Trinity 2
One of the glorious ways that we see the unity of the Bible is that in the OT we have the prophecy and in the NT we have its fulfillment. Here we see that although the Bible was written by different authors--prophets and apostles--that ultimately there is only one Author--the Holy Spirit. We usually think of these OT prophecies about Jesus at Christmas time when we think of the virgin birth, the birth in Bethlehem, etc. But that’s only part of the picture. All of Jesus’ life--His works, ministry, His suffering, death and resurrection--is prophesied in the OT; and when we see those prophecies fulfilled in Jesus, there we know that Jesus is the long promised and awaited Savior. After His resurrection, Jesus told the disciples [Lk 24.44]: ...all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures. All of the OT is about Jesus; all of the NT is about Jesus.
Today’s OT reading is a prophecy of Jesus and His Church. It points out Jesus’ lowliness but yet His greatness; and it points out the lowly beginnings of His Church, and yet its greatness--this is the same thing also that Jesus speaks about in the parable in today’s Gospel.
In our text today, the Lord says through the prophet St. Ezekiel: This is what the LOrd God says. I Myself will take part of the tip of the cedar and plant it. From the topmost of its shoots I will pluck off a tender sprig, and I Myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. The Lord gave this prophecy at a very low point in the history of His OT people. Jerusalem and Judah had succumbed to the Babylonian armies. Jerusalem would fall and be destroyed by the Babylonians. Ezekiel was already in Babylon when he wrote, having been deported there early on. The line of the kings ruling from Jerusalem that came from David would end with Zedekiah. The kingly line and the nation itself would end. This brought great trial and distress to the faithful of God: what about God’s promises of a Savior, a King, coming from the line/ family of David? Have these promises, too, come to an end with the royal line and the nation? Absolutely not! God had promised that Savior, who would be David’s descendant and King, who would be born in Bethlehem, who would enter Jerusalem as her king riding a donkey, etc. God would be faithful!
So even though it looked like God’s promises had come to an end with the destruction of the nation, Jerusalem and the line of kings, they hadn’t! This is absolutely vital for us to remember as well. Often it seems like God’s promises have come to an end with us--sometimes it seems God has forsaken us, contrary to His promise; sometimes it seems our sins are so great and they keep rising up and accusing us, that there is no forgiveness; sometimes it seems that God’s promises are too great and He cannot deliver, like the simple water of Holy Baptism washing away our sin and bringing us into God’s family, or like Jesus coming to us bodily/ physically in the Holy Supper and uniting with us. But no! What God promises, He delivers--no matter how remote or impossible it may seem at the moment. This is a glorious comfort when it seems impossible: God is faithful.
And that’s what we see in our text. I Myself will take part of the tip of the cedar and plant it. From the topmost of its shoots I will pluck off a tender sprig, and I Myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. Notice: God does the work and brings it about --twice He says I Myself. What we can’t do, what seems impossible for us, God still does and can do. That cedar tree is a picture of God’s OT people and in particular, the kingly line of David. The people, and here in particular, the royal line was brought to Babylon and the nation would be destroyed. But what does God do? I Myself will take part of the tip of the cedar and from the topmost of its shoots I will pluck off a tender sprig. God would preserve the line of David--though not as kings--and from this royal line the Savior would come exactly as God had promised but not exactly the way people had figured. Jesus was born a descendant of David --legally through Josef and physically through Mary. We see the exact same thing in the very well known prophecy from Isaiah we hear every Christmas and which the Christmas carol Behold, A Branch Is Growing is based upon [Is 11.1]: There shall come forth a shoot from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
That tip of the cedar and tender sprig is Jesus, Jesus according to His human nature which came from David through Mary. Think of a whole big tree--that’s the OT people and the line of David--and Jesus is that tip, tender sprig. Here we see the lowliness of Jesus’ origin. Remember, even though Jesus is the true, almighty and eternal God, when He came to earth to be our Savior He did not come showing all His glory and majesty. But He took on human flesh and blood. He became one of us; He did not make full and constant use of His divine glory and power. And on top of that, not only was He not born in a royal palace, but He was born in all lowliness and poverty, as the prophet Isaiah also prophesied of Jesus [53.2]: For He shall grow up before [the LOrd] as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.
But notice what else the Lord says in our text about Jesus: I Myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. Although His coming is in all humility, Jesus would still come as King--since He is the almighty and true God--and Jesus would show by His work that He is the long-promised Savior and true God. And God Himself would declare it! Jesus’ life and work was one of humble service--the King is a servant! He placed Himself under the Law of God in order to keep it for us; He took our sins upon HImself; He went to the cross loaded down with the sins of the world; He was rejected and condemned. All this lowiness and humility! And it showed itself finally in His suffering and death on the cross. How could He be God? How could He be the long awaited Savior of the world? But what happened? Easter! Jesus rose from the dead! And as St. Paul writes [Rm. 1.3,4]: His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, [was] declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead. With Jesus’ resurrection, God the Father declared that yes, indeed, Jesus, this One who is a lowly descendant of King David, and who had lived and served in all humility and lowliness is the Son, the Second Person. And by this He Himself planted Jesus on a high and lofty mountain, that is, declaring Him the one and only Savior of the world; that there is salvation only in Him and His work; that all must look to Him to be saved.
So, Jesus’ beginning is very humble--like that weak branch/ tender twig. But from His life and work a great kingdom arises--the Church. And from the day of Pentecost on when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and brought the Good News about Jesus into the world-- that Jesus is the world’s Savior-- the glorious kingdom of Christ has spread and is continuing to spread into all the world. And it all began in Jerusalem, on the high mountain of Israel, on Pentecost. Our text: On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it. It will produce branches, bear fruit, and become a magnificent cedar. Flying birds of every kind will live under it. In the shelter of its branches they will nest. The greatness of Jesus is also seen in the greatness of His kingdom, the Church. Dear Christian, you and I are part of Jesus’ kingdom, the Church. We are enjoying/ have a share in all the gifts and blessings that Jesus won for us on the cross. And as the word of Jesus goes out into the world many more are brought into His kingdom and receive the gifts for the forgiveness of sin, life and salvation. And so His kingdom grows.
Like Jesus had lowly humble beginnings and yet brought great blessing to all people being their Savior, so too His Church has simple, humble beginnings but as she brings the Good News about Jesus she brings and gives the great fruit and blessing of Jesus’ work. Her work is glorious and blessed by the Holy Spirit. This lowliness of the Church and her message and growth is the point of Jesus’ parables in today’s Gospel. Jesus describes the Church like a man scattering seed on the ground, and while he sleeps and rises, night and day the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. Here we see the slow, steady growth Jesus promises to His Church as she simply proclaims the word/ proclaims Him and His saving work. We don’t know how or when the Holy Spirit will bless our efforts. Just think of all frustrating times and seemingly futile work of the apostles and Christians down through the ages--even in our own lives of sharing our faith, be it personally or as a church! We cannot dwell on that. Instead, we need to be like the farmer in Jesus’ parable: in faith he sows the seed. He doesn’t know how or when but he simply does it, and slowly, imperceptibly the seed sprouts and grows. That’s how it is for us in our mission work--let’s just get the word out, in faith knowing that the Holy Spirit will work when and where it pleases Him. And just like the Church down through the ages, she grows seemingly slowly and imperceptibly but looking back over history and into our present age, we see the great and mighty spread of the Church; we see the Holy Spirit blessing the proclamation of the word; we see many people looking to Jesus, the humble descendant of David who is also true God and the only Savior of the world.
In the Gospel, Jesus compares the growth of the Church from that first small batch of apostles with the tiny mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade. That’s like the Lord says in our text: On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it. It will produce branches, bear fruit, and become a magnificent cedar. Flying birds of every kind will live under it. In the shelter of its branches they will nest. A glorious description of the Church, Christ’s kingdom! Yes, it is large, encompassing the world. But also here are images of dwelling and shade--images of safe shelter. Isn’t that exactly what Jesus and His Church is? --A shelter to which we run to find protection and relief. Jesus Himself invites us sinners to come to Him as we are burdened with our sins [Mt 11.28]. And He gives us relief as He gives us the forgiveness of our sins. Let’s run to Jesus and His Church when we feel the weight and oppression of our sins, of the devil and His attacks, bearing down on us like the scorching sun! In Jesus there is relief and comfort--His grace, mercy, forgiveness, life! Don’t we say with David in the psalm [23.4] about the Good Shepherd: Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me? This is the rod and staff of Jesus’ holy word and sacrament. There is our comfort and we find this in full force as we gather here in church around our Lord’s pulpit and altar. Our Lord, holding out to us His gifts, is inviting us, beckoning us to come to Him, to enter His Church for shelter.
We see that as we come to Jesus and into His Church, it is all by grace. Our text: Then all the trees in the countryside will know that I, the Lord, bring down the high tree and raise up the low tree, that I make the green tree dry up, and I make the dried up tree blossom. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will carry it out.
By His grace, Jesus calls us sinners to Him. None of us can claim any credit but will have to confess it was by pure grace. Each of us, dear Christian, is that dried up tree that the Lord caused to blossom. INJ