Mid-Week Lenten Service, 2017. The Atonement Is the Gospel

Jesus Before the High Priest, by Norma Boeckler

The Hymn #649        Jesus Savior Pilot Me

The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody                                                         p. 124
The Lections                            The Passion History

                                               

The Sermon Hymn #153   Stricken, Smitten

The Sermon –    The Atonement Is the Gospel

 
The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymn # 554   Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow

16 αλλ ου παντες υπηκουσαν τω ευαγγελιω - ησαιας γαρ λεγει κυριε τις επιστευσεν τη ακοη ημων?
Romans 10:17 αρα η πιστις εξ ακοης - η δε ακοη δια ρηματος θεου

Note above - Greek students - 

who has believed our akoue (sermon, report)?

Faith comes from the akoue, 

and the akoue from the utterances of God.

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

Long before anyone imagined this, the Jewish people and those attracted to Judaism were taught about the Atonement. Isaiah is one of the most read prophets and has a special status for its great pronouncements, which include the Virgin Birth and the divinity of Christ in Isaiah 7 and 9. What better way to lay a foundation for the atonement than by animal sacrifice, the importance of Passover, and the reading of this chapter?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

What so many forget is this simple truth - the Atonement is the Gospel. Some deny it outright, and they are the mainline theologians of apostasy. The systematic theology of Braaten-Jenson denies and mocks the Atonement, but they were the "conservatives" (don't laugh) trying to keep ELCA talking about theology when others thought it was meaningless. The Gospel is this - Jesus has died for the sins of the world and for yours. There is no other way to be forgiven and saved that to believe in this truth. The wrath of God abides with all those who are unbelievers, but God loves those who believe in the Atonement of His beloved son.

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.

When we look at the facts of the Atonement, the horrible mockery, torture, and death of Christ, accompanied by mockery and abandonment, we see the full price paid by Christ for our sins. The Gospel says - You are forgiven through faith because those are your sins laid upon Him. He bore your sins and paid for them. You cannot pay for them or pay Him back.

When we look at all the systems, ancient and modern, for self-justification, for righteousness earned by works, then we understand what a great message of grace this is. Faith takes away the payment by works. Faith takes away the abiding sense of guilt fashioned by the works salesmen. When a contrite heart feels no relief, there is the crucifix - the price has been paid.

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

The New Testament teaches redemption two different ways. One is based on the marketplace - paying with His innocent blood, suffering, and death. The other meaning of redemption is setting the slave free (based on luo - to loose).

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.

This chapter is so important in the New Testament that most of it is reproduced when the various citations are added up. We could easily say this is central for the Gospel in the New Testament, and many use this as the Gospel for Jewish people, because it comes right from their teaching and worship.

That is why I find teaching the Old Testament so easy, since everything is a setting for the Gospel, such as the many Psalms teaching the work of the Messiah and Psalm 22 as the Atonement psalm. If we look at denial of the basic articles of faith by the modernists, the Old Testament is a resounding repudiation of their unbelieving and uncomprehending claims. No better proof can be found of such people blinding themselves and hardening themselves through the efficacious power of the Word. The more they deny the revealed truth, the more they hate and mock it.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The purpose of the Atonement is clear. We are like sheep, going this way and that way, getting lost, messing up so many different things - and yet the Lord placed all those sins on Him.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

This is a perfect description of the trial and death of Christ. He had all power to escape and to destroy His opponents, but He willingly died for us - instead. He warned them so they would know what they were doing. In the midst of this horror, faith bloomed, and the centurion said - Surely this man was the Son of God.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

This is one of clearest examples of how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah many centuries after people heard these verses over and over again. He was crucified with criminals and yet He was buried in a rich man's grave.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

This is the triumph of the Gospel. What seemed to be a horrible tragedy for the disciples and all the followers became a cosmic victory over sin, death, and the devil. No matter how sin grieves us, this cross is the ultimate comfort. God has forgiven and forgotten the sins of all believers. This gives up peace of mind, because we realize that tormenting ourselves is really against the Gospel of the Atonement. It is like saying, "You have not done enough. I will torture myself until I feel I have done enough to deserve forgiveness. In fact, I may never forgive myself." That by itself is a denial of the Atonement. The sin against the Holy Spirit is not an individual sin as such, what we normally name, but denying faith in Christ at the time we die. And of course, any denial of Christ and His Atone is a sin against the Holy Spirit, but many repent. That should always be emphasized.

Not carnal sin, but unbelief is the foundation of all sin, as Jesus taught.

Christina Jackson Recovering Fast

 Photofunia creation by Eric Meyer

The surgeon talked to my wife Christina. They were all astounded that the tests came back all clear. The sentinel cell was clear, and that was not what they expected. The other tests were the same - no movement of the cancer cells.

She is recovering fast, getting some exercise and going out for short trips.

Thank you for your prayers. She received hundreds of responses on Facebook.

That Magical Time of Spring Has Arrived

 "Aren't roses a lot of trouble?"
Yes, if you chemo-bomb them all the time.
Veteran's Honor Rose - in memory of Peter Ellenberger,
military veteran, immigrant, proud American,
one of five in his family who served the US military.

We had a couple of cold snaps and one more seems to be on the way. After a short drought we starting having long, drenching rains, four and five inches at a time.

The mother of all Crepe Myrtles is preparing to bloom again.

Some plants begin to leave out a little later. One is the Crepe Myrtle, which seems to take forever to bloom. Once the blooming begins, the display lasts all summer, especially if it gets a second pruning.

Red-white blooms on the new CMs will be fun to watch.

The old plant was pruned of its seedy branches earlier, and five little twigs were planted at the same time. I bought three CMs on sale, and received five, so I have a row of four on the west side of the rose garden, one in the backyard to serve as the waiting room for the kitchen window birdfeeder. They received another rainfall last night.

I loved seeing the new Crepe Myrtles leafing out. Even though I soaked them in rainwater for 24 hours before planting, I had planter's remorse afterwards. They arrived in early February, so I have waiting for their leafing out for two months. Week after week I saw little sticks in the soil, but now the leaves give hope again.

Soil temperature triggers plant growth. I noticed the opportunistic weeds sprouting and feeding the bees from the beginning. The spreading mints are coloring lawns all over, including my little patch in the back, where it did not grow before. I seem to have a crop of ajuga, which spreads far too easily.

 Mountain Mint is a good mint,
loved by beneficial insects.

Bird Habits
The birds are comfortable with our proximity to their food. I can go to the kitchen sink and have a male cardinal close enough to touch - except for the window between us. He munches on a few more sunflower seeds and flies off, but he gets his food first. The birds are no longer so shy that they escape as soon as we are near.

The finches often line up on the sides of the hanging feeders, all of them feeding at once. They use the two swings all day, so that brings them even closer.

The birds have their favorite baths. Two ponds form near our house, in the street, so we see them splashing there after each storm. I keep three children's swimming pools clean and full in the backyard, plus numerous shallow dishes for birds and other creatures.

Whatever happens with the weather and plants, the creatures share it and make sure the food is used in many different ways. Birds eat and plant their favorite foods at the same time, so gathering places provide extra meals over time. If food is spoiled and not worth eating, smaller creatures will recycle it. Earthworms pull organic matter into the soil. Bacteria attacks soft cells and fungi burrow into more resilient structures.

The soil under the main feeder became so soft from the organic deluge that I placed some concrete blocks there so I could stand and fill the feeders. The earthworms began holding conventions there and moles showed up to eat and gather them.

That is one of the ironies of creature populations. The opponents clear up so many of them that the consumed populations have room to reproduce and re-plenish. Rapid growth of bacteria allows for quick decomposition, so protozoa and others move in to enjoy the bacteria, the staff of life for them. Bacteria have room to grow again because so many become food.

The root fungi reach out to burrow into wood and share the nutrients with plants. The plants demand certain items they need and give fungi carbon in return. Soil scientists realized this about fungi only a few years ago.

Wind in the Willows treated moles well.

In Seattle, everyone is agog about Bertha, the giant earth-moving machine that is boring a hole underground for a new tunnel. What engineering! What genius to create such a machine! And yet billions of earthworms do the same before we even ask how this can be. Inside each earthworm a team of bacterial convert the organic matter - food for the earthworm, food for the plant roots. The earthworm sweetens the soil with its calcium glands and adds nitrogen compounds the plants need.

Funny how people look at Bertha videos, take earthworms for granted, and despise moles. Their moles are also perfectly designed tunneling machines. Their fur allows them to swim forward and backward through the soil. Their digging is Herculean because they are all muscle and claw. By gathering earthworms into banks of a thousand or more, moles provide room for more earthworms and concentrate the nutrition provided by their bodies.

 The birds scatter the seed while feeding,
so they clean up the extra that lands on the window sill
or the ground. "Nothing is wasted" as someone observed
about the fragments gathered after the miraculous feeding.

If You Like Hymns - Try This Link to a Zillion of Them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BguyDb1xrrk

All styles of hymns are sung, with many arrangements.

Countering Synodical Thinking with Critical Thinking - Final Draft.

 The Intrepids met only once, because SP Schroeder,
who wanted a lobby on his side, to counter Mark Jeske,
was peeved that some members and clergy
were thinking on their own.

Many people reacted favorably to the post on critical thinking, a topic I taught many times. Training in critical thinking was required for other courses I taught at the undergraduate level. The subject often comes up in higher education, seldom in the Lutheran synods.

We take for granted what is normally practiced in the American legal system, but that is an outgrowth of many developments. In an absolute monarchy, officials could arrest someone, find him guilty, and punish him. Separating the police from the prosecution - having trials with evidence judged by juries, with a judge presiding - protected citizens against tyranny.

Language has a much longer history. Logical fallacies were examined and refuted in ancient Greece and the Republic of Rome. Many of them are based on the relevance of facts. When I told a learning team, "Oh, you're from Mesa? That explains everything," they went crazy. It had nothing to do with the discussion, but it played on their insecurities. My goal was to help them see through transparent fallacies so they could refute them, such as saying to me, "That has nothing to do with the topic."

Synod politicians often give in to manipulation, deception, and logical fallacies. They use the threat of force - or bribery - to get what they want.

Countering Synodical Thinking
For entertainment, one reader brings up my name - just to hear a ten-minute rant from WELS pastors. One layman heard that I did not know any Greek, so I asked him, "You have Thy Strong Word (first edition)?" Yes he did. "Is there a lot of Greek in the book?" Yes, there is. "How did I accomplish that, without knowing Greek?"

Now he could say, "I take Greek lessons from Bethany Lutheran Church, every Thursday."

Baptists at Baylor? Where?
The entire board - minus a few slots? No kidding!

ELDONUT Busted at Baylor
One ELDONUT priest claimed that Baylor Babtist University was not Babtist. (Note for northern liberals who talk funny - Southern Baptists call themselves Babtists.)

To refute this counter-claim, I went to the source. How many people do that today?

Baylor was founded as a Babtist school, and they call themselves Baptist. Of course, that is de-emphasized in their PR materials, but who uses PR as evidence? That is like believing the synod president's report - or worse - Lutheran Witness or Forward in Christ.

The best piece of evidence came from the Baylor site. They will now allow up to 25% of the board to be non-Baptist! I could picture a board meeting where someone like me makes a suggestion and 75% of the board begins ring-knocking with their school rings, thumping on the table to show the chairman, "We will decide this." That image tickled my funny-bone.

Ridiculous denials are easily countered today with a little searching on Google. That requires curiosity and a little practice.

Biblical Evidence
Those who study a good Bible translation (KJV) are trained by the Holy Spirit, as Luther wrote. False teachers cannot stand up to questioning from the Word of God, so they flatter others or have fits to intimidate them.

Several models of study are worth following. Luther's sermons and lectures are explorations of the Word itself, not a combination of claims from this expert or that. Likewise, the Book of Concord is a one-volume commentary on the Scriptures - rather than an effort to support a denomination.

Chemnitz and Melanchthon's works are also clear and compelling essays about the Word of God. As great as these authors all, we still have an obligation as ministers and laity to know the Scriptures ourselves and not enslave ourselves by comparing opinions.

The Two Rules
Some ancient epigrams about Scriptural study are worth following:

1. Scripture interprets Scripture.
2. The bright passages shed light on the verses we find to be dark.

If God teaches one matter so clearly in one passage that no one can deny this truth, then those verses will help us with other passages. For instance, the Holy Trinity is named and declared so clearly in the Great Commission that doubts and questions are easily answered in other parts of the Bible. That may seem to be an odd question for many, but the chief theologian of UOJ, Knapp, did not think the Trinity was Biblical. 

The same can be said about Justification by Faith. Paul leaves no doubt about Justification by Faith in Romans 4 and the opening to Romans 5. Does anyone think that in the midst of his inspired oration about Justification by Faith that the Apostle taught Justification without Faith? - as the UOJ Stormtroopers insist. To follow their schizophrenic path, one must conclude that the Holy Spirit moved Paul to contradict himself every few verses.

Shouting out a verse or a fragment of a verse to support a dubious claim is typical of the Evangelical sects and cults. I stopped seeing "Raised for our justification!" when I examined the phrase from Romans 4 in its context. So pitiful to find LCMS-ELS-LCMS clergy involved in such antics.

And no - it does not matter who your daddy was. Nor does it matter who has what degrees from what school and wrote which books. When clergy and laity play top-dog about their human authorities, it is time to back away, as we would from a herd of cows with bovine viral diarrhea.

Likewise, it is a grave mistake to speak as though a synod's edicts have some infallible claim on the truth. Those solemn pronouncements are the result of political scheming, like various statements from the LCMS crafted in the hopes of merging with the ALC. I understand that was the purpose of the 1932 Brief Statement from Missouri. But now, whatever the purpose, that 1932 B.S. is treated as the final word on the Scriptures, even though the citations about Justification are laughable.

Not Against Research and Human Authorities

The Babtists like to say "The Bobble Only" and "No Creed but the Bobble!" and even "The continuing revelation of the Bible" (Northern, liberal Baptists). Those efforts are attempts to enforce a pre-determined dogmatic outcome. "You must be born again" is equivalent to "Raised for our justification!" - a phrase not supported by careful examination of its context, as students of our congregation's Greek class realize.

The synods seem feverishly in favor of promoting their own magazines and their most recent, high-priced publications. WELS has an amusing fixation on its own Holy of Holies - The Essay File, now a websty with hundreds of dreadful works of self-praise and false doctrine. 

Essays by a confessed atheist, a former Missouri and WELS pastor? - no problem when its from a Church Growth advocate! 

What about a WELS professor caught in false doctrine who retired in The ALC? - no problem, he was fanatical for UOJ!

All research should be balanced, looking at opposing opinions and representing them fairly. That is why the best collection of UOJ statements can be found in a book against UOJ and Church Growth - Thy Strong Word. Nothing is quite so appalling as reading what the UOJists write to promote their hideous dogma.

As one obscure WELS pastor (E. Schaller) once wrote, it is not enough to deride false doctrine. One must examine the Biblical passages and teach them, not simply make grand statements, as Walther was fond of doing.

Retro Post from LaughQuest aka LutherQuest - A Websty Group Dedicated To Teaching Against Justification by Faith

False teachers are sharing this advice.

Question: A Lutheran friend is considering joining an Orthodox congregation. What are the most significant differences between Lutheranism and Orthodoxy?

Pastor Rolf David Preus: 
The Eastern Orthodox deny justification by faith alone. There are other differences, but this is the most signifant one.

***

GJ - Ba-da-bing.

 The Rolf Preus Synod broke with the ELDONUTs
because the ELS Pietists are opposed to Justification by Faith.
But at this point they got along great with ELDONA.

---

 "Does this beard look Eastern Orthodox?" -
Bishop James Heiser asked at the last ELDONUT conference.

 Yes.

Judica Sunday, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2017. John 8:46-59

Judica Sunday, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2017

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Savings Time

The Hymn #12                 This Day at Thy Creating Word                                     

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 #40            The God of Abram Praise

                          

The Great I AM

The Communion Hymn 311     Jesus Christ Our Blessed Savior - Huss

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 #410               Jesus Lead Thou On           

       

KJV Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee, that of Thine infinite mercy Thou hast instituted this Thy sacrament, in which we eat Thy body and drink Thy blood: Grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily, but that we may confess our sins, remember Thine agony and death, believe the forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain eternal salvation through Thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Great I AM

KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 

As Luther said in his sermons, the Books of Moses are the goldmine from which the New Testament draws the divinity of Christ. There is no greater proof of that claim than this passage from the Gospel of John, which draws from the Exodus and from the stories of the patriarch Abraham.

