Trinity 16
Dear friends in Christ. Today’s Gospel reading could perhaps be titled: when Jesus comes to town. It is a marvelous account because what we have in it is the glorious picture of all the life and work in Jesus in miniature, all summed up in one account. It begins: Soon afterward [Jesus] went to a town called Nain—and this could remind us of the Incarnation, of the Son of God taking on human flesh and blood, becoming also true man, and coming into this world.
Then we read: As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out. And here we are reminded that death is the result of sin.
And it gets worse: that man was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her; here we are reminded how the world, and each one in it, suffers as a result of sin. It was into this suffering world, contaminated by sin, that Jesus came and why? Because of His love and compassion on us sinners: And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
And then we see that Jesus has power to act on His compassion. Then he came up and touched the open coffin, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. The reason Jesus came was to destroy/ undo the works of the devil; to conquer sin and death. Here with this miracle of raising this widow’s only son back to life, is the proclamation of Jesus’ work. Not only did Jesus here show His power to save, His destruction of sins effects, but He also gives here a prophecy of His own resurrection from the dead. Jesus has power over death both in others and in Himself for He is the Lord of life. How blessed is the town to which Jesus comes! How blessed are we that Jesus has come to us in grace and compassion, and with almighty power.
Our salvation in Christ, our rescue from death, sin, and devil—this is the greatest reason for us to rejoice. It is so beautifully pictured for us/ foreshadowed in a most beautiful and comforting way in today’s Gospel—a widow gets her only son back from the dead. In this moving account we can certainly understand the joy of the mother and the son, reunited with his mother whom he can love and serve. But think of it—that same joy is now ours as Christians. For right now, we are enjoying the fruits of Jesus’ resurrection victory over our spiritual enemies of sin, death, devil and hell. They all lay defeated under Christ’s feet. Baptized into Him, we are baptized into His death and resurrection and so have that new life in Him. Through faith in Jesus His victory over these our enemies is our victory! Though we still fight the battle daily against the devil’s temptations to sin, though our old sinful nature is still part of us leading us to into sin, though we all still sin daily, often grievously, though, unless Jesus returns first, we will all die—in Jesus, the victory is still ours. Why? In Jesus, sin cannot condemn us; it is forgiven. In Jesus, the devil is a defeated foe/ slave master so we don’t have to do his bidding going from one sin to the next; as Christians we have the Holy Spirit, leading and giving us the power to live a life of good works. In Jesus, death is a defeated enemy and as Jesus rose from the dead, so too will all rise on the Last Day—with His dear Christians going with Him into heaven in both soul and glorified body. Jesus has opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers and locked hell. Although we will experience it in its full glory on the Last Day, already now we have and experience this joy of salvation. Today’s text from St. Isaiah is also our song of salvation.
Our text: In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah. Like so often is the case in the OT prophets, the phrase, in that day, means in the NT era, in the days after the Savior has come and carried out His saving work; the time we are living in. And that phrase in the land of Judah, that is, where the Lord’s people are, refers to the NT Church. We can rightly understand this phrase as referring to us today: we NT Christians, His Church, sing this song of salvation. “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”
The Church is that city of God. It is the city/ kingdom that Christ Himself set up/ established. He did that by His holy life and innocent suffering and death as He defeated for us our spiritual enemies of sin, death, devil and hell. Now by His holy word He is calling us into His city/ kingdom—the Church. What is He doing as He calls us into His Church? —He is offering and giving us peace; perfect peace.
Instead of us always being anxious in conscience, Jesus offers/ gives us the forgiveness of sin and by that assurance that things are right between us and God—perfect peace. Instead of worry about whether I have done enough and if God is pleased with me, Jesus gives us His holy and perfect righteousness, His holy and perfect keeping of the Law of God—perfect peace. Instead of doubt about heaven, Jesus offers us an open heaven—perfect peace. Instead of wondering if I am really a dear child of God and heir of heaven, Jesus has given us the certainty of holy baptism—perfect peace. As we are Christians, citizens of the holy city, the city of God, the Church that Jesus set up, our song of joy and salvation is: We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.
The Church, this city set up by Christ in which He gives us the perfect peace He won for us by His life, suffering and death is not some weak city that enemies can and do easily overrun. Instead this city, the Church, is firm and unconquerable! Precisely in the city of the Church we are safe from our spiritual enemies.
We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. The image here is of the ancient cities with their walls surrounding them—often a series of walls, making them safe from attacks from the enemy. As long as we are, through faith in Christ, a member of His Church, a citizen of this strong city, we are safe and secure; we have perfect peace. That’s because within the Church, our spiritual enemies can do us no harm. Here, within the safety of the Church, faith is always receiving the forgiveness of sins He won for us; it is always receiving from Jesus His holy, perfect righteousness. This does not mean that the devil and his allies will not attack us—walled cities in the ancient world were often attacked and besieged. But it does mean that as we through faith in Jesus stay within the city/ stay within the Church they can do us no harm. If we wander out of the city, if we turn away from faith in Christ then we are in great danger to soul; then we give up and lose that perfect peace we have in Him. But as we through faith remain in the Church, Jesus is our protection: he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. Jesus’ saving work and His continued prayer for us, for His Church are our protection and shield.
But notice something interesting here: yes, the Church is a walled city/ a safe city which is why we have perfect peace in her; but what do we hear in this song of thanksgiving in our text? Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. The gates of this walled city are open. Why? So that people may enter into the Church. Jesus did not set up His Church and then not allow people into it. His Church is ready to receive people, a righteous nation. But aren’t all people sinners? So how then can there be a righteous nation entering into the Church? The people who enter the Church have a righteousness—but not their own. Their sin, unrighteousness, have been removed/ forgiven; they have a righteousness that they received, Jesus’. Only the righteousness that He gives us is a righteousness perfect enough for this perfect city, this city for saints. So then, this righteous nation, the Christians, is righteous; its righteousness is not its own but one that is born of baptism and confession and absolution. In baptism our sin is washed away and we are given the holy and perfect righteousness of Jesus; we become part of that righteous nation that enters into the city/ Church.
But after baptism we sin much, daily and grievously—but because of that Christ does not expel us from the Church. Instead, as we confess our sins, we return to our baptism and by faith reclaim the blessings, forgiveness and righteousness we forsook by our sin; and in the absolution we receive them again. And again—with the forgiveness of sin and clothed with the holiness of Christ—we have perfect peace—before God and in conscience.
2. This perfect peace that we have as Christians, a righteous nation, in this city of the Church is a glorious gift of Jesus, as He told His disciples [Jn 14.27]: Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. We don’t come on our own and somehow bumble our way into the Church, finding ourselves in this city of God. Instead, Jesus calls and gathers us into His Church where we enjoy that perfect peace that He gives us as His gift. Notice again our text: the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Through the word and baptism Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, works faith in Him that receives His forgiveness and righteousness so that through faith we become the righteous nation. That’s the Lord’s gift of faith to us. And now by the work of the Holy Spirit, we, the Christian in us guard/ keep that faith. But notice what is so wonderful and comforting in our text: the Lord brought us to faith and keeps us in it and the perfect peace. It’s not as if the Lord brought us to faith but now we fend for ourselves. No! You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Here is the wonderful and gracious way the Lord works. First by His word, He reveals His saving work in Jesus, offers and gives us the fruits of Jesus’ suffering and death—forgiveness of sin, rescue and deliverance from all our spiritual enemies, being part of His Church so that we may enjoy and receive these gifts and His perfect peace. Then that faith holds firmly to that word and promise, gift and blessings Jesus offers and gives in the word and grounds itself upon it so that we are established, rooted and grounded in faith [1 Pt. 5.9; Col. 2.5].
Then in grace Jesus rewards us/ our faith—that very faith He Himself worked in us—as He rewards that faith with that perfect peace: You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. As we in faith rest upon the Lord and His word and work and promises we have perfect peace. As we rest upon the Lord He rewards that in grace with preserving us in His perfect peace. His perfect peace is always before us and in our hearts. What glorious words, then, in our text for us to remember and to live by: Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. As Christians, that righteous nation, that dwells in the safety of the Church, that strong city in which [the Lord] sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks, we have perfect peace, the perfect peace which God Himself preserves in us: You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you. He is mighty to do so because the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. His strength and power has overcome all our enemies. Because He is a firm, eternal rock faith can rely on Him, His work and His word firmly forever. Even in the midst of greatest struggles, upheavals, attacks, we, dear Christian can and do have perfect peace: our sins are forgiven us; heaven is opened to us and hell is shut; things are right between us and God; He is our dear loving heavenly Father and we His dear children, whom He loves and is bringing to Himself in heaven; we are citizens of His holy city, the Church [Ps 46.5]: God is in the midst of [His city—the Church], she shall not be moved. In Jesus we have perfect peace. INJ Amen.