16 June 2019 St. Athanasius Lutheran
Church
The Festival of the Holy Trinity
Vienna, VA
“The God of Life”
Text:
John 8:48-59
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God
our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Jews answered
[Jesus], “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
These words come at the
end of a long conversation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. It takes place
during one of the three great Jewish Feasts each year, the Feast of
Tabernacles. So Jerusalem was bursting at the seams. There were throngs of
people there. Jesus was teaching in the Temple courts, and so the Jewish
leaders use this opportunity to try to discredit Him before the people.
“Are we not right in
saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
I used to chuckle at
those words. Because what is Jesus supposed to say? Yeah, you’re right. I
have a demon. You got me!
So what’s the point? What
are the Jewish leaders saying with these words? Well, they’re not just
saying that Jesus is crazy, or a few cards short of a full deck. Because to have a demon was a serious thing. Such people
were powerful and destructive and caused great harm to themselves and the
people around them. Having a demon was the invisible taking control of the
visible. Another world breaking into this world - and not for
good. So by saying Jesus has a demon, what they were saying is this:
Jesus is evil. What He says is evil. What He does is evil. He is dangerous to
our society. So He cannot be tolerated. You, Jesus, must be removed from
society. Whatever it takes.
The eerie thing is: that
sounds an awful lot like what many people are saying today. Which,
Jesus said, would happen. If they did it to Him, they will do it to you.
Think of any of the hot-button issues swirling about our society today -
regarding men and women, marriage, sexuality, gender, abortion. States passing
laws restricting any of those in some form are being boycotted to force them to
change. One presidential candidate is on record saying that being pro-life is
the same as being racist - it cannot be tolerated. Traditional, Christian,
Biblical morality is being called evil. And we that teach it and hold to it are
evil, too. We are dangerous and cannot be tolerated.
A couple of weeks ago
Janet was confirmed, and today Ray will be. And part of that rite is to say
that they intend to live according to the Word of God and continue steadfast
in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall
away from it (LSB p. 273). Those might not be just
words anymore, like they were when I spoke them back in the day.
So what does Jesus say in
response, then? To this accusation that He is evil and
dangerous? Well, He says three things, the last of which is the most
important, since He marks it with His saying: Truly, truly, I say to you.
First, He says, I honor my Father. Second, He says, I am
not seeking my own glory. And third, and as I said, most important: if
anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.
Now that’s quite the
claim, coming from a man who is Himself going to see death, and not just any
death, but an excruciating, humiliating death on a cross! But that is, in fact,
the key to this whole thing.
For first, Jesus honors
His Father by keeping His Word. All that was written of Him in the Old
Testament, all that has been prophesied, Jesus is fulfilling - especially His
death on the cross for the sin of the world. Jesus honors His Father by keeping
His Word.
And then second, He is not
seeking His own glory - but His death on the cross is going to show the
world the glory of God. The glory of His love and mercy.
That you have a God who doesn’t demand that you do this for
Him, but who does this for you.
And then because of Jesus’
death and resurrection, because the creator of life dies for His dying
creation, keeping - that is, holding onto, clinging to, treasuring, believing
in - His Word, by that Word and promise, we will not see death. Because Jesus saw it for you. And so because of Him, joined
to Him in His death and then joined to Him in His resurrection, death is now
just something we will pass through as well. In Jesus, death
in now but the gate to everlasting life (Psalm
118).
Because the truth is that
the invisible God is now visible. Another world is breaking into this
one. In Jesus. For good. For life.
So just as God created
all life, giving of Himself and His love . . . Just as He appeared to
Moses in the burning bush to bring His people out of slavery and give them life
again . . . Just as He gave them life as He brought them out of Egypt,
led them through the wilderness in the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire,
and fed them with manna and gave them water from a rock to drink . . . Just as
He settled them for life in the Promised Land . . . So that same God is
now in the flesh and blood of Jesus, the invisible made visible, another world
breaking into this one, to do the same for them.
And just as God gave His
Word and promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that they may have life,
even though they had no home . . . Just as He repeated those words and promises
to David and Solomon, to give life to His people through them in their
own land . . . Just as He then spoke those word and promises through Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and all the prophets, to give the people life even while in
exile . . . So that same God is now in the flesh and blood of Jesus, the
invisible made visible, another world breaking into this one, to do the same for
you.
That’s the claim Jesus is
making, in fact, when He says: Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham
was, I AM. He is saying that He is
God in the flesh. The Creator in the flesh. The life-giver in the flesh. And His Word gives life. The
Word spoken, the Word poured, the Word eaten and drunk. And keeping those
words, clinging to those words, relying on those words, treasuring those words,
you have that life that God created for you, created you for, and always
intended you have.
Though, like Jesus, it
may not be easy. And I know it’s not easy for many of you; maybe all of you.
You may have a big home, small home, or no home. You may have many and great
struggles and trials. You are attacked from doubts within and accusations from
without. And maybe you are called evil, too, even when all you’re doing is
speaking the truth and trying to help.
Because the Jewish
leaders were right - in this sense: the Word that you believe, the Word that
you cling to, the Word that you speak, the Word of Jesus . . . that Word is
dangerous. It is dangerous to sin and our sinful wants and desires, and our
efforts to be our own gods and our own masters and do whatever we want to do.
It is dangerous to the devil and his kingdom, who doesn’t want you to know the
truth and who doesn’t want you to live, but to die with him forever. It is
dangerous to a world that has been marinating in sin for a long time, and so no
longer is able to see things as they really are. Like when you’ve been in a
really dark place for a while and then suddenly a bright light is turned on -
it hurts, and blinds! You want to get away from it. But the answer is not to
turn the light off and go back into the dark, but to leave the light on. Even if it hurts for a while.
And that is, in fact,
exactly what Jesus said of Himself at this very festival.
A short time before this He had proclaimed: I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life (John 8:12).
So we shouldn’t be
surprised if we see things differently than others. If those
in the dark call themselves enlightened just because their eyes are more used
to the dark than others. But there’s only one light of the world. There’s
only one light by which we can see things as they really are. Only one light by which we know good and evil. And that
light is not the word of man or the wisdom of man - as great as those might be.
That light is the Word and wisdom of God. And the Spirit of God, who works
through that Word, enlightens us to see Jesus and the life He brings and gives.
So when you are called
evil . . . when what you say and think and do and believe is called evil . . .
when you are threatened and called a Samaritan or a -phobe
or a hater or a bigot . . . when you are considered dangerous and intolerable .
. . what do you do?
Well, two things. First,
speak the truth in love, as Jesus did. Don’t turn off the light and let the
darkness have its way. Speak, confess the truth, as we
will do in a moment with the Athanasian Creed and as
Ray will confess. For the Spirit who worked through the Word in you, will work through the Word in others. And know that
even if your worldly wealth is taken away, they cannot take your eternal
treasure. Even if they imprison you, they cannot take the freedom you have in
Christ. And even if they kill you, they can’t take your life. For your life is
eternal in Christ. All of that was signed, sealed, and delivered when Jesus
rose from the dead. For as Jesus said, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.
And then this too: hear
Jesus’ Word spoken to you. His Word which tells you the
truth. The truth that you are a child of God. The truth that you are forgiven. The truth that what He has
given you no one can take away. The truth of what really is good and evil. The truth of life and death. The truth that
here is His Body and Blood to feed and strengthen you in this challenging and
confusing world. The truth that gives you life.
For that’s really what
Holy Trinity Sunday is all about: life. The life of
God and the God of life. Life created, life restored, life forever. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who want only life for you.
Life in communion with your God, life that comes only through
His Word. So hear His Word, confess His Word, live His Word. And so give
glory to Him who has shown His mercy to us (Introit).
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+)
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.