Emmanuel Lutheran Church

 Mark 9:2-10

² Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. ⁴ And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— ⁶ because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

⁷ And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” ⁸ Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.

⁹ Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰ So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

What a stunning vision was given to Peter, James and John!  Is it any wonder that they wanted to stay within that glorious environment! But the Father’s voice appropriately interrupts the ‘glory-seeking’ thoughts of man. How soon they had forgotten Jesus’ words spoken to them just six days earlier. Peter had confessed Jesus as the Christ — Jesus revealed how His passion for the sake of man will play out — and then Jesus explained what the Christian life entails. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” In other words, it’s not about ‘glory’ it’s about suffering and ‘dying.’

And so it goes again when the Transfiguration takes place. They get caught up in the ‘glory’ side of things, as this is the way of the flesh. But the way of the God is suffering and crosses. It’s a theology of the cross that is revealed in God’s Holy Scripture.  The Transfiguration revealed what lies ahead — after a life of denying oneself — after a life of taking up ones cross and following the path of Christ — namely, losing ones life (dying, through baptismal remembrance), in order to find it (rising, through baptismal remembrance).

Dear Saints, follow Jesus first into God’s favor, through faith, and then through self-denial, sacrifice, and through death itself, follow Him into the lasting Paradise. He’s given you a brief vision of it today. This vision will help you die; but more importantly, it will help you to live through Christ Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life!

Let us pray: O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Luke 12:1-34

12 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴ “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

⁶ “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸ “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. ⁹ But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

¹⁰ “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

¹¹ “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. ¹² For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

¹³ Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

²² Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. ²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁶ If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

²⁹ “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. ³⁰ For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

³² “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

12 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴ “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

⁶ “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸ “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. ⁹ But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

¹⁰ “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

¹¹ “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. ¹² For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

¹³ Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

²² Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. ²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁶ If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

²⁹ “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. ³⁰ For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

³² “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The sinful flesh which remains in the baptized is afraid of those those who not only can kill the body, but can make life miserable because we believe in Christ. When we suffer anything for the sake of confessing Christ, whether mockery,   murder, or anything in between, the flesh tempts us to do deny Christ in order to make the persecution stop. When we find ourselves more concerned about what others think than what God commands, we are making an idol out of worldly praise.

Instead we are to fear the one who, “after He has killed, has power to cast into hell.” But the fear of God to which Jesus calls us is not servile. It is filial fear such as a child has for father. He does not forget the sparrows. Neither does He forget you, but knows the very hairs of your head. Fearing and loving God leads us to confess Christ before men, no matter the cost. Having Christ confess us as His brothers and sisters before the angels is far greater than any praise men can give.

The sinful flesh which remains in the baptized is also afraid of being deprived of anything we need—or want—in this life. When we have plenty we are tempted to hoard and build bigger barns so that we don’t face lack. When we lack what we need the flesh tempts us to worry as to whether or not God will provide. Both are covetousness, which is idolatry (Col 3:5).

Instead we are to trust God our Father for every good thing.  Jesus points to the ravens and lilies to show us that if He provides what these need, He will most certainly provide us with everything we need for the support of this body and life Our heavenly Father knows what we need and how best to give it to us. Trusting in God above all things, we prioritize the kingdom of God, His gracious rule in our hearts through His Word and Holy Spirit.

There is no need to fear the enemies of Christ or the things of this life. Our heavenly Father is pleased to give us His kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray: Give us Your Holy Spirit, heavenly Father, so that we may fear, love, and trust in you above all things, and in that faith, confess Christ before men. Amen.

Luke 11:37-54

³⁷ And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. ³⁸ When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.

³⁹ Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.

⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

⁴⁵ Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”

⁴⁶ And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ⁴⁷ Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸ In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

⁵² “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

⁵³ And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

The Pharisee who invites Jesus to dine in his home is astonished that Jesus doesn’t perform the ceremonial washing prescribed by Jewish tradition. He thought that performing such outward observances truly cleansed. Jesus responds:  “You Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.” The Pharisees have misunderstood the entirety of God’s law because they think it only concerns the outward man, not the whole man, including the the heart. All the woes Jesus pronounces on the Pharisees condemn them for this hypocrisy. Outwardly they appear clean. Inwardly they are filthy with sin.

The scribes—those who teach the law—fare no better. Their fathers persecuted the prophets who spoke God’s law to them, and they ratify their persecutions and murders by building the prophet’s tombs. This is how the self-righteous hypocrites have behaved toward the righteous from the beginning when Cain murdered righteous Abel. In persecuting the prophets’ doctrine and teaching the people their own traditions as if they were God’s doctrine, they took away the key of knowledge. They didn’t enter into God’s kingdom themselves and they deterred their students from entering. Jesus upbraids them so that they might repent and seek the righteousness that God gives through the divinely-instituted washing of holy baptism, which is “not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21).

We cannot cleanse our hearts from sin and guilt. But “according to His mercy [God] saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Man-made ceremonies can be used to disciple our sinful flesh, but only the washing of water combined with God’s Word gives a new heart and new spirit within, by which we are cleansed from sin and enlivened by the Holy Spirit to begin to live righteously.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, cleanse our hearts by Your gospel, and give us Your holy Spirit so that we may live as ones whom you have cleansed and declared righteous. Amen.

Luke 11:29-36

²⁹ And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. ³⁰ For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. ³¹ The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

³³ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

The Ninevites, who were Gentiles, received Jonah as a sign of repentance. The Queen of Sheba, also a Gentile, traveled to hear Solomon’s wisdom. Jonah’s time in the belly of the great fish and his expulsion prefigured Jesus’ time in the tomb. Solomon was wise indeed, but Christ Jesus is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24). He is greater than Jonah and Solomon, yet the Jews of Jesus’ day neither repent of their sins, nor do they gladly hear His wise teaching.

Many of Jesus’ hearers assume they see Jesus correctly. They assume their eyes are full of light. In reality, their eyes are darkened with unbelief and impenitence, which is why they seek a sign from Jesus. If Jesus performed a sign for them, they still wouldn’t believe because their eyes were darkened with unbelief. John writes of another context, “Although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him” (John 12:37).

If the eye is good the whole body is full of light. Having a good eye means seeing Jesus in faith. When the eye sees Jesus in faith, the whole body is full of the light of the gospel, living in repentance, hearing His wisdom and leading a holy life according to His teaching. When the eye is bad—darkened by sin, self-righteousness, and unbelief—the whole body is full of darkness. Like many of the Jews of Jesus’ day, the devil and our flesh tempts us to darken our eyes with sin and self-righteousness. If we do this, the light we think we have in us is actually darkness. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). So Jesus warns us, “Take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.” Look upon Jesus each day as the one greater than Solomon, who has the words of eternal life. Look upon Jesus as the one greater than Jonah, who was crucified, died, and buried for our sins and raised to justify and sanctify believers. Then the eye is good and the whole body filled with the light of Christ.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, grant us Your Holy Spirit that we see Christ through the eyes of faith, so that we walk in the light of His heavenly wisdom. Amen.