The teaching of Jesus involved a lot of argumentation, but not the normal kind that rationalists expect. For that reason they miss the point and mock what He is saying. The arguments center on Jesus as the Son of God and source of righteousness. No  one lacking faith can follow them. That also alerts us to a simple fact - Many church leaders are like the Pharisees of the past, dealing with the Word all the time but never believing it. 

In these verses, hearing means more than the sound of the words. We all listen without hearing, or is it - hear without listening? That is why Chemnitz wrote about listening in sincerity, that is, taking in the truth of God's Words, concentrating on them and receiving them as the truth of God's revelation.

Since the Books of Moses are a goldmine, we should treat each fleck as a flake of gold, as the miners did in California, washing down hills to extract the gold found in flakes.

If we read the Fourth Gospel carefully and repeat this action many times, we realize how much John is completely rooted in the Books of Moses, from John 1 explaining Genesis 1 onward. The serpent was lifted up, so must Jesus be lifted up. Abraham was the example of faith in Genesis 15, for believing God's great promises (not just the promise of a son) and Abraham is the turning point here.

Unbelievers cannot tolerate these words and reject them with scorn. They may be condescending and flattering at first. I have warned people to be just as cautious about the sugary soft tones as the raging red-faced dictator - both are signs of falsehood. 

Luther:

1. This Gospel teaches how hardened persons become the more furious, the more one teaches them and lovingly stirs them to do their duty. For Christ asks them here in a very loving way for a reason why they still disbelieve, since they can find fault neither with his life nor with his teaching. His life is blameless; for he defies them and says: “Which of you convicteth me of sin?” His teaching also is blameless; for he adds: “If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?” Thus Christ lives, as he teaches.

2. And every preacher should prove that he possesses both: first a blameless life, by which he can defy his enemies and no one may have occasion to slander his teachings; secondly, that he possesses the pure doctrine, so that he may not mislead those who follow him. And thus he will be right and firm on both sides: with his good life against his enemies, who look much more at life than at his doctrine, and despise the doctrine for the sake of the life; with his doctrine then for the kind of life he leads and will bear with his life for the sake of his teaching.

3. For it is indeed true that no one lives so perfect a life as to be without sin before God. Therefore it is sufficient that he be blameless in the eyes of the people. But his doctrine must be so good and pure as to stand not only before man but also before God.

48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

This is a beautiful insult from the religious leaders, delivered with great skill. "Are we not correct in calling you a despised Samaritan, a pseudo-Jew, and possessed by Satan?" (Note the connection to the Parable of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus is the Samaritan.)

The purpose of a personal attack is to enrage the target, but Jesus responds calmly, knowing there is nothing to the charge. His answer involves several truths:

• I am not possessed  - I honor God the Father, because I am the Son.
• You dishonor Me by these words.
• I am not glorifying myself but God, who will and does condemn you.

When an unbeliever mocks Jesus or the Word of God, he is not attacking the person but the Savior. "He who receives you, receives Me; he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me." Matthew 10

 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 

This is the greatest possible Gospel Promise, because death is the sum of all fears 

1. the fear of losing everything and everyone
2. the fear of living a meaningless life
3. the fear of the unknown.

The response show how powerful this Gospel Promise is, because of unfaith to faith is bound to be volcanic, when the Promise comes directly from the Savior.

52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

Although the response is boiling hot, every statement they deny is correct, so it is a type of warped confession, a confession in reverse, a denial of every point. The claims of Jesus prove to them He is demonic. That is important to realize in dealing with false teachers, because they react the same way.

Sometimes they run away and hide. At other times they use threats and bribery. When caught off-guard, they are clearly frightened. I confronted the two Fuller buddies in WELS, separately. One I asked, "Did you attend Fuller Seminary?" His face went all white and he was frightened. Valleskey denied it, but bragged about the fact later to his Church Growth pal in the CLC. The other admitted he went to Fuller and told how he used his great Fuller wisdom. I had some choice words to say about that, so Bivens went inside to sit with the ladies all evening. A pastor said, "That never happens, pastors do not sit with the wives." Later the braggart denied he ever went to Fuller.

Notice how the claim to being Abraham's descendants is irrelevant. Children by blood, because the faith of Jesus justifies. This is not a matter of genealogy in the flesh, but "from faith to faith." The faith of Jesus justifies because He accomplished all for us. Romans 3:22 KJV.

54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

Jesus warmed them up for a real sermon. These three verses are rather long, from a Gospel point of view, and they say a lot. The Father-Son relationship is crucial to the Fourth Gospel, elaborating on what is taught in the first three Gospels.

Matthew 11:27King James Version (KJV)27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Jesus is speaking a truth that they cannot bear, but it is consistent with everything taught in the Scriptures. He is not arguing but revealing. There is no argument here - that is, human reason cannot prove this or disprove it. From faith Jesus teaches for those who receive His message in faith. We might say that He spoke over the opposition to the believers. In this context we can understand more about His opponents and the false teachers of today, who do not trust the Word of God but fill the world with their words.

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.

This is I AM statement is Jesus as God Incarnate speaking to the Jews, even more certainly that the Burning Bush (a symbol of the Two Natures) spoke to Moses. What is your name, Moses asked. God answered, "I AM. Tell them I AM sent you." That Name transcends all the pagan deities, modeled after stars, the moon, who knows what. 

Jesus is teaching them about the Incarnation, predicted in Isaiah 7 and 9, as they knew well. God with us. The Mighty God. The Everlasting Father. The Prince of Peace.

This also shows us that every time Jesus said, "I AM," he was NOT saying "It's me," but "I AM GOD." Why did the soldiers fall backwards when He said, "I AM"? Because they felt the power of His divinity expressed. Why He say this when He walked on water and approached them? Because it was to give them faith that as God He could speak the Word and calm the sea, walk on water, turn water into wine, and give us His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sin.

Luther:

14. Therefore Christ proceeds farther and gives the ground and reason why it is just his Word and not the word of anyone else, that giveth life, and says it is because he was before Abraham, or in other words, because he was the one true God. For if the person who offered himself as a sacrifice for us were not God, it would not help or avail anything, even if he were born of the Virgin Mary and suffered a thousand deaths. But the fact that the Seed of Abraham, who gave himself for us, is also true God, secures blessing and victory for all sinners. Therefore Christ speaks, not of his human nature that they saw and experienced; for they could easily see he was not yet fifty years of age, and did not live before Abraham. But with that nature by which he existed long before the time of Abraham, by which he existed also before all creatures and before the whole world. Just as he was man according to his spiritual nature before Abraham, that is. in his Word and in the knowledge of faith was he in the saints; for they all knew and believed that Christ, as God and man, should suffer for us, as is written in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea and for ever;” and in the Revelation of John, 13:8: “The Lamb of God that hath been slain from the foundation of the world.” Yet now he is speaking here especially of his divine nature.

15. But here reason is terribly offended and becomes mad and furious because God should become man; this reason cannot harmonize and understand. And this is the article of faith to which the Jews still in our day can not reconcile themselves, hence they cannot cease their throwing stones and their blasphemy. But Christ also continues on the other hand to hide himself from them and to go out of their temple, so that they cannot see nor find him in the Scriptures, in which they search daily. Again, this narrative is not a little terror to all who are so foolhardy about the Scriptures and never approach them with a humble spirit. For even in our day it happens that many read and study in the Scriptures and yet they cannot find Christ, he is hid and has gone out of the temple. And how many there are who say with their mouth that God is become man, and yet they are without the Spirit in their hearts; who whenever tested, prove that they were never in real earnest. This is sufficient on this subject.

59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Opponents of the Gospel would like to kill, and they do so all over the world, but it is still illegal here. They use other methods to silence the Gospel. Jesus did not hide Himself away out of fear but prevented the ultimate confrontation, which was not yet time to fulfill. 

Going through the midst of them means that His divine nature was not limited by His human nature (both united in the One Person). That also teaches us about Holy Communion and how He can be bodily present in the elements, without worrying about limits of time, place, and locked windows or doors.

This is a Gospel of faith versus unfaith. We can see how unbelievers react because their trust in in their own righteousness. Thus anyone who denies faith is confessing he is saved by his own works. Their pride and arrogance ultimately undo them.