Mid-Week Lenten Vespers, 2019
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central Daylight Savings
The Psalmody Psalm 14 p. 124
The Lection
The Sermon Hymn #179 On My Heart
The Lection
The Sermon Hymn #179 On My Heart
Jesus Was Tempted
The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
12 And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Jesus Was Tempted - Compassionate and Merciful
From time to time the question comes up about the meaning of - The Father is greater than I. How are the members of the Trinity equal but the Father is greater?
Chemnitz answered in his Apology of the Book of Concord (against the Calvinists) - Compared to Jesus' human nature, the Father was greater in not being affected by physical harm. Jesus was subject to all our human failings, emotions, pain, and joy. Nevertheless, because the two Natures (divine and human) were and are united in Him, He did not give in to temptation.
Denying the temptation or trial is denying His human nature. Hebrews is such an eloquent summary of the entire Bible that it captures the meaning of His human nature and temptation perfectly.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.So we can see from this example that the temptation of Jesus, even in this brief form in Mark, can be understood in the message of the Gospel.
In His divinity, we see the power of the Son of God, from the Creation to Final Judgment. But in His humanity, there is nothing we face that He has not already faced as the God-Man Jesus.
Temptations are carnal and also inward. As James explains brilliantly, sin begins with the thought. Invisible sins often start with coveting (two commandments!). Coveting leads to actions that are carnal sins, which are self-justified by various excuses. There is so much of this that people become weary of it all.
A basic tenet of all counseling is that people help others when they have suffered the same temptations and problems. Jesus is that counselor. He has suffered the same temptations. He understands and helps the healing, which begins with forgiveness.
The first step is acknowledgement of sin. The second is trusting in the atoning death of Christ. The cross can be seen two ways. One is to see our sins on the cross. The second is to see them paid for on the cross. long before we existed. God set up a plan, knowing that man having freedom would sin. He promised Adam and Eve a Savior. She was so convinced of this that she said, "I have given birth to a man - God." That is the Hebrew pure and simple, because she believed the Messiah was already born. More importantly, she believed in the Savior, though He was to come much, much later.
Noah was a preacher of righteous, 2 Peter 2:15. That meant he preached the coming of the Savior. So did Moses and the prophets.
Abraham trusted he and Sarah would begin, beyond all human imagination, a line that would lead to the Messiah. He believed God's Promises and it was counted as forgiveness. He was Justified by Faith.
The journeys with the disciples for three years proved one thing for all readers. Those disciples were fallible men. They failed in the worst ways possible. They had little faith. They wanted places of honor in heaven. They ran away during the trial of Jesus. Worst of all, Peter denied Him three times, just as Jesus predicted.
But just as Peter denied Jesus three times before a charcoal fire, so he was absolved three times by Jesus before a second charcoal fire, John 21, when the risen Lord reminded them He would feed them - apart from the miraculous catch He delivered into their hands again.
One of the formal prayers says "God's power is chiefly shown in His mercy."
Luther called it "drowning our sins in an ocean of God's grace."
He emphasized being daily forgiven of all our sins, through faith.
But some say, "What about promising never to sin again, and failing? and failing again?"
No one can conquer sin, not even the most trivial. But God's healing power in Christ provides the greatest remedy possible. Rather than praising our own strength, we see the empathy of Christ, His suffering with us. When we see our life as one of constant forgiveness from God, it moves us to first see ourselves as sinners and to show the same graciousness with others. We cannot compare with His mercy, but we can use that as a guide.
