Second Last Sunday of the Church Year (Trinity XXVI) [Matthew 25:31-46] (14-Nov-2021)

             

This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all his angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 

In the Gospel of Matthew, right in the last week before Jesus dies, we read that Jesus went up to the Mount of Olives to give his disciples a final sermon out in the open air. Our Gospel reading today is the last thing that Jesus teaches in this sermon, the last words of Matthew 25. In Matthew 26, we read about the Last Supper, Jesus' prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, his arrest and betrayal by Judas, and his trial. 

He says: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, with all his angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

There is not a flicker of fear in Jesus' eyes here. He preaches a powerful prophecy about the future, and he wants the disciples to remember this prophecy as he goes to his suffering and death on Good Friday. Here we see Jesus teach us that after everything that will happen to him—after he suffers, dies, rises again, ascends into heaven—after all kinds of things will happen in the world in history—after many nations will rise and fall, after many cultures and peoples will hear the Gospel, after the many crusades of the middle ages, after many wars, and world wars, famines, and hardships throughout history—after all of this, Jesus teaches us that he will come again.

He says: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, with all his angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Of course, all the disciples abandon him and run away from him as soon as he is arrested. But Jesus promises a number of things: first of all, he prophesies that he will rise from the dead. The Son of Man will come in his glory. This is a prophecy of the resurrection because he calls himself the Son of Man. God cannot rise from the dead, unless he has also become a true man, and taken human flesh. Someone who is truly God cannot die, and someone who is truly God cannot rise from the dead--unless God himself takes human flesh and becomes a human being. Jesus, who was true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, descended from heaven in all his glory, and took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. So Jesus says: The Son of Man will come. He emphasises his human nature--his true human body--by calling himself not the Son of God, but the Son of Man. On that occasion all his angels came to earth and celebrated with him. And they sang Glory to God in the highest when they went to the shepherds in their fields.

Jesus also prophesies that after the resurrection he will ascend into heaven. He says: The Son of Man will come in his glory. If he's coming in his glory, where's he coming from? There's no glory in hell. If he's coming in his glory, he must be coming from heaven. And if he's coming from heaven, he must have gone there--he must have ascended into heaven. It also says: He will sit on his glorious throne. Therefore, he must be sitting at the right hand of God the Father. So all these things from the creed that we say are all prophesied here, that on the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

But also, Jesus prophesies that he will come to judge the living and the dead. This Jesus describes in the rest of the reading.

So this fact that the Son of Man will come in his glory, with all his angels with him, and sit on his glorious throne, gives the disciples wonderful comfort, because they know that after Jesus has suffered, been crucified, dead, and buried, he will triumph over his enemies. He will be victorious. He will win the victory. He will be clothed in all the glory of heaven. In fact, as soon as Jesus rose again from the dead, that victory was already there, which is now hidden from our eyes. One day, when Jesus returns that victory will be shown forth in glory again.

Jesus says: Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Many Christians today don't like to think about judgment. Actually, all around the world, but also in Australia especially, there are a lot of people who don’t think very deeply about things, and who don’t like to discuss heavy and weighty topics, important things. Perhaps many people are too comfortable to really care, or are indifferent. Perhaps the fact that many people don’t think about these things is a real testimony to the godlessness of our society and culture. Whatever the case may be, we need to realise and bring to our attention the fact that there really is a God, and that there will be a judgment.

But judgment also means that there will finally be a time when the followers of Jesus will be separated from their persecutors. Even now, there is a growing separation in our times between those who hope in Jesus and those who don't. In politics, the catchphrase "separation of church and state" is often used as an excuse to keep Christians quiet, even when Christians are actually not making very much noise! Christian young people are feeling more and more isolated in their faith among their own generation that knows nothing of their faith. We might see in the world today all kinds of ways in which people are polarised, they are on opposite sides of a fence. All of this points to the fact that there will come a time when Jesus will come at the end of the world, when he will return as the judge of all the nations.

And he will separate people one from the other as a shepherd separated the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.

Notice, here Jesus calls himself the King: The King will say to those on his right. Remember that Jesus preaches this passage just before he is about the crucified at the end of the week. Jesus, on that occasion, will receive a crown, and have a kind of coronation as a king, but it will be a crown of thorns from the Roman soldiers. He will receive his royal robes from them, he will be given a reed in his hand, like a royal scepter, and then he will be led along a long road to ascend his throne on the cross. Yes, the Romans think that they are pretending when they mock him, but what they don't realise is that the crucifixion is the coronation of Jesus as the king of the whole world. This King is the Lamb of God who was slain, and he will speak to his fellow sheep. This King is the suffering servant of God and he will lift up his hands of blessing upon his flock, and they will see the glory of God, brighter than the sun, shine through the nail wounds in his hands, and he will say to them: Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.

The king, the Lamb, makes all his sheep kings as well. In the next life, there will not be one single Christian who does reign with Jesus in his kingdom. Jesus says: Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. I will crown you and make you a king, a queen. And this kingdom that is given at the end of the world, is prepared right from the beginning of the world.

This is what Holy Baptism is: it is when people are called out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. It is where we become disciples of Jesus, and are blessed by his Father, and named with the Father's name: I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Here at baptism is given the kingdom prepared from the beginning of the world to all who believe it.

Then Jesus says: For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'

As Lutherans, we hold very strongly to the biblical teaching that we are saved by grace, through faith, for Christ's sake, apart from works. But sometimes people think from this reading that we really might be saved by works after all. Many Christian charity organisations often print this passage on their brochures: I was hungry and you fed me, or something like that. Some people think that Paul taught salvation by faith, and that the Gospel of Matthew here and the book of James teach salvation by works.

However, there is only one way that a person can be saved: through Christ's work alone, which is given to us by grace alone, and is received by faith alone completely apart from works. The Law preaches to us that we are sinners, and calls us to repentance. But the only way that a person like you or me, crushed by God’s law and brought to repentance, can be saved, is to put our trust in our only Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has died for us, risen for us, and gives and applies to us the free forgiveness of sins in the preaching of the Word, in the Absolution, in Baptism and in the Lord’s Supper.

However, James also teaches that faith is dead if good works and the fruit of the Spirit of every kind do not follow. Love and good works are the evidence of faith. This is what it means when James says: You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Also he says: As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. He's talking about the evidence of faith. It’s a bit like a tree: a living, healthy tree produces good fruit. It’s just what happens.

But earlier in the book of James, he says: Of his own will [God] brought us forth by the word of truth. Here we read that God made us his own children not by own works, but by his own will, by the word of truth. These things we simply receive by faith, and so James agrees with Paul.

So in our reading today, Jesus puts the sheep and the goats on trial. And just like any courtroom, he judges people by the evidence. He commends the sheep for their good works, and condemns the goats for their lack of good works.

He says: For I was hungry and you gave me food. It is a good thing for Christians to perform acts of charity and works of mercy to all people that we meet. And in many places in the bible, Jesus encourages us to be charitable, and merciful to all people. But in our reading, Jesus is talking about a specific kind of people. He says: As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. This is very important, because if we are to take this passage as talking about charity generally, Jesus’ brothers and sisters would have to be anyone and everyone in the world. Now, in some sense, when Jesus became a human being and took on flesh, he did become everyone’s brother and sister, but the Gospels don’t really talk like that. We could spin the text in that way, but it’s not really in line with the normal way in which Jesus talks. Normally, when Jesus speaks of his brothers, he is talking about his disciples, and often his apostles. He says: He who does the will of my Father is my mother and sister and brothers. He also says to Mary Magdalene and to the disciples to tell the news of the resurrection to his brothers. He doesn't mean his flesh-and-blood brothers, but his disciples and his apostles. Now, this is important, because when Jesus commends the sheep for what they did to his brothers, he is commending them for giving them the support they needed in response to hearing the words spoken from their lips. Sometimes, these people are pastors, and sometimes, these people are simply wise Christian friends, who are of great encouragement. We are saved by the Jesus’ Word alone and his forgiveness—when people speak this word to us, wouldn’t we want to help them and do everything that we can for them?

For example, Jesus says: I was in prison and you visited me. Here we see that close connection between Jesus as he suffers on the cross, and those who suffer for sake of the gospel. In 2 Corinthians 11, St Paul boasts of all the hardships he endured. He says: Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. James begins his letter by saying: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

What do you think you would do if you were alive at the time of St Paul and knew he was suffering nearby? What would you do if an apostle was enduring hardship, or if the people who speak God's word to you were suffering greatly? If a dear Christian friend who encourages you so deeply and profoundly in your faith suddenly falls into hard times? Just as Jesus was crowned with thorns, what would you do if you saw a fellow Christian neighbour crowned with many thorns of Satan? Wouldn't you want to protect that person from harm and help them? Wouldn't you want to savour the last words of Jesus that you could from them? Wouldn't you feed them if they were hungry, wouldn't you give them a drink if they were thirsty, wouldn't you clothe them if they were naked and welcome them if they were a stranger, wouldn't you visit them in prison and strengthen them in their sickness?

Of course, you would-- How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news! Anyone would do this for the sake of that Christian encouragement that we so desperately need. Anyone would do this to hear the word of life from their lips. Those who don't value the word of Jesus, wouldn't do anything to protect the people who bring it to them--these people are called the goats. How often the apostles address the readers of their letters so affectionately and with such friendliness and with such gratitude for the love which is showed them on account of their words!

So this passage is not about salvation by works, or salvation because of Christian charity--it's about our reception of the living words of Jesus through the messengers of Jesus.

And just so that you know this passage is not about salvation by works, listen to the way in which the sheep respond: Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' They don't even know that they were serving Christ.

And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' The least of these my brothers: not just the apostles and the St Pauls of the world, not just the bishops and the pastors, but every simple Christian who receives hardship because of the words of Jesus. Of course, when we see anyone in hardship or need, whether they are a Christian or not, we should help them in their need and show love to them. But Christian charity in general is secondary to what this text is talking about here. It’s not the main thing that we’re talking about in this particular text. This text is focussed particularly on the brothers of Jesus.  

And just as the sheep had no idea that they were serving Jesus, the goats had no idea that they were rejecting Jesus. Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?'

They do not value these living words of Jesus, and treat those who bring this word to them with contempt and so at the end they will depart from [Jesus], [as] cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Hell was not made for the sake of human beings, it was prepared for the devil and his angels. And just as there is an eternal life for the sheep, there will be an eternal punishment for the goats.

Now, this reading is almost too harsh for our times, and our society today. People have so much, and the more they have, the more they are afraid of losing. Many Christians too don't value the simple message of Jesus and his cross, and also don't value the simple--sometimes even simplistic--Christians who speak it to them. Many Christian reject their baptism, reject the church, reject the authority and care of their pastors, and reject the fellowship of Christians. When did we see you hungry and not feed you? they will say. This word is such a thunderbolt for our country and our times which are full of small churches with few people. Would that the Holy Spirit would open the floodgates that people may hear and receive the precious words of Jesus, and hasten to meet him as their brother, their king, the Son of Man who shares their flesh and blood!

Listen to those words of Jesus, little flock! Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Come, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Friend, come up higher! Come to the banquet, for everything is ready. Come, bride of Christ, come, beloved sheep of the Good Shepherd! Come, and hear the loving voice of your shepherd! Amen.

 

And the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Third Last Sunday of the Church Year (Trinity XXV) [Matthew 24:15-28] (7-Nov-2021)

            

This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 

Our Sunday today marks the first of three Sundays at the end of the church year, which focus on things to do with the end of the world. Today, our Gospel reading is taken from Matthew 24, and this is a passage that we don’t often consider in preaching and in sermons, at least anymore.

Right at the beginning of this chapter, Jesus and his disciples are walking near the temple in Jerusalem and its buildings. And Jesus says: You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. Jesus prophesies that the temple will be destroyed some time in the future. And this actually happened in the year 70 AD, when the Romans came into Jerusalem, and laid the temple bare. And to this day, over the course of almost 2000 years, the temple has never been rebuilt.

But of course, what Jesus said here is a prophecy of the things that would happen in those times. And the fact that Jesus mentions this provokes a question in the hearts and minds of the disciples. We read: As [Jesus] sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” They ask two questions: they ask about when the temple will be destroyed, as Jesus had just prophesied, and they also ask when Jesus will come and when the end of the age will come. In our reading today, Jesus particular speaks about the abomination of desolation. An abomination is something which is disgusting, and something disgusting that goes very much against God’s law, which defiles, which desecrates. And desolation means that something will be laid waste, laid bare, be made empty. And so this abomination of desolation that Jesus speaks about is something disgusting, something which is evil or filthy, something which defiles and desecrates, that then causes something to be made empty and laid waste.

Jesus talks about something that will come about in the Jewish temple, and will have a particular effect on the Jewish people at that time. But also, he speaks about the future history of the church, and how there will be an abomination of desolation in Christianity too before the end of the world. The first abomination is a physical one that stands in the physical temple built by King Herod, but the second abomination is a spiritual one that stands in the temple of the Christian church and the Christian community.

And so in our sermon today, we are going to consider first of all the physical abomination of desolation in the temple in Jerusalem, which was a sign of the future destruction of Jerusalem and of the whole land of Israel. Then secondly, we are going to consider the spiritual abomination of desolation, or the Antichrist, which the Lord calls false Christs and false prophets, which will be a sign of the end of the world.

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to open our ears and our hearts and minds to understand his truth and his message to us today. Amen.              

At the beginning of our reading today, Jesus says: So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

First of all, we should take note that this is probably the only time when Jesus tells us particularly to take notice of a particular book of the Old Testament. Of course, he mentions Moses and the Prophets and David, but here he mentions the Prophet Daniel, and says to us: Let the reader understand.

So what particularly in the book of Daniel is Jesus talking about? The Book of Daniel has some particularly well-known passages in it, especially the event where the three men were put in the fiery furnace, and when Daniel was put in the lion’s den. But also, there are many things in the book of Daniel, which are prophetic, and not easy to understand, a little bit like the Book of Revelation.

In chapter 9 of Daniel, we read: The people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed…. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.

This passage describes the visible signs of the destruction of Jerusalem. Daniel mentions here the city, and the sanctuary. He also mentions wings of abomination. It so turned out in history, that all of these things were significant. At the time of Jesus, we know that the land of Israel was under the power of the Romans. We read about various centurions that met Jesus, we hear about some Jews like Matthew and Zacchaeus who were tax collectors working for the Romans, and also we read about various Roman people like Pontius Pilate, who was the Roman governor. We read also in the book of Acts, that Paul appealed to Caesar and was actually sent to Rome.

Now, many Jews were not happy about the Roman occupation, which continued still for many years after this, and there were various conflicts and tensions. Eventually, it happened that Caesar Tiberius set up his own image in the Jewish temple, which of course was a great offence to the Jews, and an abomination to God, to set up an idol in the temple. Then, afterwards, there was another Caesar, called Gaius Caligula, a particularly evil ruler, who was known for his cruelty and his immoral live. Caligula also set up a statue of himself in the temple in Jerusalem, and called the temple after his own name, “Gaius the Great God”. This, of course, infuriated the Jews, and there was much bloodshed. Then the emperor Nero, set up his statue together with a statue of the Roman god Jupiter in the temple.

So, all these things, all these idols and abominations that were set up in the temple, were to be a sign of the destruction of the temple, according to Daniel. And we read in Daniel that it was to take place like a flood. I remember seeing a place in Queensland where there had been a terrible flood, where there was a bridge in the middle of nowhere, because the river had moved. Eventually, the city of Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed so mightily and so terribly by the Romans, that is was a like a flood, and the city was completely laid waste. Jesus says in our reading: For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. It must have been such an incredible, unspeakable, horrific thing when Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed in those times.

In our reading, Jesus says: When you see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Jesus is telling the people that when these things happen, it is time to get out. He gives them a warning, and tells them not to back to their houses to get their things and their possessions. He even laments about women who are pregnant and nursing babies. He also tells them to pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

Now in the bible, we read about all kinds of reasons why particular cities and societies have been destroyed and desolated. For example, first, we might think of idolatry and false teaching. This is why God’s people were taken into captivity into Babylon, before the time of Jesus. Second, when God’s people and the prophets are persecuted. Jesus says in Matthew 23: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets… your house is left to you desolate. Third, when unrighteousness prevails, when poor people are oppressed, and courts and leaders become corrupt. Fourth, cities and societies are often desolated and destroyed because of people’s godless life, particularly, when people fight to destroy the family and indulge in all kinds of sexual sins, such as when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Fifth, is when a society is divided, and there is revolt and revolution. Jesus says: A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. So, for example, we know that Jerusalem was destroyed at this time, but also after the time of the apostles, and such like, there were plenty of other cities throughout Asia, and in other places because of these kinds of things.

Of course, today, we see that the whole world is full of these things. There is idolatry everywhere, false teaching everywhere, persecution of Christians everywhere, unrighteousness everywhere, corruption everywhere, sexual sin everywhere, division, protests, riots everywhere. And when these things happen, desolation cannot be too far away.

Now, in our reading about these things, Jesus gives us many different comforts. He says: Flee to the mountains. Jesus points these things out to people, and then gives them a way of escape. In a similar way, Lot was rescued from Sodom. The Israelites were rescued from Egypt. Jesus, Mary and Joseph were rescued from Bethlehem, when King Herod went to kill all the baby boys there.

So, for example, when there is great trouble in a particular place—like war, or plagues, hunger, war, and all that kind of thing—it is a perfectly legitimate thing for a Christian to flee. If God gives a means of escape, and a means to save and preserve your life, it is a perfectly legitimate for you to take it. However, sometimes, people are called to stay in a difficult place, because of their vocation and calling. For example, you can’t abandon your family and children. Also, sometimes, our confession of faith may require us to have to stay in a particular place where things are difficult. Throughout history, many Christians have had to consider these matters. In these situations, we place our lives and our situation into the hands of God, and we trust that he will rescue us and deliver us in his own way and in his own time. Psalm 50 says: I will deliver you. Psalm 46: God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble. Psalm 91 says: I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honour him.

But then also, there is a second comfort, and that is that Jesus particularly shows his concern and his care for those who are vulnerable. He says: Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! He knows that there will be people who will need particular care and looking after. Pregnant mothers, new mothers, old people, weak people, disabled people—Jesus knows how to care for each of us in our particular situation, and he knows how to rescue each person from whatever situation they find themselves in.

The third comfort that Jesus gives to us in these situations is prayer. He says: Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. When we see all kinds of various troubles happening in the world, and we are worried about what might happen, Jesus asks us to commend our worries to him in prayer, and we know that he is a loving Saviour and that he will hear us.

So, when we look at all of the abominations in our world today, and begin to consider the desolation and destruction that may very well come as a result, let’s look to God—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—as our own means for rescue and escape. Let us remember Jesus’ particular concern for us in all of our weakness, and turn to him in prayer, knowing that he is our faithful friend and loving Saviour.

In the second part of our reading, we read about the future history of the church, which Jesus speaks will come after the time when he is speaking. He speaks about a spiritual abomination of desolation, that will come about even within the church, which we call the “spirit of antichrist”.

Now, one of the things we have to understand is that right from the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples, and when they spoke in many languages, and the wind and the fire came down, right from this time, when the Gospel first was preached by the Apostles, this was the last days. The whole life of the church is the “Last Days”. Sometimes people look around at world and they say: I really think we’re living in the end times, or in the last times. Of course, we are. The fact that Jesus has a church on earth means that it is the last days and the end times, and we are really only looking forward to one thing, which is when Christ will return. So on the day of Pentecost, when Peter preached the Gospel to the people who saw the tongues of fire and everything else, he quoted from the Prophet Joel, which says: In the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. When does God pour out his Spirit? In the last days, says Joel, and Peter in his sermon.

Also, in the Apostle John’s first letter, we also read about something else in the last days. He says: Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they are not of us.

So, John here speaks about the spirit of antichrist as coming about in the last days too. He says twice here that it is the last hour. And that these false teachers went out from us—they came up from within the church and from within Christianity, but did not stick with the teaching of the apostles but went their own way. Sometimes, in the history of the church, Christians have had to expel false teachers from their midst, and sometimes Christians have had to run away from and flee false teachers.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus gives us a few marks of this spiritual abomination of desolation. Firstly, he calls them false christs and false prophets. A false prophet is a person who claims to speak for God, but is actually not speaking the word of God at all. Sometimes, people don’t know the difference between a prophet and a fortune teller. We know that there are these mystic types, occultists, or fortune tellers, who claim to give people insights into the future. Of course, then, there are people who call themselves Christians who also claim to do the same thing, but they give a Christian appearance, and they use the names of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But in actual fact, they don’t tell the truth. We are living in a country and a world where there are many false prophets. But then, also, a false “christ” is someone who puts themselves in the place of the true Christ, and instead of pointing themselves to Jesus Christ crucified, as their Saviour, their Lord, their King, their intercessor, their Good Shepherd, as the head of the church, etc. they point to themselves, or other things, to replace Christ in these situations, whether it is a particular pastor, or a bishop, or the Pope, or a charismatic preacher, or whoever.

Second, Jesus speaks about false prophets and false christs who want people to find Christ in all kinds of places where he has not promised to be. Jesus says: Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it… So if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness’, do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. Now, it is true, that Christ wants us to meet him and to find him in his Word and Sacraments. He specifies this in his own Word in the Holy Scripture. But here Jesus is talking about where people are pointed to all kinds of other people, as if they are the Christ, or a kind of Saviour. Or where people are pointed to all kinds of places, in deserts, in inner rooms, as if they can meet Jesus through this experience or that experience.

But then, thirdly, Jesus speaks about these false prophets and false christ performing great signs and wonders. This is a big topic, because there was a time when it was not common for Christians necessarily to expect many miracles in their every day lives. Today, many Christians are always looking for miracles. Sometimes, there are very large gatherings of Christians, where it is claimed that there are miracles on tap. We always need to be mindful of the fact that Jesus has prophesied that there will be signs and wonders performed by false prophets. I’m not just saying that they are fake miracles, such as when people have a person in a wheelchair stand up who is not actually disabled. Sometimes, the miracles are genuine, but the prophet is false. Jesus says in our reading: They will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Even Jesus says that these prophets and false christs are dead, and that even vultures gather around a carcass. He says: Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

So, in our reading today, Jesus teaches us to be wary, to be alert, to be discerning, to be watchful, to be careful, and make sure that we are following him and not some kind of false prophet or false christ. It’s a very important lesson for us to learn in our climate today. However, Jesus also gives us some wonderfully rich comforts too.

First of all, he comforts us with the fact that he has elected us, that he called us, that he has gathered us into his kingdom. When we hear his Word, and believe it, and take our stand in our Baptism, where he washed us with water and the Spirit, we can take comfort in this, knowing that we have been adopted as a child of God and made part of God’s family and his kingdom. Jesus says: For the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. He cares for his own people, and he knows that things can be hard for his own children, and he won’t let them be tempted beyond what they can bear. So we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus cares for you, and takes care of his sheep, even though there are many difficult things happening in the world, and many false teaching and false prophets at work among the church. The Scripture says: Whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.

Second, he comforts us with the promise of his own coming. He says: For as the lightening comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. When Jesus returns, or even if we die before he returns, this will be the time when he will wonderfully rescue us from this valley of the shadow of death, and will take us to be with him in heaven. We pray in the Lord’s prayer: Deliver us from evil. And Luther writes very nicely and beautifully in his Small Catechism: We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

Let’s commend ourselves to our loving Saviour, Jesus Christ, and trust in him to rescue us from every evil of body and soul. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.