I AM the Light of the World: St. John 8:12-20

St. John 8:12-20: "12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."'13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, 'You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.' 14 Jesus answered and said to them, 'Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.' 19 Then they said to Him, 'Where is Your Father?' Jesus answered, 'You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.' 20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come."

This pericope follows after the narrative of the woman who had committed adultery and the Pharisees, desiring to stone her, asked our Lord Jesus what He would do with her, since she had been caught in the act of adultery and there was no way for anyone to deny that she was guilty. To this our Lord replied, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." And one by one, convicted in their conscience, they left from the oldest to the youngest. No one condemning her, our Lord declares her forgiven, saying, "Go, and sin no more."

From the Evangelist St. John, it would seem that today's narrative followed immediately after this event, therefore, our Lord Jesus, having declared the absolution, declares that He is the Light of the world. Notice that our Lord does not say, "the Light of the Angels," or, "the Light of the Heavens." But he says, "I AM the Light of the World," that is, mankind. He is our Light. The Light that dispels the darkness of sin and death. In this simple statement of our Lord, He proclaims Himself to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man. For all can plainly see that He is a man. There may have even been those present who doubted that He could indeed forgive the sins of the woman, for only God can forgive sins. But He declares His divinity by saying, "I AM." The Christological heresies which deny our Lord's divinity cannot stand up to this statement, for He does not say, "In Me is the Light of the World", as if He was granted some special divine powers from God, but was really only a man. No, He says, "I AM the Light of the World."

With the words, "I AM," He declares his divinity, and proclaims that He is the same God that appeared to Moses in the bush that was on fire, but didn't burn. In this declaration, He also proclaims that He is the one who has power of sin and death, and all the powers of darkness. And He promises us something very wonderful. Those who follow Him, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life, that is, eternal life. Meaning, now, in this life, we follow Him by faith, hearing His promises, and rejoicing in His gifts, but in eternity, we will see for all eternity the truth of those words which we now see only by faith.

May God strengthen your faith to live in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that in this light, you may enjoy throughout your earthly life, the forgiveness of your sins, and in that forgiveness may you enjoy all the gifts it brings.

God be with you,

Deacon Dulas

They Saw Jesus Walking on the Sea: St. John 6:16-29

St. John 6:16-29: "1 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, 'It is I; do not be afraid.' 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. 22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone--23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks--24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, 'Rabbi, when did You come here?' 26 Jesus answered them and said, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.' 28 Then they said to Him, 'What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?' 29 Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.'"

In today's pericope there are three miracles that our Lord performs, so that the Apostles might give witness. First, we have the walking on the water by our Lord as told by St. John, the Evangelist. Second, we have the calming of the winds and wave as He is walking towards them. And third, the disciples immediate arrival at the shore, when they had willingly received our Lord Jesus into the boat.

In order to set these events into their proper setting the Evangelist, St. John, points out a few facts. Immediately after the feeding of the 5,000, which text we heard the Fourth Sunday in Lent, commonly called Laetare, we are told by St. John that the crowds were so impressed by the miracle of receiving food in abundance that they desired to make Him a king. Since He is already a King, just not of this world, we are told He departed up the mountain to a solitary place to pray. It is here where the reading begins, get into a boat to cross over to the other side. The question arises, "Why did they not wait for Him?" This is answered in the other Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, who relate to us that Jesus had instructed them to get into the boat and go to the other side without Him. St. John adds the detail that it was evening by the time they set out.

Having rowed three or four miles, a strong wind arises, and makes their rowing difficult. It is then they see our Lord Jesus walking to them upon the water. In the other Gospels we are told that they thought it was a ghost, and that this was the reason for their fear. Here St. John relates something remarkable which the other Gospel writers omit. And that is the words that our Lord spoke to inform them that He was the one they were seeing. The English translation (as is often the case) does not convey what the Greek holds. For the English says, "It is I." However, the Greek says, "Ego eimi," or in English, "I AM." Our Lord announces Himself by using the same Name that He announced Himself to Moses in the burning bush, "I AM THAT I AM." This designation of our Lord is common in the Evangelist St. John's Gospel. In this we can see two things, one, how weak the English translation is; And two, our Lord calms the Apostles' fear by declaring His Name.

This too, of course, is how the Lord calms our fears, by making known His Name among us. How does our Lord make known His Name among us? The answer lies in the First Petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be Thy Name." When we pray this petition we are praying that God's Name may be holy among us. This is done when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity among us, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution among us. For when these things are being done, then God's Name is being hallowed among us. Not only that, but when God's Name is made holy among us by the pure preaching of the Word, and the right administration of the Sacraments, the Holy Spirit is also at work among us. What is His task? To bring us the Kingdom of God, which is the Second Petition of the Lord's Prayer. He brings us the Kingdom of God, by giving us faith to believe God's holy Word, and also have faith that the Sacraments are efficacious for forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. This also leads us to the Third Petition of the Lord's Prayer, that Our Lord's will would be done on earth, as it is done in Heaven. For when the Word is preached in its purity, and the Sacraments are rightly administered, then the good and gracious will of God is being done, for it is allowing the Word of God to be taught among us (Hallowing His Name) and it is permitting the Holy Ghost to do His work of creating and sustaining faith and life in us (that is, bringing us the Kingdom of God).

Therefore, in our Lord's Name, we see Him giving Himself to His disciples, and when His Name is placed upon us, and we remind ourselves that His Name is placed upon us, when we make the sign of the cross upon our foreheads, our Lord is giving Himself to us, so that we might not be afraid of the evil will and counsel of the devil, the world, and our flesh.

So we see in the very short sermon of our Lord, "It is I; Do not be afraid," that He declares to His disciples and to us, who He is, and in knowing who He is we need not fear. For He is the Son of God Almighty, who walks on the water, calms the wind and waves, and transports the boat immediately to shore, so that those who saw these things, may be witnesses and proclaim to all, and especially to us, who is the Messiah.

May God be with you,

Deacon Dulas

The Utterance of the Man Whose Eyes Are Opened: Numbers 24:1-13

Numbers 24:1-13: "1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 Then he took up his oracle and said: 'The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened, 4 the utterance of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open: 5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! 6 Like valleys that stretch out, like gardens by the riverside, like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters. 7 He shall pour water from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brings him out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox; He shall consume the nations, His enemies; He shall break their bones and pierce them with his arrows. 9 "He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?" Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.' 10 Then Balak's anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, 'I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! 11 Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the LORD has kept you back from honor.' 12 So Balaam said to Balak, 'Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13 "If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD, to do good or bad of my own will. What the LORD says, that I must speak?"'"

We learn a little more about Balaam the son of Beor from this pericope. For we learn that in times past that he sought the means of sorcery in order to prophecy, and did not seek the Lord God. But here Balaam has his eyes opened, after he realizes that his blessing of Israel pleased the Lord. Or to say it another way, the Lord was pleased with Balaam because he finally prophesied the way he was meant to prophesy and not seek the ways of the world and tools of the devil. This point is further driven home when we observe that with the first two blessings of Israel by Balaam the son of Beor, he only spoke what the Lord God told him to say. But here, in the third blessing, we are told that "the Spirit of God came upon him."

What this means that is that he not only spoke what the Lord wanted him to speak, but also believed the Word that he spoke. What was that Word? It is a blessing that regards the entire future of Israel. But more than that it is a prophecy about the promised land, and the promised people. Or, to say that in a spiritual sense, it deals with the eternal paradise of Heaven, and the people who will inherit and dwell in that eternal paradise. All those who believe on the Lord God, all those whom He calls His people, will inherit this eternal paradise of Heaven.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

So They Watched Him, and Sent Spies Who Pretended to Be Righteous, That They Might Seize On His Words, in Order to Deliver Him to the Power and the Authority of the Governor: St. Luke 20:1--21:4

St. Luke 20:1--21:4: "1 Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him 2 and spoke to Him, saying, 'Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?' 3 But He answered and said to them, 'I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: 4 The baptism of John--was it from heaven or from men?' 5 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'If we say, "From heaven," He will say, "Why then did you not believe him?" 6 But if we say, "From men," all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.' 7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from. 8 And Jesus said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.' 9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: 'A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, "What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him." 14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours." 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.' And when they heard it they said, 'Certainly not!' 17 Then He looked at them and said, 'What then is this that is written: "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone?" 18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.' 19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people--for they knew He had spoken this parable against them. 20 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. 21 Then they asked Him, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?' 23 But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 'Why do you test Me? 24 Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?' They answered and said, 'Caesar's.' 25 And He said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' 26 But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent. 27 Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: 'Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.' 34 And Jesus answered and said to them, 'The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.' 39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, 'Teacher, You have spoken well.' 40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore. 41 And He said to them, 'How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? 42 Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: "The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, 43 till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'" 44 Therefore David calls Him "Lord;" how is He then his Son?' 45 Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, 46 'Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 47 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.'

21:1 "And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, 'Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.'"

Today our Lord Jesus tells us the parable of the wicked tenants of the Vineyard. In this parable the wicked tenants state that they will kill the Son of the Vineyard Owner, saying, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours." One wonders, "What possesses them to think such a thing?" How will killing the son give them the inheritance, for it certainly will not put them in a good light with the Vineyard Owner. But our Lord speaks this, as the Evangelist St. Luke relates, because He is openly condemning the Pharisees and unbelieving Jews who would deliver Him up to Pontius Pilate to be mocked, beaten and crucified.

Our Lord is also telling all nations through this parable, that the chosen race, because of their rejection of the Messiah, will be rejected, and the salvation that our Lord Jesus wins for us by His cross will be given to all nations. "He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others." Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, and from the time of the Apostles until now, the Word of salvation through our Lord's suffering and death for us has been preached to all the world. Those who have received this message are now members of the Vineyard, and receive the blessings of the Vineyard Owner, our Heavenly Father.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then the LORD Put a Word in Balaam's Mouth: Numbers 23:1-40

Numbers 23:1-40: "1 Then Balaam said to Balak, 'Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.' 2 And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, 'Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.' So he went to a desolate height. 4 And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, 'I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.' 5 Then the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, 'Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.' 6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his oracle and said: 'Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. "Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!" 8 How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!' 11 Then Balak said to Balaam, 'What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!' 12 So he answered and said, 'Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD has put in my mouth?' 13 Then Balak said to him, 'Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.' 14 So he brought him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 And he said to Balak, 'Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the Lord over there.' 16 Then the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, 'Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.' 17 So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, 'What has the LORD spoken?' 18 Then he took up his oracle and said: 'Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor! 19 God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. 21 He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them. 22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox. 23 For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, "Oh, what God has done!" 24 Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.' 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, 'Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!' 26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, 'Did I not tell you, saying, "All that the LORD speaks, that I must do?"' 27 Then Balak said to Balaam, 'Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.' 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland. 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, 'Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.' 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar."

The persistence of Balak to curse the Israelites, it must be remembered, is on account of the fear of the Moabites toward the Israelites, seeing what they did to the mighty kings of the Amorites. And the Moabites feared them also, because they thought they were next. It must also be remembered that the Lord God has forbidden the Israelites to harm the Moabites (not that they knew this). So this gives us the motivation of Balak son of Zippor to curse the Israelites. For in cursing them, he had hoped that he could either attack them himself, before they attacked him, or if they attacked first, that he might overcome them. But all this is really fruitless, since God has not given the Moabites over to destruction, at this time.

Three times does Balak beseech Balaam to curse Israel, taking him to a different region to look upon the Israelites each time. This is the same number of times that Balaam is prevented by his donkey to go further on his journey to Balak. And each time Balak builds seven altars and sacrifices a bull and a ram on each one, each time. Make note that these burnt sacrifices are offered to the Lord God. That is, Balak is in reality requesting the Lord God, Jehovah, to curse His own people. This shows us the futility of those who desire the demise of the people of God, and the futility of those who pray for evil in general. The prayer may be made to the Lord God, but the pray is flatly rejected. One, because the prayer is not prayed in faith, and God does not answer the prayers of the faithless. Two, they are not answered because God does not grant the evil petitions of those who seek to beset the righteous.

Even though Balak desired the cursing of the sons of Jacob, Balaam could only speak the words that the Lord God gave to him. And Balaam could only bless the people of Israel. Such it is with all those who preach the word of God, they can only proclaim that which the Lord God has given them to preach. They cannot preach false doctrine. They cannot say that which is a sin, is not a sin, or vice versa. They cannot worship in a manner that the Lord God has not given them to worship. They cannot practice and administer the Sacraments in a way that God has not given them to do. Or to teach that such practices and worship are okay in God's sight. They can only preach what the Lord God has put into their mouths to preach.

This is, of course, how one determines a true preacher from a false preacher, for a false preacher does not speak what God speaks in His holy Scripture. This is tested by the teaching of the historic Church on holy Scripture, that is, if the Church has taught something to be true throughout her history, than those who teach differently should be avoided. The Book of Concord, is a correct and true exhibition of holy Scripture, and teaches the historic teachings of the Church, correcting the false teachings that raised their ugly heads throughout the middle ages. These teachings are also always checked against the whole of holy Scripture, for Scripture interprets Scripture, that is, when the teachings of all of holy Scripture are understood, it fills in the blanks and questions that particular verses may raise. The Early Fathers recognized this and passed on to us, their posterity, the teachings of holy Scripture that were passed onto them from the Apostles, which were given to them by our Lord Jesus.

Thus, through the voice of many witnesses both past and present, our Lord God preserves His Church, not permitting those who would seek her destruction to be allowed to harm her. He does this through the mouth of His preachers, who proclaim the words of His which He placed into their mouth, which bless His Holy Church, and curse His enemies.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then Jesus Entered and Passed Through Jericho: St. Luke 19:1-40

St. Luke 19:1-40: "1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.' 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, 'He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.' 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.' 9 And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.' 11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 Therefore He said: 'A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, "Do business till I come." 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We will not have this man to reign over us." 15 And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, "Master, your mina has earned ten minas." 17 And he said to him, "Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities." 18 And the second came, saying, "Master, your mina has earned five minas." 19 Likewise he said to him, "You also be over five cities." 20 Then another came, saying, "Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow." 22 And he said to him, "Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?" 24 And he said to those who stood by, "Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas." 25 (But they said to him, "Master, he has ten minas.") 26 "For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me."' 28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when He came near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, 'Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, "Why are you loosing it?" thus you shall say to him, "Because the Lord has need of it."' 32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, 'Why are you loosing the colt?' 34 And they said, 'The Lord has need of him.' 35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. 37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying: '"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!" Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, 'Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.' 40 But He answered and said to them, 'I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.'"

Our Lord Jesus passes through Jericho, like the Israelites of old, who passed through Jericho after they had crossed the River Jordan into the promised land of Canaan. Our Lord passes through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, so that He might win for us an eternal promised land in Heaven. And while traveling through Jericho, He meets a man named Zacchaeus, who was a tax collector. And not just any tax collector, but we are told that he is a "chief" tax collector, that is, a ruler over tax collectors. Now, it is no secret that tax collectors were considered sinners, for they would often cheat those whom they would collect from, in order that they could skim off of what has been collected in order that they might keep it for themselves.

Zacchaeus, being a ruler of the tax collector, became very rich. We can assume from this statement from the Evangelist St. Luke that that means he was good at his job and that he was very corrupt. This is what makes this narrative of redemption truly remarkable, for Zacchaeus is not simply a sinner, but a chief of sinners. But it is to the chief of sinners, to whom our Lord Jesus comes. And having spotted Zacchaeus, He calls him down out of the sycamore tree, and invites Himself into the home of Zacchaeus.

We see in this the pattern of conversion, for our Lord does the calling, He does the inviting, He is the one who comes into Zacchaeus' home. And having received Him, Zacchaeus is converted, so that his heart desires to amend himself of his past sins, by giving to those in need, and restoring up to four times what he took from those he cheated. It should be pointed out that half of his possessions were given to the poor, and out the other half the repayment of fourfold was was made to those to whom he had cheated, that is, he sold all that he had and gave it to the poor and followed our Lord Jesus. For we are told by Eusebius, that this man Zacchaeus later became a Bishop of the Church. But even more wonderful than that is the proclamation of our Lord upon the changed heart of Zacchaeus, "Today, salvation has come to this house."

Therefore, so should we confess our sins, and amend our sinful ways, and follow our Lord Jesus. And having confessed our sins, to our Minister, as to God Himself, we receive the words of absolution, that is, forgiveness from the man of God, who sits in the place of our Lord Jesus, pronouncing to our repentant ears, "today, salvation has come to you, for our Lord Jesus, has come to seek and save the lost, like you, and give you forgiveness, life and salvation."

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

The Word That God Puts In My Mouth, That I Must Speak: Numbers 22:2-41

Numbers 22:2-41: "2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, 'Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.' And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: 'Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.' 7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner's fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, 'Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.' So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 Then God came to Balaam and said, 'Who are these men with you?' 10 So Balaam said to God, 'Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 "Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out."' 12 And God said to Balaam, 'You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.' 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, 'Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to give me permission to go with you.' 14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, 'Balaam refuses to come with us.' 15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, 'Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: "Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me."' 18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, 'Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.' 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, 'If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you--that you shall do.' 21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. 22 Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam's anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?' 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, 'Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!' 30 So the donkey said to Balaam, 'Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?' And he said, 'No.' 31 Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the LORD said to him, 'Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.' 34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the LORD, 'I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.' 35 Then the Angel of the LORD said to Balaam, 'Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.' So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. 36 Now when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the border at the Arnon, the boundary of the territory. 37 Then Balak said to Balaam, 'Did I not earnestly send to you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?' 38 And Balaam said to Balak, 'Look, I have come to you! Now, have I any power at all to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak.' 39 So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kirjath Huzoth. 40 Then Balak offered oxen and sheep, and he sent some to Balaam and to the princes who were with him. 41 So it was the next day, that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, that from there he might observe the extent of the people."

With this reading we are introduced to Balaam the son of Beor. Much speculation has been put forth about Balaam. Who was he? Was he a true prophet, or a false prophet? These questions are debated both among the Early Fathers, and among modern commentators. But the answer to what kind of prophet he is, can be seen from Holy Scripture.

Balaam the son of Beor (which in the King James Version is written as Bosor, which means "flesh," hence Balaam is the son of flesh, or sinful mankind, and) is mentioned several times outside of the Book of Moses, commonly called Numbers. Most enlightening is what two of the Apostles say about him, and even our dear Lord Jesus in the Book of the Revelation. St. Peter in his second epistle refers to Balaam (2 Peter 2:15) as a false prophet, because he performed the office of prophet for money, even taking money to give a prophecy that wasn't true, just to appease the one paying. We have such a case in this reading. For Balak, sends emissaries carrying "the diviners' fee" to get Balaam to curse the Israelites. More on this later.

Another Apostle, Thaddeus, or according to his surname attached to his epistle, Jude, states, the same thing (Jude 11) as St. Peter, that Balaam's error was that he was a false teacher who prophesied for profit. Our Lord Jesus also, in the Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John (Revelation 2:14), tells St. John to write to the Angel of the Church of Pergamos that there are some among them who hold "the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel." The doctrine of Balaam, is the doctrine which leads men astray. In the case of the Church at Pergamos, those who held the doctrine of Balaam, were those who taught it was okay to eat food offered to idols, and practice sexual immorality. Therefore these false teachers were putting a stumbling block in front of the faithful in Pergamos.

It is important to understand these things about Balaam, for he is mentioned quite a bit in the next chapters of the Book of Moses, commonly called Numbers. However, Balaam has one thing to his credit, and that is that when the emissaries from Balak arrive, and after consulting with the "LORD" (and this is to be understood as the Lord God, Jehovah) he sends the men away, because the LORD would not let him curse Israel.

However, after another larger group of emissaries comes with more money, and after consulting with the Lord God once again, he is told by the Lord God to only go with them only if they call him, and he was only to speak what the Lord God gave him to speak. Here we are told that Balaam got up in the morning saddled his donkey and went with the men. Since the Lord's anger is aroused against Balaam, we can assume that the men did not call him, and that he went of his own free will, against the will of God.

Therefore, we have this interesting narrative of Balaam's donkey speaking to Balaam. This is the second time that an animal, without reason or sense, speaks in holy Scripture (the first being the serpent in the Garden of Eden). We see in this pericope how those who have set their mind to committing sin run headlong into the danger and their destruction, not heeding the warnings. Hence, the donkey of Balaam, who sees the admonition of the Lord put forth by the Angel of the Lord standing in Balaam's path and wielding a sword, tries to deliver her master from the destruction. She does this three times. Each time that the donkey tries to lead Balaam from his path of sin and destruction, she is rebuked for it.

How clearly we can see in this the response of those who are set in their way to sin. For they rage all the more, and desire all the more to do that which is evil in our Lord's eyes, not heeding the warnings. How often have we pushed forward through adversity and warnings to commit sin? How often have we ignored our Lord's Word and done that what we know we ought not to do, simply because of our own sinful will. Such is the case of Balaam. And blinded by his will to curse the Israelites, and gain favor with Balak, he runs headlong into danger. But the donkey, a simple beast of burden, tries to prevent him from this sin and destruction.

And even when the donkey speaks, Balaam's heart is not changed. Nor is he astounded that his donkey is speaking. He instead wishes for a sword in his hand to kill the donkey for its insolence. Therefore, our Lord has the donkey reason with Balaam, showing him from his past experiences with the donkey that something extraordinary is happening, so that even Balaam has to admit that the donkey has never acted like this before. Here Balaam is shown by the Lord the Angel with the sword standing before him blocking his way.

Here we see the response of those who realize their sin portrayed in the response of Balaam, who fell flat on his face, and admits, "I have sinned." Balaam even suggests that if the journey that he is on displeases the Lord, he will turn back again. Here we also learn that it is not the journey that upsets the Lord, but the heart of Balaam, who is only doing this for money and honor. The admonition of the Lord to only speak that which He gives Balaam to speak, also indicates that Balaam may have had a heart set on cursing the Israelites, something he was already told that he was unable to do. But if he could this would bring him into a place of honor and high standing with Balak and among the Moabites. Therefore, the Lord God repeats again the admonition to Balaam to speak only that which He gives him to speak.

From the Book of Joshua, we learn that Balaam, who was living in the region where Abraham had lived, and Laban, Jacob's uncle, lived, now was living in Canaan, and we are told that the Israelites killed him in their battles to take over the promised land of Canaan. Therefore, we see in Balaam, the life and end of those who are false prophets and teachers, who only seek their own will, and live for earthly possessions and honor; Those who curse the children of God, and try to set stumbling blocks in front of them. Therefore, we must heed this warning, and be wary of those who would preach false doctrine, and have nothing to do with them. But we should rather listen to the simple preachers, who only wish to lead us from the path of destruction, and free us from our error.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

You Still Lack One Thing: St. Luke 18:15-30

St. Luke 18:15-30: "15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.' 18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' 19 So Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not bear false witness," "Honor your father and your mother."' 21 And he said, 'All these things I have kept from my youth.' 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, 'You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.' 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' 26 And those who heard it said, 'Who then can be saved?' 27 But He said, 'The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.' 28 Then Peter said, 'See, we have left all and followed You.' 29 So He said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.'"

The rich man went away sorrowful, because he had much wealth. This man approached the Lord Jesus in what seemed to be a good way, for he addresses our Lord Jesus as "Good Teacher." But our Lord's rebuke of this address to Him, should perk up our ears, for even when the devils proclaim Him to be the Son of God He does not rebuke them for their what they said. (Even though He may say to them to be quiet, and not let this fact be known). Therefore, this should be of interest to us.

We are shown the answer to our Lord's rebuke in the question and answer of this man. For his question is what "he must do" in order to inherit eternal life. Our Lord lists for him the Commandments of the Second Table of the Law, the ones having to do with our neighbor.

This rich man, tells our Lord that he has kept all these since his youth; To which our Lord responds that he still lacks one thing. Now, this rich man in posing the question in the first place, already knows there is something missing. Why else would he ask the question about what he must do? This man already senses that he is lacking something.

But we see our Lord's grace in his response to this rich man, for the our Lord purposely relates the Commandments dealing with our neighbor, because this man's heart is not right toward his neighbor, even though he thinks it is. Therefore, our Lord tells this man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, in order to show this man that he is not keeping the Second table of the Law, regarding his neighbor. Our Lord further adds that this man should then "follow" Him.

This is why the man goes away deeply saddened, for he realizes his lost condition. He realizes that he has not kept the law as perfectly as he thought he had. He also learned that he did not have the faith of a little child, like our Lord spoke about in the beginning of this pericope. The faith that trusts our Lord completely without questions, and not having learned cruel malice, does not openly seek the harm of one's neighbor, but openly and freely loves without prompting.

The thoughts of the rich man are expressed through the responses of the disciples and the crowd, "Who then can be saved?" Everyone, who has been listening, has heard the Law, preached clearly and succinctly, and had it applied to their very hearts by our Lord Jesus. They are now ready to hear the Gospel, that inheriting eternal life, that is, receiving forgiveness of sins salvation, is impossible through any work of man, but with our Lord God it is possible.

For only our Lord God, in the person of our Lord Jesus, could fulfill the Law perfectly for us, filling in that which we lacked. And only He could offer up Himself as the perfect, unblemished and holy Lamb as a sacrifice on our behalf. Only He could die for our sins, and the sins of the whole world, and buy us back from sin, death, and the devil.

It is to this faith, that our Lord Jesus died for us, that we are to cling to and believe in like little children. Therefore, let us come before Him as little children. For of such as these, belongs the Kingdom of God.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Deacon's Didache on Hiatus

Starting Monday, March 1st, 2010 The Deacon's Didache will be on hiatus until Monday, March 8th 2010. At that time all the readings for the week of Reminscere will be posted, and The Deacon's Didache will resume with the reading for Oculi.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Look to Me, and Be Saved, All You Ends of the Earth!: Isaiah 45:20-25

Isaiah 45:20-25: "1 Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, who carry the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save. 21 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. 22 Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. 24 He shall say, 'Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him. 25 In the LORD all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory.'"

This text reflects the Gospel of the day for Reminiscere, where the Canaanite woman begs our Lord Jesus to heal her severely demon-possessed daughter. For the Prophet Isaiah reports the Lord's Words about His salvation. And His salvation is for the "ends of the Earth." That means that the promised salvation of long ago for the Israelites, will also be for the whole world. This Canaanite woman, although a Gentile, still receives the salvation that was reserved for the Israelites.

Through her pleading, our Lord shows us her great faith. He puts her through the various stages in order that He might show all those around, and us who are hear the narrative through Holy Scripture, that woman indeed has great faith. For she ignores all the obvious signs that would put up a roadblock to faith, and the more our Lord pushes her away, the more she clings to Him. "O Woman, great is your faith!"

She has forsaken her false idols, and come to the One True God, Who is a just God and Savior. This is what the Prophet Isaiah relates to us from the lips of our Lord God. Only He is God, only He is worthy of worship, only He is the Savior of all mankind. Therefore it is to Him whom we should look and find our comfort. And we shall say, "Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him. In the LORD all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory."

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

For This Is the Will of God, Your Sanctification: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7: "1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness."

Last Sunday we declared that we would call upon the Lord, so that He could deliver us from trial and temptation. Today, we cry to our Lord to remember us. This is why the ancient name of today, taken from the antiphon of the Introit, is Reminiscere. We call upon our Lord to remember His tender mercies, and His lovingkindnesses. He remembers us by making us holy, by sanctifying us, and making us His children. This is what the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul writes in his first Epistle to the Church at Thessalonica. "The will of God, your sanctification." That is, that by the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the Sacraments, you are made and kept holy by the Holy Ghost.

Fred H. Lindemann in his excellent work The Sermon and the Propers explains this beautifully regarding this pericope:

"The church at Thessalonica was one of St. Paul's favorite congregations. In motherly affection he writes: Be holy. That is the purpose and aim of redemption. That is the will of God. Our sanctification is also the purpose of the Lenten preparation for Easter. Holy Baptism, the Holy Communion, the contemplation of the Scriptures, the sermons, all means by which grace is bestowed, aim at our holiness. To be holy is to possess the grace of sonship, to have part in Christ's divine life, with God's help assured, the exhortation to 'do so more and more' will be inspiration and incentive to greater endeavor in living a God-pleasing life. Hindrances are many, and not the least are those our own humanity throws into the contest. We need to be reminded that we must guard the inlets of the soul."

Indeed, we must guard the inlets of the soul, that is, what we put into our soul, or to say it another way, what we hear and listen too. This means purity of doctrine, and purity of our Lord's Sacraments, so that our soul is being properly fed. We eat healthily, for the most part, at least we try to eat healthy, eating a well-balanced meal, and not cramming our faces with junk food. We do this because we care about our physical health, not wanting our unhealthy eating to lead to sickness. The same should be true of our spiritual health, we should be careful about what we put into our souls. For when we eat "spiritual junk food" we drive the Holy Spirit away so that He is unable to make us holy.

St. Paul uses the example of sexual immorality. And we can assume that there were those among the Thessalonians who were living sexually immoral lives. Sexual immorality includes fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, and all manner of sexual sins, whether in marriage or out of marriage. The Thessalonicans were listening to the world and society which was telling them that it was okay to commit these acts, and do what they wanted as far as sexual behavior. St. Paul warns them however, that such behavior is driving out the Holy Ghost, so that their spiritual health was being damaged, so that they were unable to be sanctified, that is, made holy.

Our society and world teaches the same lies, and there are many within the Church who continue to do these things, rationalizing among themselves that the rest of society is doing so why not them. Or, they are thinking to themselves that they are not hurting anybody, so what can it hurt. Or, they are thinking that their body is their own, and they can do with it what they please. But this is dangerous thinking, for such behavior, such listening to the world, is starving one's soul, and leaving them on the path of spiritual death.

These temptations of our soul, and of society and the world, are the reason that today we cry out to our Lord Jesus, to remember His tender mercies and His lovingkindnessess. For they have been ever of old. We also pray that our enemies, the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh, might not triumph over us. And that He would redeem us out of all our troubles. This, of course, is what our Lord Jesus did for us on the cross of His death and our salvation; He redeemed us from our enemies. He destroyed the penalty of our sins, once and for all, and He bought us, so that we could live with Him for all eternity.

Therefore, be careful about what you put into your ears, and observe with your eyes, for these are the inlets to the soul. Put what is holy and good into your ears, and before your eyes, so that by the working of the Holy Ghost, you might be made holy and perfect in your Heavenly Father's eyes.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

And They Gave the Children of Israel a Bad Report of the Land Which They Had Spied Out: Numbers 13:26-33

Numbers 13:26-33: "26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: 'We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.' 30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, 'Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.' 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.' 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, 'The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.'"

The report of the spies, when they returned to the camp of the Israelites, we are told, is a "bad report." In the reading we are told of only one who contradicted the others, and that is Caleb. Caleb was a descendant of Judah, the son of Jacob. Caleb would also become the ancestor of David, and the whole line of kings. Which means this man Caleb is the ancestor of our Lord Jesus. Even though we are told here that only Caleb (whose name means "dog") stood against the other spies, we know from the next chapter (Num. 14:6) that Joshua, too, stood with Caleb. The reason Joshua's name is left out is probably due to the fact that Caleb was the one who calmed the crowd after the other ten spies drew them into a frenzy on account of their bad report, and because he is the one here speaking to the crowd.

This pericope, exemplifies the unbelief of the Israelites. This is compounded by the exaggeration of the spies who were afraid to into the land and take it. What is most shocking is that they have spent all this time in the wilderness, and they are shown how abundant the fruits of the land are in the land that is promised to them by the Lord God, yet, they would prefer to stay in the wilderness, and eat nothing but manna.

Furthermore, they had witnessed the great deeds of the Lord God over the Egyptians through the ten plagues. They had seen the Lord God destroy the Egyptian army, without them having to lift up an arm unto battle. They had seen how the Lord provided for them, with food and drink everyday. They had seen how He had dwelt among them in the Tabernacle of Meeting, and that He had gone before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. In short, they had seen what the Lord God was capable of, and that He desired greatly for them to be His chosen people. But none of this mattered to them.

This is one more example of the Israelites breaking the first commandment. For they did not fear, love and trust in God above all things. But instead they trusted in themselves, and in examining themselves, they fell short of the requirements that they perceived they had. If they had but placed their trust in the Lord God, as Caleb did, they would have had no fear of the Canaanites, and the spies would have gladly followed the Lord God into the promised land of Canaan. However, we know from history that that did not happen.

But in this Law heavy text. We do have some Gospel, and that is given to us by Caleb. He shows us what true faith is, and what trust in the Lord God really means, for he had also seen the stature of the people of Canaan, and that the descendants of Anak, the race of giants or nephilim, lived there. But what is his advice? To go immediately and take possession of it. What faith! To believe in the Lord God and His deliverance and salvation, even when one's eyes tell a different story. That, of course, is what faith is, to believe something to be true, even when one cannot see it to be true with one's own eyes.

We too have a Promised Land promised to us. It is the Promised Land of Heaven, however, we have not seen it with our eyes, although we have been told about and have heard about it with our ears. But we know that it exists, and that our Lord has already battled and conquered that enemy, the devil. And He has opened up the gates of our Promised Land, so that we might enter in. And even though we have not seen it, we know it to be real, for we see with the eyes of faith. And our eyes tell us that we will enter into the Promised Land of Heaven, and live with our Lord God forever and ever.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

And Which of You By Worrying Can Add One Cubit to His Stature: St. Luke 12:1-34

St. Luke 12:1-34: "1 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.'"

Our Lord Jesus tells us today, to not worry. For our Heavenly Father, knows all our needs and well provides them. He also tells us that we should not be consumed with earthly possessions, for when we die, they will no longer be ours. He illustrates this by a parable about a man who couldn't fit his grain into his barn, so he built bigger ones, and then having acquired (in his own mind) all that he needed for this life, he states that he will, "Eat, drink and be merry."

This parable is prompted by an individual, who from the crowd, shouts to Jesus to make his brother divide his inheritance with him. Our Lord Jesus then points out that this man is breaking the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's inheritance." Through the parable our Lord Jesus shows us why it is useless to covet, or to be obsessed with the acquistion of earthly goods. For this man in the parable, had all that he thought he needed. But he lacked faith in God. His faith was instead in his possessions.

This misdirected faith, we are shown, leads to our eternal destruction. The problem with worrying about what one has in this life, is first, it denies, or ignores, that our Heavenly Father, already knows that we have need of these things. Like our Lord Jesus states, "Consider the lilies of the field." These don't toil or spin, they aren't worried about making more money, or finding a better job, a bigger house, a nicer car, or anything like that. However, our Lord takes care of them, so that they grow. We are much more important to our Heavenly Father than lilies. Therefore, trust your Heavenly Father, and do not worry about your life. He will provide all that you need.

This brings us to the second thing that worrying about what one has in this life leads to. For we are often confused about what need is, and what a want or desire is. We often think that our wants are really needs. Needs are what we need to support this body and life. They include both spiritual and physical needs. Physical needs would be food and drink, a house or home, friends and family, and clothes. Spiritual needs would include forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation, those things provided through Word and Sacrament.

However, we often confuse our needs with our wants. Just using the needs listed above we can set an example. We may only need bread to live, but we want the best bread that our money can buy. We may only need water to drink, but we will want the best drinks we can buy. We desire the best home, the best clothes, the most popular friends, and family that is (in the eyes of society) the most acceptable.

So what would our Lord Jesus have us do? He would have us sell all that we have, and give alms to the poor and needy. He says this to make the point that if our earthly possessions are getting in the way of our faith, they should be done away with. It is better to have nothing of this earth, and live as a beggar, and have great faith, than to possess all things, and have no faith. The world would lead us to believe that the opposite is true.

Much of the economic problems in our society are due to the very fact that people try to live beyond their means. They have been taught by our society that the getting and having of things is the most important thing. Like the saying goes, "He who dies with the most toys, wins." What a shameful and horrible thing to say and believe! For it makes earthly possessions out to be the true god. And it doesn't just stop with earthly possessions, for our status amongst our neighbors also falls into this category. We are more worried about being "exposed as a Christian" than we are about living as who we really are. Do not be afraid of those who can only kill the body, or those who may heap shame on us, or belittle us on account of our faith. They will have their punishment. But if we join with them, the punishment will be ours.

This is why our Lord Jesus comes to us today, to give us Himself. He is the true treasure. The treasure that moth can not eat up, nor fails, nor that thieves can steal. The treasure that He gives is His Body and Blood offered as a once and for all sacrifice on the tree of the cross. For we are daily tempted to be worried about this life, and not trust in our Heavenly Father to provide for us. And daily do we fail, for the devil, the world and our flesh, constantly assail us, and lead us into shame and despair.

But our Lord Jesus shows us the lilies. On Easter, in most churches, there are many lilies that are in the church. The lily is a symbol of the resurrection. So when we consider the lily, we are considering our Lord's death and resurrection for our salvation. Therefore, let us consider the lilies, and not the things of this world, for the spiritual things of our Heavenly Father are worth more than anything this world has to offer.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then Moses Sent Them to Spy Out the Land of Canaan: Numbers 13:1-25

Numbers 13:1-25: "1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 'Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.' 3 So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. 17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, 'Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.' Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. 21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days."

Today we have the sending out of the twelve spies into the land of Canaan for forty days, to bring back some fruit from the land, as a testimony to the richness and abundance of Canaan. And also to ascertain what the Canaanites were like, whether they were strong or weak, and few or many. The sending out of the twelves spies was actually occasioned by a consent of the people of Israel to ascertain, by which way they should enter into Canaan. And after Moses laid the request before the Lord, the Lord God, told Moses to send out a representative from each of the tribes of Israel.

We are given their names, but two should stand out to us, and that is, Joshua and Caleb. Tomorrow we will get the account of the report of the spies. And these two men will play an important role. We are also told about Joshua, that Moses changed his name. His name was Hoshea (or Hosea). Hoshea means "help." But now Hoshea, will not be known as Joshua, which means, "savior, or help of the Lord." Joshua in the Greek of the Septuagint is translated as "Jesus," which also means "savior." Our Lord Jesus is our help from the Lord, He is our Saviour.

There is not much more to say about this pericope, since it is more of an introduction to the following verses, which we will get tomorrow. However, one thing that can be pointed out, is the abundance of the fruit that the spies brought back. We are told, they cut down a branch from a grape tree, and that it had to be carried between two of them on a pole. They called this land, the Valley of Eshcol, which means "cluster of grapes." This Valley is still today considers one of the finest places for the abundance and size of its grapes.

The Israelites after spending over a year in the wilderness, one would think, be happy to see the abundance of the land, and want to go and possess it immediately. Especially since this pericope does not come to shortly after the Israelites complaining about not having anything to eat except manna.

But as we will learn, this is not the case.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Yes, I Say to You, It Shall Be Required of This Generation: St. Luke 11:37-54

St. 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."

Today, our Lord Jesus does not show us very good etiquette as a guest. For having been invited into the home of a Pharisee, instead of being a kind and gracious guest, He utters words of condemnation and debasement. No, our Lord Jesus does not show very good etiquette, at least not on the surface.

But our Lord Jesus is doing what must be done, in order for the Pharisees to repent. This is really no different than our Lord God's treatment of Pharaoh in Egypt, when He sent ten plagues upon Egypt. Our Lord God in that instance, sent the plagues to turn the heart of Pharaoh, to a heart of repentance, however, Pharaoh hardened his heart, and every attempt at calling Pharaoh out of his sin into repentance, only served to harden Pharaoh's heart even more. This is why the Hebrew of the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus, has "God caused Pharaoh's heart to be hardened." For it wasn't God who was purposely hardening Pharaoh's heart, but His actions, which were really meant for a change of heart in Pharaoh.

The same is true here of the Pharisees, scribes and lawyers of the Law. And it should probably be pointed out quickly that lawyers here, does not mean the same thing as the type of lawyers we have today. These lawyers, were individuals who were trained in the minutia of the Law of God, so that they knew all the rules, and all the loopholes, too. But, these men, are rebuked by our Lord Jesus, in very stark and condemning words. But the purpose is to lead them into repentance.

We are not told who of the Pharisees were there that day, but we do know, from the examples of Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, that there were Pharisees who did receive and hear joyfully the Words of our Lord Jesus. It does not seem to be so with these Pharisees, for we are told by the Evangelist St. Luke that they "began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him." In other words, they hardened their heart against our Lord Jesus.

The same happens to us, when we hear the Law of God, especially when our individual sins are pointed out. For there is a part of us that doesn't want to admit our sin. Especially if the sin is a great one. We do the same thing the Pharisees do here, vehemently cross-examine our accuser. Or to say it another way, we look for the fault in them, so that we might turn the tables on them. But this is not the response that our Lord God would have us to have when we are confronted by our sins. (Herein is this text's tie-in with the season of Lent). He would rather have us readily confess that sin, and admit it, so that we might receive absolution.

He would have us turn from our sinful ways, then for us to remain in them. For when we remain in sin, we create an impenetrable barrier between God and ourselves. The sin gets into our soul, and creates a whole bunch of spiritual problems, causing us problems with our Christian life. There are many sins in our society that get glossed over, as if these were minor sins, and that our Lord God does not get angry at them, or that He is even going to punish us for them. Such as, adultery, divorce, gambling, usury, drunkenness, debauchery, living together before marriage, abortion, homosexuality, and the like. These are sins, that our society either says they are not sins, or does not consider them to be great travesties, such as murder or rape.

However, our continual participation in these sins drives a wedge between God and us, so that we cannot grow in faith and love toward God, and by extension love for our fellowman. This is why our Lord Jesus is so direct with the Pharisees, for He wants to rescue them from their sinful ways. For as long as they remain in their current behavior, they can never receive our Lord Jesus and His gift of forgiveness.

Let us therefore, shrive ourselves of our sins, and with the help of the Holy Ghost, strive to lead holy lives here in time, and thereafter in eternity.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Please Do Not Lay This Sin On Us: Numbers 12:1-15

Numbers 12:1-15: "1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?' And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!' So the three came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, 'Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?' 9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, 'Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb!' 13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, 'Please heal her, O God, I pray!' 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.' 15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again."

In this pericope, we again see discontentment and jealousy. But this time it is not from the Israelite people, but from Moses' very own flesh and blood. We can see from the fact that Miriam's name is listed before Aaron's and the fact that she is the one plagued with leprosy, that she was in deed the instigator of the rebellion against Moses, the man of God. She, having convinced her brother Aaron, complain to Moses that they should be the ones in charge, since they too, have the Spirit of God, Miriam being a prophetess, and Aaron being the high priest. They also were the elder siblings of Moses. There is perhaps therefore, a hint of sibling rivalry.

This raises the whole question of why are some people chosen to serve our Lord God in the role of minister, and why others are not?

We learn from Holy Scripture that only men can serve in the office of holy ministry. We see that from the writings of the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, in his epistle to the Church at Corinth. We see it in the selection of the Apostles (all men) by our Lord Jesus. We see in the selection of those elected as Deacons (all men) in Jerusalem. And also in the selection of Bishops in the Early Church, such as St. Titus and St. Timothy. We also see it in the Old Testament where not only was the priests, and the high priest, to be men, but from the tribe of Levi. No one else from another tribe could serve in this capacity. We can also see this in the selection of the Kings and prophets of the Old Testament who were all men.

But not even all men are chosen for the role of minister. This can be seen in the fact that only one tribe out of the twelve of Israel, were to serve as priests. This is also true, because not every man was a prophet. There were only twelve Apostles chosen by our Lord Jesus. There were only seventy (or seventy-two) men sent out by our Lord to preach His Word in certain cities. (Their names are recorded by St. Hippolytus). Only certain men were chosen as Bishops, and only certain men served as companions of the Apostles, or presbyters (sometimes referred to as elders), or deacons. Therefore, even though our Lord God chooses only men to serve as ministers, even then, not all men are to serve in this role.

There are even those, who may have certain spiritual gifts, who are gifted in their knowledge of holy Scripture, and in their ability to explain the Word of God to other people, who are not allowed to hold this office. It is also certain that those who are manifest sinners are not to serve in this role, such as homosexuals, and other people who continue to go on sinning, showing no signs of repentance, and obeying God's commands. Someone who cannot obey God, is a poor example to those to whom he has been charged to teach the command and will of God. In short, God chooses who will serve in this role. We should not usurp His authority on this, no matter how gifted the individual may seem.

In this reading, Moses has been chosen by God to lead the people. Miriam and Aaron, although gifted with the Holy Spirit of God, are not chosen into this office of leading the people. Miriam and Aaron are even given the reason for why Moses is chosen before and above them. For He communicates with Moses in a way that He does not communicate with them. With them, He communicates through dreams and visions, but with Moses, He communicates face to face, like a familiar friend.

Then our Lord God, shows us how seriously He takes the office into which He places men to lead. And how serious He is that no one should usurp the office for their own ends, and for their own desires. Even if these desires are good ones. For He causes Miriam to be leprous. When this happens, we see something very interesting. Aaron, does not petition the Lord God himself, no longer presuming to speak to the Lord in the same way that Moses does, but instead petitions Moses to plead on his behalf. Which he does.

Another interesting thing, is that our Lord God does not heal Miriam instantly, but instead makes her to suffer outside the camp by herself for seven days. This is the same requirement that is listed in the Book of Moses, commonly called Leviticus, for the treatment of lepers.

Therefore, in this pericope, we see that our Lord, not only again takes covetousness very serious, but He also shows that those He has placed into the office of holy ministry, should be held in honor, for He has placed them into this office. We are told of Moses, that He was humble. It was this humility that made him perfect for the holy office which he was given. For true men of God, when they are placed into positions of authority, reveal their humility, and serve the Lord God with their whole heart and mind. Desiring to do His will, and not their own. Those who try to usurp the office of holy ministry by ignoring God's Word, or worse, changing it to fit their own selfish and sinful desires, already show they lack the one quality that makes them fit for the holy office, and that is humility. For a truly humble person, will submit to God's will, even, and especially, when it is contrary to his own will.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

No Sign Will Be Given It Except the Sign of Jonah the Prophet: St. Luke 11:29-36

St. Luke 11:29-36: "1 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.'"

Again, our Lord Jesus, points us to His death and burial, and resurrection. For the sign of Jonah, who was in the belly of the whale for three days, and was spit up on the shore alive, is also the same sign that our Lord Jesus gives to us as proof of His Godhood. For only God can rise from the dead, or raise someone from the dead. Our Lord's death, proves to us that the penalty for our sin and betrayal of our Lord God has been paid for in full. His resurrection proves that our Heavenly Father accepted the sacrifice of His One and Only Son, so that we too, now may have eternal life with Him.

Those who refuse to believe in our Lord's sacrifice for sin, and in His resurrection, will not be received gladly by our Heavenly Father, for they have rejected the Lord God, and His gift of grace. Our Lord Jesus even gives us two examples, both from non-Jews, who did heed the Word of God, and received it gladly. The first one is the "Queen of the South." This is Queen Sheba, who came to Solomon to hear his wisdom, and see the wonders of his kingdom that were bestowed upon him by the Lord God. And after hearing Solomon's wisdom, and after touring all the places that were shown her, she exclaimed that his wisdom, and the wonders of his kingdom, were greater than were told to her. Now, she says this, we are told by our Lord Jesus in this pericope, not so much because she is impressed with Solomon, but because she is impressed by the God who gave Solomon such wisdom and possessions.

This is why our Lord Jesus points out that she will present a case against those who reject our Lord Jesus, and His death, burial and resurrection, as a sacrifice for the whole world. For she believed; She who was an outsider, and foreigner, saw the wonders of God, and believed them.

The same is said of the Ninevites. God has purposely sent the Prophet Jonah, who was a sign of our Lord Jesus, to proclaim to them, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" The evil of the Ninevites was so great, that our Lord God purposed to destroy them. One must keep in mind also, that this is not a city of the Jews, these are not His people, but foreigners and outsiders. But having heard the preaching of the Prophet Jonah, the king ordered everyone to put on sackcloth and ashes, he declared a fast, and for everyone to pray to the Lord God in repentance for Him to subside His anger. Here we see this text's connection with the season of Lent, in fact, the Old Testament reading appointed for Ash Wednesday in from the Prophet Jonah, chapter three.

We see in the Ninevites true devotion to God and repentance, they serve as our example during this Lenten season, of how we should proceed with our own fasting repentance; How diligently we are to pray and make supplications unto our Lord God. We also see why our Lord Jesus uses them as a testimony against the Jews of His day, who rejected Him and Messiah, and eventually rejected His death and resurrection as the means of their salvation. For the Ninevites, having heard of their sin and God's promised destruction against them, repented. Again, like Queen Sheba, these were outsiders, foreigners. They were not people of the promise. They were not the ones to whom the Word of God had been given. But they did repent, in sackcloth and ashes. Therefore, the Ninevites, like Queen Sheba, have testimony against the Jews on account of their repentance.

This pericope, therefore, holds great comfort for all of us, not born of Jewish descent. For both the examples given by our Lord of great confession of faith, and of repentance, were Gentiles. We too, being Gentiles, have this same promise. For although the Jews reject the Lord Jesus, although they reject their Savior, they live in darkness. Their lamp has burned out. And they are blind. Therefore this pericope also serves as a warning for us, to not let the lamp of faith that burns within us, so that we might see our Lord Jesus, and believe on Him, to burn out.

How do we do this? We do this by remaining steadfast in our Lord's Word. Or to say it another way, we must keep ourselves immersed in our Lord's preaching of the Word, and in His gifts grace, the Sacraments. Through our participation in these means of grace, the Word and Sacrament, our Lord's Holy Spirit fills us and creates, and sustains in us faith. So that we might along with the Queen of Sheba, and the Prophet Jonah, and the Ninevites, proclaim the good things that our Lord God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas