Mark.10.35-45; Fifth Sunday in Lent; March 25, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

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And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:35-45, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We have often talked about how God, through Jesus Christ, has retrieved us from the jaws of our mortal enemy, Satan. How in Baptism God placed the name of Jesus on us to make us his children instead of the property of Satan. That is what Jesus is talking about here, too, when he talks about being the ransom. You know what it means to be ransomed; you’ve seen it in a thousand television programs. Someone is held captive until a release price is paid. That’s God’s Amazing Grace for us that he was willing to pay the release price, the blood of Jesus, for our sins, to remove us from the power of sin, death and especially from the power and control of Satan. It is a very comforting thing to remember that Satan has no power over us, and God is here for us, to fight for us, and defend our cause against him.

¹⁰The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10 (ESV)

What makes all this work, what’s behind all this, is God’s willingness to serve us. Jesus says “for even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” And that’s a curious thing, that the Creator of the universe willingly serves his created creatures. That’s like the boss serving his employees. That’s the master serving the slaves. But that is exactly what we see all over the scriptures. Jesus serves sick people by healing them. He serves hungry people by feeding them (by the thousands!). He serves confused people by teaching them. He serves outcast people by hanging out with them. It was the constant complaint of Jesus critics, “He goes in with sinners and eats with them.” They have a hard time getting their minds around what Jesus is doing. “If he is really from God,” they think, “he should be spending his time with godly and worthy people. He should be spending his time with the folks who put the real money in the collection plate. He should have been spending his time with us, telling us what a good job we’ve done.” They wanted Jesus to tell them they were the good guys they thought they were.

But Jesus makes it clear he is doing something different. Jesus explains it in parable after parable. One is in Luke 15, there he tells us of the shepherd who lost one sheep from his flock of a hundred. He leaves the ninety-nine sheep behind and goes out to find the missing one. Then he carries it home on his shoulders. The shepherd serves the wayward sheep, by carrying it home. It is a picture of Jesus serving. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. But look how Jesus goes one step beyond the parable. He gives up his very life for the lost sheep. One of our well known Lenten hymns says it like this:

How strange is this great paradox to ponder:
The shepherd dies for sheep who love to wander;
The master pays the debt his servants owe him,
Who would not know him.

I love that line “The shepherd dies for sheep who love to wander.” They don’t wander off accidentally, they do it on purpose. They don’t make little missteps that get them into trouble. It isn’t that they’re not quite perfect. It isn’t minor character flaws that keep popping up that leads them a little astray. They love to wander. They want to do it, and look for the chance to strike out on their own away from the shepherd. And he dies to bring them back. Paul tells us what that’s all about, too.

"For while we [sheep who love to wander] were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly [sheep who love to wander]. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners [sheep who love to wander], Christ died for us." (Ro 5:6-8, ESV)

Jesus serves by dying for sinners who love to wander off.

And one thing we love to do is put ourselves in the ninety-nine, the “good sheep” who “don’t need to repent.” We don’t really belong there. And although we love the Savior, we are also the sheep who love to wander. We so easily fall into sin. “I’ll just do it this time I’ll worry about the consequences later. I can sin, because I know God will forgive me.” “I’m not really that bad, I know other people who sin more than me.” “for all the good I do, I’m really a good sheep, not a bad one.”

That’s really what Jesus disciples were doing, too. They clearly have a different view of things than Jesus does.

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

I really want you to pay attention to what they are asking Jesus for. They want that, when Jesus comes into his glory they can be in their glory at his right and his left. “Jesus we really deserve to be right there at your side basking in the glory, too. We’ve seen all these wandering sheep you’ve been with. We’ve been right here at your side all the time. When you really get down to establishing your glory, we [who are sheep who have never wandered], deserve to be at your right and your left.” Jesus answers, “You do not know what you are asking.” You don’t really understand why I’ve come. It’s all about service. It’s about what I am doing for you through my life and death and resurrection. “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.”

Notice again the disciple’s request. “We want you to do for us…” We want glory. We want you to make us great. They don’t get it. But mostly they can’t serve as Jesus serves. We can’t serve as Jesus serves. Even our best service is marred by self interest. Even if at first our motives are good, we can’t help think about how good it will look to other people that see us doing it. Call it the I-hope-other-people-see-me-put-my-money-in-the-collection-plate syndrome. We love to come to worship to receive the gifts God gives us here, but we are sure to sit in the same place every week to be sure everyone knows that we are here. And what parent hasn’t thought more about how other people will think of them when their child misbehaves. We really want the glory, even when we fight against the temptation; the sin of self glory is still there in our hearts. All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. (Isa 64:6, NIV) Isaiah says that even the good things we do are not acceptable to God. We can’t hide our sinful hearts, our desire for self-glory, from God. He knows the true story.

It is only through the work of God that we can be delivered from that sin that so much fills our hearts and corrupts even the good things we do.

Where guilt is great and sin abounds,

There God’s great love is poured,

And fervent prayer from saints resounds:

“Oh, vindicate me, Lord”

We call upon Jesus to help us. We call upon Jesus to serve us. Because we know that Jesus service is different. His is selfless. Without realizing it James and John actually point that out by what they ask. That’s why Jesus says, “You do not know what you are asking.” Jesus talks about his cup and his baptism. That’s his service to the world. It’s the cup of suffering. It’s the baptism of bearing the whole world’s sins. It’s the cross. James and John wanted to be with Jesus, “in his glory.” The cross turns “glory” on its head. Jesus “glory” comes in his suffering and death. His “glory” is to vindicate us, to free us from our sin, our sin of wanting self-glory. It’s backwards from the way we naturally think. It’s the Good Shepherd leaving the 99 and giving everything for the sake of the one lost sheep. And backwards from the way the world works. It’s backwards from what James and John were thinking. Jesus says, “You do not know what you are asking… to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. (Mk 15:22-28, ESV)

I’m sure that that’s not what James and John had in mind. But there on the cross, Jesus comes into his full glory. Jesus shows his true nature on the cross, in his willingness to suffer and die. It is in that suffering and death that we see what Jesus means by saying that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve. There is where the Shepherd gives his life for the sheep who love to wander.

And there it is again. God’s Amazing Grace. That he sent his own son, who deserves to be served by the whole world, yet, lived died and rose again to serve the whole world. As for me and you sheep of the shepherd, who struggle with our love to wander, he serves us, too. Right here, right now, through his Word. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

John 2.13-22; The Third Sunday in Lent; March 11, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

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The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” (John 2:13–22, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Well, this has been one of those winters. No, not the typical hard Iowa winter. The un-typical mild Iowa winter. In spite of all the troubles in the world, here in Iowa we've had spring for the last 3 months. It's time, just about, to get outside and start cleaning up the yard, tilling your garden, and more. It's even been warm enough lately to open the doors of the house and let out the stale air. It's time again to start thinking about cleaning house, spring cleaning.

Today’s text is about Jesus cleaning house. It’s important to note that this isn’t the only time he does this. St. John records this account in the first part of his Gospel, and the other Apostles tell us of a similar time during Holy Week. And considering the condition of things in the temple, and what was going there every day, it wouldn't surprise me if Jesus did it there every week. Jesus comes to the temple and doesn’t like what he sees, so he cleans house.

We don’t see this picture of Jesus very often; whip in hand, raised voice, overturning tables, driving people away. The only way to describe it is that Jesus is angry. Don't let anyone every sell you the picture of Jesus meek and mild. Jesus argued with the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus called demons to account. Jesus was a force to be reckoned with. Here in the temple he's downright aggressive. But he's doing more than just spring cleaning. He's repurposing the temple. He's cleaning the "Father's House" and pointing to something beyond himself.

Another thing to notice about this text is when it happens. It's an important point that it’s Passover. For those of you who when to the Seder Meal we did a few years ago, do you remember how we started. We started with a cleaning. Before Passover the Jews clean house. Everything is cleaned and the whole house is searched for yeast, and all of it is removed. Yeast is a strong symbol of sin and before Passover the Jews remove it from their houses to symbolically remove sin from their lives.

The Passover is a major holiday for those in Israel, in Jesus time, as well as today. Jerusalem was crowded to capacity. Every room was full, the streets were crowded, there was joy in the air, but also tension. Whenever there are large crowds of people there is always the possibility of trouble. Roman soldier patrolled the streets. Since every family was required to slaughter their Passover lamb in the temple, it too was very crowded. Other sacrifices were also required during that time.

When Jesus entered the temple he found a market place. It’s not that he’s against free trade. The market itself was even understandable. People would have to exchange their money. If you’ve ever traveled out of the country you know what that’s all about. The people in town for the Passover came from all over the Roman world their money needed to be exchanged. But even more than that, all Jews were required to pay the temple tax. It couldn’t be paid with Pagan money. That doesn’t mean that people weren’t being taken advantage of, they probably were. Whenever, you gather people around business transactions greed pops up its ugly head.

But Jesus anger isn’t necessarily aimed just at the moneychangers and their greed. After all they provided a necessary service that was required by the Law of Moses. His anger seems to be about something else.

There are also the tables of people selling animals for sacrifice. (No one from PETA was there to complain!) They are also providing a necessary service. It’s difficult to travel with animals. People needed to be able to buy what was necessary for sacrifice. And remember they had to be perfect without blemish. Who would want to carry a lamb all the way from Egypt, a journey of several weeks, just to find that it didn’t pass inspection? It was better to buy one that was already certified. All in all, there’s nothing wrong with the practice of buying a sacrifice for the temple. Of course here to there were probably abuses, and inflated pricing, because the sellers had motivated buyers. But again Jesus isn’t necessarily driving the animal sellers out of the temple because of their greed.

Here’s the picture I want you to put in your mind. Think of the property all around our church. Imagine it all enclosed with a high wall, all the way around the perimeter; all the way from the outdoor worship center to Spenser street. That whole area is full of tables and people and animals. You’ve go bulls, and sheep and goats and doves in cages. People have come from Des Moine, St. Louis (MO.), Kansas City, Denver, all the way here, by the hundreds. They’re outside the walls and inside. There is a steady stream of animals being brought in, also by the hundreds. People are packed together, there’s arguing, haggling, bleating, cooing, and mooing. Imagine all that noise, and worse imagine the smell. It’s a huge mess. And here inside the church people are tying to pray, and sacrifice, and worship.

Jesus cleans house. We can understand why. But remember it’s not just that he wants to get rid of the noise, the smell and the mess. He’s not necessarily angry that people are buying and selling. He’s not necessarily angry that you can’t hear yourself think to pray. There is something else that troubles him even more.

With all the commerce, the buying and selling, people had gotten the impression that you could buy your way into God’s presence. It was a system that seemed to imply that if you paid enough money, got a perfect enough animal, had the right kind of cash, you could get in to see God. “My Father’s house is not a market!” Jesus shouted. This is not a place where business is done—not a place to exchange money, or buy and sell lambs for sacrifice, or cashing in on the worship of God and commercializing worship with Him. This is a house of prayer; a place where we meet God, not in a barnyard or bank. It’s not a place where money of any kind buys anything! When we come here, God looks for faith, not at your checkbook. He doesn’t care how much you give, or how perfect your lamb is.

Jesus is making a very important point about the worship of God. “If you want to come to God, you don’t need money, you don’t need an animal sacrifice, and you don’t even need the temple… anymore. I am the temple! God has come among you. I am here to take you to the Father. It doesn’t require all this mess, the blood of these animals. It requires my blood. It requires my death. The death of God’s very own Son, on the cross.”

Jesus cleans house. He pushes it all aside and out of the temple, the moneychangers, the pigeon sellers, and the sacrifices, too. He comes to replace it all. He earns our way to the Father. He is the final and complete sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. “Destroy this temple, torture me, beat me, crucify me, and kill me, and I will come alive again in three days. Everything you see here in this temple of stone, is right now being replaced in the temple of my body.”

And there’s something else we should pay attention to here. God’s House, this house that Jesus is cleaning is a house of prayer for “all nations.” That’s what St. Mark says Jesus shouted. Remember that the temple had some pretty strict rules about access. Jewish males could go into the temple proper, but women and Gentiles were left to do their worship in the outer courtyard; out there on our parking lot, out there among the animals, the noise, mess, and moneychangers. You see, Jesus isn’t just cleaning house for the Jews. He’s making room. He’s opening the house up for all nations. He opens it for every person: Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, sick and well; farmers, factory workers, bikers, teachers, auto-mechanics, and children. The temple, that is Jesus Christ, is for all people. “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Jesus commanded.

It’s time for us too to clean house. Remember God isn’t interested in your money; he’s interested in finding faith. He doesn’t want perfect sacrifices that are empty; he wants your fait to be focused on him. He wants this house of prayer to be open to “all nations” people from all walks of life, people from all social classes, and races. When Jesus cleans the temple he opens it up for all people. And he doesn’t just clean up the temple; Jesus Christ cleans up the whole world. His life, death and resurrection are about cleaning up the mess of sin. His blood cleans the mess of sin in your heart and mine. His blood cleanses the sin of everyone who believes in him, the Jew and the Gentile. When people have faith in the work of Jesus Christ they have access to the Father, through him. There are no more outcasts, no second-class citizens, no one who is beyond help and hope.

Isn’t it good to know that you don’t have to deal with moneychangers for access to God? Isn’t it nice to know that Jesus guarantees your access to the Father by his death? Jesus cleans house. He cleans the temple. He cleans your heart. He cleans mine. He gives us forgiveness. He cleans us a way to God by removing our sin. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Romans.5.6; The Second Sunday in Lent; March 3, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (Ro 5:6, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

There's another way you could say that. While we were weak, God remembered us, at just the right time. How many times have I said to you that in Baptism we know that God remembers us. He does it in a very personal way. He shows us that He has chosen us. Even though it is a very simple thing, water and spoken words, we trust that God does what He promises through it. We rejoiced in the fact that Baptism is so specific that it doesn’t leave any doubt about who God is dealing with. The water of Baptism makes our heads wet and God puts His name on us, and with His name comes all His promises. For each of us, it happens at just the right time.

So, here St. Paul says that God remembered us when we were weak. Another translation says it was when we were powerless. Now I don’t know about you but I’m the kind of person who never wants to be seen as weak. Just like everyone I want people to see me as a strong person. Weak people are taken advantage of. Weak people are not influential people. Weak people are not respected. Weak people are… well not really anything. It’s like a cartoon of a job interview I recently saw. The interviewer says: “You’re just the type of weakling this company is looking for to exploit and discard. You’re hired!” That’s really what we think about when we say that some one is weak. Here’s how we really hear Paul’s words: While we were doormats…While we were wusses.. While we were crybabies, softies, namby-pamby, or wimps. And naturally none of us wants to be any of those things. None of us wants to be weak. Really we don’t believe that we are weak, either in life or even in the sight of God.

Teen called weakling; saves man from pond

The Associated Press
Last Updated 8:22 a.m. PST Friday, January 30, 2004

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - A high school freshman who walked out of a weightlifting session after being called a weakling became a hero minutes later when he saved an elderly man who had driven into a pond.

Justin Gregorich, 14, was one of three people who jumped into the water Wednesday to pull Raymond J. Kane from his sinking Lincoln Town Car.

"It's amazing - there are snakes and there are alligators ... all three of them just jumped in right after that guy," said paramedic Mike Eash.

Gregorich had hopes of joining Countryside High School's junior-varsity football team next season, and after school Wednesday he went to the team's conditioning practice.

But at 5-foot-3 inches tall and 130 pounds, he couldn't lift as much weight as the other boys, who teased him. Gregorich said he left early and began walking home.

"I'm thinking, man, I should have stayed at football, the coach is going to be mad at me, why did I leave?" he recalled. "And - WHAM!"

At that moment, the Lincoln veered off the road in front of him and sped toward the pond. Gregorich dove in, along with passers-by Michael McBrayer and Shawn Brady.

One man opened the car door as Gregorich and the other man grabbed Kane by the arms, authorities said. They swam about 50 feet back to the bank.

Kane was in good condition Thursday, issuing a statement through a hospital spokesman thanking his rescuers.

"I owe my life to that young man," Kane said. He also wished him luck in making the football team.

Even if we could be convinced we are weak, that’s the picture we want to think about ourselves. The weakling makes good in the end. The football reject makes the team anyway. “It’s really about inner strength and character.” That’s really how we want God to look at us. We might be weak but we are sure that we are strong in inner strength and character. That’s the reason we believe God should remember us.

It happens every time we run into trouble in our lives. We are sure God is testing us. We are sure He just wants us to prove how strong we really are. So we buck up, we endure, we turn to our “inner” strength. And then we turn to God and say: “Look God! I’m doing great. See, I can handle it. I’m really strong. Aren’t I a great person, a person worth remembering?”

Think about Peter. He was a strong guy, right? Well, I wasn’t his strength that allowed him to walk on water. It happened after Jesus feed the five thousand. He told the disciples to go to the other side of the lake, while he stayed behind. It took them a long time to cross the lake, because “the wind was against them.” While they struggled against the wind, in the dark of the night they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. They were frightened, just as you and I would be. “Don’t be afraid! Jesus shouted over the wind and the water. Now this is where Peter demonstrates his strength. “Lord, if that’s really you, let me walk on the water out to you.” “Come.” Jesus answered. And Peter stepped out of the boat and began to walk to Jesus. But as soon as the strong man realized what he was really doing, he began to sink. When he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to see his own position and his own ability he plunged into the water. “Lord, save me!” he cried out, and Jesus saved him. Even strong Peter, the Rock, couldn’t walk on water by his own strength but only when he was depending on Jesus.

St. Paul (that’s who wrote our text for this evening) also knew what it meant to be weak. In fact, he said that he boasted in his weakness.

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Co 12:10, ESV)

And he didn’t mean that weakness brought him strength, he means that his weakness showed the strength of Jesus. When Paul was down and out, bent down with trouble, unable to move on his own, paralyzed by unmanageable circumstances, that’s when he really depended on Jesus. Jesus even said to him,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Co 12:9, ESV).

“When you are at your weakest point, that’s when you really depend on me, instead of yourself.”

Ok Pastor, but why do we have to be weak before Jesus remembers us? Well, that’s not exactly what I’m saying. That’s not what Paul is talking about either. Really what he is saying, what I am saying is that when we are weak, that’s when we see our need to be remembered by God. When we know that we don’t deserve anything God does for us, that’s when we see most clearly what it means that God does remember us. God does His most important work in our lives, not in the ways that we people think He should, but in weakness. While we were still weak… when we realize that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves, when we are sinking in the water of sin, when we are lost and alone, God remembers us and saves us.

He saves us through the weakness of Jesus.

…who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Php 2:6-8, ESV)

Jesus became a weak and humble person, and submitted to a death of weakness.

“At just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom 5:6, ESV)

It was just the right time for us, because if He hadn’t done it we would have been lost to our sin, lost to death and lost to hell. An eternity of hell is exactly what we deserve for our sin. But because we were weak and powerless, God stepped in, He remembered us, and took the punishment away from us paid it Himself, in Jesus. We can’t do it, we are too weak, so He did. He did it in the weakness of human flesh that bled and died on the cross.

In just a few short weeks, Easter will be upon us. We’ll travel through the rest of holy week and remember the weakness of Jesus death on the cross on Good Friday. And even more importantly we’ll remember that after Good Friday comes Easter Sunday. The same Jesus, who in weakness died, in glory and strength walks away from death alive again. That’s where He really shows us where our weakness ends. Because He took the punishment for our sin to the grave, we too will walk away from death.

We are weak. Trouble stalks us all the time. It causes us pain. And that’s were we most easily see Jesus. In our weakness we remember that He remembers us. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The LCMS reacts to contraceptive mandate: Synod President Matthew Harrison testifies before Committee on Oversight and Govt. Reform:

Two videos are available from the LCMS regarding this issue.  The first is presents Pastor Harrison's comments on the birth control mandate.  The second is the video of his testimony before the Committee on Oversight and Govt. Reform.  I encourage you to view these videos.  You may see them on YouTube at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5au8yj2msQ
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=527spTZiwBU

2 Kings 5:1-12; Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany; February 12, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.” (2 Kings 5:1–12, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Naaman was an important man, and no friend to Israel. In fact, some of the early church fathers believe he was personally responsible for the death of a previous king. He was a brave man, leader of the armies of Syria. Second only to the king, it seems. But he had a problem. He had leprosy. It was a serious problem. It was a fatal problem. All that he had, his reputation, his wealth, his position was in jeopardy. So when the little Hebrew slave girl spoke up he listened. She had faith that God could heal through the prophet Elisha. Naaman wasn't taking any chances. He went to the king to request the necessary travel arrangements. The king quickly sent him on his way with a letter of introduction. Naaman gathered up offerings, expensive gifts, and hit the road. When he arrived he wasn't well received by the King of Israel. Of course it didn't help that Syrians were in the habit of raiding the border and carrying off people and treasure. The king of Israel was naturally suspicious. But more than that, given the impossible task of healing leprosy, he was sure it was a trap to give the foreign king an excuse for another raid. What he didn't see, was God's hand at work. The little girl was a foreign missionary. She trusted in the possibility of God's work through the prophet Elisha. She spoke out in faith. Naaman listen. The king of Syria also acted in a kind of faith that something could be done. The king of Israel doubted God's willingness or ability to act, but the prophet Elisha set him straight. "Send him to me, so that he can know (as you should know!) that God's prophet is in Israel." Naaman takes his whole company to Elisha's door. And there he stands waiting for the prophet to appear. But he doesn't. Instead he sends a servant with a message. "Go and wash in the Jordan river seven times and you will be healed." Now its Naaman's time to show his true nature. He is a proud man. "I've come all this way and he sends a servant! He should come out and meet me. After all I'm an important person, not some lackey who doesn't get the attention of someone who should be my servant!" His pride is so strong he would rather die than do what the prophet said, wash in the Jordan river. He knew the river. He likely crossed it on his way. It didn't even matter that he would probably have to cross it in order to return home. The Jordan was a mud hole. The rivers in Damascus ran crystal clear. In Damascus the river water was used to irrigate the farmland. The Jordan was even worthless for that. "How can that filthy water do anything! I'm an important person, my healing needs to be done some other way." He stomped away in a tantrum. But God's Word wasn't done yet. Just like the little slave girl spoke up, Naaman's other servants speak up. "Father! (a term of respect for their master) This is an easy thing to do. If he had told you to do something difficult you'd have been right on it. What have you got to loose! All you have to do is what he said, 'Wash and be clean!'" Again Naaman listens. He sets his pride aside make the trip to the Jordan and washes away his leprosy. "... and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child." And a miracle happens. He returns to Elisha and says, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel." It's a kind of double baptism. His disease is washed off and left in the dirty Jordan water. His unbelief, his sin, is washed off, too, into the water. As it is all washed away in that muddy water, in the washing, God gives him faith. It is the miracle of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

It is no coincidence that many years later Jesus washes in the very same water. But he doesn't need to do it to be clean, that's what John the Baptizer says. Jesus steps into the water and John protests. "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." (Matthew 3:14-15, ESV) You see, he is going into the water with Naaman. Down there in that filthy water is Naaman's leprosy. Down there in that filthy water is Naaman's unbelief and sin. Jesus is going down in there to take it up into himself. As, the perfect and righteous Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, steps in the Jordan river, his righteousness is filled up with Naaman's leprosy, Naaman's unbelief, Naaman's sin. Jesus and Naaman down there in the water together. Naaman comes up clean. Jesus comes up filthy. Naaman goes to Elisha to confess his faith.

Surely [Jesus] has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4–5, ESV)

To the cross he goes with sin, and unbelief and disease and suffering... he dies there to put it all to death there, and bury it all in the deepest pit.

This font is your Jordan river. "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." That's you in the filthy water, up to your neck in disease, and unbelief and sin, and death. And that's Jesus standing with you down there in the filthy water. Jesus is there to take it up into himself.

Third
How can water do such great things?

Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus, chapter three:

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” (Titus 3:5–8)

And out you come confessing your faith. Out Jesus comes and to the cross, to suffering and death, your suffering and death, for your sin. Promising you rebirth and renewal. It's the word of God, brought to you by his servants. The word of promise. The word of life.

And there's more... there's always more. Jesus' death leads to Jesus' resurrection, his restoration before God, the Father. Naaman came up out of the water with resurrection flesh, like that of a young child. Baptism is your promise of resurrection flesh.

... Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25–27, ESV)

... without spot wrinkle or blemish you will stand before Christ for all eternity, perfect and holy. Fully human, fully forgiven, forever.

And so we remember that little splash of water, that promise of healing and forgiveness, our little part of the Jordan river. Just like the little slave girl focused on God's promises, just like Naaman's servants focused on God's word of promise through Elisha, we focus on God's Word of promise here. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Naaman Made Clean by a Double Baptism.

Therefore Naaman was sent to the Jordan as to the remedy capable to heal a human being.  Indeed, sin is the leprosy of the soul, which is not perceived by the senses, but intelligence has the proof of it, and human nature must be delivered from this disease by Christ’s power which is hidden in Baptism.  It was necessary that Naaman, in order to be purified from two diseases, that of the soul and that of the body, might represent in his own person the purification of all the nations through the bath of regeneration, whose beginning was in the river Jordan, the mother and origin of baptism.  Ephrem the Syrian commenting on 2 Kings 5:1-12

Conti, Marco, ed. Oden, Thomas, general ed. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. 1. 5. Dower's Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008. 167. Print.

Mark 1:29; Fifth Sunday after Epiphany; February 5, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, IA;

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And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.” (Mark 1:29–39, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

You know, there’s a time in everyone’s life when they face suffering. When it happens to you, you don’t like it. Who would? The thing is that suffering is a regular and expected part of life. You know the old saying; “the only sure thing in life is death and taxes.” I think you can add suffering to that list. You know people who are suffering; I know people who are suffering. There are people suffering across the street, down the block, in the next town, state country and continent. You may be suffering yourself. You may be the only one who knows about it. But you should know that you are not alone. It is a constant in the universe. Suffering…

Think about that old testament guy, Job. He's a guy that knows suffering. He is deep in suffering. Disease has racked his body, the scabs, the worms, the sleepless nights, that’s suffering. Some of you have suffered like he is, as cancer has invaded your body, or pain from an unknown source, and the doctors scratch their heads, afraid to say what they don’t know. Afraid to admit they have no answers. Job wants his suffering to end, just like you and I want our suffering to end. But we suffer none-the-less, like Job.

You may have noticed that we’ve been reading the Gospel of Mark for the last several weeks. The Gospel of Mark, as a matter of fact, is going to be our emphasis for the whole year. Almost all of the Gospel readings will be from it. Notice one important thing about today’s Gospel, it’s still in chapter one. It all started back in December with Mark 1:1 and we are only at 1:29. We’ve already seen John the Baptist, Jesus tempted in the desert, Jesus calling some of his disciples, and Jesus casting out a demon. Mark keeps the pace going; in fact his favorite word is “immediately.”

Last week we heard about Jesus in church, casting a demon out of a possessed man. “Immediately,” Mark tells us, “Jesus goes to Peter’s house for dinner.” But, the problem is that Peter’s mother-in-law, the person who would be serving the meal is sick with a fever. It doesn’t stop Jesus, he tenderly takes her hand and she recovers. You know how you feel when the fever finally breaks? Well, she didn’t, she got up and served dinner as if she’d never been sick. News spread quickly that small town of Capernaum. By nightfall, the “whole town” has gathered outside of Peter’s doorway. They want to see this man who is doing these wonderful things. What’s more, the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town the sick and the well are standing at Peter’s door peering in at Jesus.

These are people just like you and me. Remember, suffering is a constant. They had friends with cancer, sons and daughters who were injured in accidents. There were women who had lost their husbands, and men who were divorced. These were people who saw the unknown looks in doctor’s eyes. They were human beings, just like Job, just like you and me, who had an intimate relationship with suffering. And just like us, they wanted their suffering to end. And that night at Peter’s house it seems that Jesus healed them all. Good for them.

They got what they were looking for. They knew where to go to be healed. And even Job eventually got what he wanted too. Job had a whole book of the bible of suffering. Nothing works out for him until the last six verses. So Job was healed, he didn’t have to suffer with the scabs and the worms, the people of Capernaum didn’t have to suffer because they went to Jesus. Jesus even took away the fever from Peter’s mother-in-law so that they wouldn’t have to go to someone else’s house to eat. It’s nice for all of them, but what about me, and what about you. We’ve come here today to see Jesus. We have faith in what he does for us, why do we have to keep suffering. Why are we lonely, and hurting?

I don’t know. God hasn’t given me a magic book, or visions in my dreams to make me able to tell you why you are suffering. I do know that suffering in the world is caused by sin. Sometimes we suffer because of specific sins we have done, sometimes we suffer because of the sins of other people. But, mainly we suffer because the world is broken. It isn’t the wonderful paradise that God created it to be. When human beings rejected God, and we are all guilty of rejecting God at one time or another, everything fell apart. The strongest sign of the brokenness of this world is suffering. Remember Job? In that whole book he never finds out why he is made to suffer. God doesn’t send him friends that have a magic knowledge of why his children died. The friends that come to Job just make his suffering worse. You’ve felt that too, when a friend offers suggestions at to why you are suffering. But the answer isn’t really there. Your question is “why?” and the truth is you may never know the answer.

I’d like to make a suggestion based on our text for today. The people of Capernaum looked for Jesus to help them with their suffering. And Job too, turns to God in his suffering. “Remember!” he says to God, “Remember me! I’m suffering and I can’t bear it any more.” That’s where we too should turn. “Remember me! Lord. I can’t live with this pain anymore.” Because that’s the truth, we can’t bear it, and there is nothing we can do. You see; sin will have its way with you. There is nothing you can do; pain, illness, and suffering are going to be a part of your life. What’s more, it will all eventually come to death. You can’t bear it. It is too much for you.

I’m also not going to tell you that if you have enough faith you can stand up and be strong in the face of your suffering. You see, God doesn’t require us to be strong; in fact he wants us to be weak and needing him.

We are all guilty of thinking that if we are just strong enough we’ll survive. We even say, “My faith will get me through.” When what we really mean is “I’ll get through with the strength of my faith.” But Faith isn’t strength. Faith is weakness. Faith isn’t turning into ourselves, or looking to something inside of us to get through. Faith is looking to God. It’s submitting to God. It’s Trusting in God. It’s Job saying, “Remember me!” It’s the crowd of people pushing toward Peter’s doorway, “Remember me!”

God never promises to always heal. The question isn’t “Why must I suffer?” The question is “Where is God in my suffering?” And that question I can answer. He is right there in the midst of it. God knows suffering. He understands suffering. He knows how you are suffering. When Job said, “Remember me!” When you say to God, “Remember me!” Jesus answers, “I remember. I know your suffering; I suffered just as you do. One dark night in Jerusalem, before I went to the cross, I was lonely, I was afraid of pain, and I was even afraid of death. And there on the cross I suffered for you. In that suffering I won the victory for you. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor 12:9) You don’t have to be strong. Just look to me, I remember you.”

There is more to what Jesus did for you than to be sympathetic to your suffering. His death is the remedy, the fix for the broken-ness of the world that is caused by sin. If it were only sympathy we’d be left to suffer for all eternity. But, Jesus lived and died to do more than that. He came to restore. He came to heal. It isn’t that we look to the suffering of Jesus on the cross and receive power to fix ourselves. The cross shows us that we can’t help ourselves at all. He remembers us. He dies for us. He suffers for our sin. Jesus suffering there is the only answer for those who know that they are dead without him.

You will have suffering all your life. God doesn’t want you to “buck up and be strong.” He doesn’t say to you, “If your faith were stronger you’d not have to suffer like this.” He wants you to take your suffering to the foot of the cross of Jesus. He wants you to take your weakness to the foot of the cross of Jesus. He wants you to shout to Jesus there, “Remember me!” Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.