At the beginning of our Gospel reading today Jesus turns to
his disciples and says to them, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you
see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things
that you see and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear and
have not heard them.” To understand
what Jesus is talking about, we have to ask, “What is it that they have seen?”
This takes us to what comes immediately before these words
in Luke chapter 10. What has happened is
that Jesus has sent out the seventy or the seventy two disciples, to go into
different towns and villages. Jesus gives
them their instructions: they are to announce to those whom they meet in these
places that the kingdom of God has drawn near to them. Saying that the kingdom of God has drawn near
means that the spiritual reign and rule of God has been made present. Through the words these disciples speak, God
is ruling in his kingdom and doing the work that he wishes to do.
As Jesus says, sometimes they will be received and welcomed,
sometimes they will not. Those who
receive them will have peace with God.
Those who do not receive them will have judgment from God. In fact, he says that it will be more
tolerable on the Day of Judgment for Sodom, than it will be for these places
that do not receive these disciples who announce God’s kingdom. That’s because when they reject these
disciples who speak according to Jesus’s instructions they are not just
rejecting them as individuals. They are
rejecting Jesus who sent them, and the Father who has sent Jesus. This is where Jesus says those words that I
often mention to you: “Whoever hears you, hears me.” When these disciples speak, it is not just
they who are speaking, but Jesus is speaking through them.
When these seventy or seventy two come back to Jesus from
their trips they are filled with joy.
They tell him, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.” This shows us what we know to be true from
other places as well—that the name of Jesus is powerful. Remember that and call upon him in every time
of trouble. When Jesus sees and hears
the joy of his disciples, he joins in with them in their happiness. He tells them that he saw Satan fall from
heaven like lightning. It is God’s will
that the devil should be defeated and that we should be set free from our
slavery to him. This happens by the
preaching of God’s Word—by the powerful name of Jesus.
This brings us to the words at the beginning of our Gospel
reading where Jesus tells them that they are blessed for seeing and hearing the
things that they have seen and heard.
They have been given something that many others have not been privileged
to take in. They know Jesus and the
authority that he has been given over all things. Even the prince of this world must not only
retreat, but is dashed to the ground like a bolt of lightning.
Here we have an episode of world history, and a
demonstration of what world history is ultimately all about. In the beginning God created Adam and Eve as
special creatures—made in his own image.
They were created to have perfect fellowship with God. Adam and Eve destroyed this fellowship
through sin. And so it was necessary for
God to restore them if they were not to be eternally lost. How did he do this? He made a promise to them. He promised the redemption that Jesus Christ
eventually was to accomplish on the cross for the sins of the whole world. God’s kingdom drew near when he spoke to Adam
and Eve. By God’s grace they believed
his promise. Therefore they were
justified by the faith that they had in the Christ who was promised to them.
This is how we must understand the rest of the Bible and all
of world history. The key question at
all times is: How has the Word of God fared as God himself has preached it
through the means of his people? The
Bible tells us how it has fared among the people to whom it came. It records both faith and unbelief. It records repentance and hardness of
heart. Some believed and some
didn’t. Some were blessed by God with good
messengers who understood God’s revelation.
Some were not so richly blessed and had messengers who to one extent or
another corrupted the message.
Some were not blessed by God at all with the preaching of
Jesus Christ but were cursed to live in unbelief. These do not know anything of Jesus the
Savior, and understand their lives in various different ways. How and why has God’s Word left them? The answer is that they are being punished
for the sins of their fathers to the third and fourth generation. Ultimately, all people have ancestors who
were privileged to hear God’s Word. We
have all come from Adam and Eve who had God’s word. Everybody can trace their lineage back to
Noah and his three sons, who had the Word of God. But somewhere along the line there was
unbelief and ingratitude and so God took the light of his Word away. From thence they had no other option than to remain
in darkness and the shadow of death.
They were not set free from their chains of sin and servitude to the
devil. They do not know the God of grace
and mercy.
Since this is the way that world history works, it only
seems right to me that we must apply this thinking to ourselves. How is it with us? How is the Word of God faring in our
midst? Is God sending us good messengers? Are the people hearing it and believing
it? Are they thanking God from the
bottom of their hearts for the freedom he has given to them from sin, death,
and hell?
I don’t think it is necessary for me to work very hard to
show you that we are in a bad way. Every
Christian among us knows this without the use of statistics and other
measurements. Because of itching ears
and ingratitude, God is not sending us good messengers who understand God’s
revelation. Instead he is sending us
shepherds who want to live off the fatness of the flock, but they don’t give a
rip whether any one of those sheep is bound for heaven or for hell. In fact, his understanding might be so bad
that he doesn’t even think in these terms anymore. Perhaps he assumes that everybody goes to
heaven automatically or that hell doesn’t exist. But that is just another sign of God’s
punishment.
The light of God’s Word is going away. Our ancestors were blessed with the Word of
God, they held to it by faith, and it was the centerpiece of their lives. With even the very best among us—the most
devout—this is not the centerpiece of their lives, but is shunted off to the
side someplace. Family comes first. Or work comes first. Or recreation comes first. Evidently, God is supposed to be satisfied
with the leftovers of people’s time and attention.
Well, God is nobody’s lackey. He is not chained to us or forced to stick
around. World history has always been
like this and the Scriptures testify to it: If there is one people who no
longer are interested in him and his good and gracious will, then he will move
on to another people. God is going to
have his guests at his end times wedding banquet—even if he has to beat the
bushes in order to find them. If we as
individuals and as families and as communities are no longer interested in what
God has to say about us and about him, then it’s not going to stay around. Both God and the people will move on. As I’ve said, God will move on to other
people, but the people also will move on—to other gods.
On the surface it seems like this can’t possibly be
true. There generally aren’t statues or
altars or other overtly religious things in the homes of lapsed
Christians. But look more deeply. Idolatry is not so much a matter of outward
visible signs as it is about the heart, soul, strength, and mind. What are you consuming with your heart and
your mind? What are you watching? What are you listening to? What are you teaching your children?
The Bible has a lot to say about how we should look at
ourselves and how we should look to God and how we should live our lives and
what we should hope for and dream about.
But our people have moved on.
Parents have not taught their kids the Ten Commandments and the
Creed. Instead the children have
memorized Walt Disney movies. They have
not learned any of God’s Word by heart, but they can sing the songs of their
favorite cartoons and movies word for word.
Contained in every movie, no matter how wholesome it might appear to be,
there are teachings about us as human beings and what life is all about. The movies that have an appearance of
wholesomeness are usually the worst offenders in teaching that we are good and
that we can do anything if we only try hard enough—and not believe in God, but
believe in ourselves. What we consume
with our eyes and our ears shapes our mind.
It deeply affects the way that a person looks at life. When God’s Word goes away, the people do not
stop thinking or believing. They simply
think and believe that other things are true.
We are in a state of decline and the Word of God is passing
away from us. What should we do about
it? First, we must humble ourselves and
fear God. Each of us has contributed to
the just punishment from God that we are under.
Each of us has contributed his or her own share in stirring up God’s
anger because of our sins. If you don’t
want to own that guilt and confess it as your own, then you are proud and can’t
be helped so long as you remain proud.
Jesus came to heal and save the sick and the lost. Those who are well have no need of a
physician. If you are not guilty, then
go worship some other God, because Jesus is only found in the midst of sinners.
Second, and no less important than the first, we must take
Jesus’s words to heart today. These
words were not just meant for the apostles and the disciples of that day. They are for us as well, because the very
same thing that Jesus was doing back then by sending out his messengers with
God’s Word, he is also doing today among us.
And this is what Jesus says about all this: “Blessed are the eyes
which see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings have
desired to see the things that you see and did not see them, and to hear the
things which you hear and have not heard them.”
You are a special people.
Jesus has come and spoken to you.
Christ the crucified has been depicted before you as the way, the truth,
and the life, and there is no way to the Father except through him. He has baptized you. He gives you his body and his blood to eat and
to drink for the forgiveness of all your sins.
The evil spirits that have taken up residence in you are forced to
retreat at the authoritative word of Jesus.
Although the old evil foe is cunning and mighty, he is thrown down like
lightning to the ground. You are
redeemed completely from sin, death, and hell.
Therefore, when you think of Christ coming again in glory, you may lift
up your heads (for your redemption is drawing near), and you may scan the
horizon like a bride looking for her groom who has been momentarily
delayed.
What on earth could you possibly need that Jesus has not
given you—what Jesus has revealed to you?
Although you are not rich and powerful, generally speaking, you have
been given what many a prophet and many a king would like to have.
As I mentioned last week, progress and growth as a Christian
is to have your eyes opened more and more, your ears unstopped more and more,
your tongue unleashed more and more. Let
us put on the sackcloth and the ashes for our sins. We deserve all the punishment that we might
get. But let us also put on the festive
garment and rejoice together with our Lord Jesus, our bridegroom who has loved
us his bride even though we are sinful and unclean. The love of Jesus is our hope and our
strength. It is precisely because we
have taken this for granted or not believed it as firmly as we ought that we
are as weak and wayward as we are. The
kingdom of God has drawn near. Jesus
himself is at work among us. As he says,
“Whoever hears you, hears me.”
