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.

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

You Shall Not Tempt the Lord Your God: St. Luke 4:1-13

St. Luke 4:1-13: "1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.' 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."' 5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.' 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve."' 9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you," 11 and, "In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone."' 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, 'It has been said, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God."' 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness seems out of place in this season of Epiphany. This is afterall the narrative for Invocabit, the First Sunday in Lent, although that Gospel is from the Evangelist St. Matthew. So why does the temptation reading get appointed for this week after the First Sunday after Epiphany? The answer is that the readings for the mornings are following the natural progression in the life of our dear Lord Jesus. He was baptized, called his first disciples, and then is led out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for forty days. There are many things that can be said about this pericope, but here are a few.

Jesus is tempted, we are told, for forty days. This number 40 calls to mind several things. The Flood, where it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The Exodus, where the Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness. Moses was on the mountain for 40 days and nights when receiving the Law, both times, that is, when he first received them, and when they were broken on account of the Israelites making a golden calf, and then again a second time, to replace the first one, in which he did not eat bread nor drink water for those 40 days and nights, during which he pleaded with God for the lives of the Israelites. The Israelite spies spent 40 days spying on the land of Canaan, before they decided to not attack the land, and God forced them to spend 40 years in the wilderness. Forty was the maximum number of blows that was to be given to someone who was to be beaten because of their wrong doing. Goliath came out to challenge the Israelite army for 40 days and nights. The front of the Temple was 40 cubits long. The ten lavers of the Temple held 40 baths of water. From these examples, and there are plenty more, one can see that the number 40 is important in Scripture.

Another thing that can be pointed out about this pericope is the response of our Lord Jesus to the second temptation: "Get behind Me, Satan!" This reminds us of the Blessed St. Peter, when he tried to stop our Lord from going to the cross, immediately after confessing Him to be the Son of God. This is how our Lord responds to those who try to prevent Him from completing His work of saving mankind from their sin.

The next thing to be pointed out about this text is the temptation itself. St. Luke the Evangelist points out to us that our dear Lord Jesus was not just tempted after the 40 days and nights were completed, but that He was tempted throughout the forty days. The fact that this happens directly after His baptism, tells us something of our own Christian life. Immediately after having the Holy Ghost descend upon Him in the form of a dove, our Lord is driven into the wilderness and tempted. The same thing is true of us as well. The Blessed Dr. Martin Luther in his observations about baptism states that when we baptize someone, we make them an enemy of the devil. And because we make that person an enemy of the devil, he will have no end of trouble and sorrow, on account of the devil, the world and his own sinful flesh, which war against that holy thing which has been implanted into him.

The Temptation of Our Lord Jesus Christ is shown as a picture of our Christian lives. The devil is always leading us into temptation. However, unlike our Lord, we often fail at that temptation, especially if it is a particular sin we like to do. The good news is that our Lord resists the temptation. What that means for us is that the Evangelist St. Luke is here showing us that our Lord indeed does fulfill the Law with His obedience. Theologically speaking this is what we call our Lord Christ's "active obedience." That is to say, He actively obeys the Law on our behalf. This is coupled with what is known as His "passive obedience." Which is His death on the cross for our salvation, that is to say, He passively suffers in our place so that we won't have to. By these two forms of obedience, our Lord fulfills His work given to Him by the Father. And in so doing, He gives us a picture of how to resist temptation. It is done through knowledge of His Word.

We pray in the Lord's prayer, in the sixth petition, "And lead us not into temptation." * What we are praying for when we pray this is "that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, our flesh may not deceive us, nor seduce us into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice; and though we be assailed by them, that still we may finally overcome and obtain the victory." * How does God guard and keep us? We learned that from the third petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." * When God breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our flesh, we are protected from them. This is done when He gives us His Word and Spirit (The first two petitions of the Lord's Prayer). He gives us these through preaching and the Sacraments. So how does one learn to resist temptation, by hearing and receiving the Word of God, and His Blessed Sacraments, wherein, He implants into us His Holy Spirit, so that we might resist these sinful desires, words, and actions.

What that means for us who desire to resist temptation like our Lord, is that we should be in the Church, and we should be in a parish that preaches the Word of God in its purity, and administers the Sacraments according to the institution of our Lord Christ, in order that we might receive the Holy Spirit, and thereby be given a way to resist temptation.

May this be done for us all.

God's peace 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.