Son, Your Sins Are Forgiven You: St. Mark 2:1-28

St. Mark 2:1-28: "1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.' 6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 'Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' 8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, 'Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk?" 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'--He said to the paralytic, 11 'I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.' 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this!' 13 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. 14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, 'Follow Me.' So he arose and followed Him. 15 Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, 'How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?' 17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.' 18 The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, 'Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?' 19 And Jesus said to them, 'Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.' 23 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, 'Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?' 25 But He said to them, 'Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?' 27 And He said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.'"

In today's reading, our Lord is under constant attack. It seems everything that He does in today's reading from the Gospel of St. Mark is met with accusing questions. We can definitely see the hand of the devil in these questions. The devil seeks to lead men away from the truth, and therefore he plants doubt into men's hearts.

Our Lord is simply doing what the Messiah is supposed to do, heal the lame, preach, and give forgiveness to sinners. However, these are met with opposition. The first thing our Lord is accused of is blasphemy, which is what He is eventually accused of that led to His crucifixion. The Jews considered it blasphemy to forgive someone, for afterall, as the pericope points out, they believed only God could forgive sins. This proves one thing for us for certain, that our Lord Jesus is the Son of God; that He is the God/man incarnate who was promised from long ago, and has come into the world to redeem us. For those of us trained to see these things and believe, it is hard for us sometimes to grasp why the people in the Gospel doubt so much. But this is not an uncommon reaction when people come in contact with the mysteries of God.

The same can be said of the mysteries of today, of water, wine and bread, and word. Our Lord veils Himself in these things, yet we only see these physical elements, just like the Jews of our Lord's day only saw a man. How can water do such great things? How can bread and wine be the Body and Blood of our Lord? How can the proclamation of a guy dressed in a funny robe actually bring forgiveness? These things cannot be by themselves, but it is the Word of God attached to them that makes them these things.

The Jews only see Jesus. He is just a man, they assume. However, His Word, is the Word of God, and this man's sins are forgiven in Heaven, and they are forgiven on earth by our Lord. But our Lord, in order to show the crowds His true authority and reveal His divine nature, He heals the paralytic.

Now, there is a point that should be made here before moving on, and that is that when our Lord tells the paralytic to get up and go, we see His true divine power and nature. For let us view this from the paralytics standpoint. He has lost the ability to use his limbs, and therefore, he has lost his muscle memory. It is easy for us to move around; to get up and go, because we don't need to tell our muscles to react to the brain's impulses, as a matter of fact, we don't even consciously think about getting up to walk, or anything other activity that requires our arms and legs. Not so with the paralytic, he hasn't used them, and he has lost his muscle memory. We can be certain that he has tried many times to will his body to do what he wants it to do, but it just won't happen.

This is what makes this healing so full of awe, because when our Lord says, "Arise, take up your bed and walk," he immediately (and this is one of St. Mark's favorite words in his Gospel) gets up and walks. He doesn't have to think about it, he just does it. Not only that, but this man's limbs would have been useless because of atrophy from lack of use. Again, this does not come into play, for our Lord heals him completely in mind, body, and soul. To say it another way, our Lord has re-created him, restored him to his original self. And not just physically, but also spiritually, for he forgives him of his sins. Even his soul is re-created, that is, restored to its original nature, simply by our Lord speaking His Word.

This is what our Lord does for us when He speaks His Word into our ears, through water, wine and bread, and word. He re-creates us, He restores us to our original nature, removing from us the stain of sin and death, so that we may walk in His way. This re-creation, this restoration, is given to us in the holy means that our Lord has given us to use just for this purpose. And these holy means are found only in the house of God. Therefore, we have a need just like this paralytic, who had to be brought to our Lord Jesus in the house, and even when there was no room, he was let down through the roof. We have this need as well to be brought to where our Lord is giving out His holy Word, in the house of God. So that having been let down into the house, that is, upon humbling ourselves in His presence, we may rightly receive His holy gifts, and be healed of all of our sins.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Do Not Even the Tax Collectors Do the Same?: St. Matthew 5:27-48

St. Matthew 5:27-48: "27 You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 31 Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. 33 Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. 38 You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. 43 You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

"Do not even the tax collectors do so?" Our Lord Jesus asks this question of His disciples, expecting a negative answer. It is interesting that our Lord uses the tax collector as an example. It is even more interesting when one considers the Evangelist who recorded these words for us. It is none other than St. Matthew, the tax collector. How interesting it is that St. Matthew, the tax collector, points out our Lord's words about the sinful behavior of tax collectors. The point is not lost on St. Matthew. The fact that he relates our Lord's words regarding the abuse of tax collectors, shows his repentance, and that he has turned away from that life of sin. Or to say it another way, he has listened to our Lord's preaching, and his heart has been changed so that he no longer does those things but strives to live according to what our Lord teaches.

This is true for us as well. Correcting sinful behavior is not done just by resolving ourselves to a more righteous life. This is what the world teaches, and this is evidenced by twelve step programs, and purpose driven lives, and the like. These things will only get us so far. As soon as temptation sets in, and it will come again and again, after a time we will fail. For we will reason within ourselves that nobody really cares what we do, or, we are our own persons and can do what we want, or, we listen to the lies of the world, which tell us that everybody else is doing it, so why can't we.

True repentance, that is, turning from sin to a life of faith in our Lord Jesus, comes from hearing the preaching of our Lord Jesus. In other words, it is through the constant receiving of Word and Sacrament. For it is in these means of grace, that our Lord gives us the Holy Spirit to resist and refrain from sin. Apart from our Lord we can do nothing. Not only does He change our hearts and minds to be focused on Him and His works, so that we can trust in Him, but through the Holy Spirit, which He gives through preaching and the Sacraments, He gives us faith in Him. For that is what the work of the Holy Spirit is, to create and sustain faith and life in the believer, that is, those who don't resist Him, or put up spiritual walls to shut Him out.

This section from the Sermon on the Mount, addresses three specific commandments: the sixth, the eighth, and the fifth according to the ancient manner of numbering the commandments. That is, "Thou shalt not commit adultery"; "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor"; and "Thou shalt not kill." * Our Lord points out in His sermon that these commandments have a deeper requirement than we can actually keep. Each of these commandments could be addressed in full detail, but that would require more space than is desired in this post. In fact each of them could take up a week's worth of posts each. Therefore, they will be spoken of in general terms as they relate to the whole decalogue.

Every commandment has something that is forbidden, and something that is required of us. For example with regard to the sixth commandment, our Lord forbids, committing adultery, that includes even lusting, as our Lord points out in the Sermon on the Mount. What our Lord requires in the sixth commandment is that "we may lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse." *

There are those who believe that if they keep the outward tenants of the Law that they do not sin, and have no sin, as did the Jews during our Lord's time, but He dispels this false teaching by pointing out that these commandments, in order for them to be kept, require a complete change of heart. The only heart that sinful desires do not come out of is our Lord's heart. He is the only one without sin, He is the only one who is righteous, He is the only one who fulfills the requirements of the Law completely. This is why His sacrifice on the cross is accepted by our Heavenly Father, for He is the True Spotless Lamb, who is pure, and free from sin.

We are not so, we lust, we hate, we lie and deceive, even when it is only misleading. The statement is often made that if another person knew our inmost thoughts, they would be shocked to hear of all of the degrading and vile thoughts that enter into our minds. We have these evil thoughts because we live in this world, and live in this flesh of sin, and the devil is still prowling about, ready to lead us into shame and despair, or pride and haughtiness. We have this comfort though, we are not alone. Not only does everyone else on the planet experience these same sinful desires, but our Lord Jesus, also comfronted all these temptation that the devil, throws at us, so He knows our pain and suffering. He knows it so well, that while we were yet His enemies, He loved us enough to suffer and die for us on the tree of the cross of shame.

Some may experience these temptations to differing degrees, but it is always in relation to what we can handle, as our Lord promised us. And, there are those outside of the Church, who live abominable and degrading lives, doing horribly sinful acts, and then have the gall to say that these things are good and right. This is a lie and deception of the devil, who wants us to accept these lewd sins as normal everyday acts, so that we say they are not sins, or worse, do them ourselves. There are many examples from this world that show how the devil and the world have misled and deceived us into thinking that things that are against the commandments are okay to do, and in some cases are even encouraged. To name a few: pre-marital sex, homosexuality, abortion, gambling, usury, or practice of lending to make a profit, and the use of witchcraft.

These are portrayed in our society as normal human behavior, and not sinful acts, and a breaking of the commandments. It is not a far cry from the Sermon on the Mount, where our Lord teaches the disciples how the Jews of their day dismissed the commandments of God by establishing loop holes, and saying that what God considered a sin, to not be a sin. We who desire to keep the commandments of God, must resist this temptation of the devil and the world, and also boldly defend the commandments when they are abused. The question that is always raised when someone stands up for the commandments, and for righteous behavior is the misuse of the passage from St. Matthew 7 on judging one's neighbor. Since that pericope comes up in a couple of days, it will be addressed then, but this much can be said, there is a difference between pointing out sin, and judging someone on account of their sin. Stayed tuned in a couple of days to get a more complete answer.

We are not lost however, our Lord, knows our suffering and struggle with sin, and He gives us His preaching and His means of grace, to strengthen and preserve us through the dark days when we are challenged by and struggle with sin. Therefore, get to the Church, participate in our Lord's good gifts, and receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to give you faith and life.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

* Translation from Doctor Martin Luther Small Catechism and An Explanation of Christian Doctrine based on Doctor Luther's Small Catechism, Edited by Markku Sarela, Published by The Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland, 1999.

Then He Opened His Mouth and Taught Them: St. Matthew 5:1-9

St. Matthew 5:1-9: "1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'"

This morning reading is our Lord's teaching of the Beatitudes. This pericope from the Evangelist St. Matthew is a shortened form of the Gospel lesson appointed for the festival of All Saints. That festival is about the gifts bestowed upon the saints, and their work and labor done in faith to Him. Today's reading has a different theme being appointed in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means "to manifest" or "to reveal." A good illustration to remember what Epiphany means, is to think of the cartoon characters who have a light bulb appear above their head when they come up with an idea, or think of something. The idea or thought has been manifested, they have had an epiphany.

The epiphany that takes place today is our Lord revealing His teaching to His disciples through the Sermon on the Mount. There is some debate, even among the Early Fathers, whether this sermon is given to just His disciples, or to the whole multitude, since it says after seeing the crowds He went up into the mountain, and after His disciples sat down, He began to teach them. St. Augustine and St. Chrysostom, the great Fathers of the West and East, respectively, seem to give warrant to the teaching that He was with His disciples alone. St. Augustine relating the reason for differences in this Gospel and St. Luke's Gospel, where our Lord stands for His sermon, is due to the fact that these are two separate sermons, one given solely to the disciples, the other given to the crowds. To whomever He was speaking, whether the crowds or just the disciples, is not as important a discussion as to what He was saying, and where He was saying it.

There are three places where our Lord Jesus takes His repose: the ship, or boat; the desert; and the mountain. These three things have much symbolism attached to them, and each reveal something about our Lord's person and work. Today we have the mountain. Now, our Lord doesn't go up into the mountain, as some would suppose, just for better acoustics. (They say the same thing about Him getting into a boat to preach, too.) The mountain hold more significance and it shows up often in our Lord's life. He is crucified on a mountain; He would often go to the Mount of Olives with His disciples to pray and sing hymns and psalms; The Temple was situated on a mountain; Jerusalem, the holy city, was situated on a mountain; He was transfigured on a mountain. From these brief examples we can see the importance of mountains in our Lord's life, but what do they signify about Him?

The Prophet Isaiah said, "Get thee up into a high mountain." (Isaiah 40:9) The Prophet Isaiah was talking about the preaching of good news, of glad tidings, that such good news should be shouted from the highest places, for they embodied the holiness and righteousness of our Lord God, on account of their proximity to Heaven. St. Chrysostom compares the Church to this mountain, for it is only within the Church that the mysteries of the truth are revealed and given out. St. Augustine carries this point even further by comparing our Lord Jesus to the mountain. For there are two important mountains in all of holy Scripture, Mt. Sinai, and Mt. Calvary. The one mountain represents the Law, the other represents the fulfiling of the Law, or the Gospel. Mt. Calvary is the mountain of our Lord, and the mountain where He wins the battle over sin, death, and the devil. This Mt. Calvary becomes the new mountain, replacing Mt. Sinai, for all of Christendom, the mountain of our Lord's righteousness, which He delivered through His love for us, by His very own death.

The Evangelist St. Matthew tells us that our Lord sat down, and opened His mouth, and taught them. Our Lord manifests Himself as the True Prophet, through His sitting down, which mystically speaking is a representation of His incarnation where He sits down into the flesh of mankind. If He had not taken on our flesh, we would not be able to come to Him, like His disciples come to Him on the mountain.

He also opens His mouth. He who had opened the mouth of the prophets, now opens His mouth to proclaim to His disciples His righteousness. The Beatitudes, as this section in holy Scripture is commonly called, is all about Jesus. He is the one who is poor in spirit, that is humble. He shows His humility by laying aside His glory to become a man in the flesh. He is the one who mourns for His lost people on account of their sins. He is the one who is truly meek. Meek people are those who suffer the trials and troubles of this life without seeking revenge, but rather, endure the punishment willingly, knowing they receive a greater crown in Heaven. Our Lord shows His meekness in enduring the cross and shame of our our guilt willingly and silently as a Lamb led to the slaughter. He is the one who hungers and thirsts after righteousness, desiring to learn all there is to learn about His Father in Heaven, and do what He commands Him to do. This is shown us by the Boy Jesus in the Temple, who spent three days, answering and asking questions of the teachers of the holy Scriptures. Truly He is merciful, for He doesn't treat us the way we deserve to be treated, that is, we deserve our punishment, as the malefactor on the cross next to our Lord Jesus rightly confessed about himself, that he was deserving of death. But our Lord shows His mercy by taking our punishment, and freeing us from ours.

He is the one who is pure in heart, that is, He is without sin. He is pure and clean. We are made pure and clean by grace, through the preaching of the Word of God, and the receiving of the Sacraments. We remain clean and pure in heart, when we continue in these things, and not disdaining them. Our Lord is also the true peacemaker. When our Lord refers to peacemakers, He is not just referring to those who make peace with their fellow man; those who live without dissension and discord amongst themselves; who do not have contentions and fighting amongst them and other people. He is the true peacemaker, for peace begins in the heart and the soul. One cannot have peace with his fellow man, where there is an inward struggle of the soul. Those who battle with sin, the devil, and the world, cannot have peace with his fellowman. Our Lord's heart is pure, and there is no struggle with sin and Satan and the world, for He has conquered them all, therefore He can make peace with mankind for there exists within His heart and Spirit peace.

Does that mean that there is no hope for us, that we can never find peace? Apart from our Lord Jesus Christ, the answer is a firm no. However, through the preaching of the holy Word and the administration of the Sacraments, our Lord gives us His Holy Spirit, who creates and sustains faith in us, replacing our sinful heart with the sacred and pure heart of our Lord Jesus. It is by putting on Christ, that we find peace in our souls, rest from the war with sin, death and the devil, and in receiving that peace, we can then live in peace with our fellow man.

These peacemakers, made by the Holy Spirit, are called sons of God. They have been given the title of their Saviour. Our Lord Jesus teaches His disciples these things in the Beatitudes, and by His person and work, He teaches us that He is the fulfillement and embodiment of these Beatitudes. He fulfills these Beatitudes for us, in order that we may be joined to Him and live as Him by the assistance of the Holy Ghost.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Follow Me and I Will Make You Fishers of Men: St. Matthew 4:18-25

St. Matthew 4:18-25: "18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan."

Today is an holiday. It a day to celebrate the deeds and faith of a beloved saint and man. Today is the festival of the Confession of St. Peter. This mornings reading although not specifically appointed to today's festival, does seem to fit for this day of celebration. This morning's reading has the calling of St. Peter, along with St. Andrew, St. John, and St. James the Elder.

At first glance this pericope from the Evangelist St. Matthew seems to contradict with the Evangelist St. John, since St. John has St. Andrew, and the other disciple who is not named (but probably is St. John) following Jesus the day after His baptism. And in St. John's Gospel, St. Peter is brought to Jesus by St. Andrew. St. Matthew, on the other hand, has Sts. Andrew, Peter, James the Elder and John, being called by Jesus next to the sea of Galilee, while they were fishing. There seems to be an inconsistancy in the two narratives.

There is an explanation for the seeming differences between the two pericopes. The Evangelist St. John relates the first meeting of these disciples with our Lord, however, He does not call them. He only invites them to spend the evening with Him. However, in the Evangelist St. Matthew's narrative our Lord specifically tells them to follow Him. And since they had already met Him and spent time with Him they immediately drop all and follow Him.

Here is what must be kept in mind as far as timeline. Our Lord was baptized, met His disciples, attended the wedding at Cana, and then was led into the wilderness, and spent forty days and nights by Himself. He had preached in Nazareth, and would have been thrown off a cliff if He had not escaped from among them. He moved to Capernaum, next to the sea of Galilee, which is where the disciples from this mornings pericope lived. He then called these four men, three of which became His closest disciples, and accompanied Him whenever He would do something of importance. Shortly after these things, our Lord Jesus cleanses the Temple at the time of the Pasch.

This should shed some light on the seeming incongruity between the two Gospels. However, this is not the main point of this pericope. This reading is all about our Lord beginning His earthly ministry. He begins by calling men that would carry on His message after He ascended into Heaven. These men would spend about three years with our Lord, hearing Him, learning from Him, seeing His miracles that showed them He was in deed the Messiah.

Our Lord's preaching and ministry had an affect on these men. This is why we celebrate today, for one of these men, the Blessed St. Peter, confessed that our Lord was indeed the Son of God, the One promised that would save men from their sin. It was upon this confession that our Lord built the Church. Against this proclamation of the Gospel, which proclaims our Lord Jesus to be the One and only Saviour, the gates of hell cannot prevail. This is the faith which the Church is built upon. The Church is built upon the faith of her children, who believe and trust in their Lord alone for salvation.

Today, after calling His disciples, Sts. Andrew, Peter, James the Elder, and John, our Lord Jesus, goes throughout all Syria, that is, the northern part which used to be Israel, and was the first part of the kingdom to be led into captivity by Assyria, preaching in their synagogues, and healing the sick and demon-possesed. He reveals Himself as the Messiah, the Christ. He reveals Himself as our One and only Saviour. Those who see His deeds, believe on Him, and they follow Him wherever He goes. Those who follow Him are not just the disciples who He specifically calls to follow Him, but also all those from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and all those beyond the Jordan.

We who have heard His Word in these times also follow Him, for we hear His Word, see His deeds, that is, His Blessed Sacraments, and we are spiritually healed by His gifts. And so, today, we rejoice in the confession of the Blessed St. Peter, and we rejoice that we too have the freedom to confess Him as our One and only Saviour from sin, death, and the devil.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

The People Who Sat in Darkness Have Seen A Great Light: St. Matthew 4:12-17

St. Matthew 4:12-17: "12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 'The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.' 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

St. John the Baptist is put in prison. It would seem that as soon as our Lord Jesus shows up, the devil immediately begins to do all things that he can to put obstacles in the way of our Lord's work. Our Lord will have no rest from the devil, and his tempations, and his questioning and harassing of Him until He is dead on the cross. Such is our Lord's life. All of the temptations, troubles, sorrows, trials, dangers, and the like that we face throughout our lives, our Lord Jesus faces in abundance. His pain, His sorrow, His trials and temptations are greater than we ever experience, for the devil can win if he succeed in getting our Lord Jesus off of His mission of saving us.

But our Lord is fit to the task. He does not waver, but trusts completely in His Father, that His Father could send down legions of angels to assist Him if He so desired. However, as we learn from Scripture, our Lord Jesus takes the punishment, takes the abuse of the devil, in order that He might fulfill His work of salvation on our account. This is the love of our Savior. This is His grace. He takes on our temptation and punishment; And this, in more abundance than we ever experience.

Our Lord Jesus, however, is not, it would appear from His departing into Galilee after St. John the Baptist's imprisonment, afraid to avoid a situation that is not necessary for Him to experience. He would not have much of a ministry, if He began preaching near the Jordan River like St. John the Baptist, and then was arrested like him before His time. And so, He retreats to Galilee, and makes His home there in Capernaum. We are told by the Evangelist St. Matthew, that this was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. Our Lord would abode in Zebulun and Naphtali by the sea.

The interesting thing to note about the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah is that Galilee is considered the land of the Gentiles. This poses the question, "Why in the land of the Gentiles?" Galilee was divided into two sections by King Solomon, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. It is here in the section set apart for the Gentiles that our Lord takes His abode. This region of Zebulun and Naphtali, was also the first section of Israel that was lead into captivity and exile by the Assyrians. So it seems that our Lord takes His abode in the place where the darkness and shadow of sin and death were at its greatest. Our Lord Jesus comes to the darkest place, spiritually speaking, to shed the Light of the Gospel upon these who so desperately need it.

It would seem that the use of the word "retreat" is a little bit of an overstatement. So let us follow so far the steps of Our Lord Jesus Christ's adult life as we know it. He is baptized, and then spends 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil, then after St. John the Baptist is put in prison, He leaves Judea, where he was preaching, and then (we are told by the Evangelist St. Luke) He goes to Nazareth to preach in the synagogue, in which they want to throw Him off a cliff, and now the Evangelist St. Matthew tells us that the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah is fulfilled by our Lord's abiding in Capernaum of Galilee. It appears that our Lord is faced with adversity throughout the beginning of His ministry. And where does He go? He goes to the place that is the darkest, where Satan's power would seem to be the strongest, and makes His abode there.

This is what our Lord Jesus does for us, He takes on the devil head on. He does this through His preaching. And if one examines the preaching of St. John the Baptist, and our Lord Jesus Christ here in the Gospel of St. Matthew, one would find that the sermon is exactly the same. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Mystically speaking, we have an instance where the Law, represented by the preaching of St. John the Baptist who was the last of the Propets of the Law, gives way to the Gospel, represented by our Lord Jesus who is the Light of the world.

In this manner, our Lord comes to us. He comes with His preaching into the darkness of our lives full of sin, and sheds the Light of His Gospel upon us. He calls us out of darkness into His glorious Light. Therefore, the beautiful words of the Prophet Isaiah are fulfilled in our midst whenever the Word of God is preached and taught in its purity, and the Sacraments are given out according to Christ's intention, that is, "the people who sat in darkness have seen a great Light." That "Great Light" is our Lord. And although this prophecy was directed at those who were lead captive by the Assyrians, it finds its true fulfillment in the all those who hear the Word of God and believe it.

May we ever see this Great Light and be rescued from the darkness of our sins.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas