Misericordias Domini - The Second Sunday after Easter, 2019

By Norma A. Boeckler, worthy of memorization.

Misericordias Domini – 

The Second Sunday after Easter, 2019

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn #212       A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing

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 # 436    The Lord's My Shepherd 

          

His Life for the Sheep

The Communion Hymn #341  Crown Him with Many Crowns             

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 #50              Lord Dismiss Us                

Second Sunday After Easter

Lord God, heavenly Father, who of Thy fatherly goodness hast been mindful of us poor, miserable sinners, and hast given Thy beloved Son to be our shepherd, not only to nourish us by His word, but also to defend us from sin, death, and the devil: We beseech Thee, grant us Thy Holy Spirit, that, even as this Shepherd doth know us and succor us in every affliction, we also may know Him, and, trusting in Him, seek help and comfort in Him, from our hearts obey His voice, and obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy Son Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

KJV 1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

KJV John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

**

In our prayers - Pastor James Shrader has very serious cancer. We will see him after Josie's wedding here - going to Sioux Falls.

Three of Luther’s sermons on this text:

• Misericordias Domini. Second Sunday After Easter. John 10:11-16. Christ’s Office and Kingdom; or How Christ is the True Shepherd
• Second Sermon: Preachers, Civil Authorities, and the Knowledge of Christ
• Third Sermon: The Good Shepherd and his Sheep; or Christ’s Person, Office and Rulership

Background for the Sermon, John 10

The favorite description of Jesus and His Church is found here in John 10. The words come from Jesus Himself, and they include a multitude of references from the Old Testament.

Isaiah 40:11

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. 

Psalm 22

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.

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. Isaiah 53

31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. Psalm 22

Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Jeremiah 23 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord.

2 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.

3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

His Life for the Sheep

KJV John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

The best way to know the true nature of Jesus is to hear what He said about Himself. The place where we find the most proclamations from Jesus about Jesus is the Fourth Gospel. This is what the rationalists warn us against. In the last 200 years or so, following the rationalists at Halle University, people have spent less time on John's Gospel and far more time on Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 

Here is the argument, which is used in many similar cases, called circular reasoning. "Jesus did not consider Himself the Son of God or the Messiah, so those passages are not accurate. The Fourth Gospel is full of these claims, so it must have been written 300 or 400 AD." But, the earliest fragment of any Gospel is from the Gospel of John and it belongs to the first century AD, making its authorship centuries later to be a figment of the convenient imagination - still argued today by the mindless and the faithless.

Here is a simple but powerful statement. Simple in words used, powerful in meaning. "I AM" is the Name of God, Exodus 3. Moses needed the Name of God so he could speak on behalf of God. The Angel of the Lord, speaking from the Burning Bush. "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." Exodus 3:6. So first of all we see the Trinitarian nature of God, subtle but revealed in many OT citations. The Name of God is simply - or profoundly - I AM. "Tell them I AM sent you."

So we should look at the I am statements of Jesus as I AM, beginning with His Name from the Burning Bush. That is the only explanation for His rebuke of the opponents in John 8 - "Before Abraham was, I AM." God has always existed. The Son of God has always existed. Go ahead and claim Abraham as your father by blood. I AM - that is, I created all things, and any person you venerate, I created that life and existed even before time was.

The second part of the statement tells us the nature of the Son of God. He is not simply the Good Shepherd in the original text, but I AM the Shepherd the Good. This is the Greek way of saying - I AM - the Son of God is - the Noblest, the Best, the Unique Shepherd. So there is no other shepherd like Him. He is the template of all who would call themselves shepherd (pastor = shepherd in Latin).

This section of John's Gospel - John 10:1ff - starts with Jesus describing the fraudulent shepherds. This is easily followed according to the practices there. The door was an opening into the fold where multiple flocks were kept and guarded. The true shepherds came to that door, which was guarded, and enter because they are known, genuine, shepherds. They speak to their own sheep by name and lead them out. Thieves and robbers climb over the wall, sneaking in to steal the sheep.

Luther:

10. But that we may make it the plainer, and may understand it the better, we will cite a passage from the prophet Ezekiel, where he speaks of the wicked shepherds that are against Christ, when he says (34:2ff): “Should not the Shepherds feed the sheep? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill the fatlings; but ye feed not the sheep. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought back that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with rigor have ye ruled over them. And they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they become food to all the beasts of the field and were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and there was none that did search or seek after them,” and so forth. Accordingly, God reproves the shepherds who do not keep the sheep. And now mark well what he has written. His earnest intent in this paragraph is that the weak, sick, broken, those who are driven away and the lost, are to be strengthened, bound up, healed, and sought again, and that they are not to be torn to pieces and scattered. This you should have done, says he to the shepherds, but you have not done it; therefore, I will do it myself. As he says further on, in verse 16: “I will seek that which was lost, I will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.”

A true shepherd has two main functions, which are to lead his sheep to pasture and to protect them from harm. The sheep are weak and not very philosophical or intellectual. But they know this, if they need water or food or protection, it must come from the shepherd.

This is an excellent parable or comparison, because the attributes of bad shepherds fit so well. There are so many today, like the Bentley driving minister who would not help a parishioner until she gave 10%. Then - maybe. Maintenance work on a $150,000 car would be enough to help an impoverished person with her bills, but no - she had to give first.

the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Jesus is the unique shepherd above all shepherds, the model for the rest. He did what no one else could do - He gave up His life to atone for the sins of all people. That is an an event, a fact which remains true whether anyone believes it or not, which is quite different from a declaration. The atonement is universal in nature, but Justification is personal for this reason - When the atonement (the Gospel) is taught, the Gospel Word (or the report) creates faith and that person is forgiven. The nature of Justification by Faith is such that our faith is constantly renewed and strengthened.

Luther stressed his sermons on this text - Jesus is the Good Shepherd for the weak, the sick, the distressed.

Luther:

12. First, he says: The sheep that are weak are to be strengthened; that is, consciences weak in faith and troubled in spirit and of tender disposition are not to be driven and told: You must do this. You must be strong. If you are weak, you are lost. That is not strengthening the weak. St. Paul, speaking to the Romans ( Romans 14:1) says: “But him that is weak in faith receive ye, yet not for decision of scruples.” And shortly afterwards ( Romans 15:1) he says: “Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak.” Accordingly, they should not be driven with rigor, but should be comforted, even though they are weak, lest they be driven to despair; and in time they will grow stronger.

13. Isaiah, the prophet, speaks of Christ likewise ( Isaiah 42:3): “A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench.” The bruised reeds are poor, tender consciences, which are easily distracted so that they tremble and despair of God. He does not fly at them then, and trample them under foot; that is not his way. But he deals with them gently, lest he break them to pieces. Again, the dimly burning wick, which still burns at least, though there be more smoke than fire there, he does not wholly quench, but lights, and again and again trims it. That is a great consolation, indeed, to such as experience it; and, therefore, he who does not deal gently with tender consciences is no good shepherd.

This shows the irony of the times, when churches think they exist to glorify themselves and to emphasize success. Those are the false shepherds who will not visit the sick, shut-in, the grieving. They are too busy being successful - but also, they have the wrong mindset completely.

The church is not a clubhouse for the strong to sing their favorite fight songs, but an infirmary where medicine is administered through the Gospel. We go to oncology once a month. Everyone has something in common. Someone in the family has cancer and the rest are there to help and support, so everyone is there for help, encouragement, and above all - medicine. 

So many have experienced being browbeaten that they do not think of coming to church for the medicine of immortality. Those who need the Gospel are like those who are broke that do not think they can even step into the bank to ask for money. After all, a banker is someone who loans you an umbrella until it rains - then he wants it back.

So this view of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is not only accurate - coming from Him alone - and attested by the entire Old Testament - but also appealing and soothing. I have known many types of clergy - trickster, lying politicians; angry chest-thumpers; and kindly fellows who always have something supportive to say. Sometimes it is that one word needed most, but that Word comes from an experience with trial and faith in God's work and will. For instance, one pastor told me about his travail about church debt and how he worried to death about it. Finally he realized it was nothing and just a weevil in his brain. He told me that just when I was also worried because it was stressed so often. And it did not matter.

People think back and remember, "Who was at my bedside in the hospital or at home?" Yet modern church management has pastors doing everything BUT preparing the medicine (the sermon) and visiting the sick and shut-in, who need the medicine the most.

Christ is the embodiment of forgiveness, because we are daily absolved of guilt through faith in Him. We are not worthy - He makes us worthy. When we feel lost, torn, forgotten, ignored, and abused, He smiles upon us and takes us on His shoulders, rejoicing. He said, in effect to Paul Gerhardt, "I will let you suffer all losses, and then even more, so you can use your God-given gifts to comfort the weak and afflicted in your hymns. You have the most talent, but that will never be tested in a big parsonage and worldly honors."

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

It is so funny, because now we can watch the videos on the computer and listen to the hired-hands sneering at others. "Look at my numbers! No one is equal to me!" And others think, "We can learn from him. Look at his numbers." In one case, over $100,000 was missing - and so was the pastor. In another, $300,000.

The frauds of yesteryear are back on TV. They will always be around and doing very well for themselves. But what they administer, while stealing, is deadly.

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

This is the medicine administered by the Good Shepherd. This is flu and allergy season, so the shopping list says - Be sure and get the best medicine for this. For me, it is simply a salt-water wash, to rinse away the allergens and soothe the nasal membranes. Absent that, the channel for oxygen is blocked and often dynamited with explosive sneezes - which make it worse.

Jesus knows who belongs to Him, and most importantly, we know if He belongs to us. We know His voice and find it soothing and cheering, rather than frightening and annoying. That shows how powerful the genuine Gospel is - giving us, through the spoken Word, the absolute certainty of God's grace and forgiveness, His wise guidance and rule over this world.

So many unusual things happen from the Gospel, which seems weak to unbelievers, that we know how powerful it is. Every so often, when I wonder how valuable it is to do one more book or post, etc, something astonishing happens, far beyond anyone's imagination. It is like aiming to hit the ball in softball and seeing it sail over the fence beyond reach (not in my experience). So I was thinking, "Let's put all of Luther's Lenker sermons in one file and give it away." I was hoping for a bunt into a few seminaries and who knows from there. But it sailed all the way to Pakistan.

And who was Lenker? He went to a tiny seminary, Hamma, which was merged into Trinity and forgotten except by a few. Lenker taught at Dana College, which was so small and weak that it could no longer exist, not even as an online school. Both his institutions are gone, but Luther remains in print, with illustrations in color, on Kindle and Dropbox in full color.

Lenker did quite a bit in publishing and was largely forgotten, or picked up for a time and forgotten again. But what survives? The Word of God preached by Luther. In the same way we do one little thing and it contributes to the vast and intricate structure of the invisible Kingdom of God.

The Word of the Gospel is so strong that it calls people out of unbelief and into faith in their Lord and Savior.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

The Spirit caused John to remember especially Jesus' identity with the Father, not the same Person of the Trinity but the same unified Voice. There is not a separate concept or mission, a different mercy and love. The Father sent the Son so the world would know His true nature, His kindliness and forbearance, His grace and mercy.

This is summarized in "I lay down My life for the sheep." As predicted centuries before, Jesus would give up His life for the life of the sheep, He would heal them of their sins by His stripes.

This is what makes the Gospel paradoxical, a seeming contradiction. The Creating Word dies in apparent weakness to defeat the greatest powers of all - sin and death. Only the Son could die for the sins of the world. He offered up His life freely, so when He was arrested, beaten, humiliated, tortured, and killed, it was to fulfill the Promises and provide Himself as bait for Satan. In dying, He seemed to lose, and that is the problem with spiritual blindness. What is true seems wrong, and what is wrong seems so appealing. Even Satan and his allies were encouraged and heartened. Jesus' disciples were appalled, afraid, and weakened. But both impressions were very short-lived.

The entire world is fairly certain that Jesus rose from the dead. Only the cutting edge of atheism mocks that fact. That is a quick test I administer, "Did Jesus really rise from the dead, bodily, leaving an empty tomb." The cute response at the moment is - "That is not an important doctrine," truly a laughable excuse, but also the ultimate confession of unbelief.

As long as people identify Easter with the actual resurrection of Christ, that Promise of eternal life will plant faith in the hearts of sceptics, fence-sitters, and lukewarm Christians. So many events in life make us look at eternal life. And here is the sentence that began the Passion, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead - "I AM the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me, even though he die, he will live again." John 11:25

So the weakest are the most strong, because they have Christ and rest in the "shadow of His wings." 

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

I have been at meetings where this was taught as Jesus praying for the establishment of the World Council of (unbelieving) Churches and its cousin, the National Council of (unbelieving) Churches. There is only one true Church, which is invisible and built on faith in the Promises of God. There is only one Shepherd, no room for Buddha, Cho, and Walther. 

I know a lot of pastors in the shadows. I never name them. In many cases, there is no indication of friendship at all - not that it matters ultimately. What unites us is that role of being under the one true Shepherd. They know that the verbal and financial knocks they have taken are substitutes - because the great and wise Pharisees of today cannot beat and torture Christ. He is beyond their reach, so they look for substitutes to show their hatred of the Gospel. The shame is - they are honored and treated so well, their blindness becomes worse and their hardness hardens. They justify themselves until the end when it only matters if we are justified by faith in the Savior, not by faith in ourselves.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Luther's Sermon on Shepherd Sunday, John 10

He shall feed His flock like a shepherd.
He shall carry the lambs in His arms,
and gently lead those with young.
Norma A. Boeckler

MISERICORDIAS DOMINI - SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER


Psalm 51 (Misericordias. Also called “Shepherd Sunday”).

Text; John 10:11-16. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them: he fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the. Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.



1. This is a comforting Gospel, which so beautifully portrays the Lord Jesus and teaches us what manner of person he is, what kind of works he does, and how he is disposed toward men. And there is no better way to understand it than to contrast light and darkness and day and night; that is, the good shepherd with the wicked one, as the Lord himself does.

2. Now, you have often heard that God has given the world two different proclamations. One is that which is declared in the Word of God when it says: Thou shalt not kill, not commit adultery, not steal ( Exodus 20:13-15), and when it adds the threat that all who do not keep these commandments shall die. But this declaration will make no one godly at heart. For though it may compel a man outwardly to appear godly before men, inwardly it leaves the heart at enmity with the Law, and wishing that there were no such Law.

3. The other proclamation is that of the Gospel. It tells where one may obtain that which will meet the demands of the Law. It does not drive or threaten, but tenderly invites us. It does not say, Do this and do that, but rather: Come, I will show you where you may find and obtain what you need to make you godly. See, here is the Lord Jesus; he will give it to you.

Therefore, the two are as contrary to each other as taking and giving, demanding and presenting; and this distinction must be well observed. Thus God ever has ruled and still rules the world today. To coarse and rude persons, who are not influenced by the Gospel, the Law must be declared, and they must be driven until they are humbled and acknowledge their imperfections. When this has been accomplished, the Gospel is to be applied.

4. These are the two divine proclamations, which come from heaven.

Besides these there are others that are not from heaven, but are human prattle, which the pope and our bishops have invented that they might terrify our consciences. Such men are not worthy of being called shepherds or hirelings, but they are here designated by the Lord Jesus as thieves, murderers and wolves. For if men are to be savingly governed, it must be done with the Word of God; and if it is not done by the Word of God, they are not properly governed.

I. THE NATURE OF THE OFFICE AND KINGDOM OF CHRIST EXPLAINED.

5. Now, here Jesus has in mind the second proclamation. He explains it and sets himself forth as the chief shepherd, yea, as the only shepherd; for that which he does not tend is not kept. This comforting and sweet proclamation we will now consider.

6. You have heard that after his sufferings and death Christ our Lord arose from the dead and entered upon, and was enthroned in, an immortal existence. Not that he might sit up there in heaven idly and find pleasure in himself, but that he might take charge of the kingdom of which the prophets and all the Scriptures have so fully spoken, and might rule as a king. Therefore, we should think of him as being present and reigning among us continually, and never think of him as sitting up there doing nothing, but rather that he from above fills and rules all things, as Paul says to the Ephesians 4:10, and especially that he is taking care of his kingdom, which is the Christian faith, and that therefore his kingdom among us here on earth must prosper. This kingdom, as we have said, is so constituted that we all must daily increase and grow in holiness, and it is not governed by any other power save the oral proclamation of the Gospel.

7. This proclamation is not of men, but Christ himself sent it forth, and then put it into the hearts of the apostles and their successors so that they understood it, and into their mouths so that they spoke and declared it.

This is his kingdom, and so does he rule that all of his power is comprehended in and connected with the Word of God. They who hear and believe it belong to this kingdom, and the Word then becomes so mighty that it provides all that man may need and bestows all the blessings that we may desire. For it is the power of God, and it can and will save all who believe it, as St. Paul declared to the Romans 1:16. If you believe that Christ died to save you from all evil, and will hold fast to that Word, you will find it so certain and sure that no creature can overthrow it; and as no one can overthrow the Word, neither can anyone harm you who believe it. Accordingly, with the Word you will overcome sin, death, devil and hell, and you will find a refuge in the Word and attain that which is found where the Word is, namely, everlasting peace, joy and life. In short, you will be participants in all the power that is in the Word. Therefore, it is a peculiar kingdom. The Word is present and is orally proclaimed to all the world, but its power is deeply hidden, so that none but they who believe realize that it is so effective and that it accomplishes such great things. It must be experienced and realized by the heart.

8. Hence, all that we preachers can do is to become the mouthpieces and instruments of Christ our Lord, through whom he proclaims the Word bodily. He sends forth the Word publicly so that all may hear it, but that the heart inwardly experiences it, that is effected through faith and is wrought by Christ in secret where he perceives that it can be done according to his divine knowledge and pleasure. That is why he says: “I am the good shepherd.” And what is a good shepherd? “The good shepherd,” says Christ, “layeth down his life for the sheep; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” In this one virtue the Lord comprehends and exemplifies all others in the beautiful parable of the sheep. Sheep, you know, are most foolish and stupid animals. When we want to speak of anybody’s stupidity we say, “He is a sheep.” Nevertheless, it has this trait above all other animals, that it soon learns to heed its shepherd’s voice and will follow no one but its shepherd, and though it cannot help and keep and heal itself, nor guard itself against the wolf, but is dependent upon others, yet it always knows enough to keep close to its shepherd and look to him for help.

9. Now, Christ uses this trait or nature of the animal as an illustration in explaining that he is the good shepherd. In this manner he plainly shows what his kingdom is, and wherein it consists, and would say: My kingdom is only to rule the sheep; that is poor, needy wretched men, who well see and realize that there is no other help or counsel for them.

10. But that we may make it the plainer, and may understand it the better, we will cite a passage from the prophet Ezekiel, where he speaks of the wicked shepherds that are against Christ, when he says (34:2ff): “Should not the Shepherds feed the sheep? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill the fatlings; but ye feed not the sheep. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought back that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with rigor have ye ruled over them. And they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they become food to all the beasts of the field and were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and there was none that did search or seek after them,” and so forth. Accordingly, God reproves the shepherds who do not keep the sheep. And now mark well what he has written. His earnest intent in this paragraph is that the weak, sick, broken, those who are driven away and the lost, are to be strengthened, bound up, healed, and sought again, and that they are not to be torn to pieces and scattered. This you should have done, says he to the shepherds, but you have not done it; therefore, I will do it myself. As he says further on, in verse 16: “I will seek that which was lost, I will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.”

11. Here you see that Christ’s kingdom is to be concerned about the weak, the sick, the broken, that he may help them. That is, indeed, a comforting declaration. The only trouble is that we do not realize our needs and infirmities. If we realized them, we would soon flee to him. But how did those shepherds act? They ruled with rigor, and applied God’s Law with great severity; and, moreover, they added their own commandments, as they still do, and when these were not fulfilled, they raved and condemned, so that they were driving and driving and exhorting and exacting, continually. That is no proper way to tend and keep souls, says Christ. He is no such shepherd as that; for no one is benefited, but is rather wholly undone, by such a course, as we shall presently hear. Now let us consider this citation from the prophet in its order.

12. First, he says: The sheep that are weak are to be strengthened; that is, consciences weak in faith and troubled in spirit and of tender disposition are not to be driven and told: You must do this. You must be strong. If you are weak, you are lost. That is not strengthening the weak. St. Paul, speaking to the Romans ( Romans 14:1) says: “But him that is weak in faith receive ye, yet not for decision of scruples.” And shortly afterwards ( Romans 15:1) he says: “Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak.” Accordingly, they should not be driven with rigor, but should be comforted, even though they are weak, lest they be driven to despair; and in time they will grow stronger.

13. Isaiah, the prophet, speaks of Christ likewise ( Isaiah 42:3): “A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench.” The bruised reeds are poor, tender consciences, which are easily distracted so that they tremble and despair of God. He does not fly at them then, and trample them under foot; that is not his way. But he deals with them gently, lest he break them to pieces. Again, the dimly burning wick, which still burns at least, though there be more smoke than fire there, he does not wholly quench, but lights, and again and again trims it. That is a great consolation, indeed, to such as experience it; and, therefore, he who does not deal gently with tender consciences is no good shepherd.

14. Secondly, the prophet says: “Neither have ye healed the sick.” Who are the sick? They are those who are manifestly deficient in certain of their works. The first clause has reference to tender consciences; the second, to outward conduct. As, for instance, when one growls and sulks, and now and then lapses, and in anger and other foolish ways oversteps the bounds; even as the apostles, at times, grievously stumbled. But even those who in their outward works before men manifest their shortcomings, so that people are offended at them and say that they are rude and peculiar, he will not cast away; for his kingdom here below is not so constituted as to embrace only the strong and the whole, as it will be in the life to come.

Christ is sent here that he might receive and help just such people.

15. Therefore, even though we are weak and sick, we must not despair and say we are not in the kingdom of Christ. But the more we realize our sickness, all the more should we turn to him; for that is what he is here for, to heal and make us whole. Accordingly, if you are sick and a sinner, and realize your condition, you have all the more reason to go to him and say:

Dear Lord, I come just because I am a sinner; that thou mayest help me, and make me good. Thus, necessity drives you to him; for the greater your ailment, the more imperative it is that you seek relief. And that is what he wants; therefore, he tenderly bids us to be of good cheer, and to come unto him. They who are not good shepherds, however, expect to make people good by hatefully scolding and driving them, whereas they are thereby only making matters worse. And this may be seen when we look upon present conditions, brought about by this wrong method, when everything is so piteously scattered, even as the prophet has here said.

16. Thirdly: “Neither have ye bound up that which was broken.” To be broken is as though one had a bone fractured or were otherwise wounded.

As when a Christian is not only weak and infirm, so that he makes a misstep at times, but when he falls into such great temptation that he breaks his leg; for instance, if he should fall and deny the Gospel, as St.

Peter did, when he denied Christ. Well, even though one should make such a misstep as to be impeded or overthrown — even then you should not cast him away, as though he no more belonged to this kingdom. For you must not rob Christ of his characteristic, that in his kingdom abounding grace and mercy alone prevail, so that he helps those who realize their misery and wretchedness, and desire to be helped, and that his kingdom is wholly one of consolation, and that he is a comforting, friendly shepherd, who tenderly invites, and would induce, all men to come unto him.

17. Now, all this is effected through the Gospel alone, by means of which we are to strengthen all the weak and heal all the sick; for this Word will satisfy every want of those whose consciences are troubled, and will give full consolation to all, so that no one, no matter how great a sinner he has been, need despair. Hence, Christ alone is the good shepherd, who heals all our infirmities and raises up again those who have fallen. He who does not do that is no shepherd.

18. Fourthly, the prophet says: “Neither have ye brought back that which was driven away.” What is meant by “that which was driven away”? It is that despised soul that is fallen so low that all efforts to reclaim it seem to be in vain. Nevertheless, Christ would not have even such dealt with rigorously. He would not have his kingdom narrowed down so as to include only such as are strong and healthy and perfect. That will be the case in the future kingdom that follows this life, as has been said: Now, because he reigns, pure grace and bliss only shall prevail. Even as God promised the children of Israel ( Exodus 3:8) that the promised land would be a land flowing with milk and honey. Likewise St. Paul says that our uncomely parts shall have more abundant comeliness ( 1 Corinthians 12:23).

19. Fifthly, he concludes: “Neither have ye sought that which was lost.”

That which was lost is that which is given up as already condemned, so that there is no expectation that it ever will return; as the publicans and harlots mentioned in the Gospel, and as the dissolute and intractable in our day, were and are. And yet, even these he would not have us pass by, but would have everything possible done to reclaim them. This was done by St. Paul, on different occasions; as, for example, when he delivered two men unto Satan, as he said to Timothy ( 1 Timothy 1:20): “Whom I delivered unto Satan that they might be taught not to blaspheme.” And, again, to the Corinthians he said ( 1 Corinthians 5:5): “I have concluded to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” He had cast these away as condemned, and yet he goes after them again.

20. Therefore, we should so preach Christ as one who will reject nobody, however weak he may be, but will gladly receive and comfort and strengthen everybody; that we may always picture him to ourselves as a good shepherd. Then hearts will turn to him of their own accord, and need not be forced and driven. The Gospel graciously invites and makes men willing, so that they desire to go, and do go, to him with all confidence.

And it begets a love for Christ in their hearts, so that they willingly do what they should, whereas formerly they had to be driven and forced. When we are driven, we do a thing with displeasure and against our will. That is not what God desires; therefore it is done in vain. But when I see that God deals with me graciously, he wins my heart, so that I am constrained to fly to him; consequently, my heart is filled with happiness and joy.

21. Now see what an evil it is when one person judges another. Christ’s kingdom, as we have heard, is calculated to heal and sanctify only such souls as are sick and needy; therefore all must err who look only upon those who are strong and holy. Consequently, the knowledge that rightly apprehends Christ is great and mighty. By our nature we are knaves to the very hide, and yet we expect everyone to be pious. With open mouth, we do not want to look at anybody but strong Christians. We ignore the sick and weak, and think that if they are not strong then they are not Christians at all. And others who are not perfectly holy we reckon among the wicked, and yet we, ourselves, are more wicked than they. That is what our evil nature does, and our blind reason, that wants to measure God’s kingdom by its own imagination, and thinks that whatever does not appear pure in its eyes is not pure in the sight of God.

22. Therefore we must get that idea out of our minds; for if we keep it before us too much, we will finally get into such a state of mind as to think:

Oh, what will become of me if only they are Christians who are strong and healthy and holy? When will I ever reach that state? And thus we, ourselves, will make it impossible. Therefore, we must eventually be driven to say: Dear Lord, I realize that I am very weak, very sick and despondent.

Nevertheless, I will not allow that to confound me, but I will come to thee, that thou mayest help me; for thou art ever the good and pious shepherd, which I also confess thee to be, and therefore will I despair of my own works.

23. Let us, therefore, ever be wise and learn to know Christ well, and to know that in his kingdom there are only weak and sickly people, and that it is nothing but a hospital, where the sick and infirm, who need care, are gathered. And yet there are so few who understand that! And this fact seems so obscured that even they who have the Gospel and the Spirit are lacking in the knowledge of it; for it is the most profound wisdom that man can attain. For even though they see that the Scriptures praise this kingdom and speak of its preciousness, yet they do not realize what the words mean, and do not understand that they contain that true wisdom which is far above the wisdom of men. For it is not our wisdom that we deal with, and that we speak of and preach to sensible, prudent and wise people; but it is this, that we go among fools and simpletons, and care for them, not because we find pleasure in so doing, but in order that we may help them to get rid of their sins and foolishness and to find righteousness and true knowledge.

24. So you see that Christian wisdom does not consist in raising our eyes to that which is lofty and wise, to see ourselves reflected there, but in lowering our eyes to that which is lowly and foolish. Let him who knows this, thank God; for such knowledge will fit him to accommodate himself to, and guide him under, all circumstances in this life. Therefore you will yet find many even among those who preach the Gospel, who have not yet attained it. They never taught us thus before, and we were accustomed to think we did not dare to come to Christ until we had first become perfectly pure. Now you must get out of that way of thinking and come to a proper understanding of Jesus, and learn to know him as a true shepherd. But we have heard enough on this point for the present.

II. CHRIST ILLUSTRATES HIS OFFICE AND KINGDOM BY COMPARING THE GOOD SHEPHERD WITH THE HIRELING.

25. Now, he contrasts the good shepherd with a wicked one, or a hireling, and says: “The good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them and scattereth them: he fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.”

26. In the strictest sense, he alone is the shepherd; and yet, as he alone is Christ but nevertheless calls us by the same name — Christians — even so, though he alone is the shepherd, he designates all those who exercise the office of the ministry among Christians by that name also. In like manner in Matthew 23:9 he forbids us to call any man on earth father, for one is our father, even he who is in heaven, yet Paul calls himself a father of the Corinthians when he says: “I begat you through the Gospel.” Corinthians 4:15. Thus God acts as though he alone would be our father, and yet he attributes the name to men also, so that they are called fathers.

But they have no right to this name in themselves; only in Christ is it theirs: even as we are called Christians though we have nothing of our own, but all we have has been given to us, in him. Now, “the hireling,” says he, “whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth,” etc. That is a hard saying, indeed, that some who truly preach and administer the Gospel and strengthen and heal the sheep, finally allow themselves to be carried away and leave the sheep when they are most in need of help. As long as no wolf is in sight, they are active and. tend the sheep; but when they see the wolf breaking in, they forsake the sheep. If the sheep have been well kept, till they are strong and healthy and fat, they will then be all the more acceptable to the wolf, for whom they have been kept.

27. How does that happen? Well, says Christ, in my kingdom, whose whole object is to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, comfort the sorrowing, and so forth, the holy cross will not be wanting. For, if we preach that Christ alone must receive, strengthen, heal and help us poor sheep, and that we cannot, by our own strength and works, help ourselves, and that, therefore, all works and whatever else the world pretends to offer in its many religious services are of no avail, the world cannot abide such preaching. Hence, it is but natural that the Gospel should bring with it the holy cross, and that they who confess it before the world should risk their necks in so doing.

28. Because this is so, the good shepherds are thus distinguished from the hirelings. Whoever is a hireling will preach the Gospel only so long as they say of him that he is a learned, pious and good man; but when he is attacked, and men begin to denounce him as a heretic and a knave, and challenge him to a dispute, he recants or runs away, and abandons the poor sheep in their distress, and things are in a worse state than they were before. For what advantage has it been to the poor sheep that they had once been well kept? Had the shepherds been faithful, they would have sacrificed their bodies and lives for the sake of the sheep, and would have given their necks to the executioner for the Gospel’s sake. Accordingly, they are never true shepherds who, in preaching, have their own popularity, profit and advantage in view. They are surely hirelings; for they seek their own advantage, even when they dispense the true doctrine and Word of God. Therefore they continue only as long as they are honored and praised.

Hence they retract, and deny the Word, when the wolf comes, or flee and leave the sheep in the lurch. The sheep bleat for pasture and for the shepherd to protect them from the wolves, but there is no one to succor them; thus they are deserted when they most need some one to help them.

29. Such will be the result when men once begin to lay hands on and persecute us in earnest. There will be preachers who will hold their tongues and flee, and the sheep will be pitiably scattered, the one running here and the other there. God grant that there may be at least some who will stand firm and risk their lives to rescue the sheep. Thus Christ has here portrayed the hireling. He then proceeds: “I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own.”

30. There is a great deal contained in these words, far too much to be exhaustively treated here. He speaks here of his own peculiar calling. “I know mine own,” he says, “and mine own know me.” How is this to be understood? That he explains further when he says: “Even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father.”

III. THE SPECIAL OFFICE CHRIST ADMINISTERS EXPLAINED.

31. How is he known of the Father? Not with an earthly, but with a heavenly, knowledge. Of that we have spoken more fully before, and the substance of it is this: Christ recognizes us as his sheep, and we recognize him as our shepherd. Now, we have heard what a good shepherd is, and also who the weak sheep are. He knows us to be such sheep as are weak, sick and broken. That is: It does not make any difference in his regard for them that they are weak and sickly, and he does not despise and reject them on that account; but he pities and heals them, even though they be so diseased that the whole world concludes they are not his sheep. Such is the world’s knowledge, but that is not the way that Christ distinguishes them.

He does not look upon their condition, but looks to see whether they are sheep, whether they may be designated sheep. He looks at the sheep, not at the wool.

32. Now, they are good shepherds who imitate Christ and know the sheep in the same way; who look at the person, not at the faults, and know how to distinguish between the sheep and the disease.

33. Even so the Father knows me also, says Christ, but the world does not know me. When the time comes for me to die a shameful death upon the cross, all the world will say: Well, is that the Son of God? That must be a malefactor, owned, body and soul, by the devil. And thus the world will look upon and know me; but my Father will say: This is my beloved Son, my King, my Savior. For he will not look upon my sorrows, nor upon my wounds, nor upon my cross and my death, but he will see the person that I am. Therefore, though I were in the midst of hell and in the jaws of the devil, I must again come forth, for the Father will not desert me. And thus I know my sheep and am known of them. They know that I am the good shepherd and know me; and therefore they come to me and abide with me, and they are not afraid because they are weak and sick, for they know that I will receive such sheep. He now concludes and says: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.

34. Some have explained this passage in such a way as to make it appear that it will be fulfilled shortly before the last day, when the Antichrist appears, and Elias and Enoch. That is not true, and it is the devil himself who is responsible for this belief of some, that the whole world will become Christian. The devil did this that the true doctrine might be so obscured so that it might not be understood. Therefore be on your guard; for this passage was verified and fulfilled shortly after Christ ascended into heaven, and is still in process of fulfillment. When the Gospel was first proclaimed, it was preached to the Jews; that nation was the sheepfold.

And now he says here: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also must I bring.” Here he declares that the Gospel is to be preached to the gentiles also, so that they also might believe in Christ, that there might be one Christian communion, composed of Jews and gentiles. This was afterwards brought about through the apostles, who preached to the gentiles and converted them to the faith. Accordingly there is now but one church or communion, one faith, one hope, one love, one baptism, etc.

And this continues to be so at the present day, and will continue until the day of judgment. Hence, you must not understand this to mean that the whole world, and all men, will believe in Christ; for this holy cross will always be with us. They are in the majority who persecute Christ, and therefore the Gospel must ever be preached, that some may be won for Christ. The kingdom of Christ is in process of growing and is not something that is completed. This is, in brief, the explanation of this Gospel.

Is It Worth It?

Sitting in mud to plant the bare root rose, being stabbed by thorns, bleeding, pruning, watering - is it worth it?
California Dreamin - yes, it is worth it when people gasp, especially when the jaded rose gardener feels the same rush, again and again.

When I hear that the complete set of Luther's Sermons - and The Gems - are in Pakistan as a free PDF - that alone is worth the countless hours spent, and the rush continues.

Where that file goes from there - God only knows. Everyone who encouraged the project, illustrated it, supported it, helped to edit it, readied it for Amazon, and cheered it on - every single person is part of placing the Gospel in Pakistan, the Philippines, and many other places.

Let's give credit to obstruction too. Things happened that were extremely annoying on the print side. That led to the decision to make everything non-profit and public domain. Obviously, the best way to make that happen world-wide was through PDFs lodged in DropBox, a fantastic software program for large files.

Books are given away, too, thanks to donors.

Luther in Pakistan

 

Dropbox links to free public domain books, Lenski Commentaries,  Keil-Delitzsch, Luther's Sermons, the Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry plus books edited and written by Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

I talk with a few people in and around India on Facebook.  This week I was enabled to send a pdf to a pastor in Pakistan - your volumes of Luther's sermons.  He didn't think paper would come through, but was eager to download the Sermons file. Interestingly his church name include 'Presbyterian".

 

I did get a mailing through to India this week.  Took about a month for airmail to get there.  But it got there.  The primary item was my book including Luther's small and large catechisms and Jacob's Q/A dogmatics.

 

Just a note of joy at our Lord getting through.

Some books travel by courier.

Gardening Miracles with the Creator's Constant Help

 Honeysuckle's aroma is often mentioned in Southern nostalgia, much like the citrus blooming in Phoenix and other areas.

We went to the diabetics office, where Christina had a great blood sugar result - A1C. We brought our first rose of the year, May 1, a rugosa rose, very fragrant, plus one iris and one alium. The diabetics specialist is one of our favorite medical people in the area, and she loved the flowers. The rest of the staff oohed and ahhed over them. One said, "I love seeing your name on the patient list, Chris, because that means we are going to get some fantastic, fragrant flowers."

We pass around Creation Gardening often with our floral visits. At one office, 10 copies were given away - to the waiting room and some in line at the pay window.

Tonight the stormclouds broke loose again, just as Sassy and I started our evening walk. Low light brings out some of the plants against their backgrounds. The hostas are up and spreading. Last year's tender little leaves have proven the value of rain, followed by supplemental rain from my buckets and barrels, then 3 inches, then 1 inch of rain, and now another storm.

I found a starling taking a serious bath in the rain - in one of two kiddy pools I use for birdbaths. One pool cost me $3 on sale. The other was donated by John, one of Sassy's dear friends. I have four birdbaths together. Why? I should ask you why you do not! Birds push and shove in the birdbath, so the extras mean room for a lot more. They hunt for grubs and bugs for me, and plant their favorite foods.

The robins are feeding in the rain, which suggests a long storm. They go through the back gardens, which are carpeted with rotting leaves. Robins and starlings flip the leaves with their beaks to expose earthworms and bugs.

The butterfly bushes are leafing out now - as well as most crepe myrtles, both Clethra cinnabon trees, and all the chaste trees.

I am getting mellow about weeds. Some have to go, like the seven foot  woody shrub. I trimmed that near the ground.  I will do the same with poke weed, which has its own little circle of friends. It can grow tall, get cut, and grow again. Deep roots are good for the soil. Poke and hog peanuts are with us for good, and hog peanuts build the soil by fixing nitrogen.

In the backyard, I encourage, mulch, and water poke weed, as a tall, productive, berry producer.

So many serendipity results come from Creation Gardening. We had a dying tree that our granddaughter posed in. A year later it fell down and became a rustic fence, after being cut up. The stump remained, so I planted honeysuckle to climb up the trunk. Various weeds competed and I gave up sorting them out. Finally I realized the most obnoxious one was helping to support the honey suckle. Rabbits were born at the base.

I approached it, wondering how the honeysuckle was progressing this year. A robin flew screaming away from me, just like the exits from the crepe myrtle. "I see. Mrs. Robin has a nest in the tangled weed and honeysuckled stump."

My watering hose ends at the honeysuckle, so it will be watered in the dry spells. "Watch out. Honeysuckle will take over your back yard!" Mr. Gardener said. I replied, "That is my plan."



I thought this instrumental was better than the vocals I found. Fats Waller wrote it.

Good News for Calvinism and the Jeske Crime Family - aka Church and Change

https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2019/05/03/core-appleton-pastor-take-over-religious-tv-broadcast/3566679002/?fbclid=IwAR0qmfP-M_N6IN4_RmOducVXVClDGI_qQkSqZl29cAPrcJKKDjDlNZ5TWeI

APPLETON - The CORE is not your average church.

For one thing, it's a converted bar. Walking in, you might think of it as more of a lounge to hang out with friends than a house of worship. 

And it's about to take center stage on the nationally-syndicated broadcast program "Time of Grace" as its pastor, Mike Novotny, takes the role as its lead speaker. 

 Eight WELS clones, including the rotten Appletons, attended the same Andy Stanley re-education camp. Andy denies infant faith but he has a big D-Day for dedicating babies, with professional photographs. Oh, Andy, you came and you gave without taking.

"It’s humbling in a sense," Novotny said. "I’m just a dude from Green Bay who loves Jesus and I want to talk to people about it. It’s a really amazing opportunity for me."

Novotny will replace founding speaker, the Rev. Mark Jeske of Milwaukee, who served as lead speaker for 18 years.

The 38-year-old Novotny said his mission at the CORE is not to preach, but to invite others to learn about faith and work toward building a relationship with God. He wants to bring that same message to TV viewers.  

Lutherdom is waiting anxiously for Starr to find a new topic.