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

Be Strong, Do Not Fear! : Isaiah 35:3-7

Isaiah 35:3-7: "3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.' 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. 7 The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes."

This Old Testament lesson for the Prophet Isaiah, which is appointed for Quinquagesima, ties in nicely with both the Epistle and the Gospel. For it talks about the acts of love, and about the blind being given their sight. It also talks about God coming to save us. This is fulfilled in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was born into our flesh, to fulfill the Law perfectly, and suffer our punishment for breaking the Law of God, by His suffering and death on the cross. We are even told about the gift that our Lord Jesus would give to us, in order to make disciples, that is, Holy Baptism, for out of the wilderness of sin and death, the waters of Holy Baptism have burst forth, and have filled the desert of this world with a living stream that produces life.

Strengthening weak hands and making firm feeble knees are acts of love, for they concern our neighbor. In this pericope, it is referring to the preached Word of God. For the hands and knees are shaking from trials and tribulations of this life. But through the preaching of the Word of God, faith in the One True God is created, and sustained, so that our weak hands, and feeble knees are strengthened through hearing about what our Lord God has done for us. It is through the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we have no fear, and are able to be strong in the midst of sin and death, and trouble and sorrow.

This pericope prepares us for Lent as well, which starts this Wednesday, for it reminds us that we live in a desert, a wilderness; the wilderness and desert of this world full of sin and hatred towards God and His Commandments. Life in the wilderness is hard. Not only do the elements burden us, but the "jackals" of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh are always prowling around looking to devour us.

But we have the good news, which our Lord God promised, that He would take vengeance upon them. He takes His vengeance upon them in His very own Son. He sacrifices His Son, so that we might be rescued from the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. He gives of Himself, so that we might be His through the water of Holy Baptism.

Holy Baptism, has created a pool in the parched land of this world. A place where we might find strength and comfort.Through it the eyes of spiritual blindness are opened, the ears that have been closed to the Word of God, are opened to hear the Gospel, those who are spiritually lame, unable to walk according to love, are healed so that they may walk in the commandments of God. And those who did not know how to confess their faith, or who were not able even to confess God, have their tongues healed, so that they might pray the liturgy, and sing hymns and psalms to God. Therefore, "Be strong; Do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you."

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Today This Scripture Is Fulfilled in Your Hearing: St. Luke 4:14-44

St. Luke 4:14-44: "4 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 'The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.' 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.' 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, 'Is this not Joseph's son?' 23 He said to them, 'You will surely say this proverb to Me, "Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country."' 24 Then He said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.' 28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. 31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. 32 And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. 33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 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!' 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet, and come out of him!' And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. 36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, 'What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.' 37 And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. 38 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house. But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. 40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, 'You are the Christ, the Son of God!' And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. 42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, 'I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.' 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee."

One of the good things about this Lectionary is that we get to go back and hear the narratives that we heard in St. Mark, told from a different perspective from St. Luke. As a matter of fact, if the Epiphany season was longer this year, we would have also heard these same narratives from St. Matthew's point of view. So that, the three synoptic Gospel writers each have a voice in training us about our Lord Jesus' life and mininstry leading up to His crucifixion. And during Lent we will get to hear from all four Gospel writers their perspective of the Passion of our Lord. If you are wondering when we will get to hear St. John's perspective on the life and ministry of our Lord, that will come during the Easter season, from Easter to Whitsunday. St. John giving us our Lord's life and ministry from a theological standpoint comes after Easter. For the three synoptic Gospel writers present the material in a catechetical manner. And since Epiphany was historically the preparation for catechesis into the Church, and during Lent the catechesis actually took place, these narratives serve as a teaching tool for to learn what our Lord did while He was alive on Earth, and it teaches us what things He endured for our salvation.

Therefore, today, we get to see from St. Luke the narrative of our Lord teaching in the synagogue of His home town, Nazareth. From St. Luke we learn that the people of Nazareth did want our Lord Jesus to perform the works that He did in Capernaum, but our Lord says no. We also learn that this upset the people of Nazareth so much that it led them to so much wrath that they desired to throw our Lord off of the mountain upon which the town was situated. Now, something should first be said about differences between the Gospel writers. St. Luke and St. Mark to not differ in substance, they only differ in the details. That is, what one writer leaves out, the other writer supplies. This is for our benefit, for we get to see this narrative on our Lord's return to His home town, from different perspectives to get the full story.

The key to understanding this pericope is that the people of Nazareth had a stumbling block which got in the way of our Lord performing any miracles there, and that stumbling block was who is family was. He was born to lowly parents, a handmaid and a carpenter. They knew His family, and they weren't kings, or leaders, and of course, this is from whom the Jews thought the true Messiah would be, from a family of substantial standing. Therefore, we first see our Lord being despised by men, for whom He is not; for His humble existence.

In other words, they had heard of the miracles performed in Capernaum, but because of their reproach of Who He was, and on account of their envy of the works performed by Him in a Gentile region, they did not receive His works. Mystically speaking we see here the unbelief of the Jews, portrayed by the people of Nazareth, and the willing reception of the Gentiles, represented by Capernaum, which was in the land of the Gentiles. This is in a sense a foreshadowing of what would eventually take place, the Jews would reject our Lord Jesus, to the point of crucifying Him, but the Gentiles would gladly hear about the Messiah from the Apostles after His Resurrection and Ascension.

This is shown further by our Lord's exegesis of the Old Testament. For in both Elijah's day, and Elisha's day, the unbelief of the Jews towards the prophets prevented them from healing the Jews. Only the widow of Zarephath would receive the benefits of Elijah's preaching, on account of her belief. And only Naaman, the Syrian, would receive the benefit of Elisha's preaching, for only he was willing to do what the prophet asked. Therefore, we see from these examples from the Prophets, the unwillingness of the Jewish people to listen to and hear the Word of God. It is on account of their unbelief that many more wonders were not performed in their territory. As it was for the prophets Elijah and Elisha, so it is for our Lord Jesus in His own country. For our Lord was not the type of Lord they expected, nor wanted.

The same is true today, for many want our Lord to work many wonders and miracles, to show Himself in grand ways. They prefer rock bands, and laser light shows with fog machines blowing, and loud amplification systems blaring over all, for in their mind, they think this is the only way that people will listen. First of all, it is not the only way that people will listen, but secondly, and more important, it is not the way that our Lord portrayed Himself, nor came to His people. But He came to us in simple and humble means. He does this today as well. For He comes to us in the simple and humble forms of water, word, bread and wine. In these simple means He, through the working of the Holy Ghost, performs the miracle of forgiveness of sin. There are many today who despise and distain such simple means, after all they aren't as flashy as a big screen with words and pictures on it, and loud music.

But this is how our Lord has chosen to impart His miracles of forgiveness, life and salvation. All those who receive them in faith, trusting that our Lord does impart His gifts through them, gladly receive them, and they are strengthened through them. Those who reproach them, receive no benefit, and search after other false means, which lead them away from God, and into a theology of themself. And there is no salvation in one's self.

May God Almighty lead you to the One True Faith, and guard and keep you in that faith, unto life everlasting, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Hear Me, Everyone, And Understand: St. Mark 7:1-30

St. Mark 7:1-30: "1 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, 'Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?' 6 He answered and said to them, 'Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.' 9 He said to them, 'All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, "Honor your father and your mother;" and, "He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death." 11 But you say, "If a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban'"'--(that is, a gift to God), 12 'then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.' 14 When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, 'Hear Me, everyone, and understand: 15 There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!' 17 When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 18 So He said to them, 'Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?' 20 And He said, 'What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.' 24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. 25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said to her, 'Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.' 28 And she answered and said to Him, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs.' 29 Then He said to her, 'For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.' 30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed."

This pericope contrasts the faith of the people who chased after our Lord Jesus to hear His holy Word and be healed by Him, with the Pharisees and scribes, who chase after our Lord Jesus to find fault with Him and to harass Him with questions. These questions to not center on the commandments of the Lord, but in human tradition. This comes from a very literal understanding of the Prophet Isaiah 1:16, "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil," and also, the Prophet Isaiah 52:11, "Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD." The Pharisees and scribes have taken something that is meant to be understood spiritually, that is, they are to be clean of heart, and made it into something that is not spiritual; Understanding these passages to mean they were to be physically clean.

We see from this tradition, that the Jews were obsessed with baptism, that is, the baptism of hands, pitchers and cups, copper vessels, and couches. In other words, things that do not need to truly be clean. If one's heart is full of corruption and sin, and unbelief, it doesn't matter how clean these objects are, for the person using them is still unclean, that is, unbaptized in heart. This is what our Lord Jesus, and the Prophet Isaiah, are referring to, having a heart that is clean, that is, baptized. Holy Scripture talks about this also in terms of circumcision. The Jews were circumcised in the flesh, but they were not circumcised in the heart. Now, clearly this does not mean that one should cut open one's chest and cut off a piece of one's heart. Nor when referring to a clean heart, would the same cutting open of the chest apply. We can agree that this would be ridiculous. So clearly, our Lord Jesus is not referring to a phyical cleanness, but to spiritual cleanness, that is, being pure in heart.

Here though, we see the Pharisees and scribes up in arms about our Lord's disciples not washing their hands before they eat. This is more than just a hygiene issue to the Jews, this is a tradition of the elders, which they have made into a commandment of the Lord. Worse yet, as our Lord Jesus points out, they have disregarded the commandments of the Lord, by their traditions. Their traditions stand in opposition to the commandments. Our Lord Jesus uses an example, of honoring one's father and mother, the fourth commandment. They break this commandment by their traditions. This is the dangerous thing about traditions. For traditions in and of themselves are not bad.

For example, every parish has a tradition of what time they are going to meet for worship. Certainly this is a helpful tradition. If every parish did not have this tradition, no one would know what time worship was going to be, and that would lead to one of two solutions, either always being at the church, so you wouldn't miss it, or never being at church, so that you always miss it. So we can see that traditions are not necessarily bad. What our Lord here is condemning is the traditions of the elders, which allowed people to break the commandments. The elders provided a loophole, and since now there would be no punishment for breaking this commandment of God.

We see this today as well, church bodies create loopholes in the commandments of God, by saying women can be pastors, ignoring the commandment given through the Blessed Apostle St. Paul, by saying he either wasn't speaking on God's behalf, or that he was only referring to that time and place in Corinth. The same is true of making homosexuality out to not be a sin, or worse, making them to be pastors, ignoring what our Lord God says about it in the Old Testament, and what St. Paul says about in his Epistle to the Church at Rome, for similar reasons to the one given above. There are church bodies that say abortion is okay, ignoring the commandment against murder. All these examples show how church bodies have vacated the commandments of God, and taken on the position of the world, that is, the traditions of man. These are no different than the Pharisees and scribes of our Lord's day, and these examples are by no means exhaustive.

From these examples we can see that true uncleanness, that is, evil and corruption, lies in the heart. For men naturally do what is in their heart, if their heart has not been cleansed through Holy Baptism. Our Lord Jesus even supplies us with a list of things that come out of the heart of natural man. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man." These things can certainly be see in the traditions of man that were given as examples above.

The good news for us, is that the world and those in it can make up as many traditions and customs contrary to the commandment of God as they want, but it does not change the commandment. Their punishment for breaking them will be the same. God will remain the same as He always was for us. And since this applies to the Law, it also applies to the Gospel, that is, the promise of forgiveness, life and salvation. The world and false church bodies may try to distort or corrupt the Gospel, but the Lord God's Word always remains. Mankind's heart, and the evil that flows from it, does not effect the Word of God and its promises.

This is shown to us by the Syro-Phoenician woman whose daughter is severely demon-possessed. Here we have contrasted the Jews who reject the Messiah, who are represented by the Pharisees and scribes, and who have done away with the commandments of God on account of their unclean hearts, with a Syro-Phoenician woman, that is, a Gentile Greek and a descendant of the Canaanites, who were the enemies of the people of Israel, who shows that her heart is pure and clean, for she shows her humility and faith in our Lord Jesus. It is not surprising that this next part of the narrative takes place in the region of Tyre and Sidon, that is, next to the sea. Again we see an allusion to baptism by the Evangelist St. Mark.

The Venerable Bede carries this thought through when he says regarding this miracle and the woman's faith, which healed her daughter,

"On account then of the humble and faithful saying of her mother, the devil left the daughter ; here is given a precedent for catechising and baptizing infants, seeing that by the faith and the confession of the parents, infants are freed in baptism from the devil, though they can neither have knowledge in themselves, or do either good or evil."*

This woman's faith, and her clean heart, saved her daughter, that is, purified her daughter of the demon. From this we see how God desires to cleanse us from the corruption and sin that rests in our hearts, that is, through the waters of Holy Baptism. By this washing, we are cleansed of sin, made pure and whole, and the affects of the devil, the world and our sinful flesh are washed away. This also is one of the commandments of our Lord, that the Church go forth and teach all nations, and baptizing them. For in this our Lord Jesus is with us always. Therefore, let us rejoice in our baptisms, for by them our hearts have been made clean.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

* The Venerable Bede "On Mark", 7:30.

The Lord GOD Will Cause Righteousness and Praise to Spring Forth Before All the Nations: Isaiah 61:10-11

Isaiah 61:10-11: "10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."

Isaiah's prophecy is the words of our Lord Jesus about Himself. These words, recorded for us today as the Old Testament lesson for the Transfiguration of Our Lord, reveal who our Lord Jesus is. Our Lord Jesus is a bridegroom decked with ornaments. Those ornaments are his righteouness and salvation. One can clearly see the transfiguration in these words. For on the Mount of Transfiguration, our Lord shone like the sun, and His clothes became white like no fuller on earth could launder. His clothes were this type of white, because our Lord Jesus revealed His true righteousness.

In His earthly ministry our Lord hid His divine nature. One could say that he wore the garment of sin and shame, therefore it was dirty and dingy. However, our Lord shows His true nature by revealing His true righteousness to Sts. Peter, John and James the Elder. Isaiah foretells this event by likening the robe of righteousness of our Savior, and the garments of salvation which He wears, as the clothes of a bridegroom and bride.

We've all been to weddings, or are at least familiar with them, so we can relate to this image. Much is made about the dress of the bride. So much so that one would think it was the most important thing (next to the cake). Of course sinful man misplaces the important thing in a wedding, and by extension, in marriage as well, which is the unity that is made by our Lord God, and the agreement that those who are married in the Church, are asking our Heavenly Father's blessing upon their marriage, so that they might live united as one, even as He is One, and the Church is one.

But misplaced focus aside, we know how important it is to dress a certain way at a wedding, and there is nothing wrong with this, even Isaiah the prophet in Old Testament times, recognizes the importance of wedding garments. We can clearly see from the illustration, that wedding clothes are not our everyday clothes. They are special garments that reveal something about the event that will take place. And they reveal something about the person. As the saying goes, "clothes make the man."

Here is the key. Our Lord Jesus wears these special clothes, which we consider to be worn only on special occasions, all the time. His wedding garments are righteousness and salvation, and He is always wearing them. And in the transfiguration, we get a glimpse of His righteousness and our salvation. And the great news is that these special wedding clothes of our Lord, the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness, have been given to us to wear all the time, by virtue of our Holy Baptism.

In Holy Baptism, we have put on Christ, that is, we have put on His robe of righteousness and His garment of salvation, so that our dirty and dingy clothes racked with sin and shame are covered over, or even better, have been removed, so that all our Heavenly Father only sees the righteousness of His Son Jesus. Our sins are no longer seen on account of our Holy Baptism. And every day that we remember our Holy Baptism, we once again put on that robe of righteousness that our Lord Jesus gave to us in Holy Baptism, and won for us on the cross of His death.

And in this, our Heavenly Father, cause to spring forth from the earth, the new bud of life and salvation. This bud is the Church, that is, all those who have been baptized with the water of life, and who cling to their Holy Baptism in faith. This holy water has gone over the whole earth, and flooded it with salvation, and the whole earth has been reborn in the righteousness and salvation of our Lord Jesus. And those who put on this righteousness by virtue of their baptisms, rejoice greatly in the Lord, and their soul is joyful in the Lord God. For it is He who has clothed them in righteousness. And for that we are eternally thankful.

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