Love Your Enemies, Do Good, and Lend, Hoping For Nothing in Return: St. Luke 6:1-35

St. Luke 6:1-35: "1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And some of the Pharisees said to them, 'Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?' 3 But Jesus answering them said, 'Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?' 5 And He said to them, 'The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.' 6 Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. 8 But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, 'Arise and stand here.' And he arose and stood. 9 Then Jesus said to them, 'I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?' 10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. 12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. 17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. 20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: 'Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. 24 " But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets. 27 But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.'"

As we draw closer to Lent, we hear the Words of our Lord from the Sermon on the Mount once again, telling us how we are to behave towards our neighbor. The summary is to love without expecting to be loved back. To do good things, without expecting a reward, or receiving gratitude or thanks for having done it. We are to lend, whether that be money, or food, or clothes, not expecting it to be given back. In other words, we are to do these things freely. This is what Christians are supposed to do. However, we know all too well, that we fail miserably at this.

For we are always expecting some return for our good works. For example when it comes to love, even among the people we love the most, we expect that they tell us that they love us back, and if they don't then we assume that they are mad at us, or we did something we ought not to have done. We all like to have a pat on the back sometimes, and be told that we are doing things the right way, and that our efforts are being noticed.

Our Lord, though requires us to do these things without expecting anything in return, that is, to do these things that our Lord lists, unconditionally.

This prepares us for Lent. For during Lent we will hear instruction in the Ten Commandments. In the Second Table of the Law, we learn about what responsibilities we have toward our neighbor, and when we hear them, we will realize how far off we have missed the mark. This will produce in us one of two reactions. One, we will ignore the warning signs, and think about all the good things we have done, and we will tell ourselves, quite mistakenly, that we are not that bad of people, for there are numerous examples of more corrupt and incorrigible individuals. And we will go on with our lives as if we had never heard the Law and the preaching on the Commandments.

The second reaction that instruction in the Ten Commandments will produce in us is despair. We will realize how much we have failed, and how often we continue to fail to do what our Lord desires us to do. And we will sorrow over our sins, and desire to do better, but every time we hear the Commandments again, we will once again be reminded of our failure. For those of us in this category, we are ripe to hear the Gospel, and we are ready for the teachings of Passiontide, where we will hear over and over again, that our punishment, and our constant breaking of the Law, has been paid for, and the penalty is removed from us, and placed upon our Lord Jesus Christ, who placed all of our sin and guilt on the altar of the cross, and sacrificed it once and for all to our Heavenly Father.

And our Lord Jesus, Who stands has both High Priest, offering atonement on our behalf, and as the sacrificial Lamb, will have His sacrifice accepted by His Heavenly Father, and upon His intercession on our behalf to the Father, our sins will be forgiven. And upon hearing this, we have extreme joy.

This is something those who try to good work their way into Heaven, will never experience. Those who do not see the depravity of their souls, will never see the great sacrifice that our Lord and Savior offered for us. Therefore, count yourself blessed, when your sins are pointed out to you, for it is one more chance to hear of the cross. And when we have heard about the cross, and the unconditional love that our Lord shows us in it, we learn to show this same love towards our fellowman, the Holy Ghost working through us. More importantly, when we do fail, and don't do as the Law commands, we learn to place those sins into the ears of our Minister, who, standing in the place of our Lord Jesus Christ, forgives those sins, putting in front of our eyes, once again the cross, pulling us out of despair and sorrow over our sins, and giving us joy at God's great love for us.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

How Is It You Do Not Understand?: St. Mark 8:10-9:1

St. Mark 8:10-9:1: "8:10 [He] immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha. 11 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. 12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, 'Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.' 13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, 'Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.' 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'It is because we have no bread.' 17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, 'Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?' They said to Him, 'Twelve.' 20 'Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?' And they said, 'Seven.' 21 So He said to them, 'How is it you do not understand?' 22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, 'I see men like trees, walking.' 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, 'Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.' 27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, 'Who do men say that I am?' 28 So they answered, 'John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.' 29 He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered and said to Him, 'You are the Christ.' 30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. 31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.' 34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, 'Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.'

9:1 And He said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.'"

This pericope comes immediately after (as the Evangelist St. Mark points out with his favorite word, "immediately") the feeding of the 4,000. What is interesting about this is that after performing this miracle, our Lord doesn't stick around to socialize. He "immediately" gets in a boat and departs for another region. There are two reasons for this, one, so that those who have been fed both spiritually and physically, do not have a cause to rush Him off and make Him a King. Second, our Lord rushes off to go to another area, so that His Word may be proclaimed to yet more people. So our Lord Jesus, and His disciples go to Dalmanutha.

 

And upon His arrival in this territory, He is confronted by the unbelievers, the Pharisees, which are the people who need to hear His Word the most. The Pharisees represent the assaults of the devil upon Jesus, and it seems whenever He goes to a new place the devil is there in the form of someone or something to create a roadblock to His spreading the Gospel. And so the Pharisees, to test Him, ask Him for a sign. This is particularly odd, since our Lord has just completed a sign, by feeding 4,000 men plus women and children. To the Jew, one could not help associate this feeding with the feeding that Moses provided to the Israelites in the wilderness through manna.

 

There is in this pericope and the preceding narrative of the feeding of the 4,000 a contrast. Those who believe the Word of our Lord Jesus, who run after Him and chase Him down to hear His holy Word, are given a sign. The Pharisees on the other hand, being unbelievers, and only wishing to test and temp our Lord, do not receive a sign. And our Lord Jesus tells them no sign will be given. Most significant about this sign of the feeding of the 4,000, and the not giving of a sign to the Pharisees, is our Lord Jesus' reaction in both cases. His reaction to the 4,000? He gives thanks. To the Pharisees? He "sighed deeply in His spirit," that is, He groans.

 

Our Lord Jesus is not alone in His reaction, for this is the common response of those who preach the Word of God. When met with great faith, and desire to hear God's Word, there is much giving of thanks. However, when met with unbelief and resistance to the things of God, there is much groaning. And our Lord Jesus shows us what to do when met with much unbelief and testing of God, He leaves. And this is quite right and proper, for where there is hope of correction, one should stay, and seek that correction, but where people show themselves incorrigible, we should depart, for the evil will remain with these people.

 

Therefore, He gets into a boat, and goes to the other side. But even in the boat, our Lord does not get any rest, for after warning His disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod, meaning their evilness and unbelief, which is masked by good works and a religious life, they start thinking amonst themselves that He is chastizing them for not bringing bread. We see in this the unbelief of the Pharisees rubbing off onto the disciples.

 

This also is odd, as our Lord Jesus points out, because they had not only just been witness to the feeding of the 4,000, but earlier had seen the feeding of the 5,000. And in both of these cases, as our Lord points out, there were basketfuls left over. So that their bellies need not wonder about how it is going to get its next meal, for our Lord Jesus will supply it.

 

All this unbelief and doubt from the Pharisees and disciples, or to say it another way, their spiritual blindness, is met by an actual blind man. This man is physically blind, but spiritually he sees that our Lord is the Messiah. He has faith and trust, and can see who the Lord is, even though he cannot see the Lord. There is yet a whole other level to this miracle that is to be understood mystically.

 

For Bethsaida, the place where the Lord Jesus went to, and from where the blind man was from, means "house of the valley." This calls to mind the 23rd Psalm, where we pray, "yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." Bethsaida, represents the world, or the place where sin, death, and the devil rule, and the blind man represents all those who are spiritually blind within this world. Therefore, our Lord Jesus brings the man out of Bethsaida, that is, He takes Him out of the world of sin, death, and the devil, so that He might give Him eyes to see. Mystically speaking the Lord brings Him into the Church, where He preaches to Him His holy Word, represented by the spittle, which comes from His holy mouth. The touching with His hand represents the means of grace, whereby the Holy Ghost, creates and sustains faith and life.

 

Therefore, in this healing, we see how we are healed of our own faithlessness and doubt, that is, our own spiritual blindness. We are healed by the preaching of the Word and the Sacraments, where the Holy Ghost imparts to us faith and life by these means, so that we see the good gifts of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Upon this healing, the Lord Jesus heads toward Caesarea Philippi, and along the way He inquires of His disciples of whom people say Him to be. Here we have the bold confession of St. Peter, who rightly calls our Lord Jesus, the Son of God. We are told that this was revealed to St. Peter. He did not come to this revelation by himself, but it was given to him by the Heavenly Father. Here it is then that our Lord after hearing the confession and belief of the disciples that He was believed to be the Son of God, He now reveals to them what the Son of God must do, and that is, that He must suffer many things, be crucified, buried, and arise on the third day.

 

The Evangelist St. Mark, seems to be just throwing a bunch of narratives together haphazardly, but there is a rhyme and reason to the order of these events. For after the sign of the feeding of the 4,000, and the unbelief of both the Pharisees and disciples, we are given the enlightenment of a blind man. It is here that the disciples reveal their own ability to see whom our Lord Jesus is, He is the Messiah. They know this through the revelation that has been given to them through the preaching and miracles of our Lord. But having confessed to know Who our Lord Jesus is, He tells them exactly what that means. It means a cross and death. To this St. Peter objects. Perhaps he believes he is speaking on behalf of all the disciples. Our Lord even turns to look at the disciples to suggest this may be the case. But the objection to our Lord's crucifixion and death, comes from only one individual, and that is Satan, the Accuser.

 

For without the cross, the Accuser, can go on accusing people of their sin. But with the cross, this accusation is rendered useless. So to stop our Lord from fulfilling the work for which He was born into our flesh, is to be in league with Satan, for only he desires this to be.

 

Our Lord then, after calling the crowds and the disciples to Himself, tells everybody to take up their cross and follow Him. Their cross, is His cross. This is just another way to say, "Do not be ashamed of the cross of Christ, for it is our life and salvation. It is the power of salvation for those who believe." This is the reality of the Christian life. Our life is one lived under the cross of our Lord. And that may include persecution and trial from the Pharisees and unbelievers of our day. But more than that it is the means by which our forgiveness, life and salvation has been won for us. To live under the cross, for us Christians, is no different than living in one's Holy Baptism, for in it we daily drown the Old Adam, or to say it another way, we crucify our sins and evil desires once again through the remembrance of our Lord's death and burial. And as He rose from the dead, we too, rise to new life every time we drown the Old Adam, and live as redeemed children of the Lord.

 

Therefore, let us cast off the leaven of the Pharisees, and rejoice that our eyes have been opened up to see that our Lord Jesus is the Son of God come into the world to suffer and die for our salvation. And let us take up this cross of His, and follow Him, by hearing His holy Word, and enjoying His Blessed Sacraments.

 

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

And As Many As Touched Him Were Made Well: St. Mark 6:30-56

St. Mark 6:30-56:"30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And He said to them, 'Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.' For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. 33 But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. 34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. 35 When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, 'This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. 36 Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.' 37 But He answered and said to them, 'You give them something to eat.' And they said to Him, 'Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?' 38 But He said to them, 'How many loaves do you have? Go and see.' And when they found out they said, 'Five, and two fish.' 39 Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. 41 And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. 42 So they all ate and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. 44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. 45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. 46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. 49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, 'Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.' 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. 53 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. 56 Wherever He entered into villages, cities, or in the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well."

All those whom our Lord touches are made well. Both those who touch the hem of His garment, and those who put Him to their lips in the form of bread and wine.

This pericope follows immediately upon the Evangelist St. Mark telling us the narrative of how St. John the Baptist was killed. We hear that the disciples return to our Lord Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught. Our Lord tells them to come away with Him to a quite place for rest. For our Lord knows the burdens, and the hard work that preaching and administering His Sacraments is. We often see our Lord going off by Himself to a quiet place for prayer. Sometimes He even brings His three chief Apostles, St. Peter, St. James the Elder, and St. John. But here He brings His entire group of disciples whom He has called into His service. However, there is one point that is made here by the Evangelist St. Mark that is significant to the rest of the narrative, and that is that because of the coming and going of the crowds, and their desire to depart quickly from that place for some rest, we are told that they did not have time to eat.

Having departed to a quiet place, they didn't get much rest, for the crowds found them, and followed them. In this we see how desparately the people desired salvation. What joy that must have been to see people flock to him not by horse or carriage, but through the labors of one's feet! Imagine the congregation of today, who clings to our Lord's Word and works in such a fashion. Great would be the faith and love of that parish. And our Lord, seeing how they chase after their salvation, has compassion on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. Therefore, He acts as their Shepherd.

So our Lord Jesus and His disciples were back at the task, and didn't get a chance to eat. So when evening comes and the disciples desire to send the crowds away, saying, "Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat," we can almost sense that it was their own bellies that were grumbling with hunger pains. Therefore, our Lord Jesus, says, "You give them something to eat," knowing full well they do not have any food for themselves. The only food they have is provided by a small boy with five loaves and two small fish, which we learn from another Gospel.

Our Lord Jesus, however, does not say this to be cruel, or to mock the disciples, but rather to teach them to trust in Him alone, and to show them Who He truly is. Therefore, our Lord feeds the 5,000 men plus women and children in a fashion that is strikingly similar to the Lord's Supper. He blessed the food, He broke it, and He distributed it to the people through His holy Apostles. And the people received it, and ate their fill. Gathering up the remains, their were gathered together, twelve baskets. One for each of the disciples.

In this we see both our Lord's abundance, and His healing, for first He preaches to them; teaching them many things. So that He is seen has curing their souls. But here He cures their physical ailment of hunger. So He heals them both in body and soul. We too have this benefit from our Lord, for by His preaching and by His meal, we receive food for both our ears and our souls. In this our Lord acts as our Shepherd, showing His compassion on us inspite of our sins, by forgiving us by His Word and meal. So that all who touch Him are healed of their transgressions.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

For This Purpose I Have Come Forth: St. Mark 1:16-45

St. Mark 1:16-45: "16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.' 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. 21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, 'Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!' 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet, and come out of him!' 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, 'What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.' 28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. 29 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. 32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, 'Everyone is looking for You.' 38 But He said to them, 'Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.' 39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. 40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, 'If You are willing, You can make me clean.' 41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed.' 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, 'See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.' 45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction."

Today we leave the Gospel of St. Matthew, and begin reading through the Gospel of St. Mark. In this pericope we have a description of the early ministry of our Lord. This narrative takes place after the temptation of our Lord in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. Our Lord's first task is to call His disciples. These men He had already met shortly after His Baptism, and we can assume that these are the same disciples that are referred to in the Gospel of St. John, who accompanied Him to the wedding at Cana, which happened on the third day after His Baptism.

But our Lord leaves His disciples for awhile and endures the temptation of the devil, so that He might prepare Himself for His ministry. What is His ministry? For what reason did our Lord come? Our Lord tells us Himself, that He has come to preach to the lost and the sinners. He does this preaching in Galilee, which is Zebulun and Naphtali. These were the first kingdoms led away into exile by the Assyrians, when the Northern Kingdom fell. Therefore, our Lord begins His preaching where the darkness of sin is greatest. And, since His disciples are from Galilee, He chooses His first disciples from those who live in the land where the stain of sin and death is greatest. In other words, He chooses as His future vessels to proclaim His word, men who are familiar with sin. St. Peter, who is called Simon in this Gospel, even confesses that He is a sinful, and thereby unworthy man, in another Gospel.

However, our Lord does not consider the man's works, but the man's faith. These men were the first to witness His preaching and miracles, and they were the first to believe that He was the Son of God, the Messiah promised long ago. On account of these men's faith, they would make fine apostles. Indeed, we know that these men did become great apostles. St. James the Elder became the first apostle to suffer martyrdom. His brother outlived all the apostles and his words were the last words of the apostles left as a testimony to their posterity, hence the position of St. John's Gospel as the last, and his epistles and revelation as the close of the canon. St. Andrew would spread the Gospel to far away places, including Scotland and England, and the surrounding isles, and he would suffer the same punishment as our Lord, only on a cross saltire, that is, a cross shaped like an "X." St. Simon Peter would become the leader of the apostles, the man that the others looked to for wisdom and guidance. He would establish churches and Bishops in Alexandria and Rome, where he would also suffer the same fate as our Lord, only upside down, on account that he did not believe himself worthy to die as our Lord did.

These sinful men, who lived in a sinful land would become the preachers of our Lord. And they would be great preachers, for they knew what it meant to be forgiven of their many sins. St. Simon Peter, especially knew this for he denied our Lord three times. But having confessed and repented of his sin, he was forgiven by our Lord, so that he boldly proclaimed this forgivenness in spite of the fear of death.

Our Lord still calls feeble sinful men to proclaim forgiveness. There are some today who think erroneously that this should not be, that ministers of the word should be without sin, and certainly ministers should free from certain public sins, but no minister will be completely free from sin, as in no human being. And this is not a liability but an advantage, for a sinful preacher, knows how to preach about forgiveness. For he knows what it means to be forgiven by our Lord.

And so our Lord, calls these men to follow Him, so that they may be "fishers of men." Then our Lord goes and preaches in this land where sin was most prevalent. That this was so, is shown us by the existence of many demon-possessed individuals. It is clear that this land was solidly controlled by the devil and his demons. The devil had a strangle hold on this land, and our Lord goes directly to his stronghold, and binds him and silences him through His preaching and healing. Our Lord still does this for us today, placing His word where it is needed the most, in the hearts and minds of sinful man, so that He might by His preaching and Sacraments bind and silence the devil and his works, so that we might live in faith and trust that our Lord has forgiveness of our sins, and has destroyed the devil and his works in our midst.

May the Lord give you grace and peace in the knowledge that by His preaching through the voice of a sinful man, who preaches our Lord's forgiveness, your sins are forgiven not only on earth, but also in Heaven.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas