My Grace is Sufficient For You, For My Strength is Made Perfect in Weakness: 2 Corinthians 11:19-12:9

2 Corinthians 11:19-12:9: "11:19 For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! 20 For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. 21 To our shame, I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? 30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

12:1 It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 5 Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. 6 For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me"

The Church at Corinth is over run with Judaizers. They want to force the Corinthians into observing all the old levitical laws and customs that the Jews grew up with. One may wonder why this is happening in a Greek Church, since Corinth is among the Gentile nations. However, when one considers that whenever St. Paul started to preach in a new city, the first thing he would do is find a Jewish synagogue and start preaching there first, when they would not listen then he would preach to the Gentiles. Now, there were often Jews who heard the message, and would be apart of starting this new church, but some of them, having been convinced by those who came out of the persecution of Jerusalem, and who believed that the old levitical customs should still be observed, started causing trouble in these new churches. Such is the case with the Church at Corinth.

This reading is the Epistle for Sexagesima, also sometimes called Exsurge, from the Introit. The theme for Sexagesima, is derived from the Gospel for the day, which is the parable of the Sower and the Seed from the Evangelist St. Luke's Gospel. St. Paul here in his Epistle to the Church at Corinth also talks about the importance of the Word of God. There is only one thing needful, and that is the Gospel. The Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, goes through a laundry list of things that have happened to him on account of this Gospel. It isn't a pretty picture.

There must have been those among the Judaizers who were boasting of their great deeds, and on account of this, some among the members of the Church at Corinth, were led astray. Therefore the Blessed Apostle St. Paul reveals what things he has suffered for the Gospel. It is on account of these things that he boasts. Now there are those, who if they had suffered much less than these things, would have left the Church. Indeed, in the Gospel reading, we see that very thing, as three out of four types of soil, reject the Gospel. That could mean that only 25 percent of the people who are preached to, actually hear and receive the glad tidings. However, this is not the point our dear Lord Jesus is making. Rather He is pointing His hearers to Himself, for He is both the seed and the soil, and the Sower, for it is on account of His fulfilling of the Law, or to say it another way, it is on account of His hearing His Father's Word and will, and doing it, that a harvest of more than a hundred fold was produced.

Part of that fruit was produced and harvested in Corinth. Here St. Paul also shows what things the seed of the Lord, those who are His offspring through the Word, must go through, the suffering they must endure for the Gospel. As was stated earlier, this might drive some off, but St. Paul shows that these things are what drives him to continue in the Gospel, for the Word that Christ has given us, is worth dying and fighting, and suffering for. For it is this Word that brings eternal life. It is the Gospel that has freed the Jews from the bondage of the levitical customs. No longer was it necessary to offer the sacrifices. No longer was it necessary to do the other customs. For Christ has fulfilled them once and for all. Therefore to go back to them, would be like going back to one's old sinful ways which they had given up.

Therefore, even though St. Paul has asked for the oppression to cease, it will not, for as our Lord says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Christ was strongest at His weakest, that is on the cross as He dies, for even though in the eyes of the world, it appeared as if He had failed, He rather had won forgiveness, life and salvation for all. In short, He won for us grace. Therefore, His grace is sufficient, for it is the Words of eternal life.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Consecrate to Me All the Firstborn: Exodus 13:1-22

Exodus 13:1-22: "1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 'Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.' 3 And Moses said to the people: 'Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 On this day you are going out, in the month Abib. 5 And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. 8 And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, "This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt." 9 It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD's law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year. 11 And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 that you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD's. 13 But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, "What is this?" that you shall say to him, "By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem." 16 It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.' 17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, 'Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.' 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, 'God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.' 20 So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people."

All the firstborn of Israel are consecrated to the Lord. Having celebrated this past week the Presentation of our Lord and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is sometimes called Candlemas, this reading should be especially poignant. For it is the purification rite that the Blessed Virgin under went that is a result of this consecration of the firstborn. Everyone that opened the womb must be redeemed, that is, they must be bought back from God. This was done through the sacrifices listed in the Old Testament.

But this consecration of the firstborn, really points to our Lord Jesus Christ. For He is consecrated to His Heavenly Father, and because of this, He does His Father's will. For the Christian, our Lord Jesus is called the Firstborn out of all the dead. When the Blessed Apostle St. Paul states this, he is recalling this narrative from Exodus 13. For our Lord Jesus has opened up the womb of the tomb. He is the Firstborn of out the dead, that means that all those who are baptized with the waters of Holy Baptism, also come out of that womb of the tomb. Therefore, just as He was raised from the dead, and arose out of that tomb alive, so to all those who come out of the womb of Holy Baptism, are eternally alive in Christ Jesus.

This is why the Church is often referred to Holy MOTHER Church, for she gives birth to her children through the waters of Holy Baptism. A woman's womb, is like a tomb, for inside the baby grows alive while the outside world is unaware, especially before the baby's life is detected and known. In that time, it is as if the baby does not exist, as if it was dead to the world, however, that baby is alive and growing. So it is to in Holy Baptism, for in the waters of Holy Baptism the baby, or the one being baptized, is spiritually drowned in those waters, and all that is in him from Adam, and all that he has added thereto is drowned and killed in those waters of Holy Baptism.

Having therefore killed off the sin, death, and devil that lived in that child, he is now able to arise again to a new life in Christ. On the cross, our Lord Jesus took upon Him all of our sin, death, and the marks of the devil, and crucified it with Himself, so that He could place them eternally in the grave, and leave them their dead and rotting, so that they could no longer harm us or have an eternal effect on us. Having accomplished this task He rose alive again from the tomb, and opened the womb of eternal life.

However, He did not stop there. He did not only become the Firstborn out of all the dead, who are now living. But He gave that gift to all those who believe. He made us co-heirs of His triumph. So that now we also are considered in the Father's eyes as firstborn out of the dead, and His children. Therefore, we rightly call Him Father, for He is our eternal Father. Having then been consecrated to the Lord our Heavenly Father, through the waters of Holy Baptism, we do His will, trusting in His mercy and grace, and living according to His commandments, and listening to and hearing His holy Word, which is preached into our ears to keep reminding us that we are His children, and He provides us with all that we need to support this body and life. Especially has He gifted us with forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation.

May the Lord God Heavenly Father keep you in your baptismal grace, and bring you to His home in Heaven, when your Holy Baptism is consummated at your death.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

And After He is Killed, He Will Rise the Third Day: St. Mark 9:2-32

St. Mark 9:2-32: "2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah'--6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. 7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!' 8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. 11 And they asked Him, saying, 'Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' 12 Then He answered and told them, 'Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.' 14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, 'What are you discussing with them?' 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, 'Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.' 19 He answered him and said, 'O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.' 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 21 So He asked his father, 'How long has this been happening to him?' And he said, "From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.' 23 Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!' 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, 'Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!' 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, 'He is dead.' 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, 'Why could we not cast it out?' 29 So He said to them, 'This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.' 30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, 'The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.' 32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him."

This pericope as the recurring theme of our Lord Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. The disciples first heard about our Lord's death and resurrection immediately after confessing Him to be the Son of God, which we heard in the previous chapter. Then on the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appear to our Lord Jesus to discuss, we are told from another Gospel, the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Coming down the mountain, He discusses with His disciples His death and resurrection, and then after casting out an unclean spirit, He again tells His disciples about His death and resurrection. That is three times in this reading where our Lord's crucifixion and resurrection are related to His disciples and to us; Four if you count the previous scene which happened, according to the Evangelist St. Mark, six days before.

And so our eyes and our thoughts are directed by our Lord Jesus to the cross, that is, to His death for us. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah discuss His death with Him. The question is often asked, "Why Moses and Elijah?" There are several reasons for this.

First, both Moses and Elijah had the privilege of seeing the Lord in His glory pass by. Both of them were hidden in a cleft of a rock for their protection. This cleft of rock prefigured the tomb of Christ, who was placed inside a tomb that was cut out of a rock.

Second, Moses and Elijah represent the beginning and the end of the prophets. Moses was the first prophet specifically called and sent by the Lord God, and Elijah was to be the last prophet to come and herald the coming of the Messiah; He was supposed to be the forerunner. Elijah's return is fulfilled in the person of St. John the Baptist, as we learn from our Lord in this reading that Elijah has come. However, we learn from another Gospel that this was St. John the Baptist.

The third reason for Moses and Elijah being the ones who converse with our Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration deals with the special relationship that these two men enjoyed with our Lord God, especially in their final days. Moses we are told was buried by God, and Elijah we know was carried into Heaven on a fiery chariot. Both of these men received special treatment in their deaths from our Lord God, and were therefore equipped to prepare our Lord Jesus for His own death.

Fourth, the Lord brings His disciples to the Mount to meet Moses and Elijah, for there were those who (not among the disciples) who believed our Lord Jesus to be Elijah, or one of the prophets, which we learn from the previous chapter of St. Mark. Therefore, we see the reason for Elijah's presence. Our Lord Jesus was also accused by some to be a blasphemer and a breaker of the Law of Moses. Moses' presence is a testimony that our Lord Jesus is not a transgressor of the Law of Moses, but is in fact in fellowship and league with him.

Fifth, our Lord brings the disciples, St. Peter, St. James the Elder, and St. John, before Moses and Elijah to present to them a picture of life and death, or to say it another way, to present to them a picture of the resurrction itself, and the power that our Lord Jesus has over life and death. For Moses had died, but Elijah did not. And so, in these two men themselves we see a picture of our Lord Jesus' death and resurrection. We can also see in these two men our own resurrection from death.

Sixth, we have here in this meeting of our Lord Jesus with Moses and Elijah, a meeting of the Old Testament with the New Testament. The Old Testament promises, made by Moses and Elijah about the coming of the Messiah, are fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. And the disciples, who were present, would become the prophets of the New Testament proclaiming that our Messiah, the Christ, who is our Lord Jesus, has come, and has brought forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

Finally, and there could be more, we see in Moses and Elijah two prophets who defeated and destroyed that which was evil, and that led to the oppression and slavery of men's souls. For Moses, through the plagues defeated Pharaoh, and led the people of Israel out of the oppression and bondage of slavery. In this we see represented God's deliverance from the slavery of sin. Elijah, also called down fire from Heaven, and killed the five hundred false prophets of Baal. We see represented in this our Lord God's removal of all lies and false preaching.

In our Lord's death and resurrection, we see both of these things, we see our Lord Jesus' sacrifice for us, winning for us forgiveness, life and salvation. And we see our Lord dispelling all false teaching, and false ways to get salvation, for in Him alone and in His death to we find salvation. So today, we get to hear of our Lord's death and resurrection, and we get to hear of what He did for us, fulfilling the Law on our behalf, and sacrificing Himself in our place so that, like Him, we too might not die eternally, but be raised again to live with Him in Heaven for all eternity.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Now the Sojourn of the Children of Israel Who Lived in Egypt was Four Hundred and Thirty Years: Exodus 12:29-42

Exodus 12:29-42: "29 And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30 So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, 'Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.' 33 And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, 'We shall all be dead.' 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. 37 Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. 38 A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds--a great deal of livestock. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves. 40 Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years--on that very same day--it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations."

The Israelites after 430 years of being in Egypt, finally start their journey back to their own land; The land of Canaan. This sojourn in Egypt was exactly 430 years, to the very day, we are told. The night of this Exodus from the sojourning in Egypt was to be held as a solemn observance to the Lord. It was kept as a vigil.

Today, when we speak about a solemn observance, we are referring to a specific way of celebration. For example a solemn Mass is a Divine Service that is sung in its entirety. This includes the readings, the creed, everything. The only exceptions being the sermon and the General Prayer, which are never sung. This solemnity may even be accompanied by the use of processionals, and the use of incense. All these solemnities are meant to increase the importance of the Service. So that everyone who participates in the celebration, may know that what is celebrated is important. Most of these solemnities center around the life and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These solemnities often spill over into the prayer offices of the specific day, so that at Matins and Vespers, the entire office is sung, and again, there are special activities that are done on these days. These days typically for the New Testament Church, are the Sundays and Feast days.

In the Lutheran Church the days marked as days of special solemnity include first and foremost what are called the High Feast days. These are four in number: Christmas, Easter, Whitsunday (Pentecost), and Trinity. These High Feast days are celebrated for a whole eight days, so each of these High Feasts contain what is called an octave, that is, that the feast day is re-celebrated throughout eight days, and on the eighth day the feast is commemorated. This simply means that the Collect for this day is prayed in all services up to and including the services on the eighth day. The octaves also carry the same festive atmosphere as the Feast day themselves.

The octaves for these High Feast days are: The Circumcision of our Lord, Quasitmodo geniti, Trinity Sunday, and The First Sunday after Trinity (this is why this Sunday has white paraments instead of green), respectively. The only other day in the Church year that has an octave (besides the anniversary of the dedication of the Church which is a specific day of solemnity in a particular parish) is Epiphany. This is due to the fact that Epiphany was the original celebration of Christmas, that is, the incarnation. It's octave is the Baptism of the Lord on Jan. 13.

These High Feasts are technically the only days that should be called "Feast Days," for all the other celebrations in the Church Year, are technically called "Festivals." There are both Greater festivals and lessor festivals. These Greater, or Major festivals in the Lutheran Church are: The Sundays in Advent, The Circumcision, The Epiphany, Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima, Ash Wednesday, the Sundays in Lent, the Days of Holy Week, Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, the Sundays after Easter, The Ascension, the Sunday after Ascension, Whit-Monday, Whit-Tuesday, the Sunday after Trinity, Reformation Day, All Saints' Day, The Dedication or Anniversary of a Parish, The Feast of Title.

The lessor, or minor festivals include all Apostles, Evangelists, and Martyrs Days, The Presentation, the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Annunciation, The Transfiguration, St. Michael and all Angels Day, Thanksgiving, a Harvest festival, a Mission festival, and a Day of Humiliation and Prayer. These days may be marked by special solemnity, but the Greater festivals are always marked by special solemnity.

You will notice that certain Greater Festivals are within penitential times of the Church Year, the solemnity of these days is marked by the penitential character, and are celebrated with this in mind. This includes the exclusion of the Gloria in Excelsis, or the absence of the Alleluias, (like we are currently observing) or it may include cross and images of our Lord being covered by violet monks cloth, or the tryptychs being closed, or the absense of flowers, or the use of the organ only being used to support the choir and congregation.

And so, we can see what it means to observe a solemn occasion in the Church. The event of the Exodus was also observed in this fashion by the people of God. It was done this way, not simply because it was an important day to remember, like one remembers Independence Day, or Memorial Day, it was celebrated with solemnity because on that day, the Lord God showed His salvation for His people. For the New Testament Church, our days of solemnity are all about the life and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is His life and work which we celebrate, which we remember. For one cannot have salvation, if one does not know our Lord Jesus. And one cannot know our Lord Jesus, unless we are told about Him. And so, throughout the year we hear over and over again, what our Lord Jesus did for us, and continues to do for; In His birth, and ministry, and death and resurrection. We also get to hear of the wonderful faith and life of those who preached and proclaimed our Lord Jesus, and of His Blessed Virgin Mother, who bore Him for us. Therefore, as we hear over and over again the life story of our Lord Jesus, throughout our lives, we come to know Him, and trust in Him and love Him, so that we learn to hope in His promises.

This is no different for the Israelites. For as they yearly, and weekly, remembered the Pascha, they were always reminded of our Lord God's deliverance from slavery and oppression. May the Lord God, ever keep us in the one true faith by keeping our ears attuned to hearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who delivered us from the slavery and oppression of sin by His death.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

It Is The Lord's Passover: Exodus 12:1-28

Exodus 12:1-28: "1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 'This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: "On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. 8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire--its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat--that only may be prepared by you. 17 So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread."' 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, 'Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. 24 And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. 25 It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. 26 And it shall be, when your children say to you, "What do you mean by this service?" 27 that you shall say, "It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households."' So the people bowed their heads and worshiped. 28 Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did."

Today's reading shows us a picture of the atonement. For we get to see the Passover of our Lord. In this Passover, we also see the image of the Supper that would come out of this Passover meal, which we Christians celebrate every Sunday and Feast day, that is, the Lord's Supper.

The similarities between the Passover and the Lord's Supper are striking. Obviously, they are both meals. They both offer bread and flesh (of the Lamb, representing the blood of the Blessed Sacrament). There is a particular rite that is to be followed for the meal to be valid. It is to be eaten only by the Israelites, that is, the people of God, and what was to be served was to be consumed completely by those in the family. What is leftover is to be disposed of properly. Both meals serve as a remembrance of the work of God's salvation from slavery and oppression.

And rightly these meals should be connected, and serve as a remembrance of what our Lord God has done for us, for they both picture the atonement, that is, the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. A lamb without blemish, without broken bones, which is a male lamb, is sacrificed and its blood is poured out as a sacrifice, to bring deliverance from death. Our Lord Jesus is also the Spotless Lamb, whose bones were not broken, who was male, and his Blood was shed to redeem us from sin, death, and the devil.

The blood that was put upon the lintel and doorposts, served as a mark that those who dwelt within that house, were covered with the blood of the Lamb. It was not placed upon the threshold, so that it would not be trampled upon. More interesting, is that in Early Christian symbolism, the symbol of this blood upon the threshold was symbolized by what is called a "tau" cross, that is, a cross in the form of a "T." And if one considers the lintel being the top of the "T" and the doorposts are joined close together, one can see how this can be. The point, however, is that the Early Christians, recognized the atonement, that is, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Passover. They recognized this event as the means by which the Israelites were claimed as the people of God.

For that is really what is taking place here in the Passover, our Lord God, is declaring, by the blood of the lamb, that the people of Israel were now His people. He separates them from the Egyptians, by not harming them, but only harming the Egyptians. They would now be His people, and He would teach them His commands, and how He desired to be worshipped by Him.

We too, are the people of God, we are placed into God's family through Holy Baptism, for it is in Holy Baptism that the Blood of the Lamb of God is placed upon us, symbolically through the holy water of Holy Baptism. In Holy Baptism, we are washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb, and are made the people of God, and on account of this cleansing, this Blood, our sins are passed over, and we are considered pure and holy in God's sight.

And just like the people of Israel, who in the night of the Pascha, ate the meal which both served as a sacrifice of atonement and a meal of remembrance of what took place in Egypt. We too eat the meal which is a remembrance of the one eternal sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. We eat His Body and drink His Blood, in bread and wine, and remember that His sacrifice of death on the cross, won for us salvation, and in this Blessed Sacrament, we are given forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

May 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.

That You May Know That the Lord Does Make a Difference Between the Egyptians and Israel: Exodus 11:1-10

Exodus 11:1-10: "1 And the LORD said to Moses, 'I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.' 3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people. 4 Then Moses said, 'Thus says the LORD: "About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. 6 Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. 7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel." 8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, "Get out, and all the people who follow you!" After that I will go out.' Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger. 9 But the LORD said to Moses, 'Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.' 10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land."

Unfortunately, in this lectionary all of the plagues are skipped, except this last one, the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt. This death did not just apply to the Egyptian people alone, but to all their livestock and animals as well. This is done, as the Lord God tells us in this pericope, so that Pharaoh, and all Egypt with him, would know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites.

Pharaoh did not believe that the Israelites were special, that they had been chosen by God. He believed they were just looking for an excuse to get out of their work. And perhaps he believed that if he let them go, they would not return. Of course, this appears to be the Lord's intention from all that He tells Moses. But on account of the hardness of Pharaoh's heart, that is, his unbelief, even after nine plagues that revealed that God not only existed, but that He was more powerful than any of the false gods of the Egyptians, he still refused to acknowledge that the Lord God was the true God. It seems from the reading, since the Egyptians are said to hold Moses and the Israelites in high favor on account of the plagues, that Pharaoh is pretty much alone in his hard-heartedness.

The Egyptian people seem to get it. The Lord God is the true God, and He has chosen Israel to be His people. This is perhaps why they give their silver and gold objects so readily to the Israelites, as a form of worship, or offering, to the Lord God, by proxy of the Israelite nation. That the Israelites receive the spoils of Egypt shows the return of the favor upon the Egyptians, who through hard labor and oppression, and slavery spoil the Israelites. Through this slavery the Egyptians had taken from the people of Israel. Mystically speaking this is a picture of the end times. For the Egyptians represent the harsh oppression and slavery of sin, death and the devil, and the Israelites are the people of God. This spoiling of the Egyptians is the Israelites' victory over them, and this represents the final victory that the people of God will enjoy on the last day, when we obtain our eternal victory, and our right to leave this oppressive world, and we will obtain the spoils of victory, the crown of life.

This crown of life is the crown that our dear Lord Jesus, the Firstborn of God, won for us by His death on the cross. Our Lord bore a crown of thorns, but we are given a crown of garland, which represents our eternal victory. In the same way that the firstborn sons of Egypt are killed because of the sin and unbelief of Pharaoh, so too, is the Firstborn Son of God killed for the sin and unbelief of the world. He stands in proxy for us, taking on the punishment that we deserve. We should have been left weeping and wailing, just like the Egyptian people, but our Lord Jesus takes our place, and our punishment.

We see in this two things, one, the refusal of Pharaoh to act as a proxy for his people, and two, judgment of God. For in this plague alone, God comes down from His throne to enact the punishment on the people, in all the other ones, Moses acted on God's behalf, but in this plague He enacts the punishment Himself. We see in this the picture of the cross, where our Lord Jesus acts as both the High Priest, offering the Lamb up as a sacrifice for us, and the Lamb who is sacrificed. Our Heavenly Father enacts the punishment on His own Son, for us. He also accepts the sacrifice, and frees us from the penalty of sin, having received one for all, the one sacrifice for atonement that saves all mankind from sin.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

I Will Take You As My People, And I Will Be Your God: Exodus 6:1-13

Exodus 6:1-13: "1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.' 2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: 'I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. 4 I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: "I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD."' 9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage. 10 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11 'Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.' 12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, 'The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?' 13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt."

Today, Almighty God reveals Himself in a more special way than He ever did to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To the three patriarchs, the Lord God only revealed Himself as God Almighty, but now He will reveal His true nature and power. He does this in part by identifying Himself to the Israelites, by His true Name, LORD, or Yahweh, or Jehovah. I AM THAT I AM. He does this for the sake of the Israelite nation. For Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, did not need to see the great wonders that the people of Israel are about to see. No, they believed on God without seeing. And their faith was credited to them as righteousness.

He has revealed Himself to us in an even more special way, that is, through His Son Jesus Christ. He reveals Himself as the God who takes on our flesh, and becomes incarnate for our salvation. He first reveals Himself in this way to His apostles, and those who were witness to His life and work, and miracles and the great wonders that He did, that called to the minds of the people of Israel when He was alive on this earth, the great wonders that were done in Egypt to deliver the people of Israel.

Therefore, the people of Israel in Moses time and in the time of our Lord Jesus each got to be witnesses of our Lord's power, they got to see the Lord in action. And the people of our Lord's time saw that the Lord Jesus was the true I AM THAT I AM, Yahweh, Jehovah, the LORD. However, we today are more like the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for we do not get to see these wonders with our own eyes, but only get to hear His holy Word preached into our ears through simple means. We believe without seeing, just like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

However, the Lord delivers us out of the bondage of sin, just like the people of Israel at the time of Moses, who were delivered from slavery to Egypt and Pharaoh. Our Lord is just as gracious and loving to us, as He was to them. For although we must believe without seeing, He still grants us grace and delivers us through the simple means of grace.

And just like Pharaoh stood in the way of the people of Israel's freedom, the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh stand in our way of freedom from sin and death. And our Lord sends a deliver to us in the form of a man of God, the ministers of the Word, just like He sent Moses and Aaron to speak to the people of Israel the comfort words of our Almighty God's deliverance.

The Israelites did not heed the preaching of Moses. Today, there are still those who refuse to heed to the preaching of our Lord Jesus done through His called servants. But our Lord continues to send them, even as in today's pericope He continues to bolster Moses against both the unbelief of the people of Israel and their captive Pharaoh.

May the Lord God preach the good news of His promised deliverance from sin into your ears, so that by the same faith that the patriarchs of old possessed, you too may believe without seeing, and receive the grace that our Lord God desires to give to you.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

The Presentation of Our Lord and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Candlemas)

In honor of the Presentation of Our Lord and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Candlemas), Deacon Dulas was asked to contribute to Iggy Antiochus' blog All For Hymn. For information on the history of this festival and to see some of the common rites associated with this festival, we encourage you to check out his blog at http://allforhymn.blogspot.com/

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

They Went Out and Preached That People Should Repent: St. Mark 6:1-29

St. Mark 6:1-29: "1 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, 'Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?' And they were offended at Him. 4 But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.' 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. 7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts--9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. 10 Also He said to them, 'In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!' 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. 14 Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, 'John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.' 15 Others said, 'It is Elijah.' And others said, 'It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.' 16 But when Herod heard, he said, 'This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!' 17 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. 18 For John had said to Herod, 'It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.' 19 Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. 22 And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, 'Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.' 23 He also swore to her, 'Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.' 24 So she went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask?' And she said, 'The head of John the Baptist!' 25 Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, 'I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.' 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb."

Our Lord Jesus is not without honor except in His own country, among His own relatives, and in His own house. Therefore, He sends out His disciples to preach in His own country, and among His relatives, and in His own house, that is, the house of Israel. There are three things to point out about this sending. First, that our Lord Jesus gives them authority to cast out demons. They will do this through preaching His Word. Second, they are to take nothing with them, except a staff. They are to rid themselves of the trappings of this world. And they are to carry only a staff, the symbol of a prophet, as we see from Moses the first prophet, who carried the "rod of God." This staff is also a symbol of their role as shepherd to the lost sheep of Israel, just like the staff of Moses, was his rod that he used in his vocation of shepherd. Third, the preaching of the disciples is the same as the preaching of Jesus. We can see this from St. Mark 1:15, where our Lord starts His preaching by saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." This is in fact that same preaching of St. John the Baptist, who is beheaded by Herod in this pericope, or as the ancient Church referred to it, the decollation of St. John the Baptist.

This preaching of the Jesus and the disciples, going out into the entire territory of Herod, causes him to think that St. John the Baptist is not dead. This causes the Evangelist St. Mark to relate to us the events leading up to the decollation of St. John the Baptist. Herodias is none to please with the preaching of St. John the Baptist, she doesn't like having her sin pointed out to her, she refuses to listen to the preaching of the Law. The same can be said about Herod, for he is after all the one who puts St. John the Baptist in prison. However, it is different with Herod, for we are told that he enjoys listening to the preaching of St. John the Baptist, and "heard him gladly." Herodias on the other hand shows no sign of the fear of God, instead we see from her the control and manipulation which she has over Herod, or as we say in the vernacular, "She wears the pants." Herodias plays the role of the devil, who stomps out every seed planted by the preaching of our Lord Jesus, so that it can never grow.

For this reason Herod is a poor character, for we get the sense from the Evangelist St. Mark that Herod if he was allowed to continue to listen to the Word of God would repent. However, Herodias will have none of that, and in the end, through her daughter, she brings St. John the Baptist's earthly life to a close.

One may wonder why the sending of the disciples, and the decollation of St. John the Baptist appear in the same pericope, or for that matter why in the Gospel of St. Mark, they are lumped next to each other? The answer is an easy one, when one remembers the Words of our Lord Jesus at the beginning of this pericope, "'A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." The reality of this revealed to us when we consider that our Lord Jesus was crucified for His preaching, and that all but one of the disciples who were sent out as His apostles were killed for their preaching about our Lord Jesus. St. John the Baptist, we are shown, is killed for his preaching of our Lord Jesus, and even the some of the prophets of the Old Testament were killed for their preaching of the Messiah, who is our Lord Jesus Christ. We are shown here by the Evangelist St. Mark, what happens to the preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The devil, through various means and people, tries to silence their voice. Herod perhaps thought that he would never hear the preaching of St. John the Baptist ever again, but our Lord shows His grace and mercy, by sending replacements for St. John the Baptist, His disciples. They go into the entire territory of Herod, and proclaim that the kingdom of God is at hand in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. This Word reaches back to Herod so that he thinks that St. John the Baptist is raised from the dead, and in a sense, that is, according to his preaching, he has been raised from the dead. New preachers of the Gospel have replaced him. Our Lord continues to send us preachers of the Gospel, so that we might hear what He has done for us. And there are still people who play the part of Herodias, who try to silence these preachers, who are offended at the preaching of repentance, who refuse to repent of their sin. Some of these are even within the Church, which we see when ministers of the Gospel are unjustly removed from their calls.

However, our Lord is abundant in His mercy for He keeps on sending ministers of the Gospel to these hard-hearted people with stopped up ears, so that they might repent. And even if they do to these preachers of the Gospel, what they did to the last one, our Lord Jesus will still send them more. There may be one or two preachers in the mix who will tickle their itching ears, and preach the ways of the world, and not the Word of God, but our Lord will continue to be gracious, and find a way for these individuals to hear the Gospel.

This is why this pericope is such good news for us, for we see the work of our Lord in providing ministers of the Gospel. We even have an example in Herod who even after he is forced to kill the one preacher he was willing to listen to, is given the opportunity to hear the Gospel preached again, through the disciples. We do not know from holy Scriptures, nor from history if Herod ever did repent, and from what we do know it doesn't look promising. But if Herod did continue to refuse to repent, it serves for us as a warning to heed the Words of the ministers of the Gospel who have been sent to preach to us, for they have been sent by our Lord Jesus Himself, to preach to us about Him. And if Herod did repent, then we have a shining example of how efficacious our Lord's Word is, for it has the power to convert even someone as hard-hearted as Herod. May the Lord God continue to send you preachers of the Gospel who will preach the Word of God in its truth and purity and administer the Sacraments of God according to Christ's institution.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Let Us Go and Sacrifice to Our God: Exodus 5:1-23

Exodus 5:1-23: "1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness."' 2 And Pharaoh said, 'Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.' 3 So they said, 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.' 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, 'Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.' 5 And Pharaoh said, 'Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!' 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 'You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, "Let us go and sacrifice to our God." 9 Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.' 10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, 'Thus says Pharaoh: "I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced."' 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, 'Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.' 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, 'Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?' 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, 'Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, "Make brick!" And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.' 17 But he said, 'You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, "Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD." 18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.' 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, 'You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.' 20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, 'Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.' 22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, 'Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.'"

In this pericope we see a glimpse of the oppression of the Israelite nation put upon them by Pharaoh, and the taskmasters placed over them. We also see that Moses' task is not going to be an easy one. As the saying goes, "Things are going to get a lot worse, before they get better." This is certainly the case with regard to the people of Israel. After the request of Moses and Aaron to go three days journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord God, Pharaoh becomes belligerent, and forces the Israelites to now not only make the same amount of bricks as before, but also to now gather the straw, which was before provided for them. Our Lord does this so that He might remove any desire of the Israelite nation to stay in Egypt, and so He makes their labor so harsh, that they will want to leave.

We see the reason for the Pharaoh's treatment of the Jews, and we can really see what is in his heart from the statement, "I do not know the Lord." It was not uncommon during this time period for people to offer sacrifices to their gods, and for people to do what their gods commanded them. So this was quite a reasonable request of Moses and Aaron. We see how faithless Pharaoh is, for even if there was a shred of the fear of God in him, he would have let them go. But we see here just how much of an enemy of God Pharaoh is. In a sense, he represents the devil himself, the great oppressor and accuser of the children of God. From this we can see how when our Lord desires to draw us closer to him, the devil, and the world and our sinful flesh, drive us into further and greater oppression, so that we might lose faith in our God.

This seems to be the case with the Israelites, for after learning of why they are being treated this way by Pharaoh, who do they blame? Moses and Aaron. But in reality they are really blaming God. So it would seem that our Lord's plan to use Pharaoh's oppression to drive them closer to Himself, is not working. However, our Lord God bears the reproach patiently, for He knows that in the end, He will win the battle.

In this we see a picture of our Lord's suffering and death. For He bears the suffering and pain and shame of the beating, and mockery and the crucifixion, because He knows that He will win the victory over sin and death by doing so. In this our Lord God shows that His ways are not the ways of the world. For the world would desire to do everything the easy way, and the quickest way, with the least amount of suffering. But our Lord God suffers reproach on our behalf, in order that He might draw us to Himself.

And this is just as true for us as is was for the Israelites, for when we suffer the onslaughts of the devil, the world and our flesh, we cry out to our God, and He hears us and delivers us, by preaching His holy Word into our ears, so that we are comforted in His Word of forgiveness, and through His constant preaching to us, and by the working of the Holy Ghost through the means of grace, and our participation in them, He strengthens our faith in Him, so that we learn to bear the reproaches of the world, and the devil, and our flesh, even as He did for us.

This of course is what we mean when we talk about faith tried and tested in fire. Holy Scripture uses this illustration of fire purging the impurities out of gold. Fire purifies. It burns away all that makes us impure. But being burned is not a pleasant experience. It certainly must not be for the gold which undergoes a metamorphasis. We through this purification by the fire of the Holy Ghost, undergo a transformation as well. We are made into stronger Christians. Our faith is strengthened, our resolve is increased, so that we learn to withstand greater and greater reproaches, for we know the reward that awaits us. And it is this reward which gives us great hope to endure trouble and trial in this life.

However, the question is always raised when one reads through this part of Exodus about Pharaoh. How come God "causes his heart to be hardened?" Is God sacrificing someone for the good of mankind? It is the same question asked about Judas. How come God couldn't save him, or Pharaoh? The simple answer is, they hardened their own hearts against God. We see this today often, there are those in the Church, who through hardship, are driven from the Church. Their faith is tried and tested, and it fails. What of these people? It is a difficult thing to say, but they have shut their ears to the Word of God, they have hardened their hearts against God.

Instead of rejoicing that their Lord and God is purifying them, that He loves them so much that He cares to make them pure and holy in His sight, they respond like Pharaoh, like Judas, and like the Israelites in this pericope. They blame God, and get angry at Him. Perhaps this makes our Lord God out to be a sadistic god, playing with us like a child plays with his toy action figures, treating them harshly for his own sick pleasures. This, however, is not the case at all. Instead, He desires to strengthen our faith, and draw us closer to Him.

Sadly, there are some people who will never see this. They will always consider our Lord God to be cruel and unforgiving. It is these who in actuality do not have shred of the fear of God in their hearts, just like Pharaoh. And although our Lord God continuously is correcting them, and trying desparately to drive them down the right path, they will only continue to harden their hearts.

However, there are those whose hard hearts, will be softened, and they will listen, and they will heed the Word of God, and learn to rejoice in the reproaches that come our way. The people of Israel, did just this. Not all of them listened, and some of them we left to die in the wilderness, but a whole generation of the people of Israel, did learn to love and trust in the Lord God as their only Lord and Savior, and they were brought into the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey.

This is the eternal reward that awaits you and I as we suffer the trials and tribulations of this life. And we have to confess, that our lives are not all that bad. Our Lord gives us of His very self, every Sunday and feast day, in His very Body and Blood given in bread and wine. He even shares with us His holy Gospel, whenever we gather together to worship Him, and hear His holy Word. This is why the Church traditionally has worshipped every day, morning and evening, so that as we are purified by the fire of trial and tribulation in this life, we might find comfort and hope in our Lord Jesus' holy Gospel.

Our Lord Jesus, our Savior, suffered the all the reproaches that the devil, the world, and sin could throw at Him. And He did it all for us, out of His great love for us. And although, He allows the devil to trouble us in this life, He does not allow him to trouble us beyond our capability, nor does He allow him to completely destroy us. Even and especially when we think we are completely ruined, our Lord has us in His holy arms. The arms that He extends to all of us on the holy cross of His tormenting and death. In His crucifixion we see how our Lord saves us, for even when He seems to be completely destroyed, that the battle has been lost, He is in reality the victor. And to prove it to us, He raises Himself from the dead. In this we see how when we face adversity, and even though it may seem like we are completely destroyed, in reality, we have really gained the victory, for our Lord Jesus reveals His love and grace and mercy for us, and strengthens and renews our faith, so that we trust Him completely unto life everlasting.

May the Lord God grant you grace, even in tribulation, to see His loving gracious hand, and may He hold and protect you in His loving arms.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas