Quinquagesima Sunday, 2021
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The melody is linked in the hymn title.
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
O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers
and, having set us free from the bonds of sin, defend us from all evil; through
Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual The Gospel
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
Prayers and Announcements
- Treatment and recovery - Mary Howell, Rush Limbaugh, Christina Jackson.
- Pray for our country as the major trials continue.
- Pastor Shrader is having some additional medical challenges.
- Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, 7 PM.
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.
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.
The Gospel. St. Luke 18:31-43
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.
Suffering and Blindness
Background
There are many good reasons for the historic pericopes, the readings for each worship service. We use the same ones as Luther, but there are many other sets of readings. Sermon books on these readings are quite useful because they proclaim the Gospel from their era and give insights to people living decades, even centuries later. A nun at Notre Dame asked me, "Why is it that a monk from centuries ago, Luther, reach me so powerfully today?" I said, "The reason that he preached the Word of God, which is always relevant."
I use the CPH lectionary for the readings, another tradition. How do you think the lectionary treats the appointed lessons? Yes, they are carefully chosen and edited. Typos are common in all books, but careless mistakes are seldom found in a lectionary, where the Scriptures are treated as carefully as can be. The bound books are preserved carefully too, so a lectionary is a good way to check on the original text from earlier days. The same is true about writing out a sermon or an essay on a Biblical topic. Do we rattle off a version that mixes various translations or make sure we have an exact quote? That is another way the original Scriptures are preserved.
The King James Version obtains its New Testament text from about 6,000 examples (even more when every kind of evidence is included). But staying with the 6,000 rounded off, how many support the KJV text? About 98%. How many support the modern Bibles, NIV, ESV, etc? About 2%. The evidence shows that the Bibles promoted by most denominations, seminaries, and colleges today (NIV, ESV) are faulty, with many missing or doctored passages. Why? The Wescott Hort team in 1870 hated the KJV and wanted to replace it. A century later, Nestle Aland crowed that they defeated the KJV. Footnote - no they have not.
Passion Predictions
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.
A large crowd was following Jesus, because of His fame and His raising of Lazarus from the dead. No one could dispute Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. These kinds of movements spread rapidly, as we can see in our own country. There are funded, planned demonstrations, and there are expressions that come from the excitement of the moment, beyond anyone's expectation. A large crowd will always garner attention and the news will spread. (Trivia comes from the three-way meeting of roads, a good place to get or spread news. Three vias - three ways, trivia.)
Jesus gave this warning three times, and the disciples each time were not open to grasping its meaning. Peter rebuked Jesus for saying it, and Jesus rebuked Peter for trying to silence Him. If this was not to establish faith, why did Jesus speak these terrible words?
From human behavior, we know the most important information is often overlooked. "The most important word is unspoken." In this case, why would Jesus open the topic, give it such importance, and then see it "fall on deaf ears," as my parents used to say to me, often enough for me to remember it now. When a prediction is made one day and fulfilled afterwards, it has more impact. The fact of the predictions strengthened the disciples when these horrible events were taking place. They also strengthen us as we consider what Jesus faced even though He was completely innocent.
We know a vast number of nominal Christians (nominal - in name only) have shut this fact out of their minds. The Old Testament prophets predicted every detail of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Old Testament students are often alerted to this when told to read Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 together. That alone should make us pay attention to the precise Word of the Scriptures.
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.
"Delivered" means handed over, in the sense of betrayal. Was Jesus handed to the guards working on behalf of the Temple, to hand Him over to Rome? Certainly - and He died a Roman death, famous in the Roman Empire, the most horrible way to die - by hanging on a cross. He was mocked, treated horribly, spat upon, and whipped with cords tipped with metal, almost bled to death. He was killed by crucifixion but He rose on the third day.
Lenski points out the passive verbs - what is done to Him. But the last one - He shall rise again - is a middle, something He does Himself.
34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Luther spoke about this in terms of Medieval false doctrine - that personal suffering and good works are the road to eternal life. This error is at the heart of most saint stories, so that people imposed suffering on themselves "for purification" rather than trusting in the suffering of Christ for them. Opus Dei (Work of God) has people whip themselves and wear barbs around their legs - "Bless the pain." Occult pagan worship does that too.
The disciples could not grasp that the upcoming horrors would be the Gospel, that Isaiah 53 was fulfilled, and the innocent Lamb died for the sins of the world. However, the Holy Spirit kept this for their preaching after the Resurrection, and the risen Christ taught them the same.
We all hear something is true, such as (for gardeners) organic matter will create its own little heaven for growing. I put so many leaves in one area of the front yard. They were absorbed and the spring soil felt like a waterbed, which is typical with total organic saturation. I thought "yeah, let's see what happens." A tree grew up faster than Jack's beanstalk in a very short time. The gap between my doubts and reality was a lesson in itself.
The disciples included themselves in their preaching, because they had a more important gap. Hearing and not hearing. Seeing and not seeing. The horrible crucifixion when fear overwhelmed them (but not John). And the empty tomb, and Jesus before their eyes!
The apostates want to take away this lesson and substitute another one. They want their followers to change society to fit their Marxist model. They want no more worship of the Son of God, but using the Gospel themes for their agenda. Everyone has to "do the work." Nothing is more amusing than gurus telling people they have the answer - "do the work" as if more work or a better work is the path of peace. Read the autobiographies of people who have built an altar to their works. They are constantly angry and unforgiving, always pressing forward for more of the same. No wonder the start of the next passage is a blind man who sees the truth.
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.
Lenski pays attention to geography, because he went to the Holy Land to study and learn more. Jericho is at the bottom of the mountain, before the climb up to Jerusalem. He also covers details about the overlapping stories, such as why Bartimaeus is named in Matthew, but not in Luke. As I have often said, the rationalists come up with "problems" because the versions are not identical. Identical would mean collusion or at least blatant copying. These are slightly different perspectives and they are harmonious. But then - this part is about those who see and yet do not see at all.
Lacking sight, he was especially aware of all sounds. The passage of Jesus was a great event, so that meant the clamor of a large crowd, shuffling, running to catch up, talking, shouting to friends. The blind man heard the ruckus and asked, "What up?"
They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing through." This is a great opportunity for the crowd to see and hear Jesus. For many, it is one more event on the outskirts of a great world city, a powerful and fortified city that would soon (40 years after) be surrounded, starved, and captured by the Roman Empire.
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,
To Jesus' Name, the beggar adds his confession of faith and a request - You are the Son of David, have mercy on me."
The crowd ordered him to be quiet. And secondly, they shushed Bartimaeus. The first verb is the one for rebuking, when Jesus rebuked the storm, when Peter rebuked Jesus and Jesus rebuked him in return. It is not a suggestion but a very strong command, and they added, as people will when annoyed, another order to be silent. But he could not stop crying out, because he believed in this man, this Son of David.
The people with sight could not see that Salvation, Forgiveness, Peace, and Ever-lasting Life were coming in the form of Jesus the Savior. The blind man saw it and could not be stopped. Jesus halted their troop and (in the Gospel of Mark) willing hands now brought him to the Lord.
41 [Jesus] 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.
Jesus, knowing the thoughts and needs of Bartimaeus, asked him, which produced a dialogue and a witness from the beggar, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Bartimaeus said, "Lord, that I may see." Jesus said, "Receive it! Your faith has saved you."
The crowd knew him first as a blind beggar, then as a healed believer. The people who tried to silence him, praised God. We could say that blind Bartimaeus opened the eyes of the people, because his faith led Jesus to show His Messianic power.
The Gospels show us that Jesus is the Savior for the weak, the impoverished, the stricken, the sick, and guilt-ridden (like Zacchaeus). They see their needs and place their trust in the Messiah. The proud, who already appear to rule the world, do not have the same viewpoint.
