He Taught Them As One Having Authority: St. Matthew 7:24-29

St. Matthew 7:24-29: "'24 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.' 28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

Our Lord Jesus teaches as One having authority. The question that comes from this statement is, "What constitutes authority?" Or to say it in a more Lutheran way, "What does this mean?" Let us look at this question from a civil perspective first.

We have many authorities in this life. Our first contact with an authority is our parents, as the Blessed Holy Trinity commands us, "Thou shalt honor thy father and they mother, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." * Our parents, were placed over us by our Heavenly Father. However, they were not just placed over us so that we might do their every bidding. Certainly if they asked us to do things contrary to our Lord's commands we would rather serve our Lord God than man. They were placed over us not to rule us with an iron hand, but to lead us into the way of Truth. In other words, our Heavenly Father gave us our parents so that we might learn to love and serve Him. This is of course easier when our parents are also loving and serving our Heavenly Father, and those who are not, are evil parents, for they are not obeying the first and greatest commandment to "fear, love and trust in God above all things." * Truly wicked parents are the ones who not just neglect to teach their children about the Lord God, but purposefully lead their children away from the One True God. This would also include those who teach their children to worship false gods, and false religions, such as, Islam, or Buddhism, or Judaism, or Hindu, or Jehovah's Witness, or Mormonism. This would also include those parents who lead their children into the false sects, who deny the Sacraments of our Lord, and teach that these are not actual means of salvation, but only symbols.

One can see from this that a true authority always has the will and command of our Lord God at heart. And there are other earthly authorities of varying degrees of earthly authority, and these authorities all flow out of the authority of parents. In other words, it is the parents responsibility that they are providing for their children earthly authorities that will obey God's commands. This includes, finding teachers and a school that will not teach their children that evolution is okay, but that the Holy Blessed Trinity created the earth in six days. This means finding a minister and a parish where the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution. This means voting (since we live in a democratic society) for public officials (judges, magistrates, presidents, senators, governors, county sheriffs, and the like) who will do what is right according to God's will and command, and not according to what society dictates is well and good. If we vote for men who will only cater to societies whims, our society will continue on its present course of degradation. And we are clearly not fulfilling our roles as parents, by providing our children with good government.

These authorities all have a duty to uphold what our Lord teaches, and make this world and life, as is in their individual power and authority, a world that looks to our Lord Jesus for their hope and survival.

Ultimately, authority has to do with our Lord's Word. And our Lord is regarded as having authority, because of His teaching. This means that our Lord appeared to the people to actually know what He was talking about. It also means that He taught them as One Who was sent by God. Our Lord, in His teaching, manifests Himself to be the Son of God, the promised Messiah. And, as we learn from later in the Gospel of St. Matthew, the people at the very least recognized Him as a prophet. Prophets were sent by God to proclaim His Word. Our Heavenly Father still sends prophets. Perhaps not the type of prophets that were sent in the Old Testament, but prophets whose chief task is to proclaim the one and only Saviour, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who hears our Lord, hears the One Who sent Him, as the Gospel of St. John points out. Our Lord's authority to preach and teach comes from the Heavenly Father. The same is true today, those who preach and teach have been rightly called and ordained. There are many today who claim to be called, but in actuality have to authority to preach or teach, this would especially include females and homosexuals, the one because of their gender, the other because one who is rightly called does not live in open, manifest sin. But those who have been rightly called, should be listened to, for they have been sent by our Heavenly Father to proclaim the authority of the Son, who gives His life for His people.

Those who do not listen to these called men, and by virtue of their word regarding our Lord, do not listen to our Lord, are like the foolish person, who built his house upon the sand of false gods, and human wisdom, and the floods, and the rain, and the wind of the devil, the world, and this sinful flesh, beat against it, and they fall mightily, because their fall is an eternal one. He who listens to our Lord's Words, is like a wise man who builds his house upon the firm foundation of our Lord Jesus Christ's teaching, and the wind and rain and floods of sin, sorrow and trouble may beat against it, but it will not fall, but remains unto all eternity. Hear the Words of our Lord, and listen to Him, and He will teach you to trust in Him alone.

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.

Judge Not, That You Be Not Judged: St. Matthew 7:1-14

St. Matthew 7:1-14: "1 Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. 6 Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. 7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." This is perhaps the most misapplied section of holy Scripture. This comes from a misunderstanding of what "judgment" means. What usually happens is someone commits a particular sin, and that sin being exposed in public, is accused of that particular sin, then, not wanting to stop committing the particular sin, or worse, thinking that the particular behavior is not a sin, quotes these words from the Sermon on the Mount by our Lord. The idea being, that since you have accused that person of a sin, you are judging him, and therefore, instead of judging that person, you should pay attention to your own actions, and not that persons.

This usually plays well. The person or group doing the accusing, feeling guilty for their own past misdeeds, back down, and then the sin remains unchecked.

So then, how does anyone ever correct sinful actions? For it would seem by the previously given scenario, that any accusation of someone else's sins, would be in violation of going against what our Lord is saying here, for we would be judging that person.

As was said earlier, this comes from a misunderstanding of the meaning of judging, and judgment. Judgment means delivering a sentence, whether that sentence be guilty or not guilty (we must remember that people can be judged innocent). Accusing someone of sin, is not delivering judgment, it is pointing out that person's sin, so that they may discontinue the destructive behavior that they are committing. Think of it this way, when a person is indicted for a crime, he has only been accused of it. It isn't until after the trial, that the judge hands out a sentence, whether guilty or not guilty, and then hands out a punishment. There is a difference between indicting someone for a crime, and giving a judgment for that crime. The same difference lies between accusing someone of sin, and handing out judgment for that sin.

In the final say, our Lord has the ultimate judgment, which is an eternal judgment of guilty or not guilty. Here in this life when a person refusing to amend their sinful actions, the Church may hand out certain punishments, like withholding communion, or excluding them from membership in the church. This is done to impress upon the person the seriousness of their actions, and realizing that they will no longer be allowed to participate in something that is dear to them, they will repent, and amend their sinful life. The problem that exists for the Church, is that this poor soul will probably just find some church or minister who will ignore that persons behavior and let them continue in it. Obviously, this doesn't do that person any good spiritually, not to mention the fact that this church and its minister are creating a greater sin, by calling what is a sin, not a sin. They are the ones going against our Lord's commandments.

Our Lord in telling us to not judge others, is talking about passing judgment, that is passing a guilty sentence on them, when they are committing the same sin. This is utterly ridiculous! And sadly, there are plenty of people that do just this thing, accuse people of their sins, while they are doing the same thing. This, obviously, puts the Church in a bad light, and it is a detrement to the Gospel.

Sin should be pointed out, especially the sins that are destructive to a person's soul. But our Lord would rather us focus our attention of His works, and His perfection in fulfilling the Law on our behalf. He would have us focus on His sinlessness, so that we might rejoice in the Gospel.

Our sins are forgiven, the punishment has been paid, this alone, should propel a person to obey the commandments, being spurned on by love for one's Lord and Saviour, who has judged us not guilty of all of our sin.

May our Lord grant you grace as you struggle daily with sin, and keep you in His holy arms until you reach life everlasting.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

For Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be Also: St. Matthew 6:1-23

St. Matthew 6:1-23: "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 5 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 16 Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

Three spiritual exercises are described in this pericope: Alms-giving, or charitable deeds, prayer, and fasting. The purpose of these spiritual exercises is given in the closing verses. That is, not to "lay up treasure for yourself on earth," or to say it another way, so that you look good and righteous towards your fellow man. But rather, "lay up treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and thieves do not break in and steal." Does this mean that we should do good works for God and not for man? No! The difference between man-pleasing works, and works that are pleasing to God, is where the heart is.

Man-centered works, the works of philanthropists and sycophants, are done with a heart that sets out to please man, and curry favor with one's fellowman. They are the works righteous persons. This is seen in all three examples.

In alms-giving, the works righteous person is the person who sounds a trumpet before they give a gift. Today we call them "press conferences." But such works righteous giving can also be see in less grand ways, for example donating something to the church, and then having one's name engraved on it so that all future generations will know who gave that article. The gift may be good and useful, but the praise should be unnecessary. From personal experience it seems that at times we desire to mark who gave the gift, so that we know who to blame, if we don't like it.

Our Lord, however, would have us give so that we "do not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing" In other words, keep it a secret. The key here is the motivation of the heart. Is the alms given with the intent of showing your fellowman, how great and wonderful you are, and how great of a Christian you are? Or is the alms given so that you might show your thanks and love toward God for all of His blessing to you? Or that you might support the work of the Church, or an individual, or whomever the gift is intended to help? What is the motivation of your heart? The sad thing is, that because of the sin that dwells within us, we can never be completely selfless in our giving. But this is why our Lord gives up Himself, so that we might be given succor in our giving, learning to give as He has given to us.

In prayer, works righteousness is shown, by the hypocrites who pray openly in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order that men may see what great prayers they are. We have examples today in the many so called "evangelists" on TV. There are also those who when in a restaurant, interrupt the whole restaurant so that they can offer prayer before their meals. These folks may think they are giving a bold witness, but in reality, they are turning people away, and only giving the example that they are trying to impress people. Does that then mean that we shouldn't pray in public at a restaurant before our meals? No! This can be done quietly, and with our focus on what we are praying and to whom we are praying, and not towards who in the room may be listening. The same can be said about praying in church. There are parts in the service where silent prayer is not only suggested, but encouraged. We should not be afraid to take advantage of this, just because there may be people watching.

In the Early Church during what we now call the General Prayer, a time of about 30 minutes, would be dedicated to silent prayer. The Deacon would list certain things that should be prayed for, and then at the Deacons instruction with the words, "oremus" (let us pray) and "flectamus genua" (kneel, lit. bend the knee) the people would pray silently to their Father for these things, when time had been allowed, then the Deacon would say, "levate" (arise, or stand up, lit. be lifted up) and then the Bishop would sum up, or collect, the prayers of the people into a final prayer. We can see this form in the Bidding Prayer, where the Deacon states what we should pray for, then there is silence, then the Bishop prays a collect. This form was developed out of the synagogue prayers. This is pointed out to show that our Lord is not referring to this type of prayer, that is, public prayer, but private prayer.

Again, private prayer involves the heart, that is, the heart of faith, and to whom are we praying. Our Lord would have us go into our rooms, and pray in secret, to the Father who listens in secret. It is here in the secret places where we are more open to praying to our Heavenly Father for the things that we need and desire the most, free from the bonds of who we may be afraid might be listening. Also notice, that our Lord sums up the Lord's Prayer, by talking about forgiveness and forgiving. For it is in our private prayers where we are most free to unburden our sins. This is also why there is a thing called Private Confession, for there we can confess our sins to a man who represents our Heavenly Father in private, knowing that anything we confess will be forgiven and forgotten. And we have the benefit of knowing that our Heavenly Father has forgiven us, for there is a man there telling us that our sins are forgiven. He is also able to comfort us with additional words from holy Scripture, so that our asking of forgiveness is just like talking to our Heavenly Father, and being able to hear His reponse to us.

Sadly, fasting has fallen by the wayside among many people, and even those who desire to practice it, don't understand it, or do it incorrectly. Fasting is about preparing one's heart to receive God's Word. The purpose of fasting is to teach oneself humility, and want, so that he learns to be content with little, and in learning to be content with little, he might learn to be giving when bestowed many earthly blessings. There are different types of fasting. There is the strict fast, which is nothing to eat or drink but water. This is the fast that our Lord undertakes in the wilderness for forty days and nights. Fasting can also take a less strict approach, where one just eats less, limiting himelf to a certain amount of food, such as a 1/2 or 1/4 meal. Fasting most often involves what is properly called abstinence, that is, the refraining from certain foods for a certain time. The most common of this is the abstaining from red meat. Other more austere forms of abstinence include, no dairy products, no oil, no eggs, and no meat. This is practiced in the East. This abstinence can also include the agreement between husband and wife of abstaining from sexual intercourse for a time. Abstaining from wine (except that which is received from Holy Communion) and other alchoholic beverages is also keeping within the spirit of fasting. It should also be pointed out that the foods that are eaten should be simple, inexpensive foods, to keep within the spirit of the fast.

Fasting is always accompanied by increased alms-giving, prayer, and study of God's Word. This is why St. Matthew relates these things in succession, for the Church to have an example of its spiritual exercises. And we should think of them as exercises, just like we would exercise our physical bodies, we also exercise our spiritual bodies. And like physical exercise, if one is spiritually unfit, or new to spiritual exercise, he shouldn't try running a marathon on the first day, but ease into. This is why is a couple of weeks we will have the season of Pre-Lent, the time where we prepare our hearts and minds (and bodies) for the spiritual journey of Lent. Traditionally in the Ancient Church during the three weeks of Pre-Lent a different item of food was removed from the household, and was abstained from until Easter. For example during Septuagesima they would start abstaining from dairy products, then during Sexagesima they would abstain from eggs, then starting with Quinquagesima they would start abstaining from oil, then on Ash Wednesday they would abstain from meat, and would really only be allowed a small amount of bread each day and water until Easter.

Also during the Early Church fasting would include throughout the year fasting on Wednesday and Fridays, except from Easter to the Sunday after Pentecost. Wednesday were observed as a day of fast, for this was the day on which Judas agreed to betray our Lord. Fridays were observed in honor of the crucifixion of our Lord. Wednesdays were later dropped, and only the Friday fast was observed, which is why the practice of abstaining from red meat on Fridays happens for some during Lent

Today, fasts to varying degrees are observed throughout the year. If one wants to observe the ancient practices today, and since we are not used to such austerity, the following suggestions are made: During Advent, nothing to eat or drink, except water, every day, except Sundays and feast days, until 3 p.m., then a small, simple, inexpensive meal may be had for dinner (this applies to all fast days), and no meat on Wednesdays and Fridays. During Lent and Holy Week nothing to eat or drink, except water, until 3 p.m. and no meat every day, except on Sundays and Feast days. On Ember days (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of the third week in Advent, the week after Invocabit, the week after Pentecost, and the week after Sept. 14th (Exultation of the Holy Cross)) and during Rogationtide (the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension) nothing to eat or drink, except water, until 3 p.m. and no meat on those days. There is also a fast in preparation for the Blessed Sacrament that is from Midnight until one receives the Holy Mass, nothing to eat or drink, except water. This would be on Saturday night, and the night before a Feast day. Throughout the year, on Wednesdays and Fridays, nothing to eat or drink, except water, until 3 p.m. This does not apply during Easter, and from Christmas to January 13th, and when a Feast day (and its octave) falls on these days. For there is no fasting from Easter to the Sunday after Trinity, and during Christmas and Epiphany through its octave.

No matter how strict or loose one's fast is, for it is after all up to one's Christian freedom how one observes these fasting, the focus of why we fast should not be lost, that we are preparing our hearts and minds to receive God's Word by humbling ourselves, and teaching ourselves to be content with little. Fasting that focuses on how much weight is loss, is not fasting, it's dieting, and the two should never be confused. Fasting, along with prayer and alms-giving, are spiritual exercise, that are meant to strengthen our faith in our Lord and Saviour, that we might learn to love and trust in Him more fully, and learn to depend on Him for all of our earthly blessings. May our Lord Jesus teach you these things.

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