3rd Sunday in Advent
BLESSED ARE THE POOR WHO HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM
Rev. Kenneth W. Wieting
Text: Luke 7:18-35
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Luther Memorial Chapel and University Center, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
What does it take for someone or something to offend you? Perhaps you remember the last time you were genuinely offended? Being offended can make us think, "Don’t they get it?" "Don’t they see my importance?" or "How dare they say that or do that?" Being offended is painful and it can have far reaching effects.
Our Lord Jesus was no stranger to offending people. In three short years He offended or scandalized all sorts of people in all sorts of ways. Some were offended by Jesus because He threatened their authority. Some were offended by Jesus because He gave sight to a blind man on the Sabbath (John 9:16) or ate with sinners and tax collectors.
There were times when His words were just too hard to swallow. The day after feeding the five thousand Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." Many of his disciples were so offended they said, "…who can listen to it?" and they turned back and no longer walked with him (John 6:52-66). On another occasion when Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I AM" they were so offended they picked up stones to hurl at Him (John 8:58, 59). Jesus’ words and actions were truly offensive to many.
However, what seems to have caused the greatest offense was not what He did, but what He left undone, what He seemingly failed to do. The people clearly wanted Him to perform miracles on demand, but He refused. The people clearly wanted to make Him a bread king but He refused. Dissatisfied with Jesus’, those people did look for anther.
And what about the expectations of those who greeted Jesus on Palm Sunday? On the first Sunday of Advent we heard again, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Their shouts were raised amid hopes that Jesus was a conquering hero. Here was a messianic king who would set things right politically and militarily, perhaps in every way.
But, Christ continued to offend people during Holy Week! He offered salvation instead of success, forgiveness instead of the fulfillment of favorite earthly plans. Human expectations were disappointed. They wanted a Messiah full of vengeance for their enemies and victory for themselves, not one full of mercy for all people.
That brings us to John the Baptizer. In His fire sermons he cried, "keep on repenting" "straighten up" "turn around". He also preached the good news of the Gospel of Christ. He proclaimed the truth even to Herod. That landed Him in prison. From that position John sent his disciples to ask Jesus this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
Fellow-redeemed, listen carefully to that question asked by John. Does it not shake away sentimental pretense about Jesus and His work for us sinners? Does it not point to the difficult mystery that God works through weakness and suffering to provide strength and salvation? "Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?"
Our text is the last record we have of earthly communication between John and Jesus. John was no reed shaken by the wind. "…among those born of women none is greater than John." John clearly proclaimed Jesus and stated that He must increase and John must decrease (John 3:30). But was the fore runner of Christ really to decrease like this? Was it truly God’s will for John to be subject to the perverse whims of Herod and his adulteress? Why were these people who played fast and loose with God’s gift of marriage in a position of power over him?
Zephaniah had prophesied of Christ’s coming, "The King of Israel, the LORD is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil." "Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies." If the Christ was to bring light and love, rescue and release into this world, than where was it for John? From the young, strong, devoted forerunner reduced to prison comes a moving question, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
Do you sometimes think that God should act differently than He does toward you? Are you ever offended by what God doesn’t seem to be doing in your life? Do you ever feel like you’re in the darkness of a prison, facing disappointment or distress or even depression? Do you sometimes wonder if you should look for a different kind of Jesus from the current smorgasbord of spiritual angels, gurus, crystals and methods? There are plenty of mood altering options available. "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
John’s question holds eternal value for us. Life in this sinful world is full of dungeons of suffering and satanic oppression. For some Christians there is open persecution, for others loneliness, for others there is ongoing struggle with sickness or pain or sadness. Sometimes the prospects for physical improvement are little or none. It is also true that death will one day stand at the door for each of us as it did for John in Herod’s prison. When affliction presses in on us, when weakness wearies us, when there appears to be no reversing dark conditions Paul’s exhortation seems impossible. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything… Isn’t that a bit offensive? How can there be constant joy? What is the answer to our anxieties?
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." Note clearly what Jesus wants John to hear, especially the last two wonders He lists.
After such blessed works of release as restoring sight and cleansing lepers Jesus states that the dead are raised by His hand. Those actually in the state of death, were given life again by the Lord of Life! The most immediate subject was the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17). As his corpse was carried out for burial, Jesus touched the open coffin and said, "Young man, I say to you arise." And he did!
Surely this must be Jesus’ ultimate answer to John’s troubled question from prison. Are you the one who is to come? Yes, for the dead are raised. But it is not Jesus’ ultimate answer to any of us in our dungeons. In the last and highest position of Jesus’ response is this statement: "the poor have good news preached to them." It is then that He adds, "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
Here is the reason to rejoice always! Tell John in the darkness of his cell, "The poor have the gospel preached to them". Tell John as death closes in, "The poor have the gospel preached to them". Zacharias had sung of John at his birth, "you child will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins." Jesus is now telling John; "Your work is done, your voice has cried out truthfully and prepared the way. The voice of the Bridegroom is now bringing joy to the world. "The poor have the gospel preached to them."
Dear Christians, this is the purpose of John’s preparation and of Jesus’ provision! Jesus is the one who is to come and you should look for no other. In disappointment, in affliction, in the face of death, there is no other to look to. Jesus didn’t promise that His church would continue to have the power to raise the dead or to cleanse lepers or restore sight. He did promise that those He sent in His Name would be given the power to speak His word of absolution, to cleanse from the leprosy of sin, to open blind eyes to the sight of faith. He did promise that those He sent would have His authority to preach the Gospel to the poor. The poor is every descendent of Adam and Eve, including John the baptizer and including you. The poor are the poor in spirit, spiritual beggars before God. Blessed are those who know they are the poor.
This is the ultimate wonder that Jesus relays back to John at the end of John’s life! The poor have the gospel preached to them. This good news is nothing else than the free and full forgiveness of sins for the sake of Christ. He who was preaching it would soon provide it. He who was preaching it would soon be paraded before the same king Herod who executed John. Herod wanted to see Jesus do a miracle but Jesus wouldn’t perform in Herod’s court to please sinful curiosity. He did perform the miracle of miracles in God’s court to save sinful beggars. On the cross what John said of Christ was fully revealed, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world".
Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. Why do you have reason for joy whatever your circumstances? Because the mighty one who baptized you is in your midst to rejoice over you with gladness! Risen from the grave He is here today to quiet you with His love, to change your shame into praise! He is aware of your dungeons and how dark life can be. He is aware of your questions about life’s burdens and bad outcomes. He knows your struggles with sin and when death will come to your door. His answer to you is the same as it was to John, "the poor have the gospel preached to them. "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
John drank no wine and they said he had a demon. The Son of Man did drink wine and they called Him a drunkard, a friend of sinners. They were wrong about His drunkenness, but not about Him being a friend of sinners. He is such a friend to you and me that today He gives us the new wine of His blood shed for our forgiveness. Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Rev. Kenneth W. Wieting
Text: Luke 7:18-35
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Luther Memorial Chapel and University Center, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
What does it take for someone or something to offend you? Perhaps you remember the last time you were genuinely offended? Being offended can make us think, "Don’t they get it?" "Don’t they see my importance?" or "How dare they say that or do that?" Being offended is painful and it can have far reaching effects.
Our Lord Jesus was no stranger to offending people. In three short years He offended or scandalized all sorts of people in all sorts of ways. Some were offended by Jesus because He threatened their authority. Some were offended by Jesus because He gave sight to a blind man on the Sabbath (John 9:16) or ate with sinners and tax collectors.
There were times when His words were just too hard to swallow. The day after feeding the five thousand Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." Many of his disciples were so offended they said, "…who can listen to it?" and they turned back and no longer walked with him (John 6:52-66). On another occasion when Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I AM" they were so offended they picked up stones to hurl at Him (John 8:58, 59). Jesus’ words and actions were truly offensive to many.
However, what seems to have caused the greatest offense was not what He did, but what He left undone, what He seemingly failed to do. The people clearly wanted Him to perform miracles on demand, but He refused. The people clearly wanted to make Him a bread king but He refused. Dissatisfied with Jesus’, those people did look for anther.
And what about the expectations of those who greeted Jesus on Palm Sunday? On the first Sunday of Advent we heard again, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Their shouts were raised amid hopes that Jesus was a conquering hero. Here was a messianic king who would set things right politically and militarily, perhaps in every way.
But, Christ continued to offend people during Holy Week! He offered salvation instead of success, forgiveness instead of the fulfillment of favorite earthly plans. Human expectations were disappointed. They wanted a Messiah full of vengeance for their enemies and victory for themselves, not one full of mercy for all people.
That brings us to John the Baptizer. In His fire sermons he cried, "keep on repenting" "straighten up" "turn around". He also preached the good news of the Gospel of Christ. He proclaimed the truth even to Herod. That landed Him in prison. From that position John sent his disciples to ask Jesus this question, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
Fellow-redeemed, listen carefully to that question asked by John. Does it not shake away sentimental pretense about Jesus and His work for us sinners? Does it not point to the difficult mystery that God works through weakness and suffering to provide strength and salvation? "Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?"
Our text is the last record we have of earthly communication between John and Jesus. John was no reed shaken by the wind. "…among those born of women none is greater than John." John clearly proclaimed Jesus and stated that He must increase and John must decrease (John 3:30). But was the fore runner of Christ really to decrease like this? Was it truly God’s will for John to be subject to the perverse whims of Herod and his adulteress? Why were these people who played fast and loose with God’s gift of marriage in a position of power over him?
Zephaniah had prophesied of Christ’s coming, "The King of Israel, the LORD is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil." "Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies." If the Christ was to bring light and love, rescue and release into this world, than where was it for John? From the young, strong, devoted forerunner reduced to prison comes a moving question, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
Do you sometimes think that God should act differently than He does toward you? Are you ever offended by what God doesn’t seem to be doing in your life? Do you ever feel like you’re in the darkness of a prison, facing disappointment or distress or even depression? Do you sometimes wonder if you should look for a different kind of Jesus from the current smorgasbord of spiritual angels, gurus, crystals and methods? There are plenty of mood altering options available. "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
John’s question holds eternal value for us. Life in this sinful world is full of dungeons of suffering and satanic oppression. For some Christians there is open persecution, for others loneliness, for others there is ongoing struggle with sickness or pain or sadness. Sometimes the prospects for physical improvement are little or none. It is also true that death will one day stand at the door for each of us as it did for John in Herod’s prison. When affliction presses in on us, when weakness wearies us, when there appears to be no reversing dark conditions Paul’s exhortation seems impossible. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything… Isn’t that a bit offensive? How can there be constant joy? What is the answer to our anxieties?
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." Note clearly what Jesus wants John to hear, especially the last two wonders He lists.
After such blessed works of release as restoring sight and cleansing lepers Jesus states that the dead are raised by His hand. Those actually in the state of death, were given life again by the Lord of Life! The most immediate subject was the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17). As his corpse was carried out for burial, Jesus touched the open coffin and said, "Young man, I say to you arise." And he did!
Surely this must be Jesus’ ultimate answer to John’s troubled question from prison. Are you the one who is to come? Yes, for the dead are raised. But it is not Jesus’ ultimate answer to any of us in our dungeons. In the last and highest position of Jesus’ response is this statement: "the poor have good news preached to them." It is then that He adds, "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
Here is the reason to rejoice always! Tell John in the darkness of his cell, "The poor have the gospel preached to them". Tell John as death closes in, "The poor have the gospel preached to them". Zacharias had sung of John at his birth, "you child will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins." Jesus is now telling John; "Your work is done, your voice has cried out truthfully and prepared the way. The voice of the Bridegroom is now bringing joy to the world. "The poor have the gospel preached to them."
Dear Christians, this is the purpose of John’s preparation and of Jesus’ provision! Jesus is the one who is to come and you should look for no other. In disappointment, in affliction, in the face of death, there is no other to look to. Jesus didn’t promise that His church would continue to have the power to raise the dead or to cleanse lepers or restore sight. He did promise that those He sent in His Name would be given the power to speak His word of absolution, to cleanse from the leprosy of sin, to open blind eyes to the sight of faith. He did promise that those He sent would have His authority to preach the Gospel to the poor. The poor is every descendent of Adam and Eve, including John the baptizer and including you. The poor are the poor in spirit, spiritual beggars before God. Blessed are those who know they are the poor.
This is the ultimate wonder that Jesus relays back to John at the end of John’s life! The poor have the gospel preached to them. This good news is nothing else than the free and full forgiveness of sins for the sake of Christ. He who was preaching it would soon provide it. He who was preaching it would soon be paraded before the same king Herod who executed John. Herod wanted to see Jesus do a miracle but Jesus wouldn’t perform in Herod’s court to please sinful curiosity. He did perform the miracle of miracles in God’s court to save sinful beggars. On the cross what John said of Christ was fully revealed, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world".
Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. Why do you have reason for joy whatever your circumstances? Because the mighty one who baptized you is in your midst to rejoice over you with gladness! Risen from the grave He is here today to quiet you with His love, to change your shame into praise! He is aware of your dungeons and how dark life can be. He is aware of your questions about life’s burdens and bad outcomes. He knows your struggles with sin and when death will come to your door. His answer to you is the same as it was to John, "the poor have the gospel preached to them. "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
John drank no wine and they said he had a demon. The Son of Man did drink wine and they called Him a drunkard, a friend of sinners. They were wrong about His drunkenness, but not about Him being a friend of sinners. He is such a friend to you and me that today He gives us the new wine of His blood shed for our forgiveness. Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
posted by Luther Memorial Chapel at
12/21/2006
