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| By Norma Boeckler |
The Twenty-Third Sunday
after Trinity, 2011
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10
AM Central Time
The Hymn # 1 O Day of Rest and Gladness 1:89
The Confession
of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The
Gospel
Glory be to
Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon
Hymn # 261 Lord Keep Us Steadfast 1:93
The Powerful, Effective Word
The Communion
Hymn #413 I Walk in Danger 1:67
The Preface p.
24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 49 Almighty God 1:81
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 49 Almighty God 1:81
KJV Ephesians 6:10 Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on
the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take
unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt
about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God:
KJV John 4:46 So Jesus came
again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a
certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus
was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he
would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48 Then
said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49
The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50 Jesus saith
unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus
had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his
servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired
he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday
at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at
the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself
believed, and his whole house. 54 This is again the second miracle that
Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
Twenty-First Sunday After Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Son hast promised
us the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and everlasting life: We beseech
Thee, do Thou by Thy Holy Spirit so quicken our hearts that we in daily prayer
may seek our help in Christ against all temptations, and, constantly believing
His promise, obtain that for which we pray, and at last be saved, through Thy
Son Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one
true God, world without end. Amen.
The Powerful, Effective Word
Lenski:
He came, therefore, again unto Cana of Galilee, where he
made the water wine. He took up the work where he had left it. The second
miracle in Galilee was wrought at the same place where the first had been done.
The first had prepared the ground, the second builds on that. And there was
a certain royal official, whose son was sick at Capernaum. The report of
Jesus’ arrival spread rapidly also to the larger city of Capernaum.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel.
Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 347.
The Gospel of John emphasizes the miracles of Jesus and
their connection with the Word. The miracles verify the divine power of Jesus,
and the spoken Word of Jesus accomplishes each one (as seen in the first three
Gospels as well).
The miracles were often public and difficult for anyone to
deny. The public nature shows how God chose to let everyone know about His Son,
the Messiah. The very first miracle was the changing of water into wine, by the
command of Jesus.
The character of each miracle teaches a different lesson.
The water turned into wine showed Jesus touching nothing, so no one could
accuse Him of using tricks. Even today many things that appear miraculous are
just tricks. One magician made pages turn by blowing toward a book and moving
away. The slow-motion camera showed him sending a puff of wind, getting up and
away, and being “shocked” by the page turning.
The trick begins by making people think they are going to
see something. They see the illusion and the trickster acts shocked, amazed,
and joyful. Some mind-reading tricks are blatantly obvious.
I made smoke come out of my fingers by putting a sticky
substance on them. When I pulled my fingers apart, filaments formed, which
looked like smoke from a distance. The audience is told, “You will see smoke,”
and they see smoke.
Therefore, in the water turned into wine, Jesus did not
touch anything but had the people at the wedding do things which made each part
of the miracle impervious to attack. And many people participated in the final
results.
More than one trick involves changing the color of water,
but that does not make it wine. The guests all enjoy the wine and even
complained that the best wine was served last.
John 4:46 So Jesus came
again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a
certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
Royal official’s son:
This miracle shows how public Jesus’ ministry was, involving
the crowds but also the elite. The Word and work of Jesus went out to all
classes of people, to all groups, so no one had an excuse.
The nobleman worked for the tetrarch or local king. He was
literally a royal official. Therefore, whatever happened reached the entire
royal household. That created believers in Christ but it also began the
opposition.
People in power react quickly to extinguish any threat to
their comfort, security, and peace of mind. One historian pointed out that
these people had to be ruthless, because anything short of that quality meant
an end to the reign of that person.
America’s freedom is derived from a series of bad kings in
England. The more they tried to hang onto their power, the more Parliament reduced
their power and rebelled against them (the Stuarts, starting with King James
I). The turmoil led to people moving to America for religious freedom, which
was defined in the US Constitution. The irony is that we owe our freedom to
kings who dishonestly tried to make England Roman Catholic again.
Although we can pass over this man’s title easily, the word
has great significance. Because he was connected with the local king, he had
contacts with all the leaders of society – ruling families, servants, and
soldiers.
John 4:47 When he heard that
Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him
that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
In most cases, Jesus was
there for the miracle. Jesus even offered to visit the centurion’s household to
heal that servant.
KJV Matthew 8:5 And when
Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching
him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously
tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The
centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come
under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I
am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man,
Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do
this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and
said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great
faith, no, not in Israel.
The royal official’s son was
at the point of death. He believed in Jesus and trusted that He would heal his
son. In this case, Jesus did not offer to visit the son. Instead, he seemed to
be rebuking the sorrowing man.
48 Then said Jesus unto him,
Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
Here the problem with our
current use of “you.” Following the German “du”, thou was always 2nd
person singular. But “you” can be singular or plural. Greek always
distinguishes between the two, both in the pronoun and the verb ending.
Then Jesus said to him,
“Unless y’all see miracles and wonders, y’all will not believe.” (Jackson
Living Bible)
The rebuke is aimed at
everyone around. The problem was that people believed as long as they saw great
wonders, but their faith stopped there. As soon as any difficulty came up, even
in teaching, they walked away for these were “hard sayings.” In fact, many
Gospel narratives include hard sayings, which make people erupt in accusations against
God’s Word. These are tests of faith, because God is offering His whole
counsel, not just what pleases us at the moment.
49 The nobleman saith unto
him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
The royal official clearly
had no concept of the unlimited power of the Word, but his continued request
shows his continued faith.
Jesus never turned down a
request made to Him. The scoffers like to accuse Him of harshness and coldness.
But responding 100% of the time is not harsh, not cold. He healed and He taught
at the same time.
We can see the man’s faith
in his response to the next statement
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go
thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken
unto him, and he went his way.
At first the official
believed in the power of Jesus when the Savior was physically present. After
the rebuke to the crowd and Jesus’ assurance, he believed in the power of the
Word.
John 16:8 reveals that the
power of the Holy Spirit in the Word is to rebuke us for our unbelief – that we
do not completely trust in Christ.
Just to prove that the Holy
Spirit still needs to work among us with the Word, many ministers and laity
think that convicting the world of sin means – gambling, drinking, dancing,
doing drugs, and criticizing the synod.
And yet, Jesus defined sin
quite clearly - KJV John 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
However, because of their
hardness of heart, many have turned faith in Christ into a heresy, a sin.
The royal official trusted
in Jesus so completely that he headed toward home. He believed Jesus’ Word
would heal his deathly ill son. That is complete trust.
Lenski:
In other words: “It is not at all necessary for me to go to
Capernaum to save thy child’s life, not necessary that I should thus prolong
thy suspense and anxiety—right here and now I grant thy prayer and give thee
thy little son’s life.” Thus Jesus now corrects the man’s poor notion about
hurrying to the child’s side and he does it with one stroke. The power to heal
lies in the person of Jesus—where else could it lie? It is a matter of his will
and his word, not one of inches or miles. Jesus gives the man only his word and
even that in the tersest form, “Thy son lives”—not a syllable more. On him who
speaks this little word, and on the little word this person speaks, the man is
thus bidden to rest his faith. On paper, and as we read it from the printed
page, it does seem little—too little; yet as there spoken by Jesus it was
mighty, it bore all the power of Jesus’ will, a divine pledge, an unconditional
assurance, an absolute promise. As such it struck upon the man’s heart full of
faith-kindling power.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel.
Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 351
As Lenski observed, Jesus was especially gracious. Instead
of letting the man travel back home in anguish, depending on the arrival of
Jesus – a trip that would have been slowed by crowds eager to find out, his son
was immediately released from death.
51 And as he was now going
down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52
Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto
him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew
that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son
liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 54 This is again the
second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into
Galilee.
These verses show that the
boy recovered the moment Jesus spoke the Word of Promise to the father.
The son lived and the entire
household believe – adults, children, and servants, and their babies. The
Scriptures never deprive babies of faith. They also believe in Christ. Their
faith is the ideal. They do not stop to puzzle, “How can such things be?”
The Power of Word of
Forgiveness
This is one of many miracles
teaching the power of the Word. There could be many fewer miracles of healing.
Many more took place without being recorded. Some were simply summarized in
groups.
This Gospel helps us see
what it means to say, “The Word pronounces forgiveness upon believers. The Word
consecrates the elements.”
All the objections are
rationalistic objections. Or they come from doubt.
That is why we look at the
Word of God as a whole, not just from a fragment of one verse. The apostles did
not preach on a fragment. The epistles were not read in half-verses.
This what every believer
needs to know about this lesson. How do I know that my sins are forgiven? There
are so many and so many types. Some seem to be too terrible to be forgiven.
The answer comes from this
miracle of healing. The boy was dying in a distant city. Jesus said, “Your son
is healed,” and he was healed.
Jesus says, “Your sins are
forgiven,” and they are forgiven all believers.
Repentance is important, and
the Law begins that work. But the Law does not pronounce forgiveness. The
Gospel shows us the Father’s grace.
And the Holy Spirit says, in
effect, “You do not believe this? You doubt the overwhelming grace of God. You
doubt the completeness of the crucified and risen Christ?
And in a positive sense,
believing is forgiveness. Not the faith of theologians who quibble and fight,
the faith of little children, who trust and love Jesus with unqualified joy.
How could Jesus heal a
deathly ill boy from a distance?
Any child will answer,
“Because He is God.”
How can the Word consecrate
the elements and forgive our sins? Because it is the will of the holy, Triune
God.
Quotations on Forgiveness
TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY
AFTER TRINITY
Forgiveness; November 8,
1998
"If the
question is put, 'Why did God ordain so many means of grace when one suffices
to confer upon the sinner His grace and forgiveness?' we quote the reply of
Luther who writes (Smalcald Articles, IV: 'The Gospel not merely in one way
gives us counsel and aid against sin, for God is superabundantly rich in His
grace. First through the spoken Word, by which the forgiveness of sins is
preached in the whole world, which is the peculiar office of the Gospel.
Secondly through Baptism. Thirdly through the holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Fourthly through the power of the keys and also through the mutual conversation
and consolation of brethren, Matthew 18:20.'"
John Theodore Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of
Doctrinal Theology, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 447.
"For now we are only half pure and holy, so that the Holy
Ghost has ever [some reason why] to continue His work in us through the Word,
and daily to dispense forgiveness, until we attain to that life where there
will be no more forgiveness, but only perfectly pure and holy people, full of
godliness and righteousness, removed and free from sin, death, and all evil, in
a new, immortal, and glorified body."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article
III, #58, Concordia Triglotta,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p.
418.
Dr. Luther, Large Catechism: "Again: With this Word you can
strengthen your conscience and say: If a hundred thousand devils, together with
all fanatics, should rush forward, crying, How can bread and wine be the body
and blood of Christ? I know that all spirits and scholars together are not as
wise as is the Divine Majesty in His little finger. Now, here stands the Word
of Christ: 'Take, eat; this is My body. Drink ye all of this'...Here we abide,
and would like to see those who will constitute themselves His masters, and
make it different from what He has spoken."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article VII,
Lord's Supper, 22, Concordia
Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 979. Tappert, p.
573.
"The objection that absolution is God's prerogative (Mark
2:7) is beside the mark, since the minister forgives sins not in his own name,
but in God's name."
Th. Engelder, et. al., Popular Symbolics, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 113.
"Wherever the means of grace are present, there the Lord
Himself is present, and where the Lord rules there is victory. The true
doctrine of justification is intimately bound up with the true doctrine of the
means of grace. In order to keep the doctrine of justification in all its
purity, one must ever maintain that the forgiveness of sins which Christ earned
for mankind can never be appropriated by man through any other means than the
Word and the Sacrament. Therefore, Walther said, the correct doctrine on
justification stands or falls with the correct doctrine concerning the means of
grace."
Edwin E. Pieplow, "The Means of
Grace," The Abiding Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 327.
V. Mueller Catechism:
"Although the work of redemption was accomplished on the
cross and forgiveness of sin acquired, yet it cannot come to us in any other
way than through the Word. For what would we otherwise know about it that such
a thing was accomplished or was to be given to us if it were not presented by
preaching, or the oral Word?"
Eduard Preuss, "The Means of
Grace," The Justification
of the Sinner before God, trans., Julius A. Friedrich, Chicago: F.
Allerman, 1934, p. 59.
"If we
call Sacraments rites which have the command of God, and to which the promise
of grace has been added, it is easy to decide what are properly
Sacraments...Therefore Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Absolution, which is the
Sacrament of Repentance, are truly Sacraments. For these rites have God's
command and the promise of grace, which is peculiar to the New Testament. For
when we are baptized, when we eat the Lord's body, when we are absolved, our
hearts must be firmly assured that God truly forgives us for Christ's sake. And
God, at the same time, by the Word and by the rite, moves hearts to believe and
conceive faith, just as Paul says, Romans 10:17: 'Faith cometh by hearing.' But
just as the Word enters the ear in order to strike our heart, so the rite
itself strikes the eye, in order to move the heart. The effect of the Word and
of the rite is the same..."
[Luther, Bab Captivity, 3 sacraments]
Article XIII, Number/Use Sacraments, Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 309. Tappert, p. 211.
"These are the last and mad times of a world grown old."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent,
trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p.
50.
"Contrition
is altogether necessary in those who truly and earnestly repent. For there can
be no true repentance in those who, persuaded of their own holiness, dream that
they are without sin, or who disregard, minimize, excuse, cloak, and defend
their sins, despise or ridicule the divine threats, do not care about the wrath
of God, are not moved by His judgment and displeasure, and therefore persevere
and continue in sins against their conscience, delight in sins, and seek and
seize occasions for sinning and for whatever they intentionally heap up without
the fear of God--in them, I say, there can be no true repentance...."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of
Trent, trans., Fred Kramer,
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p.
581.
"We
have now sowed a little of the Word, and this the devil cannot stand, for he
never sleeps; the worms and the beetles will come and infect it. Yet so it must
be, Christ will prove His Word, and examine who have received it and who not.
Therefore let us remain on the right road to the kingdom of Christ, and not go
about with works and urge and force the works of the law, but only with the
words of the Gospel which comfort the conscience: Be happy, be of good cheer,
thy sins are forgiven."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8
vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p.
201.
"Regret, the little black dog of a belated repentance, does
not stop barking and biting the conscience, even though you know your sins are
forgiven."
What Luther Says, An Anthology,
3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p.
1214. Genesis 37:18-20.
"But
the sinners who confess their sins, and are repentant, who wish they had not so
angered God, who find all their concern and sorrow in the fact that they have
offended God and have not kept His Commandments and, therefore, pray for
grace--these sinners shall find grace."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p.
694.
"Also the objection that there is no need of offering and
confirming to Christians one and the same forgiveness of sins in several ways
betrays an astonishing ignorance. Both Scripture and experience teach that men
who feel the weight of their sins find nothing harder to believe than the
forgiveness of their sins. Hence repetition of the assurance of the forgiveness
of sins in various ways through the means of grace meets a practical need of
Christians."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols.,
trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953,
III, p. 114.
