Christians into this sin of self-righteousness. He leads us to look at our good works not as God graciously leading and empowering us to fight against sin but as something we do that makes us better than others so we look down on them; something we do to make God like us better and obligate Him to give us favor and heaven. Scripture never glorifies our sin and sinfulness—St. Paul writes [Rm 6. 1-2]: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!—but Scripture does glorify repentance—God’s gracious work in us.
In our text today we meet another Pharisee, St. Paul, who describes himself [Ac 23.6]: I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. And what does he say? For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. He is like the penitent tax collector in Jesus’ parable: But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ The penitent—those who recognize their sin, sorrow over them, and long in faith for a Savior from those sins—are the ones God justifies/declares righteous for Jesus’ sake on account of His life, suffering and death.
Our text teaches us that we can be certain our sins are forgiven us because Jesus suffered and died for our sins and that He rose again. Not only is our Christian faith centered on the Risen Jesus but He is also the power of our Christian faith.
1. Notice what St. Paul writes: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared… Here St. Paul nails down very clearly and concretely the facts/ events that brought about our salvation: Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Without these there is no holy Christian faith. The vital thing to keep in mind here is that Who it was who died and was buried—it was Jesus, the very God Himself. The fact that Jesus is true God, Second Person of the Holy Trinity, that’s what gives His sacrifice on the cross such infinite worth and value for all the sins of all the people of all time! The fact that Jesus is also true man, born of the virgin Mary, means that He has and poured out His blood for us as our Substitute. The holy Law of God was given to us, to people to keep; and because we can’t, Jesus who is true man, as our Substitute kept it for us. The holy Law of God has been kept, just as He demands—by Jesus for us. And because a holy God must punish sin, Jesus again as our Substitute—and, again, He can be our Substitute because He is true man— was our Substitute under the wrath of God, enduring it for us. Thus His death!
There can be no doubt—Jesus truly did die!—because He was buried. Thus, you can never doubt the forgiveness of your sins—the true God Himself died for them. St. Paul writes so clearly in our text: Christ died for our sins. And there’s that one lovely word that all us sinners rejoice in hearing: for. It’s a small, three letter word so easily overlooked; but it is the word of richest comfort to us sinners: for or on behalf of our sins; for/ on behalf of us sinners. By this, Jesus reconciled us sinners to the holy God; we are now at peace with God.
But how do we know this? How do we know that Jesus lived a holy life, fulfilling all of God’s Law for us and fully and perfectly suffered God’s wrath for us? How do we know that Jesus’ suffering and death was the perfect, once for all sacrifice for the sins of all? He was raised on the third day. That was the Father accepting Jesus’ work and sacrifice! That was the Father’s seal of approval on it all. The Risen Jesus is the content of the Christian faith we believe, the content of the Gospel we preach. Our holy Christian faith is firmly grounded on the fact that he was raised on the third day and since he was raised on the third day, that means that Christ [truly] died for our sins. All of that means that when we hear Jesus speaking the absolution to us through the pastor, we dare not doubt that forgiveness; it means that when we hear in Holy Communion that Jesus’ body and blood have been given and poured out for the forgiveness of sins, we dare not doubt that there, as we eat His body and the bread and drink His blood and the wine, we are receiving the forgiveness of our sins. It is the risen and ascended Jesus giving us His body and blood together with the blessings He won for us on the cross—the forgiveness of sins.
Let us also ponder what other comforting words the blessed Apostle writes: in accordance with the Scriptures, as in the statements: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. With the council fathers we use this phrase as we confess our faith using the Nicene Creed: in accordance with the Scriptures or according to the Scriptures. This means that everything happened just as the Old Testament prophets prophesied about Jesus—that Jesus would suffer and die but then rise again. What Jesus did and how He brought about the salvation of the world—that was all according to the divine plan. What a glorious comfort to us—from the very beginning God planned out our salvation and brought it about in Jesus in the course of time!
All the teachings of the Christian faith are not based on human reason and understanding. And here—the resurrection of the dead; after all, according to the usual human experience, people don’t rise from the dead. So the fact that the risen Christ is the content of the Christian faith does not come from human reason but from God revealing it in Scripture—first by the OT prophets and then by the Evangelists and Apostles recording the fact in the NT, in accordance with the Scriptures. Now, by faith, we believe and confess it.
And now having said that, because the doctrine of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is absolutely vital to the Christian faith so that without it there would be no Christian faith; because the Risen Christ is the content of the Christian faith, God did not leave Himself without witnesses. Instead, Jesus gave ample evidence of it and gave tremendous eyewitness testimony. Our text: he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. Jesus’ resurrection has been firmly and undeniably established both by the Scriptures and also by eyewitnesses. First Jesus appears to one, St. Peter; then to the faithful apostles; then to a huge crowd of over 500 at once; then to the future bishop of the Church in Jerusalem, St. James; then to a most unlikely one—an enemy, Saul the Pharisee who became St. Paul the Apostle.
2. The Risen Christ is not just the content of the Christian faith; He is also the power of the Christian faith. Jesus is alive! And since He is alive, He is working [Mt. 16.18] mightily in His holy word bringing people into His Church, building His Church. He does that as by the work of His Holy Spirit in the word and water of holy Baptism, He creates in us new life; and in baptism connects us with Him and Him with us. A dead Christ lying in a tomb can’t do that! And by His holy word He strengthens and keeps us in the faith, keeps us spiritually alive. And just like He did at the first Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday, Jesus gave His disciples His very body and blood—so also now, the crucified and risen Jesus gives us His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sin and strengthening of faith. The risen Christ is the power of the Christian faith. The new spiritual and heavenly life we have is the result of His grace and power—our risen Christ Jesus.
When we, by faith created in us by the Holy Spirit Who was sent by the risen and ascended Jesus, receive the Gospel, we are receiving all of its gifts and blessings: the forgiveness of sins, peace with God, adoption as his dear children, heaven, etc. What joy we now have! Even in the midst of greatest sorrow or suffering we have the joy that since Jesus rose from the dead we are at peace with God and He is dealing with us in grace and love as His dear children. Come what may, we have inner joy because we know God is working all things for our good. And we know that the risen Christ is praying for us, making intercession for us.
Baptized into Jesus and His death and resurrection, we now have a new life, a life in which we fight against sin and strive to live a life more and more in accord with the holy will of God, a life of good works. The risen Christ is mightily at work in us. Our life of faith and goods works is the life of the risen Jesus working in us. Look at the good works you do—but don’t be like the Pharisee in today’s Gospel and think you are so good and look down on your fellow sinner—but instead, praise the risen Christ who is at work in you and through you; praise Him for letting you be His servant/ instrument as St. Paul does in our text: But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Also hear from St. Paul in our text: Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. Our Christian faith is reliance on Jesus and His suffering, death and resurrection. Let us continue to hear it and be reminded of it. Satan is always at hand trying to snatch from us its benefits and glories. Let us stay with the simple truths of our faith that the Lord has given us: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared… INJ Amen