Quinquagesima Sunday, 2015. Luke 18:31-43

Quinquagesima Sunday, 2015

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

The Hymn #27    O Bless the Lord                    4:21

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 Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 305:1-5               Soul Adorn Thyself             4:23

 The Sermon - Isaiah 53 and Luke 18

The Hymn # 305:6-9                             Soul, Adorn Thyself             4:23

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 #657               Beautiful Savior                    4:24   

The Epistle. 1 Corinthians 13

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. 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. 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. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 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. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 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. 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. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The Gospel. St. Luke 18. 31-43

THEN Jesus 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. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David. have mercy on me. 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. And Jesus stood. and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Quinquagesima Sunday

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.

Isaiah 53 and Luke 18

Traditionally, the three Sundays before Lenten were spiritual preparation for the season of Lent. When people want to get away from those old Medieval Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, they also abandon the Scriptural foundations for emphasizing the atoning death and resurrection of Christ. Lent and Easter are condensed to Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

What matters is not so much the actual traditions but the replacement of worthwhile and edifying services with happy-clappy entertainment. The non-liturgical Evangelicals were the first to move into entertainment, and they were copying the style of the Pentecostals.

I am no expert of what all the non-liturgical  Evangelicals and Pentecostals did long ago, but now they are united with the Lutherans in these characteristics:

1. Elimination of the traditional liturgical Sunday names.
2. Cutting out the liturgy and making Holy Communion an extra service.
3. Replacing hymn singing with paid entertainment on the stage.

Evangelicals are now bemoaning what they led the nation in doing. They no longer have participation in Gospel singing, replacing it with passive listening to highly paid worship teams. People form these worship teams and rock groups money as they travel from congregation to congregation, being booked in advance, paid large amounts of money, and expected to witness (preach) to the congregations.

THEN Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them

In some cases, Jesus spoke only to one, such as Peter, or to the inner circle often mentioned - Peter, James, and John. In this instance Jesus taught all twelve. They had a considerable education in what should be expected in the future, but they did not grasp it. 

Often people discuss this same characteristic of all people, no matter what the subject matter. "I never saw it happening." Some will add, "All the signs were there, but I did not acknowledge it to myself." When financial bubbles build up, someone noted, everyone sees green flags When the bubble has burst, they realize the green flags - go, go, go - were really red flags at that time - no, no, no.

However, even though the words seemed to fly past the 12, they were the basis for their future ministry. The Holy Spirit brought the words to mind and they saw how the Old Testament was the entire foundation for their Gospel work.

Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.

This is an important concept, often neglected. Everything was already in the Scriptures about Jesus. In fact, Jesus as the Angel of the Lord was already in their reading, their study, their worship. The Angel of the Lord spoke from the Burning Bush (Two Natures in Christ) and revealed the Name of God. In John 8, Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I AM." He reflected upon His Name as the great I AM.

When Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord, he called the place Peniel, because he saw God face to face. But an angel is not God, is he? Not unless He is the Angel of the Lord, the Son of God before the Incarnation.

All the events revealed by God through the prophets would be revealed, whether the disciples or anyone else believed or not. But they were revealed through the prophets to establish faith and to provide the foundation of the Gospel. The Gospel consists of the Promises and Blessings of God. Although the Gospel is condensed by John 3:16, it is also involves all the aspects of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ.

For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

These are the exact details of the suffering of Christ. They were so different and terrible that they did not sink in when first taught. And when they took place, the disciples scattered in fear. And yet. they became the Gospel narrative, showing how the words of Jesus were fulfilled.

And these fulfill what Isaiah 53 taught for centuries before the words were fulfilled.

Isaiah 53 - 

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

So, Isaiah not only described the suffering, but suffering for a purpose - to pay for our sins, to heal us with forgiveness.

And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

Until their faith was more complete, more informed, the disciples did not recognize this as the heart of the Gospel. Some are still arrested at this point today, and the wolf-preachers like them to stay that way. They think of the Gospel only in terms of typical human happiness. That is portrayed to them (rather sketchily) and nothing materialistic is challenged.

As Luther said, people like wolf preaches and flock to them. So God let's their flocks be chastised and used up. as they are when they suffer from their lords and masters and give up everything for the empire being built.

And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 

The second part demonstrates the kind of faith we should have, because a blind man saw what others missed. He knew from hearing the spreading of the Gospel that Jesus fulfilled the Promises of the Messiah.

And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David. have mercy on me. 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.

Jesus itself was a common name, but they identified one specific Jesus, not giving the title the blind man was willing to shout out. He saw Jesus as the promised Messiah, so he cried out "Son of David, have mercy!" They did not like this, those people without faith, but they could not stop him. He had faith and that faith saw no opposition that could stop him. He cried out even more.

Luther:

10. First, he hears that Christ was passing by, he had also heard of him before, that Jesus of Nazareth was a kind man, and that he helps every one who only calls upon him. His faith and confidence in Christ grew out of his hearing; so he did not doubt but that Christ would also help him. But such faith in his heart he would not have been able to possess had he not heard and known of Christ; for faith does not come except by hearing.

11. Secondly, he firmly believes and doubts not but that it was true what he heard of Christ, as the following proves. Although he does not yet see nor know Christ, and although he at once knew him, yet he is not able to see or know whether Christ had a heart and will to help him; but he immediately believed, when he heard of him; upon such a noise and report he founded his confidence, and therefore he did not make a mistake.

12. Thirdly, in harmony with his faith, he calls on Christ and prays, as St.

Paul in Romans 10:13-14 wrote: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed.” Also, “Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

This also shows that the Gospel is revealed especially to the poor, the broken, the afflicted. The great, wise, and powerful do not identify with the suffering of Christ. Not only is it difficult for them, but they associate with those who also see the Gospel as being weak and insignificant for them - a crutch they do not need.

And Jesus stood. and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Those who call upon the Name of Christ have their prayers answered. That takes faith in Him, which the blind man had without seeing, only hearing.

So many said, "We need to see another miracle to believe." They already saw miracles that no one else had seen, but they wanted more. All the blind man had to do was hear and he believed. 

As Luther implied - Faith comes from hearing the Gospel Word preached. That is my New Revised Amplified Living Jackson Version. Once again there is a direct connection with Isaiah 53.

53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord

revealed?

This is the basis for Romans 10 - when the report (sermon, Word) is preached and heard, faith grows from the Holy Spirit's work in the Word. Those who believe have their sins forgiven. Salvation comes to those who receive forgiveness through faith, by the grace and mercy of God.