Quinquagesima Sunday
KJV 1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
KJV Luke 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. 35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Collect
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst manifest Thyself, with the Holy Ghost, in the fullness of grace at the baptism of Thy dear Son, and with Thy voice didst direct us to Him who hath borne our sins, that we might receive grace and the remission of sins: Keep us, we beseech Thee, in the true faith; and inasmuch as we have been baptized in accordance with Thy command, and the example of Thy dear Son, we pray Thee to strengthen our faith by Thy Holy Spirit, and lead us to everlasting life and salvation, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
TLH Hymns
142 A lamb goes uncomplaining forth
251 We all believe in one true God
268 Zion mourns
523 Why should cross and trial grieve me
The Blind See and the Sighted Are Blind
After Jesus predicted His future suffering and death, His disciples were confused and bewildered about His words.
34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
This was often true of the exchanges between Jesus and His disciples. They should have known how He would become the Savior, from knowing Isaiah or the Psalms. However, many had their eyes on a kingly figure, not a teacher. They heard but did not understand until later.
The episode on the road to Emmaus explains this phenomenon.
KJV Luke 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. 22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? 33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
Luther pointed out a key phrase:
and while he opened to us the scriptures?
Their eyes were open but the Scriptures were closed to them. They did not understand what was clearly there. Jesus rose from the dead and taught His followers the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies. Then they began to understand and believe the complete message.
“In a mirror darkly” comes from the ancient problem of affording a good mirror. Most were not very reflective, so people did not see a very good image of themselves. Nor do we have a perfect grasp of all God wills and does. We are looking at a dark image now but will see the entire image in the future as God reveals it to us in eternal life.
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Our advantage is knowing what Christ did for us when He died on the cross for the sins of the world, for our sins. Justification by faith means God declares us righteous through faith in the atoning death of Jesus. Some want to make faith and grace opposites, but they are not. God’s grace and man’s faith. God graciously provided a remedy for our sinful nature. His Gospel Promises create and sustain faith through the work of the Holy Spirit. Man does not generate faith. Man does not make a decision. God stirs up trust in Him by having His Promises proclaimed through a learned ministry.
Everyone can teach his neighbor the Gospel. Many do. When my father was very ill, he was encouraged by a Lutheran pastor to share his faith. He did that in the nursing home, using his wheelchair to roll over and talk to other people. Most people would have been surprised by that change. Trust in the Savior overflows in many different ways. Some sects say, “Aha! The laity are better at this and know a lot of people. We really do not need a learned ministry at all.” God does not give the Gospel exclusively to ordained ministers to handle, but neither does He command the laity to evangelize…or else.
The healing message of the Gospel of forgiveness is so powerful that it travels from pulpit to people and multiplies in many different ways. One of the great philosophical theologians of the last century taught at Yale: Paul L. Holmer. He knew philosophy so well that he was honored by his peers in that field. He was greatly respected in theology. When he was asked why he was a Christian, everyone expected a great philosophical proof, an intellectual display of fireworks. Instead he said, “My mother taught me.”
How can anyone doubt the Parable of the Sower and the Seed when considering that isolated circumstance. Who was Holmer’s mother? No one of consequence in the eyes of the world. Yet she taught a little boy to become a teacher of faith to thousands of students in an academic environment where Christian faith was often laughed at. Holmer lost his ability to talk, late in life, due to Parkinson’s. He had to be at a nursing home. He could still play the piano. One day he was playing with great energy but unable to talk or sing. A nurse came over and began singing hymns in Spanish. Everyone was moved by the sight of the wordless professor providing music, the nurse providing the words.
From the Pietisten:
When we visited over the years the talk would turn to classical music which he knew a lot about and deeply loved. Toward the end of his life, Paul Holmer and his remarkable, strong wife Phyllis, lived at an assisted care residence in the Crocus Hill neighborhood near downtown St. Paul. When I stopped to see him there, he would often want to play the piano, either an upright close to his second-floor room, or a small grand down in the main lobby. He could crack out a good hymn with ease. As Parkinson disease began to affect his speech, music, he suggested, was even more significant. In the last months of Paul Holmer's life it was arranged for a music therapist to come to his room and play Bach and some familiar hymns on a classical guitar. This was deeply appreciated and warmly received.
One ordinary Saturday afternoon at this residence, a part time nursing aide, a middle age woman who was wheeling another patient around, came over, stood next to the piano, and in a beautiful, operatically trained voice filled the room with the Spanish words to the hymns she had apparently learned as a child in Mexico, all the while fluently and expertly accompanied by a speechless Dr. Holmer. The large television set in the room fell quiet. (Well, I did have control of the remote.) Tears were in people's eyes; it was a moment of epiphany. This part-time, itinerant aide, probably working at the minimum wage, said she hadn't sung a note since her husband died many years ago.
For many students, Paul Holmer and his fellow professor Nils Dahl (New Testament) were proof that it was normal to believe in the revelation of God’s Word, to trust in Christ, and ignore the scoffers.
Our faith is grounded in the work of Christ and our righteousness comes from Him alone, by God’s grace.
The Blind Man
The details of this miracle are worth noting. A blind man heard the tumult of Jesus passing nearby. He asked who it was. The crowd said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” There is no Messianic title in that response. The blind man must have heard about Jesus, because he had faith in His divine power. Some rabbinic teachers have been known for miraculous healing. The blind man called out to Jesus, not to an ordinary man, not to a rabbi, but to the Jewish Messiah, “Jesus thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”
The crowd rebuked the blind man, giving us a hint of irony. The crowd could see but they were blind to Jesus being the Messiah. The blind man did not have ordinary vision, but he had that sight which only comes through faith.
Jesus commanded the blind man to come over and asked what he wanted. The blind man wanted to see.
Jesus said something the UOJ fanatics would not want to hear:
Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
Faith in Christ means receiving the benefits freely, that is, graciously bestowed on all who trust only in Him. Believers receive the complete forgiveness of their sin, the fruits of the Spirit, and many blessings. The greatest blessing is seeing what God offers in His wisdom.